Chapter Three
Mae
“You’re telling me that Tyler Grant is here on Marigold Island, and he didn’t call me?” My brother leaned against the doorframe separating my coffee shop from his antique store. A brief frown surfaced over his features before he pushed his lips into a smile. “I’m sure he has his reasons.”
Men were so easy. My sisters and I would dissect every action from the moment Tyler stepped foot on Marigold, investigating his reasons for not reaching out, and discussing it ad nauseam. But with my brother, it was much simpler.
I clucked my tongue and sipped a raspberry mocha I was experimenting with for my summer menu.
“Well, he’s here. I couldn’t tell whether he was happy about it or not.” I set the cup down, wandered over to lock the door, and flipped over my Open sign. “My gut says no.”
“Wow.” Brad shook his head and shrugged. “Maybe I’ll reach—”
My hand shot up in the air. “No. Don’t do that.”
My brother’s brows furrowed as a slight hint of a smile ran over his lips.
“Why’s that?”
I cocked my head and rolled my eyes. “Fine. Reach out and get rejected. He could have told you he was here if he wanted to say hi.” My brows raised, waiting for Brad’s response. “Or he could have walked right through that door you’re standing at to visit you at the antique store.”
Brad didn’t look the slightest bit wounded. “Something probably came up at the old Grant homestead.”
“Are his parents still living there?” I asked, genuinely curious.
The last time I’d driven by the property, it looked to be in major disrepair. Although, that was nothing new.
“Oh, yeah.” Brad nodded. “And gambling away every single penny Tyler and Paul send them.”
“Ooph,” I muttered as a shiver ran through me. “Seriously?”
Brad took a breath and nodded as his eyes settled back on mine. “Yeah. They have a serious gambling addiction.”
“Both of them?”
He nodded. “Yeah. Among other things.”
“Tyler told you that?” His words clung to my soul. “He sends them money?”
“A lot of it over the years, but it’s never gone to its intended purpose.”
An ache burned deep in my abdomen as I thought about the kid I had a crush on and how he’d turned into such a… man. Even doing something sweet for his parents, who’d never been particularly sweet to him or his brother.
“And other stuff besides gambling? He’s told you that?” I questioned, thinking back to the man I saw earlier this morning.
Brad shook his head. “No, he never outright mentioned anything other than gambling back when we were kids. His dad used to go the racetrack all the time. He’d lose his entire paycheck in one or two races and then come home raging.”
The color drained from my face. “Wow. I had no idea. You guys never told me any of this.”
“It never came up.” Brad pointed toward the counter and raised his mug. “Do you have any more coffee?”
“Sure do. Help yourself.” But I wasn’t paying attention to anything my brother was doing. All I could think about was Tyler. He”d always seemed like such a happy-go-lucky kid… until he didn’t. It was like one day, everything about him changed. He stopped coming over as much, and then I heard about his scholarship.
Before I knew it, he was gone.
I’d always kept my distance so it didn’t look like I had a crush on him, but my sisters weren’t fooled at all. It also didn’t take Brad long to figure it out, which had been my plight for the last two decades.
Everyone knew I fell too hard for my brother’s older best friend.
And now it felt like I hadn’t even known him at all.
My brother’s phone buzzed, and he put down his steaming cup of coffee on the counter. He chuckled and shook his head.
“Speak of the devil.” My brother grinned and answered the phone.
I pretended I wasn’t latching onto every word my brother said. I scooted the chairs, swept under the tables, wiped the counters, and busily organized the lower cabinet near the register when… I heard it.
“I’ll bring Mae along.”
I shot up, whacking my head on the open drawer, and squealed. “No. I’m busy.”
Brad frowned, staying on the phone while looking at me. “Mae, you never have plans.”
“I do, too.”
“Yeah? What are they tonight?”
I cocked my head and narrowed my eyes at my brother. “I was planning on going on a bike ride. I rode in this morning.” My hand flew to my hip, thrilled that I actually had an excuse.
Surprise dashed across his features. “Well, ride your bike another day. Tyler’s only going to be here a few days.”
Now, it was my turn to frown. “He’s your friend, not mine.”
A mischievous glint flashed through my brother’s gaze. “Yeah. Sounds good. We’ll be there in about twenty minutes. Bye.”
He hung up the phone, and his smile only grew.
“I’m not going. I didn’t shower this morning. I look like a mess. I feel like a mess. I don’t even know him, know him.”
“No better time than the present.” Brad sipped the coffee. “I can’t smell you. Besides, didn’t you already see him this morning?”
“Yeah, but that was for less than ten minutes. Sitting in a booth across from someone in close proximity is an entirely different thing.”
“Alright. If it’s that big of a deal, I’ll come up with an excuse for why you couldn’t come.” He shrugged. “But he’ll be disappointed.”
I shook my head and grunted. “What are you even talking about?”
“He asked if you’d hang out with us.”
“Wait. What?” My heart skipped a beat. “I thought it was just you inviting me.”
“Does that change things?”
I scowled. “No.”
“Interesting.”
“What’s interesting?” I asked impatiently.
“Nothing.” Brad polished off his coffee. “But like you said, you have a bike to ride, and you stink.”
I groaned. “You’re such a brother. I don’t stink. I just said I didn’t shower this morning.”
Audrey bounded through the door between the coffee shop and the antique store. “Any coffee before you head home?”
“Ask your brother. He might have stolen the last bit.”
She eyed me and whipped her gaze to Brad. “Why are you only my brother and no longer our brother?”
“The man, the myth, and the legend is in town,” Brad said, cracking a smile as Audrey’s eyes grew ten times too large. “He could be roaming the streets right now while Mae huddles in her coffee shop.”
“He’s here?” she chirped.
I could see it in her eyes. She wanted to call all of my sisters and tell them the news.
“What?” I asked innocently.
She pointed her finger at me with a wry smile. “You know what.”
“I don’t have the slightest idea.”
“And he invited Mae out tonight with me,” Brad added.
Audrey wandered over to the coffee and managed to drain the last of it before I had to clean the machine for tomorrow.
“I’m sure he was only being polite,” I added.
Audrey shook her head before taking a sip of coffee. “He didn’t invite me or Emily.”
“Yeah, but he saw me this morning. He didn’t see you or I’m sure he would have. Wanna come? Please?”
Audrey’s mouth pulled into a genuine smile. “No, I think Brad’s presence is enough to screw things up for you. You don’t need me too.”
I chuckled and shook my head. “There’s nothing to screw up. He was just a kid we all grew up with. He left for college and started a life off this island. Simple as that.”
“Oh, yeah?” Audrey eyed me. “Simple as that?”
“Yup.” I started cleaning the coffee machine, trying to push Tyler out of my head. Just his eyes were enough to make me feel like I was floating on cloud nine. “Simple as that.”
“Did you know that you just poured a whole gallon of milk into your—”
I gasped as the white liquid poured over the top of the machine I was attempting to clean. My sister dashed over to help me clean up the mess, picking up towels and rags to mop up the milk.
“As you were saying?” she whispered.
“I don’t think I should go,” I muttered back, knowing full well that I poured milk into the machine instead of my vinegar mixture because I was daydreaming about Tyler.
Brad walked over as we finished cleaning up the mess I’d made. “What’s even going on?”
“Nothing,” I said, shaking my head. “But I need to finish cleaning up. I still have the coffee maker to—”
Audrey pulled the rags out of my hand. “Nonsense. Go wash up, and I’ll finish cleaning your machines.”
I rolled my eyes. “Great. So now I’m going to smell like sweat, coffee, and sour milk.”
Brad chuckled and sniffed around me. “You smell great, like… peaches or some crap.”
“Some crap?” I laughed. “Just what I was going for.”
“You know what I mean.” He ruffled my already messed-up hair and smiled. “Besides, it’s just Tyler, right?”
“Right.” I grinned. “It’s only Tyler.”
I walked over to the handwashing sink and sucked in a silent breath. It would probably be good for me to go have dinner with him and my brother. It could center me back in reality. It wasn’t like Tyler was perfect or anything. Spending time around him to highlight just how annoying he was would be a good thing. Then, I could finally let go of these unrealistic expectations I’d been clinging to for the last million years.
Every date I’d been on always ended with me being annoyed out of my mind. Whether it was how they sucked shrimp out of their shells or ordered four drinks before they got to the salad and couldn’t remember my name, men showed their true colors pretty quickly.
And that was precisely what I needed with Tyler.
I wouldn’t have my blinders on.
I’d stare at the man Tyler became and finally free myself from some unrealistic fantasy I’d conjured about my teenage crush.
After tonight’s dinner, I’d finally be able to move on.
As I dried off my hands, I let out a slow breath and smiled to myself at this little revelation. I’d finally be free from this romantic rabbit hole of a fabricated man.
I smoothed my hands over my head and redid my ponytail. He’d already seen me after a long bike ride, so there wasn’t really anywhere I could go but up. At least my cheeks weren’t flame red from the exertion any longer.
Brad was already out the door, which I knew was my cue to get a move on it.
Audrey scrubbed the coffee maker and glanced over at me. “You look sensational, Mae. You always do.”
“Thanks, but you know… it is what it is.” I shrugged. “I’m just hoping tonight will kind of end things. You know, my imaginary…” I didn’t even want to finish my sentence. “Anyway, it will be good to see him.”
Audrey’s eyes stayed on mine, and she nodded. But for the first time in a long time, she didn’t say a word about my delirious antics about a boy I never even had.
Instead, she smiled and turned her attention back to the coffee pot.
“I owe you one, Sis,” I called out as I started toward the opening of the antiques store.
“Come with me to the city, and we’ll call it even.”
“Fine.” I smiled at her and shook my head.
That was the one thing I dreaded. Going to the city was code for trying to find a man.
But maybe this time, I’d finally be ready because Tyler wouldn’t be taking up space in my head.