Sweet Escape at Bayside (Sweet with Heat

by Addison Cole

  “Track him down?”

  “Rowan runs a food truck, and he hates cell phones even more than I do. He has one, but he doesn’t leave it on or check messages very often. I was hoping to catch up with him at Herring Cove on Saturday. There’s an appreciation day to celebrate the Provincetown Soup Kitchen volunteers, and I’m pretty sure he’ll be there. I’d love it if you’d come with me.”

  “Hang out with my girl on a beach and meet the guy who introduced you to Common Grounds? I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

  She lay on her back, staring up at the ceiling. “We only have three and a half weeks?”

  He moved over her and laced their hands together. His weight had already become familiar and comforting again. He brushed his lips over hers and said, “No. We have three and a half weeks together. See how different that sounds without a question mark?”

  She caught his lower lip between her teeth, and his eyes flared.

  He stretched her arms as far above her head as they would go and said, “Repeat after me. We have three weeks.”

  “We have three weeks.”

  “To fall madly in love with each other.”

  She couldn’t stop grinning. “To fall madly in love with each other.”

  “And then…”

  Violet’s heart took over, and she said, “We won’t run or hide.” Holy crap, that felt good. She craned up to kiss him, but he drew back with a coy look in his eyes.

  “Daisy? Is that you?”

  She narrowed her eyes, playing right along with her smart-aleck, patient man, whom she was falling even deeper and truer in love with than before, and said, “Daisy’s busy fretting over a time limit. It’s Violet, and she can be a real pushy witch. I suggest you make good use of having full control over my hands before she realizes how terrified she is of losing you again and says or does something stupid.”

  “Don’t worry, babe. I’ve got us covered.” He pressed a kiss to the edge of her mouth, and as he loved his way down her body he said, “I’m getting you chipped with a GPS tracker.”

  Chapter Ten

  “I SWEAR, ONE of us needs to learn to cook,” Serena said as she pushed her spoon around in a bowl of Frosted Mini Wheats. “I have to meet Gav in forty-five minutes at a potential new client’s office. I was hoping to power up for the pitch.”

  It was Thursday morning, and the girls had come over for breakfast, but Andre had gone running with the guys and they weren’t back yet. Violet watched the path in the dunes, waiting for him to return, thinking about yesterday. They’d slept in, taken a walk on the beach, and spent hours working in the studio with the windows open, music playing, and Cosmos meandering about. Violet had worked at her potter’s wheel while Andre sketched an idea for a sculpture he hoped to start this weekend. Then they’d gone to the coffeehouse and stayed until closing. She loved falling asleep in his arms and waking to his kisses, but the best thing about spending time with Andre wasn’t what they did; it was simply being together. He calmed her in ways she’d never known she needed, and she had a feeling she settled him in ways he hadn’t imagined either.

  Emery stood up, drawing Violet’s attention as she adjusted her yoga pants, and said, “You should get Abby to deliver a few Perpetual Bliss doughnuts every morning.” Serena and Drake had befriended Abby Crew, the owner of Kane’s Donuts in Boston, and Abby had been so inspired by their love, she’d created the Perpetual Bliss doughnut just for them. The delicious doughnut was filled with Belgian chocolate pudding, frosted with Taza chocolate, and topped with creamy white and dark chocolate crispy pearls, and Serena was addicted to them.

  Violet gazed out at the water, wondering if Cosmos was driving the guys crazy. The ragamuffin had taken a liking to Andre, and Andre had told her last night that he was taking the pup with him on his run this morning.

  “Great, Em. Now I want doughnuts.” Serena lifted a spoonful of cereal and said, “Daph, you’re a mom. Can’t you cook?”

  Daphne bit into her toast and shook her head. “But I can throw Cheerios on a tray really well.”

  “That’s a skill that’ll hook a husband,” Chloe teased.

  “I’m not looking to hook a husband. But I wouldn’t be opposed to a little romance in my life. We’re reading an erotic romance with the book club this month, and oh my gosh…” Daphne mouthed, Hot!

  “Erotic romance?” Serena asked. “I thought book clubs read literary fiction.”

  “Not ours.” Daphne pushed to her feet and brushed the crumbs from her sweater and jeans. “But then again, I’m not sure we’re considered a regular online book club since we meet once a month at different locations.”

  “Whoever’s turn it is to select the book chooses the place we meet,” Chloe explained. “The only requirement is that there has to be a beach wherever we go. That’s why it’s called Oceanside Book Club.”

  “What if you meet at the bay, or a river or cove?” Violet said absently. Cosmos darted up the path, and she sat up straighter, watching as Andre came into view.

  “She speaks?” Emery said with a joking smile.

  Violet turned an unamused stare in her direction.

  Emery rolled her eyes. “Oh please, Vi. You’ve been staring at the dunes since we got here.”

  “I’ve got to take off,” Daphne said. “I want to make a few calls before I open the office.” She headed out of the gate and said, “Chloe, we might have to talk to the girls and rethink our book club name. I think Vi has a point. I’ll see you guys later.”

  “I’m on it,” Chloe called after her. She looked at Violet and said, “Thanks, Vi. It took us a month to come up with that name.”

  Violet was busy watching Andre pull off his shirt. Cosmos darted back toward him, and Violet wanted to run to him too. But she could just hear the gossip girls if she did. She’d never live it down. His broad chest and shoulders glistened in the sun as he dragged his arm across his forehead. He glanced over and her insides went hot.

  “Violet!” Serena tapped the table.

  Violet shook her head to try to focus. “What?”

  “I was suggesting book club names—beachside, waterside, dockside—but you’re all googly-eyed over Dr. Dreamy. I never thought I’d see you this way.” Serena picked up her glass of juice and said, “I do believe our tough-as-nails Violet is man whipped.”

  “Then we’re due some incredible breakfasts.” Emery reached across the table and snagged a piece of toast. “She does have that sexed-up look.”

  No kidding, Violet thought, smiling to herself. There was no hiding her feelings for Andre, or how he made her feel. Sexed-up barely touched the surface when love was brewing all around them. She’d miss him today. He was catching up on phone calls and reviewing reports this morning and seeing a colleague this afternoon, which was perfect since she’d be gone for most of the day.

  The guys came through the gate, and Andre set his dark eyes on her with a look hot enough to smolder metal.

  “Dr. Do Me Right looks like he stepped off the pages of Men’s Health magazine,” Chloe said quietly.

  Emery leaned in and said, “Why do you think Vi is drooling?”

  He’s so far above Men’s Health pretty boys. You have no idea what a man like him is really like. Violet pushed to her feet and lowered her voice as she said, “Hands off, ladies. He’s mine.” She strutted over to Andre, who swept her into his arms, and she kissed him good and hard.

  “Dang,” Dean said as he walked past. “Someone’s got Vi’s attention.”

  Serena shouted, “It’s about time.”

  “Then why are we eating cereal?” Drake asked as he sat beside Serena.

  Violet dug her keys from her pocket and said, “Subject change, please.”

  Andre laughed. “I’ll make something hot and delicious tomorrow.”

  Chloe giggled and whispered something to Emery.

  “His body is not on the menu,” Violet snapped, and then she turned a softer tone to Andre and said, “I’ve got to take off. Are you su
re you’re going to be okay with the vultures?”

  “He’s fine,” Dean assured her.

  “Seriously?” Serena asked. “You’re going off on one of your mysterious outings? You guys closed the inn and the gallery. Where could you possibly go?”

  “My world is bigger than this inn,” Violet said, and Andre squeezed her hand.

  Emery made a tsk sound. “I can’t believe you’re taking off when there’s a hot guy here for you. I need to give you relationship lessons, and that really says something about you, because before Dean, I sucked at them.”

  “I have things to take care of today,” Andre said. “Besides, I think I can handle being without Violet for a few hours. She doesn’t need a leash.”

  “Says the guy who took relationship advice from Brindle Montgomery, the queen of the on-again-off-again relationship.” Emery shook her head. “You and Vi really are perfect for each other.”

  “Whatever.” Violet turned an apologetic gaze to Andre and said, “Catch ya later?”

  “Absolutely.” He gave her a long, passionate kiss, earning a few loud sighs and several get-a-rooms.

  A little while later Violet was greeted by the competing sounds of loud music and the whining grind of Justin’s saw as he cut through a block of stone in his studio. She tossed her keys on the table, grabbed a big metal bowl, and headed for the sink. As she filled the bowl with water, she thought about glazing the sculpture of the torso.

  She gathered her tools, and as she wet a piece of sandpaper she realized how rote the steps of sculpting had become and took comfort in them. Before she’d settled down at the Cape, nothing in her life had ever had structure, and she’d taken comfort in that, too. Was it possible to gain comfort from such totally different ways of life—one where she had every modern convenience at her fingertips and another where she often had no idea where she might end up next?

  She began gently sanding the neck of the sculpture and worked her way over the shoulders and down the back, pausing only to rewet the sandpaper. She sanded around the rough scar on the left side of the lower back, leaving the palm-sized area jagged and marred. She paused, a chill running through her as she recalled the story he’d told her about saving a little boy and her mother from a burning hut.

  “Hey, babe. You okay?” Justin asked.

  Violet blinked several times, realizing she’d zoned out. “Yeah. Fine.” She should be used to the vivid memories by now. She saw it every time she sculpted a torso. “Is Dixie up at the house?”

  “Nah. She took off a few days ago.”

  “Will she be back for the suicide-awareness rally?”

  “No. She’s got stuff going on. I didn’t think you’d be in for a while since your guy’s in town.” He crossed his arms, and his expression turned serious. “You sure you’re okay? You look a little pale.”

  “Yes, and stop looking at me like you’re trying to analyze me.”

  He flashed a cocky grin. “Just making sure you didn’t get your steel heart broken.”

  “I didn’t.” If anything, being with Andre was putting the pieces of her shattered heart back together. “I’m sorry about everything that went down the other morning.”

  “That was kind of weird, huh? Are we still cool? I’m sorry I came over, but—”

  “No. We’re good. Don’t be sorry.”

  He uncrossed his arms and then crossed them again, and she knew something was bugging him.

  “Spit it out, Jus.”

  “It’s nothing, really. I just hadn’t realized I had never been to see you during the day. Do Chloe and all those people come over for breakfast all the time?”

  “Crazy, right?” she said with a smile. “Yeah, they do. After Des and Rick hooked up, we met everyone else, and then Emery came up from Oak Falls, fell in love with Dean…”

  “Yeah, I know.” He cocked a grin. “Six-pack Jack?”

  They both laughed.

  “That was a fun morning,” Violet said sarcastically, although she was grateful for the night Justin had stayed with her.

  The night before Emery had seen him in the kitchen, Violet had gone to Undercover with their friends. But there was so much lovey-dovey stuff going on, she’d left to sit at the bar, and later that night she’d gone to Justin’s studio. As always, working with clay had brought memories of Andre. The longer she’d worked, the sadder she’d become. It had been more than a year since she’d seen him, and she didn’t know why the guilt and longing had consumed her so deeply that time. But the bone-deep pain had been excruciating and inescapable, exactly like it had been the day Lizza had taken her away from the life she’d adored. Her thoughts were like a monsoon, unstoppable and terrifying. As if a higher power had known she’d needed him, Justin had walked into the studio. He’d taken one look at her and then he’d taken control, helping her clean up and wrap the sculpture she was working on. He’d wanted her to go up to his house so he could watch over her, but she needed to be in her own bed. He’d driven her home and had sat beside her bed as she’d tried to sleep, but by then she was a sobbing mess. And though she knew there was no substitute for Andre, she needed to feel something other than pain. Safe? Loved? Even now she wasn’t sure. She’d asked her most trusted friend to lie with her and hold her like Andre used to.

  “I was glad I was there with you, despite Emery’s freak-out,” he said. “I was so tired, I didn’t even think about the fact that I was naked when I saw her.”

  “You didn’t think it was strange that she was staring at you and pouring milk all over the counter? I love my friends, but they definitely have hang-ups about seeing people naked.”

  “They didn’t grow up in villages where women went topless and men wore butt floss.”

  “Neither did you.”

  “I’m a dude. It’s different. Being nude is way more comfortable than wearing a ball hammock.”

  She looked at the man who had been there for her since the time she was twelve, feeling blessed. Not only for Justin’s friendship, or that he could be the kind of friend she needed without wanting more or judging her, but also that Andre had been able to look past what she knew many guys might not be able to.

  “I have no idea how I ended up with two great men in my life, but thanks for not being a jerk.”

  He chuckled. “Hey, you know I can be a jerk.”

  She held up her finger and thumb about an inch apart and mouthed, a little bit, with a smile. Then she went back to sanding and said, “Would you mind if I brought Andre here sometime? I’d like to show him where I sculpt.”

  He arched a brow. “Would you mind if I came over for the breakfast party sometime? Seems like a lot more fun than choking down a bowl of cereal by myself.”

  “You mean can you come over and try to get in Chloe’s pants?”

  He grinned. “Is that a yes?”

  “Breakfast, sure. Chloe’s pants?” She set down the sandpaper and stared directly into his eyes as she said, “She’s a cool chick and I care about her, so you’d better think twice before putting your snake in her grass, got it? Because I will make you regret ever coming over if you hurt her. Or Daphne, for that matter. We both know your snake likes to wander.”

  He strutted back to his table and said, “Got any other single friends I should put on my potential-hook-up list?”

  “Ha! You wish.” She picked up the sandpaper and turned back to her project. “Maybe you should take that trip to Maryland after all…”

  The rest of the morning passed with smart-aleck comments and long stretches of silence as they each focused on their artwork. After glazing the torso and cleaning up, Violet grabbed her keys and said, “I’m taking off.”

  “Meeting your man for a little afternoon delight?” Justin teased.

  “Hardly,” she said, heading for the door. “I’ve got things to do.”

  “See you bright and early tomorrow morning. What can I bring to breakfast besides the anaconda in my pants?”

  Violet glared at him. “Remember what I said
or you’ll be sorry.”

  His chuckles followed her out the door.

  ANDRE SAT ACROSS from his colleague and long-time family friend, David Posillico, the chief of pediatrics at Hyannis Hospital. In addition to knowing Andre since he was an infant, David had worked at Massachusetts General in Boston while Andre was doing his transitional-year internship there. He was as much of a mentor to Andre as Andre’s own parents had always been. Andre tried to stop in and say hello whenever he had the chance, which equated to only once or twice a year.

  “I still can’t get over that you walked away from the security of the practice you worked so hard to build.” David was in his early sixties, with thick gray hair and wise brown eyes. He pointed his finger at Andre, the same way he used to when Andre was just a boy, with the proud smile of a favorite uncle. “You’re an inspiration, you know. I want all the news about SHINE. Where are you headed next? What are your projections for the future?”

  “Thanks, but you’re just as much of an inspiration. Just in a different direction.”

  “Cut it out. Give me the goods on SHINE. Gloat a little.”

  Andre laughed. “I leave in a few weeks for Cambodia, and I’ll be there for anywhere between three and five months, depending on how things pan out. As far as the future goes, for now I’m sticking with the original business plan of opening two clinics every eighteen months. But if recruiting continues to go well and fundraising efforts are successful, who knows what the future will hold. Thank you for your generous donation, by the way. When are we going to get you out to one of the clinics?”

  A deep laugh rumbled up from David’s chest. “I’m too old to be gallivanting across the world. I’ll let you young kids handle that.”

  “Come on, David. You’ve got more life left in you than most thirty-year-olds. Come out for a few weeks, see what your money is paying for.”

  “I’ll think about it. Your old man has been after me for years to go on one of those missions he and your mom love so much.” Andre’s parents had been volunteering with PAW and other organizations for as long as Andre could remember. “He’s amped up his nagging ever since he visited you in Brazil last year. But I’m not like you and your parents. I like my creature comforts.”