See No Evil (Anthony Lockwood)

chapter 44

A month of bliss passed by so quickly at Lockwood & Co. Everything seemed so happy and calm. But things are always so calm before a possible storm.

Violet was walking back and forth in the library, reading dramatically from a Shakespeare book. Her free arm was waving through the air and accentuating her every word.

Lockwood was watching her in fascinated amusement from his armchair. He was leaning forward and all of his attention was on Violet, as it usually was.

George was in Violet's usual chair, eating a biscuit as he half-listened and half tried not to make sarcastic comments. He was the one who had suggested this new routine anyway. It was a fun way for Violet to fully get used to reading again and for them to have entertainment.

Lucy was sitting in another chair they had brought in, listening while she did a little knitting. Knitting was a calming activity for Lucy, which had surprised her friends, but they would often just watch in complete awe as she was able to knit scarves and other things out of just a silly piece of string.

Violet would sometimes scrunch her face up as she got the words muddled and lost her focus. She would stumble over the words, but with one look at Lockwood's encouraging and happy puppy dog face, she would settle her frustration and start the sentence over.

George took a bite of his biscuit, "Hate to interrupt, but don't we have a client with an appointment soon?"

Violet quieted down, "Oh yeah. We do, don't we."

Lockwood gave George a nasty look, "Not for another 15 minutes. Keep going, Vi."

Violet dog-eared her page, "I should get dressed. And we should really clean up. You too, Luce. Come on."

Lucy set aside her knitting and let Violet pull her to her feet with a smile. Lucy gave Lockwood an amused look as he pouted in his seat while Violet tugged her by the hand out of the library.

While the girls went to get dressed, the boys began to slowly clean up the slight mess in the living room. None of them particularly wanted to do anything right now, but they were a professional business. Lockwood would throw a worse fit if a client came and was forced to sit in a cluttered room.

Lockwood liked to keep an air of professionalism in front of most people. Maybe because he was raised to be such a way or maybe because he doesn't want to give anyone a reason to underestimate or undermine him.

It was one of the many things that Violet admired about him. Even though he was still a young boy, he was able to adapt to many different situations. He was able to calm people so easily with his charm and wit. Which was helpful when all of his employees tended to rub people the wrong way. Lucy could be blunt and standoffish, especially with adults. George was also blunt and had horrible social skills. And then there was Violet. Blunt, standoffish, bad social skills, and a bad temper. Lockwood was their keeper when it came to talking to anyone out in civilization. Though that didn't mean he couldn't rub people the wrong way too.

Violet walked slowly down the stairs behind Lucy, counting every single step under her breath as she focused on not falling. Her hand was pressed against the wall while she walked practically on her toes to keep balance. She jumped down the last couple of steps and let out a deep breath before she followed Lucy into the living room.

Violet took a seat on the arm of Lockwood's armchair while George and Lucy sat on the couch. A few minutes passed by and Lockwood entered the room behind a regal looking older woman. Violet hadn't seen someone look so sophisticated and dressed up since the Fittes party. She never realized that anyone actually dressed like that on a regular day.