Page 45 of Worth the Trip

Looked good too.

No need for false humility.

By the time I grabbed my keys, hunger had become a legitimate concern. The fact that I chose the waterfront instead of the diner ten minutes closer to the cabin was completely unrelated to the woman I knew had been wandering around downtown the day before.

That was my official position.

The evidence was admittedly weak.

Willow Point Bistro sat near the marina beneath white awnings that shifted with the Gulf breeze. Cedar siding, broad windows, boats rocking beyond the boardwalk, and enough blackened fish and garlic butter in the air to make the place worth trying whether I had ulterior motives or not.

I reached for the door, then I saw her.

Nolani stood near the hostess station with a book tucked against her chest, wearing a pale-yellow sundress that immediately created a problem I had not included in my morning planning.

I stopped.

Yeah.

That dress was a problem.

Her curls fell over one shoulder, the silver pendant I remembered rested against her chest, and she hadn’t seen me yet. That gave me a second to appreciate the situation without pretending I hadn’t been hoping Willow Run was small enough to put us in the same place again.

Mama had told me not to stand around looking educated and confused if God gave me another opportunity.

Message received.

“Hershey.”

Nolani turned. Surprise came first, then recognition, followed by a smile she tried to manage and didn’t quite succeed at.

Then she looked me over.

Slow too.

I had selected the correct polo.

“You’re still calling me that?”

“I reviewed yesterday’s film. Nickname wasn’t the mistake.”

One eyebrow went up. “What was?”

“Letting you leave without asking for your number.”

Her fingers brushed the pendant.

“Well, that’s direct.”

“I already tried indirect. Results were poor.”

“You always compare women to football?”

“Only when I fumble.”

Her laugh came easier than it had yesterday, and I liked the fact that I already knew enough to recognize the difference.

“What are you doing here?” she asked.