Kaleb patted his twin's injured knee and smiled wryly. "It's obvious how much you care about Noah. You've never considered him as a man beforehow would you know it's impossible if you haven't tried?"

Violet frowned. "Think of Noah as a man? How could I even try to do that when I'm dating someone else? Someone I like?"

"What about Jeremy?" she asked.

"What about him? He's not that great. Haven't you always worried about not being good enough for a boyfriend, about him seeing the real you? You wouldn't have to worry about that with Noah because he already thinks the world of you," Kaleb said, shrugging.

Violet hadn't realized her brother disliked Jeremy. After his initial overprotective phase, he'd been perfectly cordial.

"I thought you were okay with him."

His face hardened. "I'm not okay with someone who doesn't answer his girlfriend's emergency call or make more of an effort to contact her afterward. He sent you what, one text?"

Violet nodded. It had been disappointing. She'd left him a voicemail saying she'd hurt her knee and needed a ride to the ER, and he didn't respond for hours. His message simply said, "You okay?"

"Even disregarding thathe seems insincere. He doesn't act like a man in love should act," her twin explained.

She tilted her head, confused. "How should a man in love act?"

"Like the woman he's with is the most important person in the world," Kaleb said, a tinge of bitterness in his tone. "I didn't do that, and it's why I got dumped. I should have cared more about her needs. Just like Jeremy should be caring for yours."

Violet realized his breakup had bothered him more than he'd let on. But she had to admit he had a point about Jeremy. Jeremy made romantic gestures, but when it mattered, he wasn't there for her.

Noah, despite not speaking to her for weeks, had come to her aid because she needed help. That, according to her brother, was how a man in love should act. She wasn't sure what to think.

"It was just this one time," she said uneasily. "I'll wait for his explanation before I judge."

Kaleb looked at her seriously. "It's your call. But think about who you'd choose if you had to. I'll get you that snack now. How about some doughnuts from that shop down the street?"

"That sounds amazing. Thanks, Kal."

After he left, Violet pondered his question. Noah hadn't asked her to choose; he'd only said he needed space to get over his feelings since she was seriously dating someone else. She was the one who'd considered making a choice.

He cared too much to ask her to give up someone she liked for him. Her heart ached. He really was a good friend.

Jeremy had been working hard to cover for Aaron, who was out of town. He wanted to impress the vice president and prove he was CEO material.

He worked late on Friday night, with his phone on airplane mode to avoid distractions. Violet would be at her show late anyway, so he wouldn't need to be reachable. It would be fine.

Or so he thought. When he finally checked his phone, he had a voicemail from his girlfriend.

Exhausted, he didn't listen to it. He texted, "You okay?" and went to bed. He didn't hear about her injury until morning.

He called immediately, promising to visit, but needed to finish some paperwork first. Based on the voicemail, it didn't sound serious.

When he finally arrived, he brought flowers. Hopefully, that would improve her mood and she'd forgive him for being busy.

He ran into Kaleb in the lobby, carrying a pastry bag. Kaleb, who'd been cordial at Thanksgiving, glared at him.

"Look who finally showed up," he said sarcastically. "I bet you didn't even know your girlfriend was in the hospital overnight and needs surgery on Monday."

Jeremy was shocked. It was that serious? She hadn't sounded pained in the voicemail! Were the pastries for Violet? She usually couldn't eat sweets because of her diet.

If she was eating junk food, it must be bad. He was in more trouble than he thought. She loved to dance; this must have really upset her, and he hadn't been there.

"I can't know what she doesn't tell me," he said lightly, following Kaleb into the elevator.

He found Violet on the Hales' enormous couch, looking disheveled. Her hair was down, she wasn't wearing makeup, and she was in Mickey Mouse pajamas.

She looked up dully, barely managing a smile at the flowers. "Thanks. I'll get Kaleb to find a vase later; I can't exactly move."

"What happened?" he asked sympathetically.

"I tore a meniscus in my right knee and need surgery. Then I'll need three to six months of physical therapy before I can dance again, if at all."

Jeremy's heart sank. Violet sounded hopeless. This wasn't the Violet he knew.

He sat beside her, gesturing for her to lean on him. She did, closing her eyes, looking sad and defeated. He hated seeing her like this.

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