The Mafia's Good Girl
The Mafia’s Good Girl – Chapter 24

~ Violet ~

“Honey, your friend Jesse is here!” Violet’s mom yelled from the living room, causing Violet to scramble as she was curling her hair with the iron curler.

“I’m coming!” Violet yelled back.

Jesse was ten minutes early and Violet was still getting ready. Tonight was her date night with Jesse and Violet was nervous. She had never been on a date before and all the rom-coms she watched growing up taught her that the first date was everything. The first date would make or break things. A guy would judge the girl on this date and see if she was a second date or even girlfriend material.

Violet didn’t want Jesse to wait too long and not think she was girlfriend material. She quickly finished whatever she was doing, straightened her dress, and walked out of her room as soon as she could.

Violet entered the living in a little black dress and her hair was neatly curled. She found Jesse sitting on the couch and her mom was sitting on the other side. In Jesse’s hand was a bouquet of flowers and his eyes lit up when he saw her. He was wearing a white buttoned down shirt and some jeans, and his blonde hair was neatly slicked to the side.

“Hi,” Violet greeted him.

“Hey, wow, you look amazing,” Jesse stood up and walked over to her. He handed her the flowers and she took them with a smile.

“Thank you,” she said. “They’re beautiful,”

Violet smelled the flowers before putting them on the table. Her mom then got up and grabbed an empty vase from the kitchen.

“I’ll put them in some water,” she said.

“Thanks, mom,”

Violet’s mom brought the bouquet and the vase to the kitchen sink. Meanwhile, Violet just stood awkwardly with Jesse in the living room.

“Are you ready to go?” he asked her. He also looked a little nervous.

“Yup,” Violet nodded her head.

“So honey, Jesse was telling me you two are going to a new restaurant in Newport?” Violet’s mom said from the kitchen.

“Yes, we are,” Violet replied.

“That sounds fun. Have a great time you two,”

“Thanks, mom,” Violet walked over to her mom and kissed her cheek. “Call me if you need anything and Dylan will get off his shift at 10—“

“Oh, stop worrying about me,” her mom cut her off and rolled her eyes. “You just worry about having fun tonight, okay?”

Violet smiled at her mom. Barbara was beyond excited when she heard that her daughter would be going on a date tonight. Everyone in the house agreed that Violet had been working too hard and she barely had time for herself. Both Barbara and Dylan thought that Violet going on a date with Jesse would be good for her. So much so that they were even more excited for Violet than Violet herself.

“I’ll see you later, mom,” Violet said as she hugged Barbara.

“Bye, sweetie,” her mom hugged her back.

“Have a good night, Mrs. Carvey,” Jesse smiled that award-winning smile and Barbara nodded at him.

Jesse then held out his hand to Violet and Violet took it. He was smiling at her and she started feeling giddy. Violet and Jesse walked out of the apartment hand in hand. This was the first time she ever held hands with a guy before and she liked the way it felt. Violet couldn’t stop smiling even for a second.

Well, okay, I’ve done more things than just holding hands with Damon, but that doesn’t count!

Jesse opened the car door for her and Violet went in. Then he raced around the car before getting into the driver seat. Violet found herself nervous and excited as Jesse started the car’s engine. It seemed like Dylan was right after all, Violet needed to experience some kind of normalcy and decency when it comes to guys. This might just be what she needed.

“Are you hungry?” Jesse said as he turned to her.

“I’m starving,” Violet admitted.

“Good,” he laughed. “You’re gonna love this place,”

The car then pulled away and soon they were cruising down the street. A smooth jazz song was playing on the stereo and Jesse couldn’t stop stealing glances at Violet. She’d look back at him and they’d smile at each other when their eyes met. And when Jesse smiled at her with his mega-watt smile, Violet couldn’t help but blush. She had to bite her l*p to stop herself from smiling too much and she’d look to the window to avert his gaze.

Relax, Violet. You got this!

Violet took a deep breath to calm herself down. When she felt like she was calm enough, she turned to Jesse again and she found him looking right at her. They exchanged another look and laughed. Jesse then held out his hand and Violet took it. Their hands were clasped together and they rested on Violet’s thighs. There was only one other man who had ever touched her thigh before and she refused to think about him tonight. With that thought in mind, Violet clasped Jesse’s hand tighter and smiled at him.

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“We’re here,” Jesse announced in a singsong way.

After about twenty minutes of driving, the car pulled to a stop in front of this tall building in the Newport area. Newport was an area on the coast of Jersey City that was separated by the Hudson River to Manhattan. It was a fabulous place, filled with luxurious hotels, wonderful entertainment space, and fancy buildings.

Violet never had an excuse to come to this place until now. Her eyes lit up in excitement as she looked at the view outside the window. Jesse stepped out of the car and handed his keys to the valet. Then he walked around to Violet’s door and opened the car door for her.

“Thank you,” Violet smiled and took his hand.

Jesse then led Violet inside the tall building and they walked all the way towards the back where the restaurant was located. Violet was wearing heels and she liked the way her feet hit the marble floor. She felt beautiful and fierce, and it didn’t hurt that she had a cute guy in her arms.

If this is what dates are like, I should do this more often!

“Good evening, welcome to The Bistro,” a beautiful host in a lovely red dress greeted Violet and Jesse at the door of the restaurant. “Do you have a reservation with us tonight?”

“Yes, it’s under Miller, Jesse,” he replied.

The host checked her guestbook before nodding her head.

“Table for two for Mr. Miller. Right this way,” she smiled and led the couple through the restaurant. She brought them all the way to the back where there was a table for two by a large window overlooking the river.

Jesse pulled a chair out for Violet and she sat down. Then he went over to the other side and sat in front of her.

“Our waiter will soon be with you, enjoy your night,” the host smiled at them and Violet smiled back politely. After she turned around to leave, Violet directed her eyes to the large window and smiled at the view of the Manhattan skyline in front of her.

“Wow,” Violet gasped. She wanted to take her phone out and start taking pictures, but she didn’t want to look like a tourist, or like one of those Gen-Z kids who just had to snap and insta everything.

“It’s not too bad right?” Jesse laughed.

“Not too bad? This place is amazing!” she replied.

“Well, wait until you try the food,” he winked. “It’s even more than amazing,”

Violet couldn’t be more excited. The next thing she knew, a waiter came up to them to talk about the menu. Apparently, they served French and Italian fusion food here and everything seemed intriguing. Italian food was Violet’s favorite food, so she was ecstatic to try it.

After ordering their food, Violet and Jesse spent some time talking and getting to know each other. Somehow they ended up talking about past relationships and Jesse was telling her that he broke up with his ex-girlfriend six months ago.

“So when was your last relationship?” Jesse asked.

“Never,” she replied.

“Wait, so you’ve never had a boyfriend?”

“Nope,”

“Wow,” he gaped. “Well, have you ever… kissed a guy?”

Violet paused for a moment before replying. The image of Damon popped into her head and her smile dropped to the floor.

“Yeah, I have,” she said.

“So what happened to him?” Jesse asked. “He wasn’t boyfriend material?”

Violet let out a small smile.

“No, he wasn’t,”

Jesse narrowed his eyes and studied her for a moment.

“He’s got bad breath, huh?” he asked. “Yeah, that must be it,”

Violet couldn’t help but laugh. She then told her brain to stop thinking about Damon in any shape or form and concentrate on Jesse instead. It seemed to be working as Violet and Jesse talked and talked for the next hour. The food actually took a long time to come and when they finally arrived, the portion was so little, Violet was shocked. Italian food normally came in generous portions, but not at this fancy restaurant.

“How’s the food?” Jesse asked. “It’s great, right?”

“Mm, yeah,” Violet replied.

To be completely honest, Violet wasn’t enjoying her meal. They didn’t taste as great as the Italian foods in her neighborhood. Even Elena made better Italian food than this. But still, Violet didn’t have the heart to say it to Jesse because he seemed to like his food and he mentioned that the chef is his friend. So she just smiled politely and finished her meal.

Once they were done with the main course, they ordered dessert and waited for some more time. Jesse was still talking in his bubbly mode, but Violet was getting a little tired. He was telling her about his work in the police force and Violet was dozing off. Maybe it was because she was hungry, but her eyes started wandering around the room and they landed on this man wearing a sleek black suit. The man looked so much like Damon, Violet gasped in shock.

“Hey, are you okay?” Jesse said as he waved his hand in front of her to get her attention.

Violet blinked and looked at the man again. It turned out that the guy wasn’t Damon, it was just someone who dressed like him and had a similar hairstyle.

“Oh, ah, yeah,” Violet shook her head. “Sorry, you were saying?”

Jesse continued talking to her about his work and Violet tried her hardest to concentrate. Not long after that, their dessert came out and they were the smallest tiramisu cake Violet had ever seen. They finished their dessert and Jesse suggested that they take a walk along the pier.

At this point, Violet was already feeling tired, but Jesse looked so excited to keep talking to her that she ended up saying yes. After paying the bill, Violet and Jesse left the restaurant and they walked along the Hudson River under the moonlight. It was a romantic sight, especially when Jesse gave his hand out and they walked hand in hand together.

All the rom-com movies told her that this would feel romantic, but Violet didn’t feel anything. Violet found herself staring at their clasped hands as Jesse talked in the background. She liked the way it felt before, but now it felt different. Suddenly she felt weird and awkward about holding Jesse’s hand and she didn’t know why.

“I feel like I’ve been talking all night. You barely got a word out,” Jesse said suddenly, pulling her out of her train of thought.

“Ah, no. I like hearing you talk,” she replied.

To be honest, Violet didn’t remember half the things he said to her, especially after she saw that man in the black suit. Ever since then, every time she saw another guy in a black suit, her mind would go back to Damon again. No matter how many times she told her brain to shut it out, his face kept coming back to mind.

“Think it over and let me know. Offer expires tomorrow at midnight,”

Violet found herself looking at her watch and the clock showed that it was eleven thirty at night. Damon’s estate was on the other side of town and if she were to make it there at midnight, she would have to leave right now.

“Hey, Violet,” Jesse said and stopped his tracks. Violet looked up at him and stopped hers as well.

“Yeah?”

“I know this is kind of fast, but I just wanna say that I really like you. I think you’re an amazing girl and you’re one of a kind,” Jesse stood right in front of Violet and he was smiling that gorgeous smile.

“Oh, please,” Violet blushed and shook her head.

“No, I’m serious. You’re so kind and I admire you a lot,” Jesse said as he reached for her face. “Dylan told me how you turned down a scholarship to Harvard to help take care of your mom. I think you have the best heart,”

Violet looked up at Jesse and his blue eyes were staring down at her. He looked at her like she was a sight to marvel at, but somehow that didn’t feel right with Violet.

Oh, Jesse. If only you knew what kind of a girl I really am.

Violet gave him a sad smile and she tried to draw back, but Jesse kept a firm grip on her face. He tilted her face up to him and he closed his eyes, leaning down towards her.

Is he going to k**s me…?

As if to answer the question on her mind, Jesse’s lips landed on top of hers. Violet closed her eyes instinctively. His k**s was soft and tender, but no matter how much she wanted to enjoy it, her head was filled and haunted with the image of Damon.

“Are you a good girl, Violet?”

Damon’s piercing eyes and husky voice came to her mind and Violet flinched back in shock. Her eyes jolted open and she pushed Jesse away abruptly.

“Wait!” she said.

“What’s wrong?” Jesse looked confused.

Violet couldn’t answer him right away. Her mind was still racing but her heart knew that this wasn’t right. She wasn’t supposed to be here.

“Jesse… You’re a really great guy, but I’m sorry… I don’t think I can do this,” she said finally.

“What?”

“You deserve to be with someone better, and I’m not that girl,”

“What are you talking about?”

“Thank you for tonight. It was lovely. But I have to go now,”

Violet didn’t give him any more explanation. She could barely explain what she was feeling to herself. She only gave him one last smile before turning around and walking away, hailing a cab that was coming towards her.

“Violet, wait! Where are you going?” Jesse tried to chase after her, still looking confused and flustered.

Violet shook her head as she opened the cab’s door. Jesse knew that she meant he should stop chasing after her.

“I’m going to hell,” she said simply and got into the cab. The next thing she knew, the cab drove away as fast as it could, all the way to the other side of town.