Finding Paradise

by Laura Westbrook

  “Just shows how much we both want that.”

  He nodded. “It does. Only now it puts me here and you on Maui.”

  “I’ll just call the airline company and get it switched back.” She sighed. “It’ll probably mean another fee, but maybe I can talk them into just keeping it at the one.”

  “You’re lucky it’s not the busy season, otherwise there might be capacity issues.”

  “We’re lucky, you mean.”

  He grinned. “Of course. We are. And I’m glad you’re doing it.”

  “You better be worth it, you know. This is a lot of plan making and plan undoing.”

  He spread his hands. “Haven’t I made it worth it already in the valuable tour guiding? This is primo stuff.”

  “I’m sure you’ll make it up to me somehow,” she said with a wink in her voice.

  “How’s that?”

  “You can start with freshening up my glass.” She held it out to him, although it was a little too far gone for freshening, considering it was empty.

  “Least I could do,” he said and raised his hand to the bartender. “So, since we have a vacation ahead of us, what would you like to do? I already have the time off from my work here on Oahu because I thought I’d be working on Maui, so I’m freed up.”

  “Wait a minute. Is Mr. Adventure trying to make plans?”

  “Don’t tell anyone. It might ruin my reputation. After all, I’m usually the spontaneous one, so I’m trying a page out of your book.”

  “That would work, except I’ve been everything but predictable this trip. And I completely blame you for it.”

  “I don’t blame you for blaming me. But all worth it in the end, right?”

  I think so. “I’m sure there’s something around here you could show us. There’s probably something to fill everyday of however long we have off. But you know all about that. It’s all on your back doorstep. It must get old for you after a while, though. It’s probably all pretty normal.”

  “Yes and no. It helps to change things up a little, but people do that everywhere no matter if it’s in the tropics or not. And a lot of it depends on the company too.” He took another sip. “Was it hard taking the time off work to come here?”

  “It was. I had to pull in some favors, myself. A few days off is no problem in my circles, but any more than that and you’d think I asked for the moon. I do a lot of spreadsheets and forecasts. Nothing terribly interesting, but it keeps me busy.”

  “Well, all I can say is I’m glad I don’t have that job. I’ll leave it to you, thank you very much. I’ll stick with the tourist thing.”

  “Even if it’s a little slow?”

  “Business comes and goes. That’s the way it is, working in the tourism industry. Some years the global economy is affected, and that could translate to fewer numbers. It all depends. If only there wasn’t so much competition.”

  As if he realized he’d been a bit of a downer, he grinned and added, “At least I’m not stuck in a stuffy office, far from the beach.”

  “You make it sound like I work in an oven. The beach is only a few hours away. And those stuffy offices are vital to the economy, I’ll have you know.”

  “True. If I was self-employed, you’d probably hate the way I’d do my spreadsheets. I’m pretty messy with that sort of thing, to be honest. I’ve thought about starting my own business before, just looking for the right opportunity.”

  Hanna shrugged. “Most people are messy with them, unfortunately. I guess that’s why I have a job. You could call it job security. Anyway, enough about work. I came here to escape what I do for a living, after all.”

  “Oh, don’t worry. I won’t bore you about work stuff. I just find it impressive. I’m awful at math, so it impresses me when someone is. You must be good at what you do.”

  It was a small thing. It wasn’t like he went off the deep end about it, but his compliment about her work gave her pause. In a world where she didn’t get many pats on the back, it meant a lot to her. She could be the world’s worst at spreadsheets and he’d have no idea.

  Hanna didn’t get a chance to say much more, though, as Cassie wandered over toward them. “You guys having a good time?” Cassie asked. She certainly looked like she had. She was grinning and sashaying through the bar like she owned the place.

  “Find anyone interesting? You should’ve come over sooner. I don’t want you to go without.”

  “I’ve found a few conversations, sure. There’s a couple here from Houston who are fun to talk to. The wife came by the pool when I was sunbathing. I’m probably going to stay for a little longer before I go back up. Don’t worry about waiting up for me. I’ll be around.”

  “Sounds good to me,” Hanna said.

  “Thanks again for inviting me, Cassie,” Josh said. “This has been fun.”

  “No problem at all.” Cassie waved. “See you guys later. Don’t stay up too late.”

  Then Cassie left them together again. Hanna was reminded of how lucky she was to have a friend who was so understanding. At least Cassie was enjoying herself too. It would be much harder if she wasn’t. And to be in such a beautiful state, enjoying the gorgeous beaches and warm weather. She was so fortunate to be there with people like Josh and Cassie—to get a private boating tour of the island, to enjoy shave ice and the secluded beaches, to revel in being spontaneous for the first time in her life—and to spend a warm night enjoying sweet, white wine with the man she was starting to really get to know well.

  “It seems we have the rest of the night to ourselves.”

  “Is that my cue to grab you another glass of wine?”

  She nodded, looking at her almost-empty glass. “I won’t turn one down. But just the one more.”

  “I’m on it.” His lips looked so kissable, but it wasn’t the time or place with so many people around.

  And with her plane trip back home hanging over her, she needed something to look forward to.

  Chapter Nine

  The next day, Cassie decided that she again was the one to pick where they’d go. Even though Cassie had picked the bar the night before, Hanna wasn’t going to stand in the way of progress.

  “All of us?”

  “Why not?” Cassie leaned back against her elbows on the bed in Hanna’s room. “Besides, someone has to chaperone the two of you.”

  “You make it sound like we’re a couple of teenagers.”

  “I see how you look at him.”

  “Very funny.”

  Cassie hadn’t been around when she and Josh had kissed last night. She couldn’t have been. Josh had walked to the door of her hotel room, and what had happened there, in the hallway, was between her, Josh, and the richly papered walls—which thankfully weren’t talking. It was just the kiss and he left, but it still completely occupied her thoughts since. He was a perfect gentleman about it.

  “So, where are you taking us?” Hanna asked.

  Cassie gave her a mischievous look. “Don’t you wish you knew.”

  “Cassie!”

  “It’s a surprise. Just tell Josh we’re going on an outing. And to bring a jacket, if he owns one.”

  A jacket? Hanna couldn’t imagine where in Hawaii Cassie was taking them that required a jacket, but she knew her friend. There was no way to get the woman to talk, not once she’d decided she was going to surprise them. They might as well go along with her scheme and see what happened.

  So Hanna called Josh and had him meet them out in front of the lobby after breakfast. He arrived wearing jeans and sneakers, with a fleece pullover in his hands.

  “I had to dig around in my closet to find it,” he said, falling into step next to Hanna as they walked toward Cassie, who was already flagging down a taxi. “I’m guessing caves.”

  “What?”

  “Caves. The island has a few caves, though none of them are cold enough to need this,” he said, tossing his jacket in the air briefly before catching it. “But I’m guessing she just read caves and thought cold.”
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  “That or she’s trying to throw us off the scent,” Hanna said. “Cassie’s known to do that. One time, she had me bring marshmallows on one of our day trips. I thought for sure she was planning a camping trip, but no, they were just a snack along the way.”

  “Where did you end up going?”

  “An outlet mall. So, for all we know, you’re bringing your jacket just to have something to sit on. Or a makeshift towel. There will be a reason, but it might not be what you’d expect.”

  Then Cassie waved for them to hurry up and join her in the taxi. They quickened the pace, and soon, they were driving away to Cassie’s mystery destination.

  * * *

  Moments later, they were pulling up outside an ice-skating rink. Hanna was all smiles. She loved ice skating, but, as expected, it was the last place she’d thought Cassie would bring her.

  “This is Hawaii. The land of beaches and sunshine and waves, and you want to go skating? Seriously, Cassie?”

  “Isn’t it great?” Cassie’s smile looked like it could rival the sunshine in that moment. “After all the heat, a bit of cool is exactly what we need. And afterward, we can head to the beach to thaw out.”

  “Sounds good to me.” She turned to look at Josh to find him staring at the sign, his feet planted to the sidewalk. “You okay?”

  “Um…yeah. I think maybe I’ll just wait for you and Cassie and catch up with you for the beach part.”

  Hanna couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “You don’t like ice skating?”

  “I like my water warm,” he said, and he seemed to be trying to regain his calm, confident and collected self as he spoke.

  “Says Mr. Shave Ice?”

  “That’s different. I don’t give up ice cream either.”

  She smirked. “I can show you a whole different kind of shave ice. In fact, it’s all in one giant block.”

  “Yeah, but…”

  She took a step toward him. If he absolutely hated ice skating, she wouldn’t make him tag along, but she wanted him to come. It was a chance to bring a little piece of Coopersville here to Hawaii. Her hometown didn’t have beaches, scuba diving, sunny resorts, or shave ice, but they did have skating rinks, and Hanna had grown up going ice skating every winter. It was the closest thing to taking Josh back home with her that she knew of.

  “Tell me one thing, and I’ll let you go hang out at the beach until we finish here,” Hanna said. “Just answer me…have you ever been skating? And are you sure you won’t like it?”

  He held her gaze for a fraction of a second. Then, he dropped his eyes to the sidewalk. “No.” Then he was looking at her, his blue eyes full of reluctant understanding. “And before you jump all over me for constantly encouraging you to take risks while balking at this one…”

  “I will admit, it sounds a little hypocritical.”

  “It’s just…this isn’t a Hawaiian thing. Ice is for our drinks, not for skating on.”

  She had to laugh at that. “Clearly, that isn’t the case, or this place wouldn’t be here.”

  “It’s for the tourists,” he said, but she knew he was just trying to come up with excuses.

  “Look, I promise, I’ll help you learn. It’s not that hard.” He looked like he was almost persuaded, so she added, “And you can hold my hand the whole time.”

  “Lead the way.”

  * * *

  Not long after, the three of them had laced up their skates and were walking toward the open ice. Cassie took the lead. Unlike Hanna, she’d never mastered some of the trickier things, like spins or going backward, but she seemed to love the rush of the cold air through her hair as she raced around the rink. She was almost always the first one out on the ice and the last one in—when she wasn’t taking a break for hot chocolate.

  Hanna took Josh by the hand and gave him a reassuring smile. He smiled back, but he was still far from his confident self. She suspected he was having second thoughts, so she decided to distract him.

  “I can’t believe you’ve never done it before. My friends would all make fun of me if I haven’t.”

  “It seems we have a different set of friends,” he said. “I believe you that it’s fun though.”

  “Oh, trust me, you won’t have to wonder soon.”

  He gingerly stepped over the edge of the ice rink and felt the blades touch the ice. She crossed the threshold with him and slowly started them forward.

  “Just relax,” she said. “Right now, you don’t need to do anything. Just let me pull you around so you can get the feel of things.”

  His gaze went from her to the others who were going around the ice. There were some who, like Hanna and Cassie, were very familiar with skating, but others were just beginners. There were a few kids and adults who seemed to be learning, and, just then, one of them fell down hard.

  Josh winced. “Somehow, this doesn’t look as safe as breathing through a tank.”

  “That’s because you’re only seeing it from the outside. Everything looks risky until you’re experiencing it. Then you find that, while there might be some tricky elements—and you might get hurt, but it’s worth it.” She turned until she was facing him, ready to go backward, and she gave his hands a tug. “Come on. Just give it a try.”

  He took a deep breath, but he didn’t talk about quitting anymore. Instead, he said, “All right. Show me why you like this so much.”

  With a smile, she began skating. They built up speed, and she kept a careful watch behind them, navigating them around other skaters. For a while, she was too busy making sure they didn’t hit anyone to watch Josh, but when she finally turned to see how he was doing, she found his eyes squeezed shut.

  She felt her stomach tighten. He was hating it, only enduring it because he was with her and she’d made such a big deal about it. She felt awful.

  Then his eyes popped open. “You know, I think I’m getting the hang of this. It’s not all that different from surfing, in a way, at least the balance part of it.”

  “Isn’t it great?”

  “I’m not saying I’m going to do this on my own or anything, but it’s all right.”

  “Okay, one of the ways you do this—and it’s a little hard on your ankle muscles, but it’s a great exercise all the same—is to make your skates go in and out, like a fish.”

  He gave her a look. “Fish don’t go in and out. They swim.”

  “I know. But you make the shape of a fish.”

  “What kind of fish are we talking? Butterflyfish? Snapper? Humuhumunukunukuapua’a?”

  “Oh, definitely the last one.” She wished he was good enough a skater already to where she could see his impression of that one in particular. She knew it was the official Hawaiian state fish, but she didn’t even know how to say it, much less what it looked like. And here he was, rattling it off like a local. “Show off.”

  He grinned. “Hey, just because I’m learning something doesn’t mean I can’t have fun.”

  “I think you have fun no matter what you do.”

  “I try to. That’s why I wasn’t eager to try this,” he admitted. “If I don’t know something’s going to be fun…I usually don’t try.”

  In a gentle tone, she asked, “And you get on me for not taking risks?”

  He shrugged. “I guess I’ve gotten used to adventure to where that’s not the same as taking risks anymore.” He looked around, watching as people passed them by. “I probably needed this,” he admitted.

  She wanted to know what he meant, but she wasn’t sure she should ask. After all, he was already being quite open with her. She didn’t want to come across as pushy or nosey.

  But after a moment, he explained. “I needed a reminder of how predictable my life has become. A bit of a wakeup call. I’m not saying everyone has to have big risks in their life, all the time, but…I think, a lot of times, if you aren’t risking anything, you aren’t really living. You’re just playing it safe, and more often than not, that means you’re missing out. Giving up on something you
might enjoy because you’re afraid things could take a turn for the worse.”

  “Sounds a little like how I used to live,” Hanna said. “Before this vacation.”

  He turned toward her, giving her hand a squeeze. “Well, here’s to trying new things. Now, back to your fish…”

  “I’m not even sure that’s worth trying.”

  “No, you were going to teach me how to skate. So…”

  “Let’s not call it a fish,” Hanna said. “How about…” She racked her brain for a moment, trying to think of how else she could describe swizzles. “It’s like this.” She let go of his hands and demonstrated, her feet going out and in. “It’s like a football.”

  “Yeah.” He looked at her, a sparkle in his blue eyes. “That’s not all that helpful.”

  “You have to have football here.”

  “Have you ever heard of Hawaiian football?”

  “That’s not the point. Football is…as American as apple pie and funnel cake.”

  He grinned. “Not exactly Hawaiian staples, are they?”

  “You have the Pro Bowl here every year?”

  “Do we?” He shrugged. “I don’t really pay attention to it.” Then he grinned. “Just kidding. I know what football is. I even used to play it back in high school.”

  She would’ve swatted him if she wasn’t concerned she’d knock him off balance and send him toppling to the ice.

  Slowly, unsteadily, he began to copy her swizzles, and soon, he was moving forward on his own. “I’m not very fast.”

  “No, the goal is to be stable. After all, certain people didn’t want to fall over.”

  “I think I’m willing to risk that. After all…some things are worth a little risk.” He looked at her as he said it, and she wished she knew what he meant.

  But she supposed this was just as hard on him as it was on her. After all, he was giving up paid work just to spend time with her. For all she knew, he might be falling for her just as much as she was for him, and he knew she was just a tourist. He must know that all good things come to an end eventually.