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He did need to get out more. “No, Duke, I’m fine. I’m just taking the day off.”
“Very well. I’ll let him know, sir.”
Mano took off the headset and put it back on the dresser. It felt weird not to leave it on, as he did every day, but it wouldn’t work once he left the resort. And today, that was apparently what he was doing.
Reaching into the bottom drawer of his dresser, he pulled out cargo shorts and a polo shirt. He added his only pair of flip-flops. He wasn’t sure which color polo he was wearing, but he knew his flip-flops were brown and would go with anything. With that handled, he returned to the bathroom to finish grooming and drying his hair. Feeling carefree, he skipped shaving. He always shaved, but if he was going to play hooky today, he was going all out.
The last thing he did before reopening the door was slip the harness onto Hoku and his glasses over his eyes. When he reopened the door, he called out to see if Paige was still waiting for him. “Paige?”
“I’m right here.” He heard the opposite door shut and listened to her steps as she approached him. “I wanted to grab a few last things before we left. I’m not sure what we’ll do today, but I figured my sunglasses and my camera were a must. Are you ready to go?”
Mano nodded. “Yep.” He held his arm out to her and once she slipped hers through it and snuggled beside him, they went to the elevator.
After he pressed the button she asked, “So, what are we going to do today?”
That was a good question. He’d just come to terms with the idea of “hooky” so he hadn’t fully developed today’s itinerary. Normally, he handed guests a couple brochures from the display by the concierge desk and sent them on their way. But what would he do if he was going along? That might be a little different. For one thing, he was hungry. “I was thinking we’d start with pancakes.”
“Pancakes?”
Mano nodded. “Every decent day of hooky needs to start with an indulgent breakfast. I recommend we go to Eggs ’n Things for macadamia nut pancakes with coconut syrup and whipped butter. There’s a lot of pancake houses around the island, but this one was my favorite as a kid. I haven’t been there in ages.”
“Those pancakes sound wonderful,” she said with a smile in her voice.
The doors of the elevator opened and they stepped in together to start their day’s journey.
* * *
Paige was exhausted and she was pretty sure she had the start of a sunburn, even though she’d put on sunblock, but she didn’t care. She was having too much fun with Mano and they hadn’t even strayed from the Waikiki Beach area yet.
They started out with pancakes, then they continued to stroll down the main path that snaked around the beach. Mano took her hand as they walked. It was probably just so he didn’t lose her in the crowds, but the feel of her hand in his made a shiver run down her spine. Although she was a tall, lanky woman, she felt petite and feminine beside Mano. She rarely felt like either of those things.
They went through the narrow aisles of an open air market, where she was nearly overwhelmed by vendor after vendor selling every type of souvenir she could think of. Mano and Hoku were remarkably patient as she looked at things they’d been surrounded by their whole lives. He explained different items they had for sale and helped her negotiate a better deal on a few things. She picked up something for her parents and something for her best friend, Brandy. Brandy was a nurse on her shift at the veteran’s hospital and one of the few she could call a friend.
Somehow her work environment had evolved into a sorority house, with veterans hanging around instead of football players. The other nurses weren’t necessarily mean, but she wouldn’t call any of them friends, either. Paige had never been very good at fitting in, no matter what she was trying to do. Even now, she was getting odd glances from people as they passed, trying to figure out the two of them together.
Fortunately, she didn’t have to try to fit in with Mano, so she could ignore everyone else. He seemed to find her differences charming, although she really didn’t understand why. He laughed at her jokes, held her hand and looked as proud to be with her as if he was with a famous Hollywood actress. She almost didn’t know how to act around him. The last guy she met who was this charming was just using her, but Mano seemed totally sincere. He’d given up a whole day at work to spend time with her, after all, with no promise of anything in return.
It was late in the afternoon when she spied a Hawaiian shaved ice place and begged to go inside. He bought them each a huge snowball of sugar and ice and they found a table under a shady palm tree where they could eat and Paige could watch the ocean.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve had one of these,” he admitted as he took his first few bites. “My mother used to take me and my brother down to the beach and buy us one from time to time. It’s as good as I remember. I wonder if I should put in a Hawaiian ice place at the hotel.”
“You absolutely should.” She took a bite of her Tiger’s Blood flavored ice and let it melt on her tongue. “Maybe near the big pool so people can get a cool treat while they’re enjoying the sun. Honestly, I can’t believe you don’t have one already.”
Mano shrugged. “Well, when my grandparents opened the hotel, Waikiki was a different place. It wasn’t long before it expl
oded into an endless strip of hotels and gift shops. There were more US soldiers than tourists back then. Hell, Hawaii wasn’t even a state yet. Their goal was first and foremost to have the most authentic, yet luxurious, experience for guests. The resort grew and expanded over time under my family’s watchful eyes, just as Honolulu grew and changed. When it was handed over to me, I was mindful to make sure that my grandfather would approve of anything I did. My grandparents are still alive, so my whole life I’ve gotten an earful about the tacky and cheap things other resorts are doing every time I go to visit them.”
Paige understood those family expectations. She supposed she failed in most areas, while her sister, Piper, excelled. That was okay with her, though. Her patients loved her and that was more important to her. “I am certain you can open up the classiest shaved ice shop on the whole island.”
They chuckled as they sat together and finished their frozen treats. As Paige set her cup aside, she noticed the tattoo on Mano’s left forearm again. This time she had a much better view of the design. It was simple and geometrical, with rings of black triangles encircling his forearm. She’d never seen a tattoo like it before.
“What does your tattoo mean?”
She watched as Mano self-consciously ran his palm over the black ink etched into his forearm. “This is a traditional Hawaiian tattoo. These triangles symbolize a shark’s teeth. My parents named me after the Hawaiian word for shark because my grandmother had a dream of me swimming with sharks while my mother was pregnant. It’s considered to be my spirit animal. My people also believe that if I were to run across a shark in the ocean, it would see the tattoo and recognize me as kindred.”
Paige reached out and traced along the rows of triangles that went from just below his elbow to his wrist. She could see the line of a scar hidden beneath the ink. It was probably the companion scar to the one on his brow and the smaller spatter of scars she’d seen on his chest that morning. She noticed that Mano stiffened under her touch and a ragged breath escaped his lips. Instantly, she forgot all about the tattoo and was focused entirely on the beautiful man it belonged to.
It was nice to sit so still and close to him. His skin was warm to the touch from the sun and when the breeze blew just right, she got a whiff of his scent. It was something earthy and masculine like sandalwood and leather. It made her want to lean closer and press her nose against the line of his throat to draw it fully into her lungs. As much as she was tempted, Paige resisted. Instead, she studied the interesting lines and angles of his face without worrying that he would notice her staring.
