Page 16 of The Mistakes I've Made
Even that got me interested.
“Really? So, old man Hart has arrived.”
“No!” she said, her eyes wide with excitement. “That’s the interesting part. It wasn’t Stephen Hart. It was his daughter. Or at least, that’s what people are saying.”
“He has a daughter?”
Millie shrugged, her long skirt swaying against the pavement as we walked. “I know, right? Who knew the devil had a daughter?”
We’d begun calling Stephen Hart the devil because of what his company could possibly do to our small town. His resorts were big, bold, and high class—everything Ocracoke was not. They brought in the sort of clientele that wouldn’t appreciate the low-key lifestyle this island was revered for.
“Yeah, and apparently she’s gorgeous. Very exotic.”
I began to feel a twinge of unease settling in my gut. “Exotic you say?”
“Mmhmm. My mom said her grandmother was full-blooded Polynesian. She’s been all over the internet, stalking Hart International since the hotel was sold. She and my sister are worried sick about how it will impact the inn.”
“Right. Sure,” I said, trying to appear as the concerned friend, but really, my mind was swirling with thoughts of the mysterious woman I’d met only minutes earlier.
The very exotic woman I’d met.
“And what about By the Bay?” I asked, remembering my date that evening. “Molly’s inn would be the place to stay if a Hart had arrived on the island.”
Millie’s eyes widened. “Oh, you’re right!” She immediately pulled out her phone and began texting Molly, asking for details.
With each stroke of her fingers, I began to feel my nerves piling up. We made it to the restaurant and were seated before I managed to say another word, my gut now churning as I tried not to think of the implications of what I might have just done.
“Do you happen to have a picture of her?” I asked Millie, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible, but I couldn’t wait another second for the text to come in. I had to know.
“Of who?”
“Hart’s daughter.”
“Why? You want to date her?” she said with an abrupt laugh attached to the end.
“What? No! I just want to know what she looks like. You know I can’t resist a nice piece of ass. So, if this one shows up in my office, I want to make sure I can spot the enemy.”
“Oh,” she said, dragging out the syllable like she’d finally landed on the same page as me. “Good call. That would be horribly uncomfortable. Wouldn’t want you to pull another Sierra, would we?”
“No,” I said, tugging at the collar of my shirt. “Definitely not.”
I watched as she pulled up an internet browser. Within seconds, the woman in my shop was staring back at me.
Shit.
Fuck.
Damn.
“Great,” I said, my voice cracking a little as I tried to force a smile. “Now, I know.”
She smiled back, not a care in the world, as Billy came to take our orders. “Yep. Now, you know.”
“Oh, and here is a text from Molly,” she said, as if the information was relevant to me anymore. I’d already confirmed I was a louse. A horrible person.
A traitor to my town.
“Molly wasn’t there,” she said, scanning over the text. “But, it seems my mom checked in Miss Hart over an hour ago. I guess it’s true, then. The daughter of the devil is officially in Ocracoke. Let the madness begin.”
