“Wonderful.” She giggled, but there was a sadness radiating from her smile. “But who wouldn’t be in this paradise?”
“Genie, this is my son, Donnie.”
“It’s nice to meet you.” Genie smiled and offered her hand. He accepted.
“Believe me,” he said. “The pleasure is all mine.”
“You work here at the hotel, too?” she asked.
He nodded.
“Yeah? What do you do here?”
Before his mother could brag about the fact that he owned the place, he said, “I do a little of this and a little of that.”
As pretty as Genie was, there was something in her eyes—agony, perhaps—that tugged at his heartstrings. It made him want to pull her to him and comfort her.
“It was very nice to meet you.” She gave him one last smile, then turned and stepped away. His heart wanted to follow her.
“Um, Genie?” He stepped clumsily after her. She glanced over her shoulder, smiled and stopped. He said, “I’ve a favor to ask you.” She waited. He swallowed the lump in his throat, or maybe it was his pride, and said, “I have to attend a dinner cruise tonight. Would you like to join me?”
For a minute, she looked liked she was going to decline, but then the a smile tipped the corners of her mouth. “Okay.” She nodded. “Might be fun.”
“Great. I’m meet you here in the lobby. At four.”
“What’s the dress code?”
He chuckled, suddenly very aware of his tan trousers and yellow Hawaiian shirt. “Everything in Hawaii is casual.”
“All right.” She nodded. “See you here in the lobby at four.”
Donnie watched her walk toward the elevators. He hoped she showed. Mentally, he calculated the odds. Forty-sixty. Thirty-seventy. Definitely not in his favor.
If he had reminded her that he owned the hotel—he was sure Marla had already brought it up—it might have increased his odds. But truth be told, Donnie didn’t want to have dinner with that kind of girl.
Genie caught one last glimpse of Marla’s son, Donnie, as the elevator doors closed between them. He had movie-star good looks with a tall, athletic body. His hair was as dark as the night and cropped short. His eyes matched the blue water off the shores of Oahu.
She wondered what his job at the hotel really was? He’d been awfully evasive when she asked. Maybe hotel concierge or something like that. It mattered little, though. She was here to forget about that rat, Ross, and she had a feeling Donnie Taylor was a good way to start.
Genie decided to wear a dress she’d bought a couple of days ago in Waikiki. She’d been instantly drawn to the Hawaiian dress with spaghetti straps. Its red flowers against a black background was eye-catching. She’d also picked up a short cashmere sweater in black to go with it.
At five of four she grabbed her leather-cased phone, draped the strap over her shoulder, and headed out. When the elevator doors parted at the lobby, she couldn’t believe her eyes. Donnie was standing at the concierge desk, wearing a Hawaiian shirt that matched her dress. Genie’s first thought was to run back upstairs and change so he didn’t think she was spying on him. That was something Ross would’ve thought.
Before she could press the elevator button, Donnie glanced her way and smiled. Too late. She was stuck now. She felt her face flush as she stepped out of the lift.
He strolled toward her with the kind of swagger that comes from an abundance of confidence. His delightful smile made it easier to take his assurance, which bordered on arrogance.
“Nice dress,” he said.
“Nice shirt.”
“You know what this means…?”
She sucked in a breath and held it, waiting for him to say something completely unfiltered and inappropriate.
“You and I…” he said. “We’re a perfect fit.”
He offered his arm and she draped her hand around the crook of it. “You’re pretty sure of yourself,” she said as he led her toward the hotel entrance.
“No, I’m not,” he said softly as they passed through the doors. “It’s just a cover.” He opened the door to a car waiting at curbside.
“For what?” she asked, climbing into the back seat.
Donnie slid in beside her and the driver shut the door. Donnie leaned toward her and said, “Intimidation.”
Genie felt her brow furrow, unable to determine if he was talking about himself or her.
“You intimidate the hell out of me, girl.” He chuckled a bit, and shook his head.
“Me? Intimidate you?” Maybe he thought she was rich or something. Boy was he in for a shock. She and Ross had saved for over a year to afford this trip.
“You’re an incredibly beautiful woman, Genie.” His admiring gaze raked over her in ways that made her want to blush.
Me? Genie fought hard to keep her cool by tossing in a little humor to see if it’d help. “You don’t get out much, do you?”
His laughter lightened the mood, and she was happy for it. He said, “Oh, I pride myself on being an authority on beautiful women.” He nodded. “And you’re by far at the top of the list.”
She studied him stoically as the thought actions speak louder than words crossed her mind. She asked, “Do women actually buy that line?”
He looked at her for a minute, really looked at her, then a sad smile tipped the corners of his mouth. Genie bet he was a good kisser. He asked, “You’re fresh off a heartbreak, aren’t you?”
Genie’s heart stammered against her chest and she felt her face flush. “Nothing I can’t handle.” It took her a few seconds to work up the courage to look at Donnie. But she might as well get it over with and set the boundaries right now. “And nothing I want to talk about, either.”
“All right.” He waited a beat before saying, “Can I ask you one thing, though?”
She raised her eyebrows to harden her glare.
“Are you really single? Or are you just waiting-on-him-to-come-to-his-senses single?”
Genie hadn’t considered that notion. She let the idea tumble around in her head. Would she go back to Ross? She’d like to think she wouldn’t. “I am,” she said, hoping to convey a measure of certainty in her words, “really single.”
He shot her sly grin. “Good.”
The drive to the marina was pleasant with Donnie naming points of interest along the way. Genie could get used to having her own personal tour guide.