The flash of surprise and hurt in Maileah’s eyes made him instantly regret his joke. Quickly, he reached across the table to take her hand.
“I’m hoping you already have,” he said softly.
The relief on Maileah’s face was palpable, and she swatted his arm. “I don’t know,” she retorted with a mischievous smile. “Maybe I should take a few more applications on that dating app.”
A pang of jealousy tweaked his neck, even though he knew she was joking. “Not without a chaperone,” he added.
They lingered after their meal, and Kaito stopped by to talk. Sailor could tell his friend approved of Maileah. That wouldn’t have mattered to him if he didn’t, but it was good to know.
Sailor knew Maileah wanted to edit the video tonight to post it, so he wrapped up the evening. After the short trip home, he walked her to the door, his heart pounding with anticipation.
Running his fingers through her long chestnut hair, he kissed her forehead. “This was a good day, Maisie.”
“A very good day,” she intoned, lifting her lips to his.
Their goodnight kiss was soft and sweet, leaving Sailor wanting more, though he was content for now.
At home, thoughts of Maileah and the charity eventconsumed Sailor. He had an odd feeling that something memorable was about to happen on Crown Island.
As for Maileah, he’d seen her go through men with frightening speed. Would she tire of him as quickly? He hoped he wasn’t wrong about her.
23
Maileah thought she was dreaming about popcorn until she realized the insistent noise was coming from her phone. She groaned and ran her hands over her face. She’d forgotten to turn off the notification sounds last night.
Ping, ping, ping.
Her phone was lighting up like a slot machine with notifications. Groggily, she reached for her device, but when she glanced at the screen, she bolted upright with a scream.
Outside, a concerned voice rang out. “Maileah, are you okay in there?”
Maileah kicked off the covers and tore out of the cottage in the threadbare, pink cotton T-shirt and shorts she slept in.
“Look at this,” she cried, hopping in delight. She held out her phone.
After listening in wonder, Babe said, “That’s Sailor and Adrian. What a beautiful song.” Then her eyes widened. “You have more than a thousand comments. And they’re coming in so fast.”
“I have to tell Sailor.” Maileah started on the path tohis house.
Babe laughed and pulled her back. “You should change and put on some shoes first. And we’ll upgrade your sleepwear next.”
Maileah glanced down at her sad urchin outfit. “You’re right. I’ll call him first.”
She rushed back into her cottage.
While she dragged a brush through her hair and brushed her teeth, she scrolled through the barrage of likes, shares, and comments. Almost all were good, but there were always a few grouches. That didn’t matter.
She pulled on some fresh clothes and called Sailor.
He answered, sounding a little out of breath. The ocean roared in the background. “Hey, you’re up early.”
She was so excited she could hardly contain herself. “Your video is going viral! It has thousands of responses so far. This is big, really big.”
“We’ve got to tell Dad. I’ll pick you up so we can do this together. Wait outside for me.”
While she waited, she checked the online donation page she had set up. To her surprise, people were contributing and leaving sweet, encouraging comments.
Sailor arrived wearing board shorts and an old T-shirt. His hair was still damp. “Dad will love this. Come on, let’s go.”
