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The pizzeria was small, and our group pushed together three tables, taking up half the place. The staff didn’t seem to mind, though. The waitress was possibly the friendliest woman I’d ever had serve me food, and she happily pulled up a chair when we asked her about the island. She told us about her favorite bar, which was just down the street; the best hiking trails on the north end of the island; and filled us in a bit of the island’s history.
The food was delicious, with a crispy thin crust and a slightly sweet tomato-based sauce. The cheese was a good quality, and I shamelessly polished off half a pizza on my own. When we were done eating, everyone planned to head back to the hotel. I wasn’t sure how I wanted to spend the rest of the day, but I hoped that I could somehow include Summer. I was nearly desperate to see her again.
As I stepped out of the restaurant and into the bright sunlight, it seemed that fate was on my side. Directly across the street, my eyes landed on the woman that I couldn’t stop thinking about. Summer was with her brother, entering a tailor’s shop.
The presence of Michael made me hesitate. I knew that I probably shouldn’t go over there. There was no reason to think that I would get a warm welcome from him.
Hell, I wasn’t sure that I would get a warm welcome from Summer, either, but I believed in my ability to convince her to give me a shot at redemption. Holding onto that confidence as much as possible, I told the others that I would catch up with them later and made my way across the street. I just couldn’t resist.
I wasn’t able to stop thinking about the kiss I shared with Summer, and I was anxious to see if she was as affected by it as I was. It took a moment to get to the other side of the road since there was traffic, and as I approached the tailor’s shop, I realized that I didn’t have a plan. Should I just wait outside for her? Would I seem like a creep?
Before I could come to a decision, the door opened again, and the pair of them walked out. Michael was holding a garment bag and they were mid-conversation, smiling.
Until Michael turned and spotted me standing there on the sidewalk. The happy expression slipped away from his face, and I suddenly felt like I was the world’s biggest buzzkill. Feeling defensive, I crossed my arms over my chest and forced a grin onto my face.
“Hi, Michael.”
“What the hell are you doing here?” he asked, anger seeping through his words.
My eyes flitted to Summer, but she just looked uncomfortable as she nibbled on her lower lip. Despite the tension crackling in the air, I felt a surge of hot lust at the sight of that.
“I heard about the wedding, man,” I said, refusing to be intimidated as Michael glared at me. “Congratulations.”
“Why are you on this island?” Michael demanded to know.
He looked suspicious now, like he thought I might have come to somehow sabotage his big day.
I was unable to mask my surprise as I looked at Summer. “You didn’t tell him we ran into each other?”
Her eyes were as wide as saucers and her jaw went slack as Michael rounded on her.
“You knew he was here?” her brother asked incredulously.
Summer’s eyes darted back and forth between the two of us, and I couldn’t help thinking that she looked like a deer in headlights. There was guilt there too, and I wondered if that was because of her lie of omission. This was not what I expected when I came over to speak to them.
Finally, she focused her attention solely on Michael. “So, I ran into Levi the first day on the island. I’m sorry I didn’t mention it, but I knew you wouldn’t be happy and I didn’t want to upset you since we’re here to celebrate your wedding.”
I hated the way that her words made me feel like some dirty little secret, but I also sensed there was more to it than that. The guilt was still printed on her face, and it didn’t make sense that it was still just because she didn’t mention my presence to Michael.
Was it the kiss? Did she really feel that bad about letting me get so close to her?
Michael swung his gaze back to me. “I don’t know what you’re doing here, but just stay the fuck away from me and my family.”
The hostility shouldn’t have surprised me. Summer made it clear that she considered me to be her enemy. Of course, Michael did too. Her parents probably felt the same way.
I was just as hated as my father. I hated having any connection to him and what he’d managed to do to Summer’s family, but this one was the worst.
Before I could think of a way to respond to him without escalating the situation, Michael turned on his heel and stormed off, the garment bag swaying behind him in an almost comical way.
“What were you thinking, coming up to us like that?” Summer demanded to know.
She took a step closer to me, but I wasn’t stupid enough to think that it was because she wanted to eliminate distance between us for a romantic reason. She was just trying not to make too much of a scene here on the street.
“Hey,you’rethe one that approachedmetwo days ago on the beach, or have you forgotten about that?”
“Of course I haven’t. But this is different. My whole family hates you, Levi. You have to know that. And now you’ve upset my brother. Haven’t you done enough to us already?”
Her words felt like a punch to the gut, and I reeled back. I thought that Michael’s reaction to me hurt, but it was nothing compared to this. For a fraction of a second, I thought I saw regret in her expression, but it was gone so quickly that I wasn’t sure if it was ever really there or if I just wished it was.
