Chapter Fourteen
Tyler
That wasn’t supposed to happen last night. Even though I wanted to kiss her from the morning I ran into her, I”d promised myself I wouldn’t.
But I hadn’t been great at promising myself much lately, or I wouldn’t have returned to Marigold in the first place.
I took a sip of coffee and sat on the bench overlooking the water while I waited for Brad.
Dinner last night with Mae was amazing. We caught up a bit more after we both got over the kiss. Spending platonic time with her was fantastic.
I rubbed my hand over my face and laughed. Who was I kidding? I hadn’t gotten over anything. The entire time we talked last night, all I could think about was taking her in my arms and kissing her again.
“Damn,” I muttered under my breath just as I heard Brad’s voice behind me.
“Should I come back? It sounds like a great convo,” Brad joked as I handed him his coffee. I’d managed to swing by the coffee shop this morning, but Mae was at the bank while I was grabbing coffee.
I rolled my eyes. “Don’t ask.”
Brad laughed.
“Thanks for meeting me.”
“Absolutely. Did you need some more help at your folks’ house?”
I shuddered at the thought. “No. Thankfully, the contractors are there and should be finished by Saturday, and the dumpster is getting picked up later today since I couldn’t convince my parents to let me purge anything else.”
Brad grimaced. “That’s such a safety hazard.”
I nodded, stretching my legs in front of me. “Tell me about it. I understand the sentimental value, but that’s not what we’re dealing with here. They were the first to throw out all the stuff Paul and I brought home over the years. Keeping old, empty shoe boxes and stacks of outdated newspapers isn’t exactly what I’d call having an emotional attachment.”
“You never know. Those Nikes might have done a lot for your mom.”
I chuckled, shaking my head and remembering how she became unglued as Brad took the empty box to recycle. It was one of many incidents yesterday. “Yeah. Sorry about that.”
Brad took a seat and sipped his drink. “No problem, man. That’s what friends are for.”
“Well, you’re a better friend than most.” I cleared my throat and looked over the lawn to where the water met the rocky beach. “And so is Mae.”
Brad nodded. “She sure is excited having you back on the island.”
I shook my head. “Come on, dude. Don’t go filling my head with nonsense.”
He straightened and faced me. “I’m not. I haven’t said anything over the years, but she’s been kind of hung up on you since you left.”
I nodded. “I didn’t know that. I mean, not until recently.”
He looked at me over his cup and drank. “What do you mean?”
I shrugged and let out a heavy sigh. After all, this was why I wanted to chat with Brad.
“We kind of connected and had a good laugh about crushing on each other all those years ago.”
Brad’s brows raised. “That doesn’t sound like Mae. She fell for you hard. I can’t imagine she’d laugh about it unless you were laughing about it.”
I nodded, knowing what he was getting at. “It was more of a nervous laugh. I don’t know. We both kind of wondered over the years what would have happened if…”
Brad stared at me. “If what? You told me you weren’t into her.”
I cocked my head slightly and shook my head. “You knew I couldn’t get enough of your sister. That’s why you threw me the ultimatum.”
Brad chewed on his bottom lip and nodded. “Yeah, I did. I just didn’t want her to get hurt or to lose you as a friend.”
“Both probably would have happened,” I agreed, setting my cup on the bench.
“You still heading out on Friday?” Brad asked.
“I’m hoping to, but I don’t know. My dad’s therapist thinks he could use one more in-office visit next week.”
“I can pick him up and take him if you still want to get out of here,” Brad offered.
I chuckled and shook my head. “Wow. They really don’t make friends like you anymore.”
He leaned back and nodded. “What can I say? They broke the mold.”
“Same with Mae.” I glanced at Brad, who nodded slowly.
A few seconds of silence sat between us.
“Please don’t hurt my sister, Tyler. I know you wouldn’t do it on purpose. You’re not that kind of guy. I know that in my heart.” He let out a heavy sigh. “But she’s been pretty sheltered, and she hasn’t really ever gotten over the idea of you.”
I moved my gaze to a circling seagull and nodded slowly. “I understand.”
“I’m not sure you do,” Brad said quietly. “I’ve never seen her light up like I do when she’s around you. It makes me happy and sad. I’d love nothing more than for my best friend to fall in love with my sister and care for her how she deserves, but…”
He didn’t have to say it. I’d told Brad many times over the years how I’d never settle down. I wasn’t boyfriend material.
I nodded, still believing it.
“Basically, it’s probably better if you leave sooner than later,” Brad said, standing. “My mom said she ran into you last night, and you were headed over to Mae’s.”
Busted.
“Yeah. She invited me over to dinner.”
“And?” Brad asked.
“We had a nice dinner, lots of laughs…” I shook my head. “She knows I can’t stay. Neither of us wants to tie ourselves up in an impossible situation.”
The similarity between Brad and his sisters was eerie. His green eyes sharpened on me. “You’re sure?”
The seriousness in Brad’s tone whisked me right back to when we were teenagers. Even though he was a few years younger than me, I respected him back then as much as I do now.
“So, nothing happened?” he asked as I thought back to Mae’s observation about her brother caring about whom she kissed.
“I didn’t sleep with your sister, if that’s what you’re asking.”
Brad shook his head. “Listen, I’m just so worried Mae is going to be devastated if she falls for you.”
“Mae’s a grown woman, Brad. You can’t stop her from getting hurt. If not from me, someone else might break her heart. Besides, I’m not going there with your sister.” I shook my head and let out a sigh. “She deserves better.”
Brad’s eyes widened. “That’s not what I meant, Tyler.”
“It’s what I think in my own heart. She deserves someone who can offer her stability and a family to lean on and all those good things that I can’t deliver to her or anyone. My parents are nightmares for even their own children. I can’t imagine trying to sell a woman on the idea of what their holidays could look like.”
Brad scowled. “You don’t spend the holidays with your parents, do you? Have you been coming back to Marigold and I didn’t know?”
“No, I just meant that if I had a wife, it would…” I shook my head and ran my hands along my jeans. “It’s just all hypothetical, but no. I do not want to drag your sister, of all women, through anything my family has to offer.”
“I really didn’t mean it like that,” Brad said, pressing his lips together.
“It’s fine, even if you did.”
“But I didn’t. I guess I just can’t stop being her protective brother.” He shrugged. “And maybe on some level, I’m worried about what would happen to our relationship if you two broke up.”
I nodded sympathetically. Those were the same thoughts I had so many years ago.
“You don’t mean if. You mean when,” I pointed out.
“The worst of it is that I know it’s not my place. It’s absolutely none of my business.” He shook his head. “I already screwed this up for you two once, and I can’t help myself again.”
“It’s out of the goodness of your heart.” I chuckled and groaned, shaking my head.
Brad laughed and nodded. “Yeah. I guess so.”
“Listen, I’ll just plan on making myself scarce until next week when I can leave. I don’t want to add more complication to Mae’s life.” I sat back and looked across the glistening water. “She’s got a good one, a really good one built up for herself.”
“I think I just won the worst brother award,” he muttered, pacing in front of me.
“No, you didn’t. I’d probably do the same.”
“It’s awful, though. I know how much she likes you, and seeing you in person has only made it worse.”
“How can you be sure?” I asked, raising my brows. “I could be her worst nightmare. Maybe my being here has put everything to rest or in perspective that she dodged a bullet.”
Brad stopped pacing and looked at me. “Is that how it worked for you?”
“No. Seeing her as a woman did not help things.” I smiled. “How about this? I won’t even go into the coffee shop to grab some java. I’ll just get the stuff at the hotel and call it good.”
“I just know Mae will be wrecked if this doesn’t work out.”
I nodded, feeling void of emotion as I thought about the days ahead.
Because there was no doubt about that kiss last night. She felt everything I did, and it was nearly impossible to think of anything else.
“There is no this to worry about. Things will be fine,” I assured him. “You’ve heard me bewail relationships for the last decade.”
“Two decades.”
I cocked my head. “Not quite.”
He laughed. “Close enough.”
“And what should that tell both of us? It’s not like I’m the only single here.”
Brad winked. “Good point.”
I polished off my drink and stood, stretching my quads and back as I reached for the sky.
“No hard feelings?” he asked.
“None whatsoever. You’re a good brother, just looking out for your sister. I get it.”
He reached out his hand, and I took it into our secret grasp that we’d done since we were kids, polishing it off with two snaps of the fingers.
“I should probably get going. I’ve got some stuff to get ready for my parents’ farewell dinner tonight.” Brad glanced at a couple of birds fighting over something in the grass before bringing his gaze back to mine. He felt bad. I could see that much, but he said everything I’d been worried about.
“Sounds fun. Give them my best.”
Brad nodded as we took off toward the parking lot. When we got to my truck, he turned and faced me.
“You kissed her, didn’t you?”
The bit of tension that had drained out of my shoulders quickly returned as my gaze met his. I wasn’t going to flat-out lie to my best friend. I did a little shady avoidance earlier, but I couldn’t lie to him. I also couldn’t get the words to come out, so I just stared at him.
“Damn it, man. I knew it.” He shook his head, dropping his gaze to the gravel lot.
“It wasn’t planned. It just happened naturally, but as soon as it happened, we both agreed it wouldn’t happen again. We’re done before we began.”
Brad scratched his chin and let out a sigh. “That’s not how Mae works.”
“I know,” I said softly. “But I don’t know what else to do other than accept your plan. I don’t want to make things harder for her. I will stay away.”
Brad nodded. “There’s no way you’d ever consider moving back here?”
I shook my head and let out a deep breath. “No. There’s no way.”
“That’s what I was afraid of. Mae’s dreamed of this coffee shop forever. She’s not leaving Marigold, and I wouldn’t want her to.”
“I wouldn’t either.” I rocked on my heels and nodded. “Staying away is for the best. Truthfully, I’d never planned on telling you I was here.”
“Seriously?”
My stomach sloshed around the coffee as I thought about my original plan.
Get in.
Get out.
“I had no plans on seeing anyone. It just all kind of unraveled when I stopped in for a cup of coffee and the girl I had a crush on was running the place. I couldn’t very well not call you after we bumped into one another.” I shrugged. “So now you know that my intention was never to complicate things for any of us.”
“But fate stepped in,” Brad grumbled.
“Pardon?”
He grunted. “Just this whole thing my mom and sisters seem to believe in.”
“I’m still not following.”
“You know the whole mayflower earring thing.”
I shook my head without a clue what he was talking about. “No. What earring thing?”
“I’m sure I told you. My mom was into naming all her girls after strong girls like Mae West, Emily Dickinson, Amelia Earhart, and Audrey Hepburn. Well, she also got all of them a little keepsake when they were born. Me too, actually. Something that was supposed to guide us through life and love, but in my mom’s eyes it was mostly for love.”
“What does that have to do with a mayflower?” I asked, shaking my head.
“She always wears mayflower earrings. That’s what my mom got her.” He frowned. “Haven’t you noticed?”
“Seriously?” A shiver went through me. I’d only nicknamed Mae after a Mayflower because I couldn’t think of anything else that started with Mae, and I thought it was cute like her.
“You know? The little bell-shaped flowers she always wears?” He smacked me on the head. “Those are Mayflowers. I thought that was why you called her that.”
I shook my head. “Nope.”
Brad groaned and shook his head. “Great.”
I laughed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing. Just text me if you need anything. I’m meeting my sisters at Mae’s coffee shop to go over tonight’s plans, but seriously… if you need any help with your parents, call me.”
Brad got into his car as I let out a slow, deep breath. He was right. I needed to let go of the idea of Mae. We’d hit a dead end, and we didn’t need to circle back to a beginning that only promised heartache.