Page 56 of Sweet Love at Bayside
Lizza smiled brightly and shrugged. “Cosmos knew what had to be done.”
Violet threw her hands up in the air. “I’m not even going to try to pick that apart. I’m staying to run the inn. If you want to go wherever your friends are going, fine. But you’renotselling the house.”
“Wait? You’re staying? For real?” Desiree’s pulse kicked up.
“If she doesn’t sell the house, I am.” Violet glared at Lizza.
Lizza set Cosmos down, and her hands flew to her heart. “I knew this would happen! I dreamed about it. This is perfect. Just brilliant!”
“So, I can run the inn?” Violet asked skeptically.
“Absolutely,” Lizza said. “It was in the stars all along.”
“You can’t run it by yourself.” Desiree’s mind bounced between wanting to stay and wanting to go back to Virginia to be closer to Rick.
Serena shot up from her seat. “Desiree, you can stay! This is perfect! I’ll help you guys get started and teach you how to build a rental base, like I did with the resort.”
Drake grabbed the back of her shirt and tugged her back down to her seat with a chiding expression.
Rick turned Desiree in his arms, searching her eyes. “What do you want to do, sweetheart?”
She clutched at his arms. “Be near you.” Her eyes darted to Violet. “And be with Violet.” She glanced at all her friends around the table and said, “And them.”
“Then stay,” Rick said with love in his eyes. “We can still make this work. I’ll fly up and take long weekends, work remotely for some of the time.”
“But—”
Rick touched his lips to hers, silencing her. “You’ve waited your whole life for a chance at having a relationship with Violet. Now’s your chance. Love like ours doesn’t change because of a few miles.”
“It’s in the stars,” Lizza whispered loudly.
Tears welled in Desiree’s eyes. Could she do this? Could she make this big a decision without feeling like she was becoming her mother? “Are you sure?”
“I’ve only been more sure of one thing in my life.” Rick wiped her tears away. “That I couldn’t let the beautiful blonde leave Indian Neck Beach without meeting her.”
Chapter Seventeen
LATER THAT MORNING, after everyone else left, Desiree sat on the front porch with Cosmos, talking to Emery on the phone and trying to digest all that had happened. Lizza was leaving after she and Violet returned from their walk, and as ridiculous as it might be, Desiree felt like she was losing her all over again. The longer she sat and thought, the more upset she became about the whole situation. She didn’t want to spend the rest of her life wondering why Lizza left her all those years ago, or now. She needed answers.
“Emery, are you still there?” Desiree looked at her phone to make sure she hadn’t lost service. She’d explained the whole morning to her, and now, as the airwaves hung in silence between them, she realized how much she’d miss her best friend.
“Yes, but…you’removing? And you’re in love with a man I haven’t met or approved of?”
Desiree laughed. “I took your ‘go for the hot Jet Ski guy’ as approval. Aren’t you missing the point about Lizza? I’m so mad at her.”
“Are you kidding? I wish she’d get a dog to findmea man. But seriously, Rick will really come to the Cape to see you? That’s a long way. And how about me? Can I come see you? Can we have monthly visits? Can I stay with you next summer? I’m going to have BFF withdrawals, and you better not like Serena or Mira more than me, or I’ll go all ninja crazy on your butt.”
Desiree laughed. “Yes, to all of that, and nobody could ever replace you.”
“And you’re happy? Really, truly happy?” Emery asked.
“Sohappy. Rick is everything I could dream of and more. And I have a second chance with Violet. Everything is different here, Em. I think I’ll probably teach in the off season, but this summer…Emery, I’ve changed. I’mpainting, and sort of doing things spur-of-the-moment.”
“It’s all that sex you’re having. You make me look like a virgin.”
“Shut up!” Desiree laughed.
“Um, Des? You do realize that the biggest reason you’re happy is leaving tomorrow, right?”
