Viola thought about this and then nodded. “Okay, maybe I’ll give it another shot. Another time, though. I’m in the mood for something a little more romantic.”

Indeed.

In fiction or in real life?

“Missing that from your life, are you?”

At my question Caro lowered her book to hear Viola’s answer. Viola sighed and sat up, curling her arms around her knees as she drew them toward her chest. “I dumped my boyfriend two weeks before the end of semester.” Her upper lip curled into a sneer. “Noah. He plays for the basketball team. He was cheating on me with one of the bloody cheerleaders.”

“I’m sorry, Vi,” Caro offered gently.

“Yeah, me too. He’s a complete moron.” I frowned at her self-conscious wince. “You’re one of a kind, Viola. Smart, funny, loyal, kind, witty, and although it’s not important, you’ve got the type of stunning beauty that stops people in their tracks.”

Caro nodded. “What she said.”

Viola smirked. “Well, when you put it like that, I sound fantastic.” She glanced between us, her expression somewhat sheepish. “If you want the truth, I think I needed the comedown Noah’s cheating gave me.” At my glower, Vi explained, “Caro will tell you that it hasn’t always been easy growing up in a small village the daughter of a white woman and a black man. Don’t get me wrong, most people are fine. They don’t see my dad’s skin color or mine. But there are some—and I hate to say it—of an older generation, who made it clear they didn’t approve of us.” Her eyes flashed angrily. “It wasn’t just the feud that divided folks here thirty years ago. It was a white girl bringing a black man home.”

I shook my head in despair of such blatant ignorance. “I’m sorry, Viola.”

She shrugged but I knew she was hiding her real feelings behind indifference. “It wasn’t awful growing up here. It’s just I think I was made to feel different when I might not have if I grew up in the city. I was glad to leave and go to Newcastle at eighteen. And when I got there . . .” She laughed, sounding embarrassed. “Well, when I got there, aye, I found myself quite popular. Boys asked me out, girls wanted to be friends. Mam and Dad had always raised me to believe in myself, to like what I saw when I looked in the mirror, so it’s not like I didn’t already have confidence or that I didn’t like myself . . . but with all the attention I received, I got arrogant. Knew I was smart. Knew I was pretty.

“Noah cheating on me brought me down to earth a little, and I think I needed it.”

I gaped at her.

Viola’s brows puckered. “What?”

Taking a minute, I was determined to find the words without lecturing her. My indignation, however, won out. “Did you tear other people down or make them feel inferior to you?”

She looked rankled. “Of course not.”

“Then why on earth do you think you needed to be brought low by Noah’s cheating? Viola, you’re allowed to be confident and to think that you’re smart and pretty and deserving of the best. Unfortunately, we live in a society where we tell our kids to be confident and successful and then as soon as they are, we tell them to shut up about it and be humble. Especially women. Guys can get away with cockiness until the end of time, but if a woman is cocky, she’s arrogant and superior.

“Even worse, women are just as likely as men to condemn a confident woman for not being modest enough. The only way we can change that attitude is to change it among ourselves. If you’re successful at something, celebrate that success. If you know you’re smart, then demand that other people treat you as someone of intelligence. If you look in the mirror and you like what you see, then halle-fucking-lujah!” I exclaimed. “Believe me, I spent way too much of my youth, and still do, picking apart my appearance instead of being grateful for what I have. Grateful that all my limbs are intact and that my body is healthy.” I leaned toward Viola, who was wide-eyed as she listened to me. “Do not ever apologize for liking who you are. It’s a beautiful mindset. And that asshole who cheated on you doesn’t deserve to come in touching distance of your life.”

Silence settled over the three of us as Viola stared at me in shock.

It was Caro who broke it with a sudden burst of clapping.

We looked at her in confusion.

“I’m sorry but that speech deserved a round of applause,” she explained.

She was so adorable, I grinned at her.

“Evie.”

I turned to Viola. “Yeah?”

Her smile was slow but genuine. “Thanks. I’m really glad you’re here.”

“Me too.” I settled back in my seat, my thoughts immediately turning to Lucas yesterday. “And I have to tell you something.”