Page 34 of Tempting the Heart

I’d wanted to, but it was impossible.

Brad might have been younger than me, but I would never disrespect any of the Evans family. I knew how he’d felt about my awkwardly flirting with Mae so many years ago, and I never dared mention anything that had happened between us in the tree house.

“You look gorgeous, Mayflower,” I said softly as the bartender approached to take her drink order. As they spoke, I admired Mae’s ability to bring a smile to anyone who approached.

“You know,” she said, leaning forward, “I secretly love it when you call me Mayflower.”

I laughed, shaking my head and narrowing my eyes on her. “Yeah? I wouldn’t have known.”

She giggled and sat back in the chair, and that’s when I realized she was tipsy.

“Did I keep you waiting long?” she asked.

“Nah. Just ordered a drink and barely got it.” I nodded, unable to hide my smile. I’d never seen Mae drunk, and I wouldn’t call her that even now. But it was cute, whatever it was.

A deeper smile caressed her lips. “I might have had a little too much wine. So, I’m sorry if I seem a little pickled.”

I laughed. “Pickled?”

She hiccupped and shrugged. “That probably makes me sound like a Golden Girl.”

“I like my grannies,” I teased.

Her eyes widened, and she sat up straight. “You do?”

I chuckled and sipped my drink as the bartender dropped hers off.

“So, I spoke to Brad, and we’ll be there around ten o’clock tomorrow. Will that work?”

My stomach knotted, and I let out a deep breath. “I don’t think it’s a great idea.”

Mae cocked her head slightly. “No. What’s not a good idea is to throw you in with the wolves all by yourself.”

“The wolves?”

“I’ve been hearing things,” she confessed. “And I can’t believe how naïve I was about everything you faced growing up. I just thought all families were lovey-dovery.”

I smiled at her slurred speech.

“I mean dovery… I mean doverly lovely. Lovey-dovey,” she corrected again, more for her sake than anything. “My point is that you don’t want to be here, so we might as well make it better for you. They don’t sound like they’re very nice. I hope you don’t mind, but Brad filled me in briefly, and I don’t think you should have to put up with that.”

“And neither should you,” I pointed out.

She shrugged. “I’ve got tough skin. I work in customer service. I’ve heard it all. Nothing your parents say could hurt me.”

My jaw clenched at the thought of any of this happening, but I could see the determination in her gaze.

“Enough about your parents. We’ll be there tomorrow whether you like it or not. Now…” She smiled. “Tell me what you’ve been up to. You already know what I’ve been up to.”

But that wasn’t true. I wanted to know so much more, like how she decided to open a coffee shop. Had she worked with her parents? What did she do for schooling? Has she ever lived off the island? Every now and again, I’d ask Brad about his sisters, but I never got much out of him.

I leaned back in the chair and took another drink. “I got my degree in finance and went to work in that field right out of school.”

Her eyes widened. “Oh. Wow.”

I chuckled and smiled. “And immediately realized I hated it.”

She grinned and ran her hands through a few pieces of fallen hair. “You don’t remind me of a finance type of guy.”

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