Page 3 of Sweet Escape at Bayside
Her wild chestnut mane swished past her shoulders as she came at them. “Hello, my darlings!”
Violet froze, anger bubbling up inside her.
Lizza threw her arms around Desiree and said, “Happy wedding day, Desi.”
“I thought you weren’t coming,” Desiree said uneasily, her eyes shifting to Violet over Lizza’s shoulder.
Lizza released her and embraced Violet equally as eagerly. “Violet, look at you! Why, the Cape has been good for you, hasn’t it?”
“Where have you been?” Violet asked curtly, annoyed that the first words out of her mouth weren’t an apology for Desiree. “Des has been waitingall day.”
“It’s okay,” Desiree said. “I’m just glad you made it.”
“It’s not okay,” Violet seethed. “When you say you’re going to be at your daughter’s wedding, you show up before the start of the ceremony, which we’re now late for.”
“Oh, Desi, I’m sorry. Vi’s right,” their mother said. “It’s been a busy day, and I wish I could have come sooner. You didn’t think I’d miss your wedding, did you?”
Violet scoffed. Desiree elbowed her, silently chastising her with pleading eyes as the front door opened again. Lizza spun around and said, “There you are!” She ran toward the door, arms up, blocking their view of what had to be a crazy man since he was traveling with their mother.
She lowered her arms to take his hand and spun around with a beaming smile and said, “Girls, this is my plus one!”
Violet couldn’t breathe.
Standing before her was the man she’d left behind in Ghana more than two years ago. The man who had asked her to move to Boston and become hiswife. Beautiful, loving, talented Andre Shaw. His hair was the color of desert sand. It was longer on top than she remembered, cut short on the sides. He must still run his hands through it, because it was tousled, and a few wispy bangs hung over his thick brows. She could still feel his chiseled cheeks beneath her fingers, his warm lips on hers, and the slide of his aquiline nose against her skin. A dusting of scruff covered the devastatingly sexy cleft in his chin, but his loving dark eyes—the ones that still haunted her dreams—bore a mix of shock and pain, as if he’d seen a ghost.
Violet tried to swallow, but her mouth was bone dry.
Desiree’s face was a mask of surprise at their mother’s younger, handsome date, who looked like he’d come from a summer photo shoot despite the wrinkles in his brown linen pants and tan linen shirt.
Violet closed her gaping jaw, trying to blink away what could only be a mirage.
“Daisy,” Andre said with disbelief.
The endearment turned her knees to jelly, and she clutched Desiree’s hand as his whispers echoed in her mind.You’re sweeter than a Violet. You’re my Daisy.
“Oh no, sweetheart,” Lizza said. “It’sViolet, remember? Andre Shaw,theseare my daughters, Desiree and Violet.” She took his arm and gazed up at him. “Isn’t he just gorgeous? I was delighted that he could come with me. Andre is an artist and a doctor. He runs one of the companies I work for.”
“Well, um, Andre, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” Desiree said. “Should we arrange for a room at the inn?”
“Don’t be silly.” Lizza waved her hand as if Desiree had made the most ridiculous suggestion. “He’s staying in the cottage, with me.”
What. The. Hell?
Emery ran through the back door, slowing when she saw Lizza and Andre, and said, “Is everything okay? Rick is about to pull his hair out.”
“So am I,” Violet mumbled.
“Emery,darling.”
As Lizza greeted Emery, Violet grabbed Desiree and hauled her toward the back door. “Let’s go. It’s your wedding day.”
“But what about Lizza? And oh my gosh,Vi,” she whispered. “Andre must be our age! And he’s gorgeous! What’s he doing withher?”
“I don’t even want to know…”
IT DIDN’T MATTER how long Andre stared at Violet, or how many times he caught her stealing glances at him, he simply couldn’t make sense of her being there. Not after he’d looked for her for so long and come up empty. It was like the universe was playing a trick on him. As if all the talking about her that he’d done in Paris with his friend Brindle had conjured her. But how messed up was that? The only reason he was there at the Cape was because he’d taken Brindle’s advice about getting away someplace new to finally get over Violet—Daisy. My Daisy—once and for all. That was why he’d taken Lizza up on her offer to stay at the cottage she’d rented while he was between projects instead of staying at one of his usual haunts. The Cape was close enough to visit his parents in Boston, and he was able to secure a part-time volunteer position at the Outer Cape Health Services for the last three weeks of his stay, which was supposed to help keep his mind off Violet. But now his head was spinning, which was nothing compared to the hurt and anger warring inside him.
Applause and cheers rang out, startling him from his thoughts. He clapped as Desiree and Rick sealed their union with a kiss and a scruffy dog with a peach bow around his neck barked as it ran circles around them.
