Page 36 of Tempting the Heart

I chuckled. “I’ll have to remember that.”

“Oh, yeah? You think you’ll be around for the occasion?” She looked bemused.

“You never know.”

“Back to your employment.” She eyed me cautiously. I couldn’t tell whether she was sizing me up or giving me a double-take.

“I own an advertising agency. We focus on businesses in the health and fitness segments, and with the explosion of You Tubers and vloggers, our company has tripled in size these last few years.”

She looked surprised. “Wow. That actually sounds… fun.”

I nodded. “It can be. It’s also stressful.”

“But you have two houses,” she chided.

“True.” I nodded. “Our agency is virtual. All of our employees work remotely.”

“Our?”

“I own it with my brother.”

“That’s so cool,” she said, nodding. “And it explains why you’re in such good shape.”

Mae waggled her brows, and I laughed.

“Every client always feels compelled to send us what we’re working on with them. I have a kitchen full of supplements and a basement full of gym equipment.”

She grinned wider. “If that were me, it doesn’t mean I’d actually use the stuff. I bought a treadmill for about fifty bucks from a neighbor when I lived in an apartment. I think I used it once… and only to ensure it worked before buying it. It’s probably why I bought such a tiny house. Just so that thing couldn’t come with me and stare at me, reminding me that I should be on it.”

“It’s not like you need to worry about any of that. You’re perfect the way you are. Always have been.”

She sipped the last of her drink and set the empty glass on the table. “Would you like to wander along the pier with me and stare at all the crazy expensive yachts?”

“I’d love to.”

The bartender came over, and I signed the drinks to my room as Mae stood up.

She held out her arm and looped it through mine, and I was suddenly thrown back to when we were kids. Ever since I’d met her, she’d loop her arm through mine, and I’d suddenly felt like I’d been chosen King of the World.

As we opened the lounge doors leading to the pier, she rested her head on my shoulder and sighed happily.

“I’m glad I ran into you, Tyler. After all these years, it’s nice to see you’re not some one-dimensional figment of my imagination.”

I stopped and looked down at her as she tipped her chin up to see me. “What do you mean?”

She blinked a couple of times, and her cheeks turned rosy. “I wasn’t kidding when I said I had a crush on you. Problem is that I don’t think I got over it.”

“I’m sure you did, Mae.”

Mae’s mouth straightened into a fine line, and she shook her head. “I’m embarrassed to say that I haven’t. I don’t even know you, and I’d still let my mind fantasize about you after all these years.”

I didn’t know if it was the drinks talking or Mae, but I was stunned.

“Anyway, it’s nice to have you here in person so I can put this fantasy to rest.” She frowned. “Wait. That didn’t come out right.”

I chuckled.

“I’ll try again. It’s just too bad you’re leaving so soon before I could really get to know you.” She lifted her head and pulled me down the pier with her fingers linking with mine. “You know what? Forget it. Let’s look at some boats.”

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