She still clung to the hope that everything in her life could change with one chance meeting. John, or even Todd, might be her ticket to the life she dreamed of.
The next afternoon,after finalizing automated marketing campaigns for Junie’s online store, Maileah changed into one of Junie’s sweet floral sundresses and sandals to meet Ferrari John.
After leaving Junie’s sunny yellow house, she slid into the small red convertible she’d traded her new Range Rover for after leaving Seattle. That SUV had been a dream on slick streets in rainy weather, but she no longer needed that.
Maileah sold her rolling status symbol and used what was left to pay cash for an older car. She couldn’t raise the top on the banged-up convertible, but it hardly ever rained here. And not having car payments made life easier.
At least she’d made one good decision.
After a short drive down tree-lined Orange Avenue, she parked at the Majestic Hotel, a stately vintage specimen splashed with cherry red and white paint. The well-known real estate investor Ryan Kingston acquired it last year. Her mother was dating him, and her friend Deb was working onnew interiors. Knox was overseeing the construction part of the renovation.
The Majestic Hotel was ingrained in her family, so she felt safe.
A distinguished older man in a bright, banana-yellow blazer greeted her with a smile. “So nice to see you, Miss Raines.”
“It’s just Maileah to you, Whitley.” The general manager had worked there as long as she could remember, and he was very good friends with her grandmother. They were both widowed, and she sometimes wondered why they hadn’t ever dated.
Or maybe they had. What did she know about what went on here?
Still, Crown Island is where she wanted to stay now—if she could.
Maileah continued to the gift shop on the lower level, which her sister had taken over and revamped. It was airy and bright now, and Junie had sourced stylish resort wear and colorful local arts and crafts.
Maileah had added many of these items to the website.
“Hi there,” Junie said, taking a break from a customer. Sizing her up with a quick look, she grinned. “I think that outfit looks better on you than me.”
“I hope you didn’t mind.”
“Not at all. What’s up?”
“I’m meeting a new guy at the cafe in a few minutes.”
Junie waggled her eyebrows. “Is it Todd?”
“I need to call him. This guy’s name is John.”
“Text if you need me,” Junie replied. “Don’t forget about Todd.”
Wrinkling her nose at her, Maileah hurried out. When she walked into the hotel cafe, she saw the guy from the dating app. His photo was better, but she still recognized him.Green shirt. Ferrari phone case.
Frowning, she wondered if an actual Ferrari went withthat, and her heart fell. Had she stepped into an egotistical bad-boy trap again?
She searched the beach beyond for her friend Sailor. He was usually at the bike concession stand. He and his father ran that for the hotel. A large man stepped aside, and she saw Sailor with his back turned to her. At least he was there.
Still, Maileah’s chest tightened. She could turn around and sprint out of here, but John had already made eye contact with her. She closed the space between them.
“Hi, I’m Maileah Raines-Smith.” She caught herself, but it was too late. She usually didn’t give her last name until she’d vetted them better.
“John,” he said quickly, not offering his. He was good-looking in a studied sort of way. His not-a-strand-out-of-place hair looked like a Ken-doll cut, and his polite smile revealed a perfect row of white teeth.
Her sister would probably like Ferrari John.
They ordered coffee—a large cup for him and an espresso for her—and spoke a little about the weather and the size of the waves. The usual small talk ensued until, suddenly, John shifted the conversation.
“Time is precious, and I have questions,” he said. “First, do you smoke?”
“No, I’m athletic, so?—”
