Page 108 of The Mistakes I've Made
“Maybe by the end of the week, you’ll change your mind.”
“Don’t count on it,” I said, making my way toward the door, my chest still heaving from our altercation.
“And, Taylor?” he said just before I pushed my way out. “Don’t do anything stupid.”
I let out a sadistic laugh.
Now, why would I do that?
“Hey, Lani? You okay?”
Molly’s concerned words pierced through the trance I’d been in for what seemed like forever. How long had I been staring at these flames slowly crackling away in the fireplace of the inn?
“What?” I managed to say, finally able to tear my eyes away.
My innkeeper and new friend gave me a sideways glance, walking the rest of the way into the parlor. She took a seat on the couch next to me, although I was on the floor, wrapped in a fuzzy blanket, looking extremely pathetic.
She picked up the empty coffee cup, giving it a quick sniff. “I came by to do my last check on everything before bed. Did this have whiskey in it?” she asked.
I shook my head. “No,” I answered. “Although it wasn’t for a lack of trying. Do you know how hard it is to find liquor in this town after six o’clock?”
She laughed. “Try being a teenager here.” Giving a quick nod toward the kitchen, she winked. “Next time, there’s whiskey up above the refrigerator. I use it in some of my recipes sometimes, but I’ve learned to hide it from the guests.”
“Now, you tell me. That was the one place I didn’t look.”
Her eyebrow lifted. “So, what did he do?”
Closing my eyes, I could still feel his lips against my skin, hear his voice as he’d called out my name.
Had it all been a lie? A ruse? A fucking game?
“He bought my hotel,” I finally said.
“What?” The word came out far louder than either of us had expected. “Man, you go away for a few days and all hell breaks loose.”
I nodded, the news still shocking to even me, and I’d had twenty-four hours to let it marinate in my brain. Yet still, I couldn’t process it. Obviously realizing this was going to be a longer conversation than she’d planned, she settled in next to me.
I was grateful for the company. I’d missed her while she was gone. I hadn’t realized how much I’d come to value our little talks in the hallways and just before breakfast. Although they were brief, they always managed to cheer me up and brighten my day.
Just like the woman sitting next to me.
The last few days without her had been basically hell.
“So let me get this straight,” she began. “Taylor, the guy who is head over heels in love with you, that guy bought your hotel?”
I let out a stilted laugh. “You mean, Taylor, the guy who basically ghosted me a week ago and then didn’t even have the common decency to tell me to my face how he’d screwed me over. Instead, he waited for my dad’s assistant to send over the official letter of purchase.” My voice was barely a whisper now as I tried as hard as I could to fight back the tears I’d been holding back.
I would not cry over this man.
I would not cry anymore over this man, I thought.
“What?” Molly seemed shocked, finally noticing the letter in question sitting on the coffee table. Picking it up, she read through it, seeing the proof of his betrayal for herself. “The last time I saw you, you two seemed pretty happy.”
I thought back to that day at the fall festival.
We had been happy.
Deliriously so.
