Page 43 of The Mistakes I've Made
That dazzling gleam of a smile she’d had was no longer there though. No, now there was something else.
Something that had me smiling—for real this time.
Jealousy.
Pure, unadulterated jealousy passed across Leilani’s face for a brief moment before she realized her error, her words stumbling over one another before she picked up her drink as a distraction.
But I’d seen it all the same.
Score one point for Taylor.
But that point was quickly lost when, just a moment later, I almost ran into a nearby table, all of my attention still focused on the exotic beauty who was threatening to ruin my life.
“Shit!” I cursed, instantly regretting my word choice when I looked down to find one of the local ministers and his wife.
“Hello, Taylor,” he said, an amused grin spread across his worn face.
“Hello, Pastor Reid,” I said, feeling like that misbehaving kid in the church pew, who was constantly being scolded for fidgeting during prayers.
“I haven’t seen you around on Sundays lately.”
My hand reached to the back of my neck, as I felt like the air temperature around me had spiked to the mid-nineties. Sweat dripped down my back.
“I’ve been working,” I said.
“Hmm,” he replied, a disapproving tone in his voice as he looked up at me through his black-rimmed glasses.
Everyone on the island knew there were no fishing tours given during church time.
“Well, if you ever find you’re not too busy, you know where to find us.”
I swallowed hard. “Will do. Absolutely.”
I caught Leilani’s cheeky grin out of the corner of my eye as Sierra and I scurried off to our table, far away from the reverend and his wife.
She thought she’d gotten the best of me, seeing me stumble just now, but she must have forgotten the look of absolute torment that had swept across her face when she saw me walk in with another woman.
I wasn’t the only one in over my head.
“Who is she?” Sierra’s quiet voice brought my head back to face hers.
“What? Who?” I casually tried to play it off.
She wasn’t buying it. Her left eyebrow rose in an entertained sort of way. “You think I haven’t noticed the way your attention keeps being pulled in her direction?”
I let out a defeated huff of air from my lungs. “Leilani Hart,” I said. “She’s the heiress from Hawaii who bought The Cozy Hotel.”
She seemed to force a smile. “Oh.”
“I’ve been asked to keep an eye on her progress,” I said. “For the town…to make sure we keep the lines of communication open. I’m her town liaison, I guess.”
An amused chuckle fell from her lips. “Well, you are doing your job very well. If you need confirmation or a formal review, just let me know. I’ll back you up.” Every word she said was laced with sarcasm and pain.
Leaning forward, I took her hand—not because I wanted to make the woman several tables down jealous, but because I wanted the woman in front of me to know I was being genuine—something I wasn’t normally good at when it came to the opposite sex.
“I’m sorry, Sierra. I shouldn’t have asked you to lunch. I know it gave you false hope—”
A smile stretched across her beautiful face. “Taylor, I’ve never once thought there was a chance between you and me,” she explained.
