“Hurricane Maileah,” he said laughing. “You’re about to take Crown Island by storm.”
“You have no idea.” Maileah smiled and arched an eyebrow.
He didn’t know it, but he was about to gain huge traction on social media. She was determined to supercharge thefundraising effort and show everyone on Crown Island and beyond what she was capable of. Some might surf the waves, but she knew how to surf the internet like a boss.
When they finished, Sailor led her into the kitchen.
Maileah looked around with some trepidation. This, however, was not her area of expertise. “Do you need any help?”
“Not really, unless you want to make the coffee.” He gestured toward a fancy machine and grinned.
Maileah turned to the behemoth machine. “I use a simple French press at home, but that’s one kitchen appliance I’m comfortable with. The tech company I worked for spent lavishly. We had a proper coffee house on site with a barista from Italy. They served European and American coffee, but we also had these machines in every break room. The office ran on caffeine 24/7.”
Sailor ran a hand over her shoulder. “But do you know how to make a real macchiato?”
“That depends.” She narrowed her eyes. “Do you have fresh coffee beans and milk?”
“In the fridge.”
Maileah brought out a bag of beans, opened it, and inhaled the aroma. “Dark roast, very nice.”
She might be a little lost in a kitchen, but she knew coffee. While Sailor made an omelet, she prepared coffee beans in the grinder, drew the espresso, and frothed the milk.
This machine did everything but wash dishes.
She placed a small cup beside him. “How’s that?”
“You never cease to amaze me.” Sailor took a sip and nodded. “Now that’s what I’m talking about.”
“Just don’t ask me to make anything unattended.” However, with Sailor, she didn’t feel the pressure in the kitchen. In fact, it was fun hanging out with him in here. Maybe she could learn more without the pressure of producing a meal that wasn’t already frozen or came out of a salad package.
While the omelet cooked, they leaned against the kitchen counter and drank their coffee, comfortable together.
Maybe that four-year plan could be stretched to six, she thought. Or even better, maybe no plan at all.
As appealing as that was to her adventurous heart, could she live with that, or would she regret it later?
20
Feeling good in the butter-yellow linen shift dress Babe had helped her accessorize, Maileah arrived at the Majestic Hotel well ahead of the committee meeting. Before she gave presentations, she liked to get a feel for the space and the lighting, locate the electrical plugs, and adjust the temperature if needed.
The small meeting room had a view of the beach and the sparkling ocean beyond. Just gazing out over the endless expanse filled her with joy.
She plugged in her laptop for an extra charge and glanced around. Everything else seemed to be in order. Her phone buzzed in her purse, and she checked it. She would have to turn it off during the meeting.
As she drew a breath to calm her jittery nerves, a message floated across the screen. It was a voicemail from Adrian. She tapped it to listen. It was the beginning of the song he was working on, and he wanted to know her thoughts. She tapped a short reply.Sounds good so far.
Just then, the door opened.
“Hi, darling,” April said, crossing the room to hug Maileah. “Whitley told me you arrived early.”
“It’s good to see you, Mom.” These days, her mother looked happier than she could ever remember. She was beach chic in a blue dress that Maileah figured came from Babe’s shop. The worry lines between her mother’s eyebrows had disappeared, replaced with shimmering happiness. And why not? She lived on a beautiful island, doing what she enjoyed and spending time with a man she loved.
The lesson was not lost on Maileah.
“People will be here soon.” April gazed at her. “Something is different about you.”
“Different how?”
