Ex on the Beach by Kim Law

jars, some oil, and a mix of spices, then set to work tossing together what looked to be a marinade. “She didn’t say how it came about, though. Did you make a move on her? Is that what happened?”
    A blush he hadn’t anticipated swept over him and her eyes grew wide.
    “Don’t you dare laugh at me,” he ground out. He could see that she was about to. The danged woman should be mad he’d put the moves on her niece, and instead she was going to laugh in his face. “She …”
    He stopped, unsure what to say, and let out a frustrated sigh. He couldn’t very well tell the woman that Andie drove him insane with hunger while at the same time making him want to shake some sense into her.
    “She still gets to you, doesn’t she?”
    The potato chip he’d put in his mouth lay salty against his tongue as he eyed her. He slowly chewed until the chip was nothing but mush, then swallowed. This was what he remembered about Ginny from her trip to his apartment. It had been only days after the wedding, and he’d been hoping that Andie would eventually show up so he could apologize. Instead, Ginny had knocked on his door, there to collect Andie’s things.
    She had been furious with him, ready to rip him a new one. Yet before she’d left she’d also looked at him as if she’d understood that he was hurting as bad as Andie. Maybe worse. There had been no victorious gleam from her over this fact, merely acknowledgment and acceptance.
    He hadn’t walked away from Andie easily, and Ginny had known it.
    He nodded, not saying a word. Hell yes, Andie still got to him. And how could that be?
    It had been four years! He’d had numerous women since. He’d been engaged to be married.
    But one look at Andie standing on the beach last night, anger radiating off her at the same time he made out the tender vulnerability he’d always known she held in check, and he’d wanted to wrap her up in his arms and never let her go.
    “I don’t know what I’m doing here, Ginny. I shouldn’t have come.”
    “Oh, I don’t know.” She dumped the vegetables in a bag with the marinade and shook the whole mess. “I think you might figure it out if you let yourself.”
    He thought he might go insane via a slow burn. He should have moved on years ago, but he found he wanted Andie as much today as the first night he’d gone home with her.
    And she wanted closure.
    These next couple weeks were going to be heavy on frustration.
    Kayla came in through the outside door carrying a large empty box, and Ginny patted Mark’s hand.
    “Did you get it there in time?” Ginny asked, heading over to take the box from Kayla.
    “Barely.” She let out a long breath. “They were just about to sit down for lunch, and Andie was in a near panic. I showed up at the perfect time and made it look as if it had been the plan all along.”
    She turned then and headed to the middle of the kitchen, where Mark was perched, but stopped, giving him a small smile when she caught sight of him. “Mr. Kavanaugh. Did you wish to pick up with the group in the middle of the tour? I can take you to meet them.”
    “No, thanks. I’m good.” He held up the apple he was now working his way through. “Just stopped by for some lunch. G. fixed me up.”
    Ginny gave him one of her evil-eye looks. He just smiled.
    “I have more work to do this afternoon, anyway.” He crunched into the apple, not in any hurry to leave. He liked it there. He felt more relaxed than he had in years.
    “Oh.” Kayla nodded, her eyes questioning Ginny’s as if asking why one of the guests was in the kitchen instead of following along with the laid-out plans. “Okay.”
    If Kayla had been the one to organize the wedding expeditions, he had to give her credit. She had quite the two weeks laid out for them, and she hadn’t seemed to miss any details. Even, apparently, saving Andie’s rear when they’d somehow managed not to get lunch delivered as planned.
    Ginny put the box away in a back pantry,