Page 10 of Sweet Escape at Bayside
“She’s pretty cool.” He draped an arm over Violet’s shoulder as they headed up to the house. “Just for the record, babe, tequila’s not going to keep me from wanting to mess that guy up.”
AFTER A FITFUL night’s sleep, Andre poured himself a cup of coffee in the kitchen of the cottage where he and Lizza were staying. The cottage was nice, with a bar separating the eat-in kitchen and living room, two comfortable armchairs, and a roomy couch. But he’d recognize Violet’s artwork anywhere, and the batik hanging on the wall and the small pottery bowls and vases were painful reminders of the things they’d shared.
He carried his sketchpad out to the patio in the side yard and began sketching—and thinking about the messed-up situation he’d gotten himself tangled up in. He’d met many nice people at the wedding, and not one of them had mentioned Violet having had a boyfriend named Andre. He’d thought that type of coincidence might have come up in conversation. He’d stayed up half the night debating asking Lizza if she knew about his relationship with Violet, but he’d stopped himself for fear of exposing what it appeared Daisy—Violet—had kept secret. He’d tried not to think of Violet ashis, or asDaisy, but it just wasn’t working. Knowing she’d kept their relationship a secret should probably push him even further away, but if he knew his Daisy as well as he thought he did, then ignoring the fact that they’d ever been together was her way of hiding from the way it made her feel.
And that gave him pause.
A long enough pause to push past his own feelings and try, for the millionth time, to dissect her possible reasons for leaving without even so much as a goodbye.
The rumble of a motorcycle broke through his thoughts, and he saw headlights ascending the driveway. He’d seen Violet take off on her bike during the reception, still wearing her dress. Now he watched her climb off the bike wearing a man’s dress shirt, which hung so low he could only hope she had something on underneath.
His gut seized. When they’d been together, although they’d done everything imaginable to each other’s bodies, it had taken her months to finally make love with him. He knew she’d had her reasons. He only wished he knew what they were.
She opened one of the saddlebags on her bike and lifted out her dress, carrying it, and her helmet, into the cottage next door.
He’d assumed she didn’t have a boyfriend since she hadn’t been with a date at the wedding, but that shirt, and the time—five a.m.—told him he was a fool.
Chapter Three
LIZZA BREEZED OUT the side door at a little after six, carrying a sweatshirt and two colorful towels and wearing a pair of green elephant-print harem pants, a purple tank top that hadYOGA GIRLS ARE TWISTEDacross the chest, and a pink-and-white tie-dyed headband.
“Come on, Andre. Emery’s teaching a couples yoga class this morning on the beach, and I told her we’d take it.”
Andre was no stranger to yoga. Violet had convinced him to try it when they were overseas, claiming it would help calm their sexual desperation. It had been as enlightening of an experience as it was enticing, seeing the strong-willed woman he adored in such a state of mindfulness. After she’d left, he’d been swamped by longing and negative energy. Grinding his teeth and snapping at nurses had lasted about a day or two before one of them brought him back to reality when she said,Whatever this nonsense is, tamp it down. We’ve got children who need miracles, not nightmares.He’d used yoga to try to channel the negative energy that had quickly become his constant companion, but it had only reminded him of Violet.
And now there was couples yoga to deal with.
Lizza hadn’t said a word when he’d settled into a separate bedroom, but agreeing to do couples yoga might send her the wrong message. Last night he’d been so upset it had seemed reasonable to play up the idea that he was with Lizza just to get under Violet’s skin. But now it felt all kinds of wrong.
He set down his sketchpad and said, “Lizza, I hope I didn’t mislead you by taking you up on your offer to stay at the cottage. You do realize we’re not thattypeof couple, right?”
She waved her hand, laughing softly as she said, “Sweetheart, my days for men like you are long gone. Come on.” She pulled him to his feet. “Let’s go have some fun and work out the kinks. Then we’ll whip up breakfast for everyone. Desiree usually cooks, but I told her and Rick to sleep in. That girl does so much for everyone else. They should be off on their honeymoon, but Emery told me last night that she and Rick weren’t leaving until afterIdo. What kind of nonsense isthat?”
“Sounds to me like she wants extra time with you.”
“The only thing that would do is mess her up, and she’s perfect just the way she is.”
He was an only child and had always been the focus of his parents’ attention. He couldn’t imagine what it would have felt like if one of his parents had taken off when he was young. Loving Violet and learning about the pain she’d endured after being separated from her sister and her stepfather made him want to take a stand and hold Lizza accountable for her actions, but that wasn’t his battle to fight.
He looked down at his shorts and sweatshirt and said, “I should probably put on workout clothes.”
“No time for that, darlin’.” She pulled him off the patio and toward the dunes. “Let’s go show these pretty little couples how it’s done.”
AN HOUR AND a half later, Andre stood before the grill in the side yard of the inn, drizzling chocolate sauce over a plate of strawberry crepes he’d just made, laughing at something Dean had said. He loved cooking, and he traveled to newly developing nations and small villages so often, he was used to cooking on grills and over open fires, making do without the luxuries he’d once been tied to.
“I can’t believe my man didn’t know you could make crepes on a grill,” Emery said as she picked a strawberry off Dean’s plate and popped it into her mouth.
Dean stroked his beard, eyeing her as he said, “Where would you rather I experiment, doll? In the bedroom or the yard?”
“Snap!” Chloe looked at Andre and said, “The bedroom.Alwaysthe bedroom.”
It was probably time to nipthatin the bud, too, before anyone got the wrong idea. When Andre and Lizza had arrived for couples yoga, everyone was paired up except for Chloe. Why would anyone show up alone to a couples class? He didn’t bother to ask. Lizza insisted Andre be Chloe’s partner, and Ted’s late arrival for the class had solidified the deal.
“We always had a creative sex life, didn’t we, Ted?” Lizza said, causing silence to descend around them. “What?” She looked around the table. “How do you think Desiree was conceived? Immaculate conception? Where’s the fun in that? Sheesh!”
Everyone laughed except Ted, whose cheeks reddened.
Eyes trained on his plate, Ted said, “How about these crepes?” and shoved a forkful in his mouth.
