Free The Violet Hour (The Violet Hour Series) by Andrea L Wells

moving toward me in the window.  I was buried deep within my blankets and pillows and didn’t want to ever move out from under them, though I knew I’d been reading on top of them.  I peeked further out the window, seeing the tops of empty chairs.  I sighed and pushed the covers back.  I reached for my sweatshirt off the floor next to my nightstand and sitting on the window seat, like a fairy tale, was another note.  My heart fluttered a few beats as I grabbed for it, slammed the window shut and jumped back into bed.
    Logan,
                  I found you curled up on your bed so I hope you don’t mind I covered you up.  I didn’t want to wake you but I would like to take you to the Labor Day parade tonight.  I’ve already asked your father.  Meet me at seven?
                  Look forward to seeing you,
                                Luke             
     
    I folded the note and pressed it to my chest.  How was I going to tell this guy I thought he was my savior when I’d just met him three days ago?  I tucked the note away in a drawer with the first letter and began digging through my boxes feverishly for something to wear when I heard a knock at my door.
    “Logan?” my dad mumbled from the other side.
    “Yeah?”
    “Can I come in?”
    He entered my room and immediately walked over to the window.  I grabbed a pair of scissors to open another box, waiting for him to speak first.
    “Are you going out with Luke tonight?” he asked, getting right to the point.
    “I was planning on it, yes.  Why?” I snapped.  I still felt guarded from our argument the day before.
    “I just want you to be careful.  Stay with Luke, okay?  Can you promise me that?” he asked, his tone filled with intensity.  Something I was normally good at was gauging what people’s voices were saying when their words weren’t enough. 
    “Sure, I can do that.  I don’t know anyone else yet, so I don’t see why I would leave without him,” I offered.  I liked the sound of that on a deeper level than my dad likely suspected.
    “Well, I just want you to be safe.  I’m not trying to punish you for anything; I know you’re a good kid.  You’re a great kid.”
    “Dad, I know you’re worried about me, I get it.  I’ll be fine.  I won’t leave Luke’s side tonight,” I said without hesitation.
    My dad seemed slightly taken back.  He obviously wanted to say something else, but instead nodded to himself and closed the door behind him.  I would be relieved when this hyper-vigilant phase of his passed.
    While finishing my makeup, I heard rain begin to patter on the roof.  The weather was becoming a bit of a drag; I needed sun on my skin.  I pulled on my favorite ripped skinny jeans and one-of-kind red Christian Louboutin heels while I searched for a white bra.  I slipped on a tight white tank top under my vintage black leather jacket and threw my hair into a messy ponytail. 
    I didn’t look overdone, but I wasn’t about to be undone anymore.  I had a life I needed to move on with.  I grabbed my black Chanel clutch and my mother’s big pearl earrings then headed downstairs.
    I got to the kitchen prepared to face the parental units before stepping out, but they were both in the living room watching TV instead. 
    “Hey Dad?  I’m going to leave now, okay?”
    “Okay, the keys should be in it where the guys left them.  Be careful.” 
    “The keys should be in what?” I asked.
    “Your car, dear,” he replied.  My jaw dropped.
    “Thanks, Dad!” I screeched and dashed for the door before he could turn to look at me, which was a good thing – considering what I was wearing. 
    I spared no time as I raced thru the garage.
    My shiny black Mercedes SL550 purred to life when I turned the key, flooding my mind with warm memories.  It felt like the first time I sat in the driver’s seat the morning of my sixteenth birthday almost exactly a year