AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Sounds good.” He goes into the bathroom and shuts the door.
Okay, so things aren’t so awkward this morning. Only slightly awkward. We’ll see how the day goes.
“CAN I HELP YOU?” A woman in a gray pantsuit with a plum-colored undershirt approaches me at the high-end-looking store they have down in the lobby of the hotel.
I know what she’s thinking: that I’ve gotten lost and ended up in the wrong place, looking like the hot mess I am in Grayson’s oversized T-shirt and my dirty joggers, my hair falling out of its bun.
I panicked when, after being on hold with the airline for twenty minutes, I was told my suitcase looked to be en route, but they couldn’t guarantee anything and that it likely wouldn’t arrive today. So, after eating the breakfast we ordered from room service, I shoved a credit card and an ID in the pocket of yesterday’s joggers and came downstairs in search of a few things. Like a bathing suit, for one. And maybe a dress for tonight. Luckily, I brought a bit of makeup in the tote I carried on the plane. So at least I don’t have to go searching for that.
“I’m looking for a bathing suit,” I tell the woman.
To her credit, she smiles politely and then leads grubby me over to the corner of the shop where there’s a rack of bikinis and one-piece suits. I don’t search too hard—I just grab a simple black one-piece in my size.
“And a sundress maybe?” I ask.
“Of course,” she says, guiding me over to the other side of the store where there are various kinds of women’s attire. Shorts, shirts, and dresses. I find a fuchsia one with straps that tie on the shoulders that could also double as a bathing suit cover-up, which feels like a two-for-one kind of deal.
I take it all to the counter, not bothering to try it on, along with a little travel-size bottle of perfume that smells like plumeria, and the woman rings me up. I tamp down the yelp that almost comes out of my mouth when I see the price. Over $200 for those three items. The plain black bathing suit being the most expensive thing. It better make me look like a goddess for that price.
Turns out, it’s a bit of a miracle worker. The suit gives me a clear waist and makes my boobs look perky and ten years younger. But what I wasn’t expecting was the back. It’s basically a thong that goes right up my butt, leaving little to the imagination back there. Fantastic. Another thing to add to my list of embarrassments. At this rate, I’ll have an entire book when I get back, especially since we haven’t even done the whole wedding thing.
Oh gosh, sometimes I forget that’s why we’re even here. It seems far off even though it’s only two days away. Or maybe that’s how I want it to feel. Far, far away.
“You ready?” Grayson asks, after tapping on the bathroom door a couple of times.
“Yes,” I say, throwing the pink dress over my butt-displaying bathing suit. There’s no time to take it back now. I’ve taken off the tags and we need to leave for the snorkeling tour.
I’ll just have to make it work.
“THIS ISLAND IS SO BEAUTIFUL,” I say to Grayson as we sip on sodas while sailing on a catamaran namedSilver Streakthat’s taking us down the southeast side of Oahu toward Turtle Canyon, a spot just off Waikiki Beach. We’re all sunscreened up and ready to snorkel.
The sun is out, with just a sprinkling of clouds in the distance against the clear blue sky. The water is a beautiful cerulean blue, and the island of Oahu serves as the backdrop as we make our way toward the most touristy part of the island.
Both of us have been snorkeling before, but for Grayson, it was years ago on a trip with some friends while he was in college, and for me, the last time was with jerkwad Lorenzo. I’m happy to be replacing that memory with this one.
“It is,” Grayson agrees. We’re sitting on a bench on the port-side deck, taking in the view, the wind keeping us cooler in the humid air.
“It seems so surreal,” I say. I’ve been to some beautiful places, and Hawaii so far has been impressive.
“I’d love to come back here someday, maybe on a real vacation.” He turns his head toward me and gives me a warm smile, making my stomach do a little flipping thing.
“When was the last vacation you took?” I ask.
He looks to the side as if he has to think about it. “Besides ski weekends, I honestly can’t remember. It’s been too long.”
I knew Grayson worked a lot, but to not be able to take a vacation seems like too much. And I’m no doctor, but I’d think that’s probably unhealthy.
“We need to remedy that,” I say.We?Really, Mila? Why don’t you just throw yourself at the guy?
“Maybe after GlobeTrotter is out, we can do something to celebrate,” he says.
Okay, he usedwetoo. But I’m assuming he means we, as in the whole team.
“How about a leadership team trip to Hawaii?” I reply.
He chuckles with that low, rumbling voice of his. “That might be a little out of our budget.”
“Okay, Vegas,” I say.
