Page 11 of Tempting the Heart

I chuckled and shook my head. “There’s nothing to screw up. He was just a kid we all grew up with. He left for college and started a life off this island. Simple as that.”

“Oh, yeah?” Audrey eyed me. “Simple as that?”

“Yup.” I started cleaning the coffee machine, trying to push Tyler out of my head. Just his eyes were enough to make me feel like I was floating on cloud nine. “Simple as that.”

“Did you know that you just poured a whole gallon of milk into your—”

I gasped as the white liquid poured over the top of the machine I was attempting to clean. My sister dashed over to help me clean up the mess, picking up towels and rags to mop up the milk.

“As you were saying?” she whispered.

“I don’t think I should go,” I muttered back, knowing full well that I poured milk into the machine instead of my vinegar mixture because I was daydreaming about Tyler.

Brad walked over as we finished cleaning up the mess I’d made. “What’s even going on?”

“Nothing,” I said, shaking my head. “But I need to finish cleaning up. I still have the coffee maker to—”

Audrey pulled the rags out of my hand. “Nonsense. Go wash up, and I’ll finish cleaning your machines.”

I rolled my eyes. “Great. So now I’m going to smell like sweat, coffee, and sour milk.”

Brad chuckled and sniffed around me. “You smell great, like… peaches or some crap.”

“Some crap?” I laughed. “Just what I was going for.”

“You know what I mean.” He ruffled my already messed-up hair and smiled. “Besides, it’s just Tyler, right?”

“Right.” I grinned. “It’s only Tyler.”

I walked over to the handwashing sink and sucked in a silent breath. It would probably be good for me to go have dinner with him and my brother. It could center me back in reality. It wasn’t like Tyler was perfect or anything. Spending time around him to highlight just how annoying he was would be a good thing. Then, I could finally let go of these unrealistic expectations I’d been clinging to for the last million years.

Every date I’d been on always ended with me being annoyed out of my mind. Whether it was how they sucked shrimp out of their shells or ordered four drinks before they got to the salad and couldn’t remember my name, men showed their true colors pretty quickly.

And that was precisely what I needed with Tyler.

I wouldn’t have my blinders on.

I’d stare at the man Tyler became and finally free myself from some unrealistic fantasy I’d conjured about my teenage crush.

After tonight’s dinner, I’d finally be able to move on.

As I dried off my hands, I let out a slow breath and smiled to myself at this little revelation. I’d finally be free from this romantic rabbit hole of a fabricated man.

I smoothed my hands over my head and redid my ponytail. He’d already seen me after a long bike ride, so there wasn’t really anywhere I could go but up. At least my cheeks weren’t flame red from the exertion any longer.

Brad was already out the door, which I knew was my cue to get a move on it.

Audrey scrubbed the coffee maker and glanced over at me. “You look sensational, Mae. You always do.”

“Thanks, but you know… it is what it is.” I shrugged. “I’m just hoping tonight will kind of end things. You know, my imaginary…” I didn’t even want to finish my sentence. “Anyway, it will be good to see him.”

Audrey’s eyes stayed on mine, and she nodded. But for the first time in a long time, she didn’t say a word about my delirious antics about a boy I never even had.

Instead, she smiled and turned her attention back to the coffee pot.

“I owe you one, Sis,” I called out as I started toward the opening of the antiques store.

“Come with me to the city, and we’ll call it even.”

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