Page 54 of The Mistakes I've Made
What a difference a day made.
I opened my mouth to ask him more about the cemetery, but a loud noise stopped me in my tracks.
The piercing sound of a police siren seemed to go against everything I’d learned of the small town.
Quiet, peaceful, safe.
Taylor grabbed my hand and pulled me toward his chest as the flashing lights of a cop car came toward us.
“What the hell?” I heard him whisper.
We both waited until it came to a stop, the officer taking his time in getting out of the car, which seemed to be a bit of a struggle for him. I looked up toward Taylor, giving him a questioning look, and he seemed just as lost as I was.
Apparently, this wasn’t a normal occurrence on the island. That gave me a little peace of mind.
“Evening, Macon,” Taylor said the moment the officer stepped toward us. He was still holding my hand, still holding me close to his body, like he was protecting me.
From the police officer…
“You know it’s late, Taylor.”
“It’s barely past ten,” he answered calmly.
“You arguing with me?”
“No, Macon,” he replied immediately. He squeezed my hand. “I was just walking Leilani back to her room at By the Bay.”
We were pointed in the wrong direction, and for a moment, as the officer stood there, looking from one end of the street to the other, I thought he’d caught Taylor in the middle of a lie, but he just nodded.
“By the Bay?” he murmured.
Taylor nodded.
“That’s Jake’s place now, isn’t it?”
Taylor seemed a bit taken aback by the comment but simply agreed. “Jake and Molly’s, yes.”
“Right,” he said, a sort of sad, distant look on his face. “Well, carry on then.”
Taylor’s thumb brushed the skin over mine before he took a step forward, his voice low as he addressed the officer as a friend, “You okay, man?”
A flash of anger danced across Macon’s face. “Of course I am. Now get out of here before I find a reason to be angry!”
Taylor and I made eye contact. There was a worried look on Taylor’s face, but he knew better than to press his luck, and he did what Macon had asked.
“Have a good night,” he said before he ushered us in the direction of the inn.
Neither of us said a word for several blocks until we were sure we were out of earshot, and the whole way, he never let go of my hand.
“Taylor, he didn’t seem fine,” I said.
“No,” he agreed. “And the worst part? I think I caught a whiff of alcohol on his breath.”
“What are you going to do?”
He shook his head as we headed for the inn. “I don’t know, but I guess our trip to the cemetery has been postponed.”
“That’s an understatement.”
