The following morning at work, Jeremy smiled absently, thinking about his encounters with Violet Hale. He found it amusing to see the elegant, poised woman he’d met in the elevator looking so frazzled in her training clothes as she rushed into a hospital room.

Once they were alone in the car, after dropping her father off, she’d quickly regained her composure, despite her casual attire. The speed of her transformation intrigued him. Which Violet was the real one?

He still hadn’t figured it out even after they’d talked over smoothies later that day. Initially, she seemed uncomfortable, unsure of what to say. Was she simply unaccustomed to self-reflection?

As soon as the conversation turned to college, however, her composure returned. Though she laughed and smiled occasionally, it felt perfunctory, a stark contrast to the genuine warmth she displayed when discussing her family.

Jeremy enjoyed talking to Violet, but not because she was a captivating conversationalist. Their conversation was the kind of small talk he’d mastered during college. He liked her because he sensed a depth beneath the surface. He suspected she was intelligent and articulate when comfortable, and he wanted to reach that point with her.

Violet was definitely a tough nut to crack. She mentioned her new show opening soon, a two-week run with evening performances Thursday through Sunday and weekend matinees.

Attending opening night might make an impression, he thought. He wanted her to open up to him, to reveal her true self. He’d never been so curious about a woman before.

"What are you so happy about?" Aaron grumbled, noticing his assistant's self-satisfied smile. "Pay attention to your work."

"I am paying attention," Jeremy replied lightly. "In fact, I just finished the paperwork you gave me. But if you must know, I had a date last night."

His boss raised an eyebrow. "How old are you now, twenty-seven? It's about time you got yourself a girlfriend."

The evaluation, though harsh, was fair. Jeremy hadn't dated since moving to New York five years earlier; he hadn't seen the point. He'd dated some in college, but it was always the women he studied with who initiated things. He’d avoided dating to prevent jeopardizing his study partnerships.

Dates weren't a major inconvenience, but a girlfriend would be. Girlfriends demanded time and attention that could be better spent on his career.

Although… the right girlfriend, someone with shared interests and conversational styles, might not be so bad. Violet popped into his mind. She wouldn't be a terrible choice.

"I'll take it under consideration," Jeremy said. "But if I may return the question…what are you so mad about?"

It was a bold question, as Aaron wasn't usually this grumpy in the mornings. He could become irritable after dealing with difficult people all day, but he was typically less frosty first thing. Jeremy realized then it was because he'd recently seen his wife and was still in a good mood from that encounter.

His boss actually laughed. "You have guts, kid. Let's just say I have to deal with someone very annoying that I thought I would never have to deal with again starting next week. I found out last night."

That only intensified Jeremy's curiosity, but he didn't press for details. If Aaron wanted to share, he would have.

He trusted his mentor completely in business matters, but they rarely discussed personal lives, except for the occasional boasting about his children. When Kaleb made the majors, he mentioned it to everyone in the office repeatedly the following week.

After noticing the difference between Aaron’s demeanor at work and with his daughter, Jeremy looked him up on Instagram. His account wasn't private; Jeremy could see numerous pictures, posted multiple times a week, dating back decades. Each photo featured his family or their cats, with minimal captions.

A quick glance at his wife's Instagram revealed a stark contrast. While she also posted family photos, she included pictures of friends, coworkers, objects, and places. Her profile was fairly typical, but Aaron’s was overwhelmingly focused on his family.

Unbelievable. He truly was a different person around his family.

After his date with Violet, he checked her Instagram. It featured many artistically posed ballet photos, along with food pictures and shots of her cats. Most photos lacked people, except for occasional holiday or special occasion pictures. Older posts included pictures with various groups of college and high school friends.

The most consistent faces were her parents (whom Jeremy recognized) and four young men. He couldn't match faces to names, but they all appeared on Aaron’s Instagram with Violet. But didn't Aaron have only three sons?

He suspected the dark-haired young man frequently pictured with Violet on Aaron’s Instagram was her twin brother, Kaleb. They seemed exceptionally close.

Many candid photos showed them lost in their own world. Jeremy had heard of twins with such strong bonds, but he'd never witnessed it firsthand.

Perhaps, in his quest to understand Violet, he should befriend Kaleb Hale. Kaleb was currently stationed in Detroit and traveled extensively during baseball season, but Aaron had mentioned a forthcoming visit.

The final sentence, advertising a website, has been removed as it was out of place and unrelated to the text.