Page 62 of Sweet Love at Bayside
“What? This is so simple.” Violet poured herself a cup of coffee. “Youknowyou can live without me. You’ve done it for years. But you’ve never been in love before, Des. Rick lights you up, inside and out. Beinginlove is totally different from loving someone. Of course you feel like you have a hole inside you.”
“How would you know? You slept with the first guy you found when we got here.”
Violet rolled her eyes. “I knew the guy I slept with. I’m not a total whore. He’s lived here since we were kids. We used to make out while you were up in the widow’s walk reading ‘Little Miss Muffet.’”
“Gosh, it’s like you had this whole life I was never a part of.”
“I did.” Violet shrugged. “Look, Des. I’m a big girl. I’ll hire someone to help me run the inn. I bet Serena knows a dozen people who would be willing to work here.”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying that I can eat cold cereal without you, but by the looks of your sappy self, you can’t eat squat without him.”
Desiree’s heart thundered against her ribs. Could she leave Violet and go after Rick? Did that make her the worst sister in the world? “I’m not just going to leave you hanging. I’m not Lizza, and I don’t want you to hate me.”
“Holy cow, Des. You’re as far from Lizza as anyone could be. You’re going after the man you love. I’m your sister. Your blood. I’m here for you no matter what. I might miss you, but I could never hate you.”
She’d waited her whole life for this connection with Violet, and her emotions erupted. She threw herself into Violet’s arms. “Thank you. I really needed to hear those things.”
“Great,thisagain.”
Desiree laughed. “One day you’ll hug me back. Until then you just have to suffer through it.”
She kissed Cosmos’s head, feeling a little better, and grabbed her purse and keys from the counter.
“Where are you going?”
“Out to Indian Neck. I have a lot to think about.”
Chapter Twenty
RICK CHECKED HIS watch for the hundredth time since the meeting with his partners had begun, wishing he could take a break and call Desiree. It was nearly four o’clock. She would be wrapping up work for the day. Or maybe she was painting or taking Cosmos for a walk. While his partners outlined a strategic plan for the next twelve months, Rick tried to remember what about this city, and this business, had sucked him in all those years ago. Drake’s voice roared through his mind.You know why you work eighty hours a week, hundreds of miles away from us.
Darn right he did. He’d needed the safety of distance and working too many hours in order to forget what he was running from. But Desiree had changed that. In just a few short weeks she’d reminded him of the importance of dreams, and family, andlove. She showed him what strength really looked like, and she’d given him a reason to feel again.
And here he was, sitting in a meeting with two men who were driving him up the wall with their bickering and leaving the woman—and the family—he adored, hours and hours away. Missinghim, and probably wondering why he was being such a stubborn fool.
He’d built this business to make his father proud.
He looked across the table, listening to one partner arguing about the bottom line and the other saying they had enough money to survive for years and to give him a break. What was he doing? If his father were alive and sitting in this room, he’d tap him on the shoulder and nod toward the door.Come on, buddy. We’ve got better things to do than complain about money. Life’s waiting. You’re either moving forward or moving in the wrong direction.
Rick pushed to his feet feeling lighter already.
Craig and Michael looked over, stress pinching their brows, tension riddling their tight jaws.
“Where are you going?” Craig asked.
“I’m done. I’m out. Michael, you can take over my clients. I’ll send a personal note to them explaining that I’m relocating and you’re taking over. That should take care of your financial obligations for the next year, at least.”
“What?” Craig bolted to his feet. “You can’t just leave the partnership.”
“Listen, we had a good run, but I don’t have it in me to do this anymore. The three of us were great friends, and look where we are now. Michael’s going through the roughest time of his life and you’re berating him for being human. Michael, I feel bad for you, man, but it’s been months. It’s time to get back on the ball. Hopefully this will help both of you. You don’t need me hanging around.”
They both spoke at once, and Rick held up his hands. “Guys. I’m not changing my mind. I’ll have our attorneys take care of the appropriate documents this week, but right now I’ve got to get back to the Cape.”
Rick blew out of the conference room and pulled his phone from his pocket, feeling like he’d just been cut loose from years of prison. He stalked down the hall to his office as he called Desiree. One ring, two.Come on, pick up.
He pushed open his office door as the phone rang a third time, and he lifted his gaze toward the sound, nearly dropping the phone at the sight of his sweet girl standing in the middle of his office. She was fishing in her purse, and stilled, tears filling her eyes.
