The Mistakes I've Made

by J. L. Berg

  My grin slipped a little. That was an odd sort of a question for a tourist, but maybe she was thrifty, shopping around for the best bargain.

  “There are a few others. Used to be more, but listen, I’m the best, hands down. And if you let me take you out to dinner tonight, I’d be happy to show you.”

  Her eyebrows rose in surprise. Thankfully, it was a playful surprise and not an I’m gonna slap you surprise.

  “Dinner, huh?”

  “Why not? I don’t see a ring on that pretty little finger of yours.”

  She glanced down at her left hand and smiled. “Okay. I’m staying at By the Bay. Do you know where that is?”

  I let out a chuckle. She did know you could drive from one end of this town to the other in less time than it took to play a single song on the radio? “This island is about as big as a minute,” I said. “Yeah, I know where it is. I’ll pick you up at seven.”

  I watched as she headed toward the door, but she turned back before exiting.

  “You know, you still don’t know my name.”

  I shrugged. “I guess we’ll have something to talk about later then.”

  Her smile widened. “Oh, I’m sure we’ll have plenty to discuss Mr. Sutherland.”

  And with that bold statement, she stepped into the warm September day and disappeared.

  By the time Millie finally showed up, my bad mood had all but dissipated after my mystery date’s appearance.

  “What took you so long?” I asked after she peeked her head through the door and waved me out.

  “Sorry!” she apologized, watching me lock up. “I’d all but closed up when Cora called and started spilling the latest Hart gossip.”

  “Please don’t tell me you’ve fallen down this rabbit hole, too.”

  “No. Well, not until just now.”

  We began walking toward Billy’s, our favorite restaurant in town. He was a townie like us and was known for his dynamite seafood and casual atmosphere. The killer views of the bay didn’t hurt either.

  “Why? What happened?”

  “A private jet landed at the airport about an hour ago.”

  Even that got me interested.

  “Really? So, old man Hart has arrived.”

  “No!” she said, her eyes wide with excitement. “That’s the interesting part. It wasn’t Stephen Hart. It was his daughter. Or at least, that’s what people are saying.”

  “He has a daughter?”

  Millie shrugged, her long skirt swaying against the pavement as we walked. “I know, right? Who knew the devil had a daughter?”

  We’d begun calling Stephen Hart the devil because of what his company could possibly do to our small town. His resorts were big, bold, and high class—everything Ocracoke was not. They brought in the sort of clientele that wouldn’t appreciate the low-key lifestyle this island was revered for.

  “Yeah, and apparently she’s gorgeous. Very exotic.”

  I began to feel a twinge of unease settling in my gut. “Exotic you say?”

  “Mmhmm. My mom said her grandmother was full-blooded Polynesian. She’s been all over the internet, stalking Hart International since the hotel was sold. She and my sister are worried sick about how it will impact the inn.”

  “Right. Sure,” I said, trying to appear as the concerned friend, but really, my mind was swirling with thoughts of the mysterious woman I’d met only minutes earlier.

  The very exotic woman I’d met.

  “And what about By the Bay?” I asked, remembering my date that evening. “Molly’s inn would be the place to stay if a Hart had arrived on the island.”

  Millie’s eyes widened. “Oh, you’re right!” She immediately pulled out her phone and began texting Molly, asking for details.

  With each stroke of her fingers, I began to feel my nerves piling up. We made it to the restaurant and were seated before I managed to say another word, my gut now churning as I tried not to think of the implications of what I might have just done.

  “Do you happen to have a picture of her?” I asked Millie, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible, but I couldn’t wait another second for the text to come in. I had to know.

  “Of who?”

  “Hart’s daughter.”

  “Why? You want to date her?” she said with an abrupt laugh attached to the end.

  “What? No! I just want to know what she looks like. You know I can’t resist a nice piece of ass. So, if this one shows up in my office, I want to make sure I can spot the enemy.”

  “Oh,” she said, dragging out the syllable like she’d finally landed on the same page as me. “Good call. That would be horribly uncomfortable. Wouldn’t want you to pull another Sierra, would we?”

  “No,” I said, tugging at the collar of my shirt. “Definitely not.”

  I watched as she pulled up an internet browser. Within seconds, the woman in my shop was staring back at me.

  Shit.

  Fuck.

  Damn.

  “Great,” I said, my voice cracking a little as I tried to force a smile. “Now, I know.”

  She smiled back, not a care in the world, as Billy came to take our orders. “Yep. Now, you know.”

  “Oh, and here is a text from Molly,” she said, as if the information was relevant to me anymore. I’d already confirmed I was a louse. A horrible person.

  A traitor to my town.

  “Molly wasn’t there,” she said, scanning over the text. “But, it seems my mom checked in Miss Hart over an hour ago. I guess it’s true, then. The daughter of the devil is officially in Ocracoke. Let the madness begin.”

  Truer words had never been spoken.

  The internal berating and name-calling in my head continued long into the afternoon as I tried to put my best foot forward and do my damn job for the rest of the day, taking the last touring group out for an afternoon on the sound.

  What a heaping pile of shit I’d managed to dig myself into.

  Barely twenty minutes of her being on the island, and I’d not only hit on the hotel heiress, but also ask her out to dinner. This woman could destroy our town with the type of resort her family built, and here I was, trying to get into her pants.

  She wasn’t wearing pants, I reminded myself.

  My thoughts drifted back to her long dress and just how much I’d wanted to get up under it.

  Damn it.

  Perhaps Leilani was the daughter of the devil because, even now, after discovering who she really was, I still wanted her.

  Maybe a little more.

  And, if that wasn’t pure evil, I didn’t know what was.

  But what made it truly sinful was the fact that, at seven o’clock, my ass was not firmly planted on the cushions of my sofa at home in protest of the date I’d planned with the devil’s daughter.

  No, my ass was walking up to the door of By the Bay Inn, about to make a dozen mistakes I’d probably regret in the morning.

  I shook my head as I held my hand out to twist the handle.

  Not mistakes. There would be no mistakes.

  I was here on official town business.

  Dean isn’t the only Sutherland who can be a leader, I reminded myself.

  I might have acted rashly and asked a complete stranger out for dinner. It hadn’t been the first time. It certainly wouldn’t be the last. But it didn’t mean I had to waste this opportunity with Ms. Hart.

  I could use it to my advantage—the town’s advantage.

  Right, good talk.

  I let out a breath as I stepped into the foyer of the familiar inn. This place was almost like a second home to me, the fresh smell of lavender and pine bringing back a slew of childhood memories. Even before my brother and Molly had been engaged, I’d spent a great deal of time here when I was growing up.

  I might have been Dean’s annoying younger brother to him and his group of friends, but, growing up, he’d always done a good job of including me, and many events had been spent within these walls. Birthday parties, holidays, and summer co
okouts. It wasn’t just an inn. It had been the family home for the McIntyres, and they’d made it their mission to treat every guest who entered as an extended member of that family. Growing up without a father, Dean and I had always appreciated the sentiment.

  “You clean up nice, Mr. Sutherland.”

  That voice. It was like melted butter, and it made my chest tighten and my balls ache. Never in my life had a woman’s voice done such a number on me.

  And, just like the first time, I hadn’t even seen her face.

  Turning around, I finally got a glimpse of her, and damn if that didn’t make that little pep talk I’d given myself just seconds ago seem almost laughable.

  If looks could kill…well, let’s just say I’d be the happiest dead man on the planet.

  No longer wearing the long dress, she’d traded it in for something shorter.

  Much shorter.

  The red dress, although casual with a bright floral pattern, had an incredibly striking appearance on her, and I found myself almost out of breath as I took her all in.

  “You, too,” I said, trying to sound confident rather than bewildered.

  Remember who you’re talking to, my common sense reminded me.

  Right. Hotel heiress here to ruin my life.

  I straightened a little, my hands finding my pockets as I took a cursory glance around the foyer. I tried not to concentrate too much of my attention on the beautiful woman at the bottom of the steps, her legs so long that they could wrap around my waist without difficulty.

  Nope. Not the thing to be thinking about.

  Definitely not.

  “I am actually surprised you showed,” she said, her sandals echoing against the old wooden floor as she stepped off the last step. It brought attention to her height.

  Or lack thereof.

  At six foot four, I dwarfed just about everyone, but Leilani was at least a foot shorter than me, barely coming up to my shoulders. For a brief moment, I wondered what it’d be like to have her in my arms, her head buried in my chest.

  Would her hair smell as good as I imagined?

  “Oh?” I asked, dismissing the thought with a shake of my head. “Why wouldn’t I have shown? Do I look like a guy who stands up his dates?”

  She walked a sort of semicircle around me, like she was circling her prey. That, or she was checking me out. I preferred the latter.

  “No,” she said with a knowing grin. “You definitely look like the type who always shows.”

  What the hell does that mean?

  “But I figured that once you found out who I was, you’d pass judgment like the rest of the town has, and bail.”

  My eyes widened. Oh, so the gossip had spread long, far, and fast.

  So much so that even Leilani had heard.

  She gave me an amused expression, her eyebrows raised as she looked up at me. “Your town thinks I’m the devil, huh?”

  “Well, no,” I said. “More like the daughter of the devil.”

  She threw her arms up in disbelief, the icy demeanor she wore beginning to slip. “That’s great! That’s just freaking great. And you came here to what? Exorcise me?”

  “What?”

  “You know, like The Exorcist, the movie?”

  “Oh.” I grinned. “No. Well, I mean…would that work?”

  She didn’t find my brand of funny amusing, but I found her frustration delightful.

  “No,” she growled.

  “I’m here, hoping that maybe you’ll reconsider.”

  Her eyes met mine, and it was the first time I noticed their color—bright blue, like the ocean on a summer day. “Reconsider what?”

  “Whatever it is that you’re about to do, because I can tell you right now; this town isn’t your cup of tea. We’re not into glitz and glam. We’re simple.”

  Those brilliant blue eyes seemed to darken right before me as the words I’d spoken settled. “Does the town own The Cozy Hotel?”

  “No,” I said. “But they feel—”

  “Who owns The Cozy Hotel?”

  “That’s not the point, Leilani—Miss Hart, I mean. You see—”

  She pressed, “Who owns The Cozy Hotel, Taylor?”

  Hearing her say my name nearly made me stumble. It was like hearing it for the first time.

  “We’re just asking for input.”

  “Who owns—”

  “You do, okay? Are you happy?” I blurted out, my chest heaving with anger.

  It was then that I realized how close we’d gotten in our heated exchange. Our bodies were nearly touching as our eyes locked together, but before I could do anything about it, she pulled back, a satisfied smile on her face.

  “Yes, quite happy actually. Now, I expect any actual town concerns will be voiced through the proper channels, yes? Or is this how Ocracoke conducts business? Shall I plan on more disappointing dinner dates with you?”

  I felt a growl rumble deep inside inside my chest.

  Damn, she’d gotten me good.

  “Oh, don’t worry; I don’t make the same mistake twice. You won’t be seeing me again.”

  “I guess that’s good for me then.”

  I stalked toward the door. “You have no idea.”

  I heard feminine laughter follow me as I left.

  Great comeback, douche bag.

  Just great.

  At least I had one thing going for me. There had been no one from town to witness my epic fail with Leilani, which meant there was no one to spread the gossip.

  Thank God for small miracles.

  Or so I thought.

  I woke up to the sound of my front door being slammed shut.

  “Wake up, asshat! We’ve got to talk!”

  “Shit,” I moaned.

  Hearing the angry shouts of my big brother in the wee hours of the morning was never a good thing.

  Throwing on a pair of flannel pajama pants and an old T-shirt from high school, I made my way down the steep stairs toward the tiny kitchen of my one-bedroom bungalow to find Dean helping himself to my fridge.

  “Don’t you have food in your own house?”

  “Yeah,” he said. “But you make a damn good omelet, and we have some words to exchange. So, get to cooking. That is, if you think I’m worthy of breakfast.” He waggled his eyebrow as he handed over a carton of eggs.

  “Now, who’s being an asshat?” I muttered, taking the eggs and getting to work.

  “It is kind of frustrating that you have a fast and firm rule against breakfast with female companions, yet you are a wizard in the kitchen.”

  I shrugged. “I learned a lot from Mom when I didn’t go away to college.”

  “You took that manning-up thing pretty damn seriously.”

  “Not seriously enough, according to my older brother who believes I should have a wife, kids, and a minivan by now.”

  “Hey!” he argued. “I never said anything about a minivan.”

  We both chuckled as I got the burners going, and I pulled out a block of cheddar cheese and some bacon.

  “So, why the shrill wake-up call?”

  “I heard you paid a visit to the inn last night.”

  I let out a giant huff of frustration. “Seriously? Can nothing in this town go unnoticed? A bunch of fucking peeping Toms, that’s what this place is.”

  “So, it’s true?” He shook his head in disbelief. “Fuck, Taylor. Did you sleep with her? Because the whole town is going to hear about it by noon, and considering your reputation—”

  “I didn’t sleep with her. Give me some credit.”

  His brow lifted.

  “Okay, so maybe I asked her out.”

  He began to groan.

  “Before I knew who she was! But you know how I am—see a pretty woman, and ask her out! I can’t help myself.”

  “So, why go then? If you knew who she was, why show up at the inn at all?”

  “Because I thought I could talk some sense into her.”

  His disbelief grew. “You thought you could talk s
ense into a woman who’s set to inherit a billion-dollar company? What did you think would happen? You’d just lay out your simple point of view, and suddenly, she’d just agree with you? She’d pack her things and go hop back on that fancy plane of hers, and go head to Hawaii?”

  “Well, I—”

  “Oh my God, you did.”

  “I just thought she might listen to my—our concerns.”

  “And did she?” he asked, clearly not amused by my attempt at leadership in the least.

  “No,” I said, my head hanging low in shame. “She actually requested that all town concerns be sent through the proper channels. Whatever that means.”

  Dean began to pace the length of my kitchen floor. “Jesus, Taylor.”

  “I know,” I said, feeling exactly like the idiot kid brother I used to be.

  “Do you? Because what we’re facing is massive, and it needs to be handled delicately. We needed a plan—a goddamn formal plan. And you blazing into that inn, pissing off the one woman who stands between us and possible disaster wasn’t it!”

  His words stung, but they weren’t wrong.

  I’d fucked up.

  Royally.

  I’d let my emotions and my dick get the better of me, and it could have cost us all majorly.

  “What do you need me to do?” I asked, swallowing my pride, breakfast momentarily forgotten.

  “Stay away from her,” he said. “And let the powers that be figure this out.”

  I nodded, taking his instructions to heart.

  I was to stand down.

  Dean was the town leader. I was just the business owner, ready to be led.

  “And one more thing,” he said, looking up at me for the first time in what seemed like ages.

  “Anything,” I answered.

  “Make me the biggest damn omelet you can fit in the pan. I’m starving.”

  I let out a laugh, grateful for the break in tension. “Sure thing, brother. Happy to help.”

  And I was.

  I was always happy to help.

  Because this was my home and the life that went with it.

  “Piper, I was literally shaking the entire time,” I said as I paced my room after recounting the dinner that never happened with Taylor Sutherland.

  “Man, one day away, and I already don’t recognize you. Are you sure you didn’t inherit more than your daddy’s blue eyes? After hearing how you made that townie your bitch, I’d almost believe you got his mean streak, too.”