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First Day in Paradise
The sky was bluer in Hawaii.
Pillows were fluffier in Hawaii.
Chocolate was sweeter in Hawaii.
Everything was better in Hawaii—except me, I was pretty much the same. But that was okay because I was already awesome enough. I now worked, lived, and played… in Hawaii.
Technically, I wouldn’t start my new job until that afternoon. I hadn’t even begun house hunting yet. And I probably wouldn’t have the chance to play for a very long time. But those were all minor details.
The point was, I was free from a dreary life in a dead-end job, subject to my stepmom’s whims. I was free—and there was no way I was ever going back!
“Are you ready to order?” A man with eyes almost as sparkly as Kai’s stood beside my table at the outdoor cafe. He held a pen and pad at the ready.
I cupped my hand above my eyes to block out the dazzling sunlight and get an even better look at all of the gorgeousness staring down at me.
The man filled out his shirt in the best imaginable way. Just like Kai had. His skin was sun-kissed, and his hair was wavy and black with messy curls that fell across his forehead. Just like Kai. He had full—dare I say—kissable lips.
Just. Like. Kai.
“I’m not quite ready to order. I’m waiting for someone.”
“Oh?”
The flirtatious lilt in his voice tugged my lips into a smile. “No, not like that. I’m meeting my new boss for a business brunch.”
“Even better.” His dark brows wagged. “Maybe I’ll stop by once your meeting is over, you know, to see if you were happy with your waiter.” He smiled wider, but there wasn’t a dimple to be seen.
I guessed I could live with that.
“I’m sure I’ll be happy with my waiter,” I said, flirting right back.
It was time to stop comparing every man I saw to Kai. I hardly knew him and would probably never see him again. I leaned forward and rested my elbows on the metal table in front of me but yelped and jerked back when the dark surface singed my arms.
Smooth, Beth. Real smooth.
“Punctual. I like it.” Charles Peters, or Chuck, as I now had the privilege of calling him, took the seat across from me. “I’ll have a water with lemon,” he said to our oh-so-attentive waiter who I was no longer comparing to Kai.
“Yes, sir. Anything for you, Miss?” he asked. It was a good thing for this waiter that I'd given up comparing him to another Hawaiian man I happened to know. Because his toothy grin wasn't even close to being as perfect as Kai's.
“I’ll have the same.”
Tall, dark, and dimple-less flashed me a private smile and headed inside to get our drinks.
Chuck started talking business before I even had a chance to say hello. “We don’t have much time to go over the first project I have for you. I’ve already pushed my flight back an hour just to make this meeting. So, I’ll be brief.”
I sat tall, banishing from my mind all thoughts of the tropical beauty around me. I was here to work, and if Chuck had a job for me to do—I was going to get it done. “Absolutely. I’m all ears.”
“This new branch is the testing grounds for a whole new business model for Blue Pacific. If you can pull it off, our place in the market will be cemented for years to come, and I can personally guarantee you a long and happy career with our company.”
“I’m all in. I won’t let you down.” And what was more important, I wasn’t going to let myself down. Failing in Hawaii would mean going back home and admitting that my stepmom had been right about me all along.
It would be a cold day on the face of the sun before I ever gave her that satisfaction.
“That’s what I like to hear.” Something about his smile sent uncomfortable prickles down my back. “Blue Pacific is done being an average travel agency. We’re branching out.”
He pinned me with eyes as fierce as a shark’s on the prowl for a fat and juicy tuna. Sharks ate tuna, right? “We’ve been leaving a lot of money on the table for years. We draw the clients in. We book their flights and set up their hotel reservations. Then what?”
