Page 86 of The Choices I've Made
There was nothing better than waking up to the smell of freshly baked pastries.
Well, maybe except for actually eating them.
I’d reheat the things I’d made the night before, but this helped create the ambiance of homeyness the inn was known for and a reputation and standard I intended on keeping.
Not to mention, all the busywork kept my mind off Jake and all the dirty things we’d done the night before.
“Well, there’s my sister, the whore.”
My eyes widened as my attention shifted away from the industrial mixer I’d been fixated on. Turning, I saw a wicked grin on my little sister’s perfect face as she waltzed into the kitchen, wearing her usual morning attire of a tiny tank top and shorts.
A fashion choice I’d chosen to borrow last night when I visited Jake’s room.
Worked like a charm, too.
Putting on a blank face, I replied, “I have no idea what you’re referring to.”
“Oh,please,” she said, placing such emphasis on the second word that it sounded more likepuh-lease. “The whole damn island could hear you two knocking boots last night, and don’t try to blame it on a guest. Romeo must have called your name about a thousand times.”
My heart raced. “I am not talking to you about this.”
“Well then, you should have been a little more discreet,” she declared, taking advantage of my morning pot of coffee.
I watched as she poured the largest cup I’d ever seen, drowning it in heavy cream and several spoonful of sugar.
“How is it possible that you’re skinnier than me?” I mumbled.
“I work out, like, twice a day at home. This is a vacation.” She shrugged. “Stop distracting me, and give me the deets. Are you two back together? Fuck buddies? What’s the deal?”
Snatching a cinnamon roll from the plate I’d just put out, she took a seat at the large rustic table, making it clear she wasn’t leaving until I spilled.
“It was just one night,” I clarified, trying not to imagine the horrified stares I’d no doubt be getting from my guests this morning.
My sister was right. I should have been more discreet, but I hadn’t exactly been thinking clearly.
Call it lust or pent-up need from far too long ago, I didn’t know, but I’d stormed into that yellow room with only one intention.
And I’d accomplished it in spades.
Now, I had to deal with the consequences, starting with my nosy sister.
“So, a booty call then? Nice,” she said, nodding her head, as she broke apart the roll into several bite-sized pieces. “Didn’t think you had it in you.”
“I don’t,” I said. “I can’t really explain it, but it needed to happen. Now that it has, we can both move on.”
A snort escaped her pixie-like mouth. “Oh, honey”—she laughed—“I really thought you were smarter than this.”
I stopped what I was doing and leaned against the countertop, giving her my full attention. “What do you mean? I thought you told me to let loose and have a little fun.”
She nodded, wiping her mouth with a paper napkin. The whole process made her look dainty and sophisticated. When I did the same thing, it resembled something closer to an animal being hosed off.
“I did,” she explained. “But I meant with someone you had no strings or previous attachments with. Someone you could bang and then sneak out the next morning, not caring if you ever saw him again. Jake is not that person for you, Molly.”
I folded my arms across my chest in defiance. “We talked it over beforehand. It wasn’t spontaneous. I knew what I was getting into and what it did and did not mean. I’m fine, Millie, really.”
Her eyes met mine, and I could see them round ever-so slightly around the edges before she forfeited her fight.
“Fine,” she said. “You’re a grown woman, and you obviously know what you’re doing. Now, come help me pack.”
