“I see you and my brother are having fun together.”
“I’m having a great time. Wyatt’s the sweetest guy I’ve ever met.” Truth.
“Yeah.” Violet’s tone insinuated she didn’t entirely agree. “Ignorance is bliss, after all.”
What was that supposed to mean? The last thing Chrissy wanted to do was encourage Violet. But either there was something on her face that showed her curiosity, or Violet was going to tell her anyway, because clearly she wasn’t going to just let things be.
“You should know that Wyatt was engaged once.”
Chrissy kept her focus on the bonfire and tried not to react. He’d been engaged? When?
“He and Ashley were the perfect couple. They were suited to each other, had the same goals and interests. I think they would’ve been happy if…” Violet’s voice trailed off.
Clearly Chrissy was being baited. Violet wanted to tell her the whole story, but she wanted Chrissy to ask to hear it. Chrissy didn’t trust Violet any further than she could throw her, yet she couldn’t help but wonder why Wyatt had never told her about his engagement with Ashley. How long ago had that been?
Violet sighed, obviously displeased with Chrissy’s lack of interest. “Once poor Ashley found out my brother was only marrying her to get access to our father’s money, it was over. Ashley and I have been friends since grade school, and I’ve never seen her more devastated than she was that day.”
There was no way. Wyatt would never use someone like that. Chrissy leveled Violet with a look of warning and tried to ignore the way her stomach clenched. “I don’t believe it.”
“You should. Our parents refuse to hand Wyatt his inheritance until he’s married and settled down. If there’s one thing he cares about more than anything else, it’s that stupid charity of his. He’d do anything to get that money and put his plans into motion, including marrying someone he doesn’t love.” The look Violet gave her was one of pity. “You’re just the next Ashley, and I want to spare you the grief and embarrassment of letting thisrelationshipgo on any further. I’m so sorry you had to find out this way, Chrissy.” Her use of the word relationship was filled with loathing.
Part of Chrissy wanted to slap Violet for what she was insinuating. But another part of her wondered why Wyatt had never told her that he and Ashley were engaged. Was he trying to hide it? Surely he hadn’t tried to marry the woman strictly for his inheritance. He’d told her that he’d been expecting some money to come in, and when it didn’t, it pushed his plans back. Was this what he was talking about? She couldn’t imagine him doing something like that. She scanned the crowd around her for Wyatt’s face and didn’t see him anywhere in the fading daylight.
“Look, the reason I’m telling you all of this is because Ashley’s here. She told me she’s come to terms with the relationship she had with Wyatt, and she still wants to marry him.” Violet relaxed in the chair, a smug look on her face. “She always was suited to our lifestyle. And you’re…not.”
Tears pricked the back of her eyelids, but Chrissy refused to let them fall. All she wanted was for Violet to go away and leave her alone. Again, she searched for a sign of Wyatt and finally spotted him. To her surprise, a woman was holding onto his arm as though she were hanging onto his every word. Chrissy wished she could see their faces, but what dwindling daylight remained wasn’t bright enough for that.
Violet sat up straighter and smiled. “Oh, good! Ashley found him.” She had the nerve to pat Chrissy’s shoulder. “I’ll be happy to take you over and introduce you to her if you’d like.”
The tears she’d been holding back were past the point of containment. She wouldn’t give Violet the satisfaction of crying in front of her. “No. It’s actually getting late, and we need to drive back to Clearwater early tomorrow. I think I’m going to head to my room.”
“All right. I’ll let Wyatt know. Good night, Chrissy.” With that, Violet stood and walked away.
Chrissy sniffed and swiped at a tear that had escaped. How could she have been so stupid? She’d told herself when she came here that this was all an act. She’d known that she and Wyatt were far too different for anything to work between them. Then she’d allowed one amazing day to convince her that maybe, just maybe, she’d been wrong.
Her vision blurry, Chrissy picked her way through the crowd, avoided Wyatt and Ashley, and made her way back to the resort and her room. When she finally collapsed on the bed, the tears flowed freely.
~*~
Wyatt could barely contain his disgust the moment Ashley latched herself on his arm. What was she doing here? She wasn’t family, and he certainly hadn’t invited her.
“It’s SO good to see you, Wyatt.” She squeezed his arm in a hug and then didn’t let go. “It seems like forever. When Violet invited me to come for the bonfire and told me you’d be here, I jumped at the chance.” Her voice couldn’t be any more sugarcoated. “So what have you been up to?”
“Relaxing, visiting, enjoying the food.” He tried to pry his arm out of her grip, but she managed to exchange one of his arms for the other. “Have you run into Violet yet? I’m sure she’d be excited to see you. Maybe if you looked for her inside?”
Ashley sighed contentedly. “Oh, I found her earlier. She’s the one who told me you were heading to the deck. Maybe we should grab something cold to drink and visit for a while. I heard there’s an open bar inside.”
“I don’t drink.” He wanted to tell her he wouldn’t sit down and drink a glass of water with her, either. There was next to nothing she could say that would convince him to spend time with her. “Look, someone’s waiting for me.” He held up the two bottles of water he held for emphasis.
Either Wyatt’s hint went completely over her head, or she chose to ignore it. Either way, she attempted to turn him back around toward the resort. That’s when he decided he was going to have to be more forceful. He removed her arms from his and took a step back. “If Violet invited you, you should probably go find her. My girlfriend is waiting for me.”
Without glancing behind him, Wyatt strode down the pathway and across the sand back to where the large bonfire continued to burn. He reached their chairs. Not only was Chrissy nowhere to be seen, but they’d been claimed by someone else.
He searched around the bonfire and even asked Gran if she’d seen Chrissy. No one seemed to have noticed where she went.
The attempt to call her went directly to voicemail. It was so loud outside, she probably wouldn’t be able to hear her phone ring anyway.
Stamping down his frustration, he decided to head back to the deck in case she’d gone to find him. He was stopped by family members three times before he even made it there. He again tried to call her with the same result.
