Butterflies flipped around in my stomach as I thought about it. Casey and I had been dating for a couple months now, so it wasn't like this was our first date. Thank goodness. That had been disastrous. I'd been so nervous at the time that I knocked my plate of hot chili all over his lap. And I may have attempted to clean it up. He didn't complain, but I did get a few frowns from the older group sitting next to us. Thankfully he asked me out for a second date.
I didn't really know a lot about him, but I knew he was a good person. I knew it. Like I knew the rain was wet and that I would do a dance if I walked into a spider web.
But there was also a lot I didn't know about him. We'd never really talked about the past. I knew he had five sisters and six nieces and that he and his dad were the only men in his house growing up. I knew he had attended the European Bartender School in Sydney, where he completed his International Course of Bartending, graduating top of his class for Flair, and I knew his best friend was my brother, Luke. Other than that, all I knew was that his favorite drink was beer and he loved pizza. He had told me that growing up with so many sisters gave him a respect for women. I loved that about him. I also loved that his whiskers tickled my chin when he kissed me in the morning, that his laugh gave me tingles, and that when he held my hand, it felt like nothing in the world could hurt me.
So why did I have butterflies over asking him about his past? Was I scared about what I could learn?
"Sam!" called Luke. "Casey's here."
I jumped at the sound and pushed all worries aside. I'd cross any bridges when I came to them.
Quickly applying one last coat of lip gloss, I made my way from the bathroom and into the lounge. Casey was standing in the kitchen, laughing at something Luke had said, and I stopped dead in my tracks. His laugh danced over my skin and settled any nerves I'd been having. He turned to me and smiled. Not a huge smile that he'd shown Luke. This one was small and intimate, and I saw the emotion in his eyes.
"Hi," he said quietly, crossing the room towards me.
"Hi," I replied, smiling up at him.
"You look beautiful."
"Thank you. You look pretty good yourself." And he did. His jeans fell low on his hips, his blue cotton shirt just skimming their band. The shirt pulled tight across his biceps, and the color enhanced his eyes. The scent of his musky aftershave overtook my senses, and my knees buckled. Usually by now this reaction should have faded. But with Casey I was unsure if I'd ever get used to it.
"Are you ready?" he asked.
"Yep. Where are we going?"
"You'll see," he said, lowering his head to whisper a featherlight kiss across my cheek.
* * *
It was a beautiful night. The moon was high, the sky was clear, and the air had that warm summer feel.
Casey was quiet in the car, every now and again glancing my way as he drove. I felt like he had a secret he wanted to tell. I just hoped it was a good one.
"So where are we going?" I asked again. I wasn't one for silence.
"You'll have to wait and see," he replied, giving me a coy smile.
I sighed. I hated waiting. Hated it.
"How was your day?" Casey asked me, taking a bend in the road as we made our way out of Aloha Lagoon, following the ocean road.
"It was okay. Brad threw an extra class my way, which should work out okay. I finally tracked Juls down, and she told me that I'm doing it tomorrow morning at ten, right after my private lesson with Sebastian."
"Sebastian?"
"A nine-year-old kid who wants to surf more than anything else in the world."
"Is he any good?"
"Not really. So far I've spent an entire lesson trying to get him to jump up on his board."
"That can be tricky. It takes quite a bit of balance to be able to master that. Just when you think you've got it, the wave changes and knocks you off."
"We haven't left the sand yet."
Casey turned to face me and smiled.
"But," I continued, "he's got an awesome attitude. And I can see he loves it. It may take him longer than most, but I believe he will become a great surfer. And even if he doesn't become great, it doesn't matter. All that matters is that he loves it."
"You enjoy your job, don't you?"
"I love it. When I applied for it, I was desperate and needed money. I never thought I would enjoy teaching surfing, let alone kids."
"You're a natural at it. You've got a lot of patience."
I did?
"Are we there yet?" I asked.
Casey laughed. "Well, you have a lot of patience with the kids," he said, rephrasing. He signaled and turned the car onto the side of the road.
I looked at where we'd stopped. The roadside grass stood tall, the road was deserted, and tranquility surrounded us.
He got out and went around to the trunk of the car, opening it.
This is where we were going?
Slamming the lid of the trunk shut, Casey called to me. "Are you coming?"
Looks like it, then.
"The seat belt is stuck again!" I called, attempting to unclick myself. Casey's car wasn't new, and one of its quirks was the passenger seat belt often stuck.
He came around and opened my door, moving into my personal space. As he leaned across me to undo the belt buckle, I inhaled his scent. I may also have audibly moaned with pleasure, but let's not go into that.
His lips stopped close to mine, and he hovered, tempting me to kiss him. I gave in to temptation and planted a soft, delectable kiss right on his gorgeous mouth.
Once I came up for air and regathered my thoughts, I got out and moved to stand next to him. There were no streetlights, only the moon reflecting on the ocean to light our way.
Casey picked a basket up from the ground and slung a blanket over his arm. I followed, holding his hand tightly as we negotiated our way towards the sand.
Finding the perfect spot, he laid out the blanket and placed the basket on it. He then guided me to sit right next to him.
"I thought a picnic on the beach would be fun," he said quietly. "Life's been really hectic lately, and we've hardly had any time alone. No one should bother us out here." He wiggled his eyebrows, making me giggle at his innuendo.
Just at that moment his phone rang. He sighed, pulled it from his pocket, and checked the caller. I couldn't help but notice the caller ID was private. He flicked it off and threw it on the blanket next to him.
"Aren't you going to answer it? It could be important."
"Then they'll leave a message, and I'll call them back later. Now, are you hungry?" he asked, opening the basket lid.
Stupid question. I was always hungry.
Casey had packed all my favorite foods. He had Luke's best Hawaiian-topped pizza, a selection of strawberry and brownie skewers, a bottle of Moscato, and a thermos of coffee. He'd also packed my favorite chocolate—a Peppermint Pattie. Was this man the best ever, or what?
"You know how to spoil a girl," I commented, accepting a plate and adding a piece of pizza to it.
"I need to spoil you more often," he replied, leaning over to kiss me.
His lips were warm and soft and inviting, and I nearly forgot all about the pizza. Nearly.
Okay, I did forget it, but only until Casey's phone rang again.
He broke the kiss and groaned, reaching for his phone and turning the power to off, but not before I noticed it was once again a private caller.
"Someone really must need you," I said quietly.
"It's probably Lori. Somehow she got hold of my number, and she keeps calling me."
"How often does she call you?"
"Too often," Casey responded vehemently. "I'd block her if she didn't keep calling from a private number."
"You don't want to answer her, see what she wants?" I asked, irritated that Lori was hassling him.
"No. I want to spend a nice night alone with you, and I'm not letting anyone interfere with that. Now pass me a piece of pizza please." He gave me a killer smile.
Passing him the plate, I asked, "You've never told me what brought you to Aloha Lagoon."
He accepted the pizza and took a bite, considering his answer. "Ryan told me about it. When we shared a flat in Sydney. He and Travis were always looking into theories about long-lost treasure. They thought if they could find one, then their fortunes would be made. I've heard them talking about the Coconut Cove treasure before."
"Is that why you came here?"
"No. I don't believe in that stuff. I mean, if there was a treasure, what's to say it wasn't found years ago and never documented? No, I came here because he made it sound so idyllic. An escape from the real world, so to speak."
I nibbled at another slice and thought about his words. "So were you escaping from the real world?"
Casey's body language tensed, and he turned to face the ocean. He was thoughtful before answering. "When I left the UK, I wanted to do the backpacker thing and travel the world. Sydney was my first stop, but I was there too long. It was time to move on. I saw an ad for Aloha Lagoon Resort looking to sponsor employees. They did all the work for my visa, and I agreed to work for them for twelve months."
"But you've already been here six months."
"Yeah. Time's going quickly."
"What happens at the end of your visa?" I asked. I didn't have those worries. Even though I grew up in Australia, I was US born.
"I was going to move on."
I gulped and poured myself a glass of Moscato. Six months wasn't that far away.
"Now, I have no idea," he continued. "I guess I'll figure that out in six months' time. Maybe the resort can sponsor me a second time." He shrugged and smiled at me.
I liked the sound of that.
"Ready for dessert?" he asked.
As he handed me a skewer of strawberries and brownie all drizzled with milk chocolate, I knew I had to ask the questions Detective Ray had raised.
"Casey…"
He bit the strawberry from the end of his skewer, and I stuttered. Our evening was going so perfectly I didn't want to spoil it, yet the anxiety nibbling away at me was already doing that.
"Ummm…" I continued, closing my eyes. "Detective Ray mentioned something about a GBH charge." I opened my eyes and looked for his reaction. I didn't know what I was expecting, but Casey's response was casual.
"He did, did he? Well, that was all a misunderstanding. The charges were dropped."
"Yeah, that's what I thought. A misunderstanding. I mean, it doesn't matter anyway."
"You didn't believe it, did you?" he asked, horrified.
"No! Of course not! Not for a second. I know you wouldn't hurt anyone. And if you did, well…you would have had a good reason," I finished lamely.
"Good," he said, leaning in and kissing me again.
I accepted the kiss in the spirit it was given.
"But…" I said, breaking away from him. "How was it a misunderstanding? Like was it mistaken identity or something like that?"
Casey sighed. "No. The charges were fabricated."
He came in for another kiss, this time lightly licking his tongue over my bottom lip. I moaned. He really was a good kisser. I parted my lips and allowed my tongue to find his.
"But…" I said, again breaking the moment. "That's not a misunderstanding. A misunderstanding is like me asking for a chocolate and you giving me a brownie, thinking that's what I really meant."
"Okay. It wasn't a misunderstanding. It was an outright lie."
"So why didn't you just say that?"
"Because I didn't want to make a big deal out of it. In fact, I don't even want to discuss it now."
I thought about his words and studied his body language. He looked relaxed, yet there was something in his eyes that said differently.
"Why would someone do that? That's a terrible thing to do to a person."
"It wasn't fun, but, Sam, it's history now. Does it really matter anymore?"
I didn't want to push too hard. I was worried I would spoil our night together. I'd shove my questions aside and revisit them another time.
"No, of course it doesn't. Sorry," I said, moving the dessert aside and pushing Casey onto his back. I wanted the happy Casey back. The one who didn't have secrets.
He accepted my gesture and laughed, grabbing me around the waist and pulling me onto him.
He put his hand gently around the back of my neck, running his fingers through my hair. I succumbed to his eyes and fell into him.
But as his hands found their way under my shirt, my mind just wouldn't cease.
"I'm sorry," I said, sitting up. "It does matter. I don't know why, but it does. I want to know everything about you. The good and the bad." It seemed those questions didn't want to be shoved aside. "You know everything about me, and what you don't know, I'm very happy to tell you. That's the way it should be. No secrets."
Casey sat up and exhaled. After a few minutes of silence, he explained, "Ryan and I had quite a few disagreements, but the last time we fought over a woman, and it seemed that Ryan hadn't hurt me enough, so he had her make up the charges. She said I hit her and pushed her down a set of stairs."
My stomach clenched. "Geez, that's a horrible thing to do to someone. Who was it?"
"Just someone we knew. She was a liar and a manipulator." Casey tensed as he looked back out to the ocean.
"She sounds it." Was this the woman Detective Ray had mentioned?
"Anyway, she dropped the charges, saying she was confused at the time. The truth was she'd tripped and fallen. I'm not sure whether the police had ever believed her story, and they had nothing on me, so they agreed to the charges being dropped."
"Did you ever see her again?"
"No. I packed up my belongings and moved to Aloha Lagoon."
The moonlight reflected in his eyes, showing me the sadness that sat there.
"The charges didn't interfere with your visa?"
"No. I explained it all during my interview process. I don't know whether it was ever followed up with the police, but my visa was approved, so I figured it was all okay."
"I'm sorry," I whispered. "I'm sorry that it happened to you, and I'm sorry I brought it all back up." Guilt flooded me. Casey had been happy a few minutes ago, but now because of me, he was haunted with bad memories.
He blinked and turned to me. "It's okay. You have a right to know about something like that." He leaned over the blanket and pulled me close. "Sam, if I don't tell you something, it's not because I want secrets. I just don't want to relive it again. It's the past, and that's where it belongs."
I snuggled under his arm, my hand resting on his chest, allowing the sounds of the ocean to wash away any remaining unrest. Casey's heart beat strong, and a calmness washed over me. The anxiety disappeared, and the world became a safe place once again.
CHAPTER SIX
I couldn't really concentrate on my lesson. I had a headache from last night's Moscato. The teenage boy sitting on the board next to me wasn't helping. He just wouldn't listen, and when he did, he had some smart comment to come back at me. Brad was right—he was a brat.
When the lesson was over, I thanked every god that was listening and packed up the boards. I was going home for a refreshing shower, and hopefully Luke would have some leftovers in the fridge I could eat.
After everything was packed away, I sent Casey a message telling him once again what a magical night last night had been. We'd stayed on the beach until the early hours of the morning, enjoying each other's company in every way. I'd never been in love before, not real love. But if you asked me right now, I would say I loved him. And just thinking about him brought a smile to my face—it just couldn't get rid of my headache.
I made my way towards the staff parking lot to collect my bike. I should say Mum's bike, but I seemed to have commandeered it. When I first moved to Aloha Lagoon I thought I would buy a car, but the bike was just so much fun to ride, and I got to enjoy the gorgeous Hawaiian air.
My phone jingled in my pocket, and
I thought happily of Casey, thinking he was responding to my message. But it wasn't Casey, it was my BFF, Alani. That was almost as good.
"Hey, friend!" I sang into the phone.
"Hey you," she said back. "What are you doing?"
She sounded down. I hoped nothing was wrong.
"I'm just collecting my bike and heading home. You?"
"Well, Luke just rang me. He's heading down to the police station."
My heart missed a whole beat. "What? Why?"
"So you haven't heard then?"
"Heard what?" I really hoped Luke hadn't been taken in for questioning.
"Casey didn't call you?"
"No. Alani, please tell me what's going on. You're scaring me."
"Sorry, Sam. I'm sure everything is just routine. It's just that Detective Ray went into The Lava Pot and took Casey to the station for more questioning over Ryan's murder."
I shouldn't have been shocked. The detective had told me he was looking into Casey's background. But I was. The hot air around me did nothing to stop the coldness that was swamping my body.
"Oh my goodness," I said in a whisper. "Why?"
"They found the murder weapon."
"And what does that have to do with Casey?"
"I'm not sure, but it came from The Lava Pot."
That couldn't be good.
"I need to go," I said.
"Okay. Luke should be there by now."
"Why didn't he call me?"
"He didn't want to worry you until he knew what was going on. I just thought you should know now."
"Thanks, Alani. I should know. I'm on my way."
"Do you need a lift? I can call Hani to cover the shop for me."
"No, it's okay. I've got the bike," I replied, breaking into a jog.
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