Page 35 of Tempting the Heart

“Oh, yeah?” I asked, intrigued. “What do I remind you of?”

She pressed her lips together as her gaze glittered with possibilities. “You remind me of 007.”

I almost spat out my drink with a laugh. “A spy? I remind you of a British Spy?”

Mae tilted her chin and slowly moved her hand to cover mine. Her touch was like a livewire on every cell in my body.

“Not just any spy. The best.” Her brows lifted with the compliment.

“Nice. Okay. I can live with that.”

It was impossible not to be captivated by Mae. Her mind had always been fanciful, yet wise. Imaginative, yet logical.

“Okay, in all seriousness.” Her lips puckered. “I think you are probably a personal trainer.”

I laughed and shook my head. “Why’s that?”

“Because anyone with a body like yours would have to be completely vain to look like you do. I know the amount of work it takes to have muscles that have muscles upon more muscles.”

“Ah, vain. Yes, that is me to the core.” I grinned, loving every second of being with Mae.

“No offense,” she added.

“None taken.” I shook my head. “You’re getting closer, though, and I only work out a little bit here and there to keep my heart healthy.”

She rolled her eyes. “You even had muscles when you were like sixteen. I remember it like yesterday. You and my brother in my parents’ garage lifting weights, but you were older than Brad, so you managed so much more.”

“You remember that?”

Her eyes stayed on mine, and I felt that thrill shoot through me again. “I probably remember every single second that you were around.” She had another sip of her drink. “I had a huge crush on you, Tyler Grant.”

It was like she’d knocked all the wind out of me with a singular punch to the gut, a thud to the chest.

She'd always seemed… disinterested.

Sure! On one hand, she’d always made me feel welcome, but that was on my way to see Brad. Never in a million years did I think she had a crush on me.

Even when everything happened in the tree house, I figured it was more of exploration and curiosity, not… because of a crush.

But the thing I knew deep down, more than anything, was that Mae deserved better. She had a great family and deserved someone with the same.

“Mayflower, I don’t believe it for a second,” I said, shaking my head. “There were a million times you could have told me or signaled it.”

“With Brad around?” She laughed. “I don’t think so. And I did. I practically laid my heart and soul out to you more than once.”

Mae looked like she wanted to say something else.

“What?” I shook my head. “No, you didn’t. I promise I’d remember that.”

She laughed. “Okay, fine. I didn’t signal often because you were so much older than me and would probably have laughed in my face.”

My eyes widened, and I shook my head. “That is one thing I never would have done, Mae.”

She smiled and nodded. “Anyway, tell me what you do for a living.”

“It doesn’t define me,” I explained.

“My career doesn’t define me either,” she assured me. “It’s not like I want a coffee bean engraved on my tombstone or something.”

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