Page 41 of Tempting the Heart

His gaze landed on mine, and I could see hesitation mixing with instinct as his eyes landed on my lips before stepping away with a slow smile.

Every single time he got close to me, it was as if every cell in my body simultaneously lit up and froze in place.

“See ya at six, and thanks for everything, Mae. It means more than you know.”

I nodded and waved at my brother before putting everything back in the car and taking off for home, wondering what I’d been thinking, inviting Tyler over.

Chapter Twelve

Tyler

Why couldn’t there be something glaringly wrong with Mae? Why did she have to be so damn perfect for me?

I’d just dropped off my dad and situated him at the house. He was barely speaking to me after letting him know I wouldn’t be providing any more money for his gambling. I’d picked up some dinner for my parents to eat and ensured they knew when the contractors would start in the morning.

Pulling in at the grocery store, I thought about Mae’s list and chuckled. It wasn’t exactly a short list, and it was hard to believe it was all for one meal, but then again, it was Mae. She liked to do things right.

It was probably why her coffee shop was so perfect.

I pulled into the first available slot, parked, and pulled out my phone to go down the list.

An overwhelming wave of nostalgia hit me when I walked into the market. Sure, the market had been expanded, but the layout was the same. A large floral area was to my right, a new deli beyond that, then the candy aisle where my brother and friends would always spend our money when we were kids. We’d pedal to the market, load up on sugar, and spend the summer days at the beach.

Life was so much simpler then, but also extremely complicated.

Yet, I survived. I grew up under the same roof as my parents for eighteen years and made it out relatively unscathed. Now, the thought of spending a few hours there made my skin crawl.

I rolled a cart down the first aisle, searching for sesame seeds. When I found them, it felt like a victory. As I continued the hunt for all of Mae’s ingredients, I thought about how different this trip started from what I'd imagined.

I’d hoped to sneak onto Marigold, get my dad to physical therapy, manage some projects, and slip out of here before anyone noticed.

Yet everything about my plan blew up the morning I ran into Mae. She’d become this magnet, pulling me into the world of Marigold Island.

“Tyler Grant?”

I turned around to hear a familiar voice that made me smile from ear to ear.

“Mrs. Evans?”

“You remember me,” she gushed, opening her arms out.

I left the cart and smiled as she pulled me in for one of her monstrous bear hugs.

“Brad and Mae mentioned you were poking around the island. It’s so good to see you.”

Mrs. Evans had the same dark hair and green eyes as her son and daughters, but now the grey wove between her shoulder-length hair. Her smile was as warm as it had been all those years ago, and I suddenly felt like I’d never left Marigold.

It was an odd feeling.

“Yeah.” I nodded. “Just trying to straighten some stuff up at my parents’ house and get my dad in the habit of doing his physical therapy exercises back at the house.”

She pressed her lips into a thin line and nodded. Mrs. Evans had been someone I could always talk to growing up, so she knew more secrets than most.

“You know to call me Cynthia.” She grinned. “How are your parents?”

“About the same. A little sharper with the insults now.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, Tyler. You and Paul are good sons. I don’t know that I’d have the ability to help as much as you two have over the years.”

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