Page 74 of The Sweetest Mistake

Uh-oh. Connor had told Julia that Liam was interested in McKayla, but why was she acting surprised? Me and my big mouth!

“I just thought…” Julia began, but Harper interrupted.

“C’mon, Kay. It’s no secret that Liam’s interested in you.”

McKayla shrugged. “Doesn’t matter because I’m not interested in him.”

Megan cleared her throat noisily, and they all turned to look at her. “I was just going to say that he’s the last available O’Brien brother…”

“It’s not going to happen,” McKayla insisted.

“Why not?” Julia asked.

“Because, one, we work together, and two, we have nothing in common except that we work together. And everybody knows it’s not a good idea to mix business with pleasure.”

Harper smiled like she was proud of her. “McKayla’s learned that lesson the hard way.”

“Let’s not talk about me,” McKayla said. “Let’s go back to talking about your men.”

Since Julia had brought up Liam to begin with, she decided it was her duty to change the subject.

“Tell us more about your wedding plans, Meg,” Julia said.

“Sure. But can we order some food first? This wine is going straight to my head!”

Harper flagged down the waiter, and they placed their food orders before they resumed talking.

“So, we decided where we’re going to have the wedding,” Megan said. She waited for a dramatic pause and then said, “Jekyll Island, Georgia!”

McKayla gave her a blank stare. “Never heard of it.”

Harper scowled at her sister. “I’ve heard of it, although I’ve never been there. Sounds romantic.”

“Makes me think of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” McKayla said, and they all giggled.

“I’ve never been there either, but I’ve seen pictures. It looks beautiful,” Julia said.

“A lot of my relatives live down South, so we thought that might be a good location,” Megan explained. “I went there once when I was a kid, and I have great memories of it. We still haven’t set the exact date, but we’re working on it.”

“Well, I vote for a winter wedding. That way, we can escape the snow for a while,” Julia said.

“Even though it’s not our decision, I’m with Jules. It would be great to go to a warmer climate during the winter,” Harper said.

McKayla hadn’t said anything, and Julia figured it was because she wasn’t invited to the wedding. This was the first time she and Megan had met, so it made sense. But part of her thought it would be fun if McKayla and Liam could be there too. Who knows? Maybe they’ll be a couple by then.

When the waiter arrived with the food and set their plates in front of them, Julia noticed that he took an extra-long look at McKayla. And who could blame him? She was a striking woman with her flippy light-blonde hair and large hazel eyes. You could tell that she and Harper were sisters; however, McKayla had a style all her own—sort of Bohemian meets girl next door. She wore very little makeup, but her skin glowed, and she had a natural beauty that really stood out. She was even prettier when she smiled, which didn’t occur very often. According to Harper, McKayla had a history of failed relationships, and she’d had a hard time holding down a job. Harper, the quintessential older sister, had stepped in and asked Finn to hire her at O’Brien Brothers Landscaping, and so far, McKayla seemed to be working out fine.

McKayla was obviously trying to get her life back on track, which was probably why she hadn’t responded to Liam’s advances. As she’d said, “Business and pleasure don’t mix.”

“Are you ladies celebrating anything special tonight?” the waiter asked after he’d topped off their water glasses.

He looked at McKayla again, but she’d already dug into her meal and wasn’t paying attention.

“No. Just a ladies’ night out,” Julia replied. The waiter had been very attentive all night long, and now she knew why. He had his sights set on McKayla.

“Just four single ladies out on the town, huh?” the waiter said not so subtly.

“Actually, only one of us is single,” Megan replied. And then she smiled and pointed at McKayla.