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21
BEAU
Watching Georgia geek out about being in Maui was both amusing and heartwarming. I loved watching her flitter about the house, taking everything in. I could only imagine this was the way my renters reacted when they first arrived, so it did me good to see it with my own eyes.
She’d had a similar reaction to the ocean. I loved that I was in a position to watch her get acquainted with the island for the very first time. She obviously loved it here, and I hoped she’d have plenty of opportunities to return.
Hopefully with me.
When we went back inside to get ready for the special event I had planned for her, I was tempted to take her straight to bed. Sitting on the plane with her for all of those hours and not inviting her to join the mile-high club with me on the bed in the back of the plane had been a form of torture. Images of her body the night before and how good she had felt kept flooding my mind. But she was clearly excited to take everything out the window in, and I didn’t want to spoil that for her. Hopefully, there would be other opportunities to initiate her into the club, just as there would likely be other opportunities for me to test this mattress with her, too, if that was what she wanted.
Back in the house, I let her use the primary bathroom to get ready while I went down the hall to one of the secondary bathrooms, which was still extremely well appointed. I didn’t get a lot of opportunities to stay in this particular home because it was almost always rented out, especially this time of year, but I always made a point of checking on all of my properties once or twice a year, and this one was obviously well maintained and cared for, which was exactly what I wanted to see. The bathroom was clean, and nothing was cracked or broken. I would inspect the rest of the house more closely later, but so far, I could see I was getting what I’d paid for.
I had a meeting lined up for the next day with my manager here on the island, so as I showered, I thought about the different points we needed to discuss. There wasn’t much with Isaac. He was on top of things. Some of my other managers tended to let things slide from time to time. When that happened, they didn’t stay my property managers for long. A business like mine thrived on strong word-of-mouth recommendations and reviews. When people didn’t like their experience, they let the world know, so it was extremely important that everything was always inviting and made a perfect experience for the visitors.
Out of the shower, I got dressed in nice khaki shorts and a Hawaiian print shirt. I’d told Georgia to wear something nice that was suitable for the weather. I’d recommended she bring a sweater because sometimes it could get a little chilly on the beach in the evening. I was looking forward to seeing her all dressed up, though this wasn’t the sort of event one wore an evening gown to. Still, she was going to love where I was taking her, and I couldn’t wait to see her face light up again.
Downstairs, I poured myself a glass of whiskey and waited in the living room for Georgia. Taking a sip, I stared out the window. The sun was beginning to make its descent, though it wouldn’t be fully down for another hour or so. We needed to leave in about ten minutes to make it to our event on time. I had no idea if Georgia was one of those women who was always running behind or if I could count on her to be there when I’d suggested we leave.
I was just thinking I might need to go check on her when I heard the sound of shoes clicking on the stairs. Turning around, I saw her coming down in a long, black floral gown with pink and yellow blooms, a slit up to her knee. The straps showed off her gorgeous shoulders and the length of her elegant neck. She had her hair pulled up and was carrying a black sweater. She paused about five stairs up from the bottom. With a hesitant look on her face, she asked, “Is this okay?”
My mouth dropped open. I couldn’t even formulate a response at first. All I could do was stare at her and nod. “You look… gorgeous,” I finally managed to say.
Her look continued to be skeptical as she finished her descent. I finished my drink and practically tossed the glass on the table behind me, I was in such a hurry to get to her. When I reached her, I pulled her in and kissed her softly, not wanting to smudge her lipstick.
Georgia smiled at me. “It was hard to know what to wear since I wasn’t sure where we were going.”
“You picked the right dress,” I assured her. Then, taking her hand, I led her out to the waiting car. The same driver who had brought us from the airport was waiting with a smile. He opened the door for us, and we slid inside.
A few moments later, we were on our way. “Are you sure you can’t tell me where we’re going?” Georgia asked. “I’m so excited, I can hardly stand it.”
I chuckled under my breath. “That would spoil the fun. We’ll be there in a few minutes. You’ll love it. I’m sure.”
We pulled into a parking lot, and the driver stopped to let us out. Georgia was still confused, but she took my hand, and I led her down a little path to where hosts were waiting to greet us. “Welcome to Paradise Point,” an older woman said with a Hawaiian accent. “Are you Mr. Ramsey and Miss Mattingly?”
“How did she know that?” Georgia whispered.
I shrugged, but it paid to know a person or two in whichever town I was visiting. I told the woman that we were. For the second time that day, a lei was draped over Georgia’s head, which made her grin. I got one, too, but mine was made of shiny black Kukui nuts whereas Georgia had more flowers, this time in blue.
“Right this way, please,” a gentleman said, gesturing for us to follow him. As we walked down a winding path toward the ocean, Georgia started to realize what we were doing.
Grabbing my hand, she pulled me closer. “Is this a luau?” she asked.
Grinning at her, I said, “It is.”
Once again, she was squealing with excitement. “Oh, I’ve always wanted to come to one of these! Thank you, Beau.” She leaned over and kissed my cheek. All I could do was beam at her.
The host showed us to our seats, which were front and center. He told us, “The pig will be brought from the pit shortly. You’re welcome to enjoy the games and other festivities. The show will begin in approximately one hour.”
“Thank you so much,” I told him, slipping him a tip for his efficiency and kindness, and then I turned to Georgia. “Would you like to have a look around?”
“I’d love to!” She was giddy with excitement as she placed her sweater on the back of her chair and took my hand.
For the next hour, we wandered around the area, taking in different activities and events. In one area, children were taking ukulele lessons. In another, a woman wearing a traditional grass skirt was teaching people how to make leis. At one point, someone blew a conch shell, and a man climbed a tree. He sprinkled the crowd with flowers. Georgia spun around, leaping up and down a bit as pink blossoms rained down on her like a sprinkling of stardust.
After that, we heard another conch shell blow and saw the crowd shift. Most of the people began to make their way toward the beach. There, we saw a group of men extracting a large pig from a pit in the ground.
“Oh, wow!” Georgia exclaimed, covering her mouth with her hand. “That’s a real pig!”
