Page 70 of Sweet Escape at Bayside
Violet laughed and said, “We call them vultures.”
“Hey! We’re prettier than vultures,” Serena said. “We’re…?”
Emery licked her fingers and said, “Forget it, Serena. We’rehotvultures. Chloe, Daph! You have to taste these!”
“Count your fingers,” Drake teased.
Daphne put a tiny piece of a pastry in Hadley’s mouth, and her little girl smiled as she ate it. “Whoever made these needs to move in with me! You made Hadley smile!”
“Me and Violet made them,” Elliott said. “But I’m not moving in with you.”
Everyone looked at Violet, who was reaching between them for a pastry. “What? Elliott did most of the work. I just had the idea.”
Gabe handed her a plate and said, “Don’t let Violet fool you. She and Elliott spent hours making them together.”
Andre reached for Violet as she came to his side, pulling her onto his lap. “You baked? And you’re smiling.”
“Yeah. I’ll miss these crazy women.” She set the plate on the table and put her arms around his neck, feeling luckier, and happier, than she ever had. “I baked foryou. You might not have been able to convince Abby to name a doughnut after us, but you sure won me over. I call these delicious pastries Wandering Hearts.”
There was a collective “Aw,” and Violet realized everyone was watching them.
“They’re just like Violet,” Elliott announced. “Hard on the outside and sweet and soft on the inside!”
Everyone laughed—including Violet—until the loving look in Andre’s eyes stole her voice and his words, “You’re perfect, Daisy, inside and out,” stole her heart.
Epilogue
ANDRE TRIED AGAIN to connect a FaceTime call to Desiree and their friends at Summer House. It was Christmastime, and he and Violet had been in Cambodia for two and half months. It hadn’t taken her any time at all to readjust to life in the field. If anything, she’d been rejuvenated by the simplicityandthe complexities of it. But she missed Desiree and their friends, and he was thankful for modern technology for that very reason. She was still nurturing those roots she’d discovered, and it was a beautiful thing, watching her blossoming in so many ways.
“I got it, Dais!” he called out as he crossed the yard to where she sat with three children making animals out of clay.
“There they are!” Desiree peered into the screen. “Hi, Andre! How are you?”
“Great. Hold on. I want you to have time with Vi in case we lose our connection.” He turned the phone so Violet could see her, and the three boys got up to inspect the screen.
“Look at you!” Desiree squealed. “Who are those adorable boys?”
Violet touched each boy’s shoulder as she introduced him. “Boran, Chann, and Davany. They like to hang out with us when we’re not working.”
Speaking to the boys in their native language of Khmer, she told them Desiree was her sister. The boys put their hands together in prayer position and bowed as they said hello, also in Khmer. Andre and Violet had been trying to learn the language, and thanks to a very patient translator, they knew just enough to get by.
Emery’s and Serena’s heads popped into view over Desiree’s shoulder. And a second later Chloe and Daphne peered overtheirshoulders.
“Aw, they’re so cute,” Daphne said as the boys pointed at the phone, chattering so fast Andre couldn’t make out a word of what they were saying.
“You look so relaxed,” Emery said. “Are you still enjoying living there?”
Violet glanced at Andre and said, “I’ve never been happier.”
It was dry, dusty, and warm, and their days were always busy, but with the exception of nights when there were medical emergencies, when they fell into each other’s arms at night, the chaos fell away. Even when they made love ravenously, keeping the night animals awake, there was an underlying sense of peaceful, loving calm that engulfed them. They often lay beneath the stars as they had in Ghana, only this time it was better. There was no fear about what the future held, or how different their lives were, because even without being married, he knew they were forever intertwined.
“How are things there?” Violet asked. “Chloe’s looking a little shaggy. I like it.”
Chloe touched her hair and said, “I’m growing it out. I’m glad you like it.”
“It looks edgy,” Violet said. “What else is happening? Is Des pregnant yet?”
Desiree’s cheeks pinked up. “Violet!”
