Page 41 of Seized by Love at Seaside
“I’m not sure.”
As much as he enjoyed chatting with his sister, he wasn’t in the mood for talking right now. In fact, he wasn’t in the mood for anything, except maybe beating the living daylights out of something. But he had a commitment to fulfill, and he wasn’t about to be the guy who blew off his commitments. He ended the call with Trish, took a cold shower to wake himself up after not sleeping all night, and drove over to Lizzie’s. Maybe they could talk through this so he could better understand why she’d done it.
He arrived to an empty driveway again, and he was disappointed and relieved in equal measure. Walking into her house was unsettling. He realized, as he stood in her kitchen, that from the very first day he’d begun working on her renovations, he’d hoped they’d come together. How could everything feel so right between two people when one of them was hiding something so big?
How could they ever move past this? He wanted to.Man, how he wanted to. He loved her so much, but he was hurt. Stunned and hurt that she had waited to tell him.
He set his tools down and caught sight of the picture they’d painted together hanging on the wall in the living room. He crossed the room in a daze and stood in front of the painting. Though he was staring at the image they’d painted, he saw Lizzie’s face, the light in her eyes when they’d gone to the festival, the way her smile radiated straight to his heart when they were dancing, and the raw sensuality she exuded when they were making out behind the stage. And then the image of her crying as she told him about her webcast and the devastation he’d heard in her voice. His heart shattered in his chest, but that wasn’t the worst of it, as his thoughts turned to her sexy lists.
Did they stem from the same place as theNaked Baker? Had she shared those with the world, too?
Chapter Sixteen
LIZZIE CHECKED HER cell phone for the millionth time. She hadn’t heard from Blue all day. He hadn’t responded to the text she’d sent in the morning apologizing for hurting him, and she was left to think the worst. Not that she thought he would reach out to her, but that didn’t stop her from jumping every time her cell phone rang or vibrated with a text—and it didn’t stop her heart from shattering with every disappointment. She closed her shop at seven to prepare for the string garden class that she wished she could cancel, but she wasn’t about to let down the three people who had signed up for it. It wasn’t their fault she’d messed up her life.
She fired up her computer to check the email she hadn’t taken the time to check last night. If she didn’t check theNaked Bakeremails often, they became too overwhelming to face. Not that she wanted to face them now. Even thinking about the program made her want to quit doing it. And that was a thought Maddy couldn’t afford for her to have. Her eyes trailed down the list of senders. She froze when Sky knocked on the front door. She’d been avoiding Sky all day, knowing that her friend would see right through the mask of pleasantries she’d gotten away with in front of customers.
Hoping she’d go away, she returned her attention to the computer screen, as if she hadn’t heard Sky knocking.
Sky knocked again. “Lizzie! Open the door!”
She reluctantly headed for the door, contemplating ways to get her friend to go away without being rude. She was afraid to talk with Sky for too long, knowing she’d likely break down and tell her the whole sordid mess. She had a class to run, and the last thing she needed was to do it with tears in her eyes. Plus, she knew how close Sky and Blue were, and if he’d already told Sky what had happened, then she’d have to deal withthat, too.
She unlocked the door and immediately averted her gaze from Sky’s to keep Sky from reading the emotions in her eyes.
“I’ve been trying to catch up with you all day,” Sky complained. “You haven’t answered my texts, and when I saw you walking back from the bakery, you must not have heard me calling you.”
“I’m sorry.” Lizzie headed back to her computer and focused on her email. “I’ve just been really swamped today.”Sidetracked by a broken heart.She sifted through emails, and one caught her eye from the Food Channel Network, a cable television station. She clicked on it and skimmed the message, which asked for information about the legal owner of the show. Sky leaned uncomfortably close to the computer, and Lizzie closed the laptop, making a mental note to revisit the email after teaching her class.
“I was wondering if you and Blue wanted to join us for a barbecue over at Pete’s tonight.”
At least she had a good excuse not to go. “I wish I could, but I have a string garden class in a few minutes. Speaking of which, I’d better get ready.” She walked to the front of the store, hoping Sky would take the hint and follow, which she did.
“Okay. Maybe this weekend we can get together for a double date?” she asked as Lizzie unlocked the door.
Not likely.Her heart ached with the thought. “I’m so swamped. I didn’t get my inventory done the other night, so I’m not sure. Can we play it by ear?”
“Sure,” Sky said as Lizzie opened the door.
“Thanks for the offer, but I better…” Lizzie pointed to the back of the store.
Sky pushed the door open. “Are you okay?” She lowered her voice. “Is Blue waiting in the back for you?”
I wish.“No, but I do have a class to get ready for. I’ll stop by in the morning, okay?”
“You better. Are you sure you’re okay? You look really tired.”
“It’s just been a long day.” Lizzie thanked her for worrying about her and locked the door behind Sky, then leaned her back against the door, feeling the sting of fresh tears in her eyes. Clearly Blue hadn’t told Sky anything yet. She had no idea if that was good or bad. She couldn’t even begin to think clearly. How could anything be good right now?
She set out the supplies for her class moments before the three people who had signed up arrived. She pulled her shoulders back, thrust her chin up, and fixed a forced smile into place. One more hour—that’s all she needed to get through—and then she could go home and bury her broken heart in a pound of chocolate.
Lizzie threw herself into the class, hoping it would help ease the ache of missing Blue. She loved making string gardens, and while she wasn’t able to lose herself in making them as she’d hoped, answering questions and helping the others learn how to properly create the unique gardens was a good distraction.
She stood before Julie and Mike, the couple that had signed up earlier in the week, and Claudia, a twentysomething blonde, and said, “The first step is to knock the soil free from the roots of the plant.” She had to admit that knocking the soil from the roots of the plants was sort of cathartic.
Claudia pulled her plant carefully from the pot and shook it. Julie and Mike did the same, while passing loving glances. Lizzie tried to ignore the jealousy spiking her adrenaline.
“Sometimes the roots wrap themselves into the pot, and if that’s the case with yours, gently scrunch them and massage the soil loose.” If only she could massage away the mess her life had become.
