Page 34 of The Mistakes I've Made
“Is this your doing?” I asked him as I began walking the short distance back toward the hotel. If there was bad news in here, I wanted to read it in the comfort of air-conditioning.
“No,” he answered. “Definitely not. But it does involve me. Would you just open it? Some of us have successful businesses to run.”
I stopped once we reached the door and gave him a pointed look. “Some of us?”
He looked up at the peeling paint and cobwebs that adorned the front entrance of mine. “Yeah.” He grinned. “Some.”
I didn’t bother hiding my frustration, a loud huff bubbling up from my lungs as I pried the door open and stormed inside.
Of course, he followed.
The instant temperature difference felt a little jarring but deliciously wonderful at the same time. I couldn’t help but let out a sigh.
“I thought you were from Hawaii,” he said.
“Yeah, so?”
“So, isn’t it just as hot and humid there? Isn’t hanging out at the beach like a profession out there?”
I shrugged. “Yeah, but I’m not really a beach person. Or an outdoorsy person for that matter.”
His eyes widened, complete shock written across that handsome face of his. “You live in one of the most beautiful places in the world, and you don’t go outside?”
“I’m an interior designer,” I explained. “Since college, my world has been all about the inside. I guess I just lost interest.”
“So, you did love the outdoors then? At one time?”
I swallowed hard, remembering the smell of the ocean, the feel of the sand, and the sound of my mother’s laughter as she’d danced along the shoreline.
“Yeah,” I said. “At one time.”
A moment passed between us. Our eyes locked, and I felt something.
Something beyond heat and want.
Something more.
But, before it could become more, before I could identify it, he turned away.
“Are you going to open that letter or not?”
“Oh,” I said, feeling rather embarrassed. “Right. Of course.”
Without wasting another moment, I ripped open the envelope and pulled out the letter waiting inside.
Dear Ms. Hart,
The people of Ocracoke welcome you to our town. We are a small community with big hearts and a long line of traditions and values. We hope that as you move forward with your renovation of The Cozy Hotel, you’ll take into consideration those traditions and values, but we know that compromises will have to be made.
Like our town, our committee is a modest one with many busy individuals. Gathering us all together is a cumbersome task, and we want you to have a reliable source to contact when you have concerns and questions when it comes to the town and its inhabitants without having to go through an entire committee.
Well, that’s nice of them, I thought.
But then I remembered the man standing in my hotel, and the nerves woke back up.
We’ve appointed Taylor Sutherland for this task, and we believe he will serve as an excellent go-between for both you and the people of Ocracoke.
My eyes jerked up to find the man in question staring at me.
