Bungalow Nights(54)
Baxter stood behind Addy, a hand on each of her shoulders. “We’re official.”
Layla’s brows rose. “Officially...engaged?”
“No,” Addy said at the same time that Baxter mouthed yes.
“I promised I wouldn’t buy a ring for two weeks,” he added.
Still, their officialness called for handshakes and hugs and congratulations. Vance got everyone their beverage of choice, which they took out to the deck to enjoy with cheese, crackers and crudités. The men gathered near the grill at one corner, preparing it for the steaks they were serving for dinner. Layla and Addy stretched out on side-by-side lounges.
They both gazed on the cousins, so similar in size and coloring. There was a lot of trash-talking bouncing between them, the insults coming fast and easy in the way of men who are close. It brought to Layla’s mind the recent afternoon she’d spent on the deck with Vance and Fitz. That relationship seemed on the mend, and she was glad for them both.
“Penny for your thoughts,” Addy said.
Layla glanced over. “Right this second? That the smile you’re wearing is awfully smug.”
“Really? I feel more surprised than smug.” Then Addy pursed her lips, seeming to consider. “But smug works, too.”
“I can’t believe it happened so fast.”
“We had a...I guess you’d say a one-night stand, six years ago. I hadn’t seen him since, but once we met again, the feelings were there. Again. More. Better.” Addy lifted her hands. “Best.”
“Just like that?”
Addy slanted Layla a look. “Why do you sound so amazed? It’s not as if I haven’t noticed there’s only one downstairs bedroom currently in use.”
Now Layla was the one flushing. “Well...ah...um...”
“See? It happened to you, too.”
No, Layla reminded herself. Addy and Baxter had become a couple with a future. She and Vance were a couple with an end date. As gloomy as that sounded, it was the truth. So no sense in wishing for sunnier prospects. The best thing to do was to enjoy today’s sunshine—something Uncle Phil was always reminding her to do.
Attachment is the source of suffering, he’d say. It only hurt to wish for things you couldn’t have.
So when Vance and Baxter approached them, she forced her heart to lighten and smiled at the pair. How wonderful that they could all be here, at this moment, she thought. It’s enough.
When Vance nudged at her legs to make a spot for himself on her chaise, she shifted, bringing up her knees. His back was warm against her shins as he leaned against her. Even though they had no future, she didn’t stop herself from reaching out and tracing the curve of his heavy biceps.
“So, Addy,” Vance said, patting Layla’s shin in an absent but affectionate gesture. “What’s your secret? How did you get Bax to drop his precious life schedule and commit to his lady a couple of years early?”
“Paris,” she said promptly. “I told you guys about my upcoming year of study there. He didn’t want to lose me to some man who can actually speak French.”
Baxter tweaked her nose. “I would have missed her too much if she went without me.”
Layla would miss Vance, too, no matter how often she told herself about end dates and nonattachment. Without thinking, she curled her fingertips under the waistband of his jeans. He glanced back at her, a question in his eyes, and she hurriedly removed them. But then his own hand reached back and caught hers, even as he questioned his cousin.
“If she went without you, Bax?”
The other man had straddled the second chaise behind Addy and she was now sitting between his legs. He toyed with her feathery hair. “Didn’t anyone tell you?” he asked, frowning.
“Tell me what?”
“I quit. Two days ago I quit Smith & Sons Foods.”
Vance’s fingers squeezed down on Layla’s, in shock, she imagined, at the news.
“I didn’t know you hadn’t heard,” Baxter continued.
“Why would I?” Vance asked. “I’m not involved in the business.”
And it so clearly pained him that he wasn’t, Layla thought.
“Well, I shouldn’t have been, either,” Baxter said. “My heart was never in it.”
“If Granddad was still alive he’d be sad to see you go.”
“If our grandfather was still alive, lots of things would be different,” Baxter said quietly.
“Yeah? You think?” Vance looked off toward the horizon, then drained his beer. “Anyone want something else to drink?”
Layla saw the set expression on his face as he rose and turned toward the house. He was gone for longer than it took to grab another beer. His face was calm when he returned, but instead of sharing her space, he leaned against the railing, putting distance between them.
Ignoring the urge to go to him, she closed her eyes and willed herself to appreciate the warmth of the setting sun, the smell of the briny air, the ceaseless rush of waves on the beach. Stay in the moment. Enjoy the moment. Stay in—
Baxter’s voice interrupted her mantra. “There’s going to be some reorganization in the company with me leaving.”
Vance grunted.
“You have any ideas about that?” his cousin asked.
“It’s none of my concern.”
“I think they should move Fitz into my place. That would open up his spot on the growing and distribution end and—”
“Grove management. Get somebody in-house to do that. Get rid of those bloodsuckers from GreenWise.”
“Why?” Baxter asked. “They do a good job.”
“They do the job for too many growers in avocado country. It’s better to have someone focused on our single interest.”
Layla opened her eyes. Did Vance realize how he’d slipped from indifference to expressing an opinion with an our in it? Baxter was studying his cousin, too, his eyes narrowed.
“I see your point,” he said. “I still say it’s a good idea to move Fitz into the business end. Then you take his spot and add in grove management, as well.”
“What?” Vance asked.
“Yeah, it’s twice more work than what Fitz is doing now, but he’s gotten lazy in his old age. And you’ll want to prove yourself to everyone.”
“You’re nuts.” Vance looked a little nuts himself. “They’d never let me in.”
“How do you know unless you ask?”
“I’ve asked before,” Vance said bitterly. “We know how that turned out. It would be the same this time, too.”
“What if you say it’s what you want? Because I can see that it’s the truth.”
Layla held still, afraid to breathe because she could see it was true, as well. And she could see something else...her traitorous self considering there might be a future with Vance, after all.
Don’t go there, she commanded herself. No.
Then he echoed her thought, shaking his head with finality. “No.”
Baxter sighed. “But—”
“Let’s just enjoy the evening, okay?” Vance said. His glance moved from his cousin to Layla.
“Great idea,” she agreed, adding a bright smile. She was nothing if not a good soldier. “I’ll get on dinner.”
As she walked toward the house, Vance caught her hand. “And I’ll help.”
She twined her fingers with his. Stay in the moment, she whispered soundlessly. Stay in the moment.
It’s enough.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
THE DAY AFTER BAXTER’S surprise announcement, Vance accompanied Layla and the Karma Cupcakes truck to a farmers’ market held in a parking lot a forty-minute drive from Crescent Cove. Phil had gone to an afternoon lecture on global travel at a local community college, so Vance had tagged along with the baker to help her sell her wares.
He didn’t want to be alone.
Which was nuts because he’d spent months living inches from a bunch of half-clean guys at a remote outpost and expected to be rejoining them soon. He should be reveling in solitude while he still could get it. But being without Layla at Beach House No. 9 gave him too much time to think.
There was a spot opening up in the family company.
He was not going to get fixated on that, he reminded himself. “You want the bistro chairs and tables set up?” he asked Layla as she moved cupcakes from the boxes to the display cases.
“Yes, please. Then we can check out the other merchandise if you like. I usually take a turn down the aisles before the market opens.”
Sounded good. More distraction from family matters.
He took Layla’s hand as they strolled through the parking lot. There were a couple of other food trucks, but also many small booths. Some featured homemade jewelry, one offered salsa and hummus, another had bread from a local artisan bakery for sale.