Page 63 of Sweet Escape at Bayside
VIOLET SAT ON the edge of the bed Saturday morning, trying to shake the fearful images from her nightmares. She pulled up the hood of her sweatshirt and pushed her hands deep into her pockets as Andre came out of the bathroom with wet hair, a towel riding low on his hips. She’d gotten up before the sun and showered while he slept. It was only the second time since they’d reconnected that they’d showered separately, and she hated it.
He knelt before her, worry hovering in his eyes. “I missed you in there.”
“Sorry.” Her entire body ached with sadness, despite the loving way Andre had cared for her last night. He’d held her on the path to the beach until she’d begun trembling with cold. Once they’d gotten home, he’d drawn a warm bath and climbed in behind her, lovingly bathing her and holding her, making her feel safe and adored, but still she’d ached for the pain she’d caused Desiree. He’d wrapped her in his arms and held her all night in bed, whispering the sweetest memories about their time in Ghana, reassuring her that things would be okay with Desiree, and doing everything possible to make her feel better.
She’d finally fallen into a fitful sleep safely nestled in his arms. But when the nightmares hit, she’d woken up in a cold sweat, panicked, and she knew what she had to do.
“I have to talk to her,” she said.
“Of course you do. I’ll go with you.”
“No. I have to do this alone.” She put her hands on his face, struggling to stave off the tears that had plagued her on and off all night. “I love you so much.” The words she needed to say dug deeper, refusing to come out, so she said, “I had nightmares about trying to talk to Desiree, but she hated me too much to give me a chance. She said she never wanted to see me again. And then it was like she just disappeared. I was searching for her at the inn, opening door after door, and she wasgone.” She pulled back, looking away as she said, “It brought back all the guilt about leaving you. I hope you know how sorry I am, and how much I regret—”
He pulled her against him and said, “Stop it, babe. We already forgave each other. Now it’s time to forgive yourself.” He lifted his head, smoothing her hair back from her face, and said, “None of those things are going to happen today. Desiree loves you just as much as you love her. She was just in shock.”
She hoped that was true, but she didn’t know if it was even possible for Desiree to forgive her. The only time she’d seen Desiree look so upset was when they found out Lizza had tricked them into coming to the Cape—and then had abandoned them again. The only thing she knew for sure was that she had to be honest with Andre.
She looked into his trusting eyes and forced the words to come. “I can’t go with you if I don’t fix this.”
He exhaled a long breath, and then he lifted her hood from around her face and kissed her softly. “I know, and I understand.”
His acknowledgment sent a spear of loneliness through her.
“You’re everything to me, Vi, but you were Desiree’s sister before you became my soul mate. I know how important she is to you. We’ll be okay, even across thousands of miles.” He held her hand over his heart and said, “You’re always with me here, and I know you feel the same. We’re unbreakable, babe.”
“I love you so much. But I have to go see her.” She pressed her lips to his, and then she forced herself to stand up and walk out of the room before she could give in to the screaming voice in her head telling her to take it back.
When she left the cottage, everything felt wrong. The air was too cold, her hoodie was too bulky, and the walk to the inn seemed a million miles long. She pulled her hood up over her head, hunkering down with her hands in her pockets again. When she stepped inside the inn and closed the door behind her, it felt like all the air had been sucked from her lungs. She could run back to the cottage, ask Andre if they could pack up and leave today.Like a hit-and-run.
Like Lizza.
Rick came down the stairs, and she froze, afraid to meet his eyes. He walked right up to her, silence burgeoning between them.
“Hey, Vi. You okay?”
She shook her head, still unable to look at him. Tears welled in her eyes.
“We all deal with hurt in different ways. I hid from it until Des helped me see that I could face it.” Rick’s father had been lost at sea during a sudden storm. Rick and Drake had been on the deck of their family’s boat when he’d gone overboard, and Rick had been so consumed with guilt, as soon as he was old enough, he’d left the Cape.
She forced herself to meet his pained, serious gaze and said, “I never meant to hurt her.”
“If anyone understands that, it’s me,” he said kindly. “You’re both hurting right now. Go up and talk to her.”
It took her legs a minute to find their strength, but she managed to walk past him and up the wide staircase. She inhaled a deep breath and knocked on their bedroom door. She thought she heard Desiree say to come in, but it was so soft she couldn’t be sure. She pushed open the door and found Desiree lying on her back across the width of the bed in a pair of pink pajamas. She glanced at Violet, then stared blankly up at the ceiling.
Violet walked tentatively into the room. Her heart was beating so fast it was hard to breathe. She stood by the bed, not knowing what to do. Her legs weakened, and she sank down to the edge of the mattress, staring at the open door, feeling like a caged bird who needed to fly. But she couldn’t fly. She could barely even walk.
She lowered herself to the bed, lying beside Desiree and fisting her hand in the blanket. Silence pressed in on them, swelling in the tight space between them like a living, breathing being.
“I’m sorry—” they said in unison, and then they both turned their heads. Desiree’s eyes were puffy and red. Dark crescents underscored her sadness, drawing instant tears from Violet.
“I’m so sorry,” Violet said. “I should have told you what I was doing and where I was going.”
Tears slid down Desiree’s cheeks. “All Ieverwanted was to be part of your life. I spent my whole childhood waiting for summertime so I could see you again, and you’d go off and do your own thing. I thought we got over that when we came here. I thought I’d finally gotten the chance to know you. But it wasn’t real. Why didn’t you trust me?”
“It was real. Itisreal,” Violet pleaded. “And I do trust you.”
“Thenwhydid you hide everything from me?”
