Page 59 of The Mistakes I've Made
“Yeah, but they had history. It’s different.”
“It’s not different, Taylor. They found a way to be together and not because they’d been in love longer than the rest of us. It’s not a long-distance race.”
“So, you’re saying if I give love a chance, love will find a way?” I gave him a dubious look, and each word was said with a serious dose of sarcasm.
“Yes,” he said, completely straight-faced.
I merely shook my head, disregarding my brother’s attempt at love advice. But as I made my way toward the coffeepot for my third cup of coffee, I couldn’t help but hear my own words ringing in my head.
Love will find a way.
Dean’s talk had left me edgy all morning and well into the afternoon.
And, thanks to a slow day, I had no reason to cancel my plans to go to the beach with Leilani. Not that I wanted to cancel.
But the rational side of me knew I probably should.
She’d said she wanted a friend on the island, but I wasn’t sure I could fulfill that particular request. What I wanted from her went far beyond the boundaries of friendship, and every second I spent with her only solidified that fact in my mind.
Dean wasn’t wrong. I did indeed have it bad for this woman, but I could control it.
I had to control it.
Otherwise, I’d be lost when she left.
“Just remember how much you hated her when you first met,” I said to myself, before remembering just how much of a lie that was. When we first met, I liked her.
A lot.
It wasn’t until I discovered her name and the fact that I was supposed to hate her that my feelings changed.
No they didn’t, a little voice in my head chided.
Feeling like I was already losing a hopeless battle, I headed over to the hotel, leaving the office to Dean for the rest of the day. We didn’t have any tours scheduled, so he’d agreed to close up, so I could take a few hours to take Leilani out to where the Ocracoke ponies were kept. He’d agreed with a wide, knowing grin plastered on his stupid, dumb face, knowing this used to be a signature move of mine as a wild teen. I’d reminded him I hadn’t actually taken anyone to see the real ponies. He’d just nodded and smiled wider.
I guessed he figured that meant something as well.
My brother, the love expert.
Walking up to her hotel, I could always feel my heartbeat hammering in my chest. I probably should have called or checked in with her before just dropping in and assuming she could take off at a moment’s notice.
But I liked the idea of surprising her.
Maybe her heart would beat just as fast as mine.
With a quick knock on the door, I let myself in, knowing she probably hadn’t heard me. In the vast space that was The Cozy Hotel, she could be anywhere.
As it turned out though, I found her in the lobby, hunched over a makeshift desk she’d erected out of an old card table. Just as I’d thought, she hadn’t heard my knock, which allowed me a few quiet moments to watch her.
The light from the large bay windows cast perfect rays, illuminating the beautiful way her hair seemed to flow down her back like a chocolate waterfall. It was long, so long it skimmed the edge of the seat. I wondered what it would feel like to be covered in it, her sitting high atop my body as she rode us both to ecstasy.
“Are you going to stand there watching me all day, Sutherland?”
Busted.
I grinned and took a casual lean against the check-in desk that had seen better days. “Just appreciating the view; that’s all.”
Her eyes met mine as a single brow lifted. “Now, that doesn’t sound professional at all. I do believe that is a rule-breaking sentence, if I’ve ever heard one.”
