Never in her life has Violet ever felt more betrayed. And by her own father no less. She knew Riley had quit a week ago. She knew her father said he had someone in mind to take his place. Someone who would be able to commit to more hours during the week. She never would have guessed he would have gone looking for someone outside their District.
Finn could be a party animal compared to her father's newest hire. The only words Violet has ever heard come from Therron Hawthorne was hello and goodbye. And that was over three years ago when his father chided him into speaking to her both times. His shy grey eyes and straight dark hair were the only things she remembered about him. And now she had to treat him like family as instructed by her father.
He's not family. He has a family. His parents just tend to forget there's more to life than their work. His father, Gale, has giving up trying to persuade Therron to join the ranks of a soldier like him. His mother, Satin, is a reporter from District Two and has made it obvious Therron's lack of public speaking has been a sore spot with her. So her kind father jumped at the opportunity at hiring Therron when Katniss mentioned he was thinking of looking for work in another District since he finished school. His father probably had his bags packed before the phone call was over Violet thought. And now she was the one really responsible for him. She wouldn't dream of her father having to train him but she wasn't looking forward to explaining to him how to speak loud enough so that a customer could hear him. Therron Hawthorne isn't going to be of help to them, just another mess Violet has to clean up.
"Ah, there's the boss," Peeta announces proudly as Violet closes the door to the stairs leading up to her room in the bakery. Violet's lips part to greet Therron... only the man standing beside her father does it first.
Tall. Well-built. Enough a bag of flour wouldn't be intimidating for him. A genuine smile on his face. And friendliness in his eyes she's never seen before. "I'll remember who to go then when I ask for my first raise. It's good to see you again, Violet." Therron smiles brightly at Violet and reaches for her hand.
"You too," Violet answers though with much more hesitancy. She shakes his hand all the while wondering where the quiet mannered boy with shy eyes is.
Therron pulls his hand back after Violet forgets she's holding it much too long. He doesn't seem to notice though. "So what's on the schedule for today? Cleaning the ovens? Hauling away the garbage? I'm up for your worst task, just as long as I get a little taste testing in today." Violet's jaw almost drops when he laughs and bumps shoulders with her father as if they were old friends. Some where out there, lost in the middle of Panem is the real Therron Hawthorne. Probably wandering in the woods, days away from dying of thirst. And his place in life has been taken over by this charismatic, outgoing grown man that has already beginning to erase her only memories of him.
"Last one," Therron puffs as he sets down the last of the bags of sugar on the shelf. Violet gave him a work out on his first day. She sent her father off to enjoy his one day off with her mother while she gave Therron a taste of bakery life. She gave him a tour to which he listened admiringly at the how Peeta managed to keep the bakery running using the same old-fashioned equipment as his father. She gave him a run down on how to greet customers and serve them to which he had her role play and showed her his award winning smile he was determined would help them double their business with the female customers. And now he just finished up helping her restock the supply room so her work is actually done for the day.
"Looks good," Violet compliments him from the door as she surveys his work.
"You probably shouldn't say that when you have a boyfriend but I'll take it." Therron winks at her and stands confidently with his hands on his hips.
Violet immediately feels embarrassed. An odd out of place feeling for her. "That's not-"
He chuckles at her. "A joke, Violet. You two are practically married. No one would believe you would ever flirt with a common man like me when you have Finn Odair at your beck and call."
That's the cloud of reality Panem is in love with believing. It would never even occur to her to flirt with anyone else but Finn. Even that isn't going as well lately. She's had to draw back her efforts her father nearly talked into. During their last date she tried to bring up the subject of their impending anniversary as their every movement was sure to be broadcast as breaking news but he grew more distant with every word that left her lips. So she caved again and went on a rant about how she should try and set up Haymitch and Effie so it would take some of the pressure off of them.
"Right, sorry," she says trying to recover from her minor rattling. Again she eyes him in wonder. "It's just... Therron, I'm sorry but you've changed. I mean, look at you!" She throws up her hands at him. "You're a man. You can speak. You make jokes. This isn't the Therron I remember."
He takes her compliment modestly. "I'm the same age as you. I know I was always a foot shorter but I grew into myself. In more ways than one. I got tired of acting like a piece of dust hiding behind some furniture. And being treated like one. There are things I want in life and no one is going to give them to me. I either had to face facts and grow up or continue hiding inside myself. And I think the choice I made is working for me." Violet takes in the confident man before her and stands in awe. She has to admit she took a liking to him as soon as he showed her the lengths he was prepared to go to to win over a few more costumers. But now she's feels more than a liking growing for him. She admires the direction he's heading in. And wouldn't mind garnering some of that brave assurance in herself.
"He spoke?"
"And he's funny. And helpful. And I didn't have to repeat myself once today." Violet makes her relief well-known to Finn. The painfully shy boy she was expecting turned out to be a work horse in sheep's clothing. "I didn't get a good look at his eyes though. There's still the possibility it wasn't him and he was injected with some confidence boosting venom instead."
Her heart swells at the sound of Finn laughing into the phone. That's all she needed until she sees him again. Just a sliver of hope that she can still make him happy.
"I might have to see this for myself. It's not the first time you've tricked me."
She chooses to remind him of one he actually knows of. Not the one where she had him pretend to be in love with her until it became clear to him he truly did love her. "Personally, I think the best one was when you ate those ladybugs."
Finn moans in disgust at the memory. "And the bread! Why I believed you that burnt bread would stop the supposed poison from the ladybugs from poking holes in my stomach I'll never know."
"Oh, we all know why. I'm the female version of my father, irresistibly charming to a fault. I could sell water to a fish and bread as tasty as coal to someone as clever as you." Too dense to realize his true love tricked him into District Twelve's custom for sharing burnt bread with her and thus committing herself to him for the rest of their lives is what Violet's conscious is thinking.
"I was convinced I was going to die that day. Between the poison and the lump of ashes in my stomach. Any other person might think you've been secretly trying to destroy me all these years."
"Sorry, I wasn't aware it was a secret, Finn. You see, there really isn't room in this world for the two of us. I've always planned on being the last one standing. You should really start coming up with a strategy if you have any hope of surviving me."
Finn grips the phone on the other side of Panem. This is why he's doing this he reminds himself. There never should have been the two of them. She is worth so much more than him. At least he knows with a spirit like hers there is no question she'll survive just fine without him. "Maybe I should join forces with Therron. Somehow he's gotten on your good side."
"He follows my every direction. Once you realize that bowing down to me is really the only choice you have, I promise you you'll find happiness." His laughter is the drug that keeps her going for the next hour, teasing him relentlessly. What she doesn't know is that it pains him every time because he knows the next time they see each other no one will be laughing.
"Jealous?" Therron asks with the aroma of smugness swirling around him.
Violet hides a smile while her blue eyes barely show through her eyelashes. She shifts her attention fully back on the book where she keeps track of the bakery's income each week. "Jealous of how you are currently earning your keep?"
Therron jumps off the counter where he was carefully watching Violet add up the figures. The bakery closed for the night but her work wasn't done. He volunteered to keep her company while she had to finish up her last duties before she left for Four tomorrow. "I was referring to my repeat customers but since you brought it up I suppose you do have a little competition. Maybe I'll be the one your father chooses to succeed him."
With a poor attempt at a glare, Violet turns to him. "Good luck with that, you're going to need a little more than two weeks worth of experience and a pretty face only grandmothers seem to take a liking to."
"Tsk, tsk, Ms. Mellark. You have to stop telling me how pretty I am. You're about to get engaged, you know."
Violet doesn't even bother to hide the roll of her eyes. "First of all, you'd have to as blind as those women to think you're pretty and second, I told you not to bring up you know what."
"No, what?" He can tell he's getting on her last nerve. Everything else, she's an open book about. But Finn is off limits. Which is why he opts to stop testing her. "You can hit me if you want to. Come on." He pats a spot above his arm. "It'll help you feel better."
"I'm going to pretend the last minute didn't happen so I my father doesn't accuse me of assaulting his favorite employee." Violet closes the book and tucks it away in the safe in the back room with Therron following close behind.
"It's your last night as a... before you go... why don't we do something?"
She clicks the safe closed and gives him a resigned look. As much as he listens to her and tries to keep her mind off tomorrow, it's no use. How she would love for this to be her last night as anything other than what she is. Just a girl trying to hold in her hopes and dreams until she can finally release them to the man she loves. Seeing Finn on tomorrow of all days is going to make her have to craft a body of armor around her so he doesn't see a sliver of what the world is hoping to gain a glimpse of. She doesn't need a distraction right now. She needs to focus and make sure she doesn't stray from what she knows to be true. Finn is going to be terrified. The world is expecting a proposal. They are going to be disappointed. Every look and unheard word will be analyzed until they day they die. She is going to have to put on the performance of a lifetime, pretending not only for the cameras but for Finn's sake, that a lifetime with Finn is the farthest thing from her mind.