Page 5 of Blue Hawaiian
“Gabi calls me a bad-luck magnet. Not that I blame her. Bad luck seems to follow me wherever I go.”
Bad luck or bad choices?Like him, Jess tended to act before thinking. When they’d hooked up at Big Bear, they leapt into bed without setting any ground rules. At the time, he couldn’t imagine wanting more than a fling. He assumed Jess felt the same way, since their lives were going in different directions. While she was about to start college, he’d recently graduated. The visit to Big Bear was a way for him to kill time and avoid his father before heading off to Spain on a monthlong assignment for his family’s wine empire.
In hindsight, he should have made his expectations clear, right from the start. No strings and no promises. When Jess confessed her love for him, he was blindsided.
To say he hadn’t handled it well was an understatement.
He didn’t know if he’d ever earn her friendship back. But he’d missed her and the bond they shared after countless summers at Big Bear. Especially the nights when they’d stayed up late, sitting out by the firepit and talking.
More than once, he’d considered calling her to apologize. But for years he’d been mired in a cycle of shitty, self-destructive behavior. He’d hit rock bottom seven months ago after a bad breakup. That was when he finally put a stop to the drunken bar crawls and mindless hookups. And he tried to live by the words his younger sister, Victoria, had drummed into him: “If you can’t treat a woman with respect, asshole, then you don’t deserve her.”
After what he’d done to Jess, he definitely didn’t deserve her, even if the thought of exploring those sexy curves sent his fantasies into overdrive.
Nope. Not going there.
If he wanted to regain her friendship, he needed to stop thinking about her that way.
Time to focus on something else.
He brought out his phone and scrolled through his messages. Nothing from his dad yet. But his older brother had sent him a text.Don’t think you can escape Dad’s wrath because you’re in Maui. He’s going to give you hell as soon as he arrives.
Connor’s gut tightened. His decision to leave the family company hadn’t come easily. But if his plan succeeded, he’d be free to chart his own course.
With a light touch on his arm, Jess brought him back into the present. Her voice bore none of the irritation she’d shown earlier. “Hey. You okay?”
He exhaled. “Just…family stuff.”
“That’s the problem with a family wedding. Too much family.” She stepped to the side as a parking shuttle stopped in front of them and an elderly couple got on board. “Don’t get me wrong—I’m excited to visit Maui. But…”
“But it might be more relaxing on our own?”
“Exactly.”
He gave her a sly grin. “I saw a flight on the departures board, leaving for Honolulu at one thirty. There’s still time to make our escape.”
She laughed. “As if. We’d be in so much trouble.”
The Avis shuttle pulled up to the curb, and they climbed on board. At the rental car agency, Connor filled out the paperwork and declined the expensive add-ons. Once he and Jess located the car, he entered the resort’s address into his phone. But before he could engage her in conversation, she closed her eyes and conked out immediately.
Lost in thought, he barely noticed the view outside his window until he reached the west side of the island, just past Maalaea. On his left, the Pacific Ocean stretched out endlessly, the inky waves shimmering in the moonlight. He eased his grip on the steering wheel and allowed himself to relax. When he glanced over at Jess, she looked as beautiful as she’d been at eighteen. Though he didn’t regret a minute of the time they’d spent together, he wished he could take back those years they’d lost.
* * *
Connor drovethrough the gates of the Grand Ka’anapali Resort and continued along the winding road leading toward the beach. Palm trees illuminated with strings of white lights guided the way. He nudged Jess’s shoulder. “Wake up, Sleeping Beauty. We’re here.”
She blinked and rubbed her eyes. “Holy shit. This place ishuge.”
“It’s a five-star resort. You knew that, right?”
“Yeah, but the last hotel I stayed at was a Super 8 with a broken TV.” She lowered the window. “Ahhh. It even smells like paradise.”
He chuckled. “Isn’t that a bit much?”
“Are you mocking me? If your family weren’t paying for my room, I’d be stuck at a cheap motel. I’m not filthy rich like you are.”
Her words rankled him. “I’m not that rich.”
“But you will be, eventually.”
