Page 87 of Blue Hawaiian
“Shit.” Jess clapped her hand over her mouth. “Sorry. How long will it take?”
Kai paused before speaking. “Give me an hour. Maybe longer, depending on how the morning goes. We have a lot of orders to make up.”
Connor pulled out his phone. Seven thirty. They still needed to drive back to the hotel, shower, and change. They’d be cutting things close. The last thing he wanted to do was show up late. He could only imagine his dad’s reaction. But after Jess sent him a pleading look, he conceded. “It’s fine. We’ll wait.”
Which was how they found themselves sitting at a wrought-iron bistro table outside the bakery, drinking coffee and sharing cupcakes. Jess had insisted on ordering a few, just to test them out, and he wasn’t about to say no. Despite the early hour, a few tourists were already strolling along Front Street, drinking coffee and taking photos. A gentle breeze blew in from the harbor, and gulls swooped overhead.
Jess cut up the cupcakes and gave them each a sample of the four flavors Gabi had chosen. After a few sips of coffee and half a salted caramel cupcake, Connor had recovered from his initial fatigue. All things considered, sitting outdoors with Jess and drinking coffee in Maui on a gorgeous July morning wasn’t a bad place to be.
As if sensing the change in his mood, Jess sought out his gaze. “Connor? I’m sorry you have to wait here with me.”
He shrugged. “No worries. I didn’t mean to snap at you earlier. Now that I’ve got some coffee into my system, I feel a little more human.”
“I’m…also sorry I screwed up everything.”
He was getting tired of hearing that. “You didn’t screw up. Screwing up implies you tried and failed. Which is perfectly understandable. Youliedto me. There’s a difference.”
She drew back as if he’d slapped her. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have lied. It was a shitty thing to do.”
At least she was owning up to her failings rather than blaming them on someone else. He drained his coffee and set the cup down. “I just wish you’d trusted me from the start.”
“I guess I was scared after what happened last time.” She blinked back tears. “I should have known you’d changed.”
She should have. But in the clear light of morning, he could understand her reluctance. After the way she’d been hurt before—not just by him, but by that asshole, Simon—it was a wonder she trusted anyone. He’d been much too hard on her.
He reached across the table and entwined his fingers with hers. “I’m sorry, too. I reacted badly and said things I didn’t mean.”
“You don’t have to apologize. You’re not the one who lied.”
“No, but I shut you down when you wanted to talk. I should have given you a chance to explain. Then we both might have slept better.”
A couple of cyclists pulled up and locked their bikes on a post outside the bakery. He waited until they’d gone inside to continue.
“The thing is—we both lied. Right from the start, we messed up by keeping this fling a secret from Marc and Gabi. We shouldn’t have done it.”
“Done what—had a fling?” Jess pulled her hand away, the hurt evident in her eyes.
Her vulnerable expression cut him to the core. “No. Our fling was the best thing about this trip. But we shouldn’t have lied to our families. They asked too much of us. We’re both adults. If we wanted to get involved with each other, that was our business, not theirs.”
“You’re right. And if we’d been honest with them, last night would have gone off perfectly, like Gabi wanted.”
“True, but it wouldn’t have been nearly as entertaining.”
She burst out laughing. “We’re the worst, aren’t we?”
“Nah, we’re just not perfect. Like ninety-nine percent of the population.”
She gave him a shy smile. “You really think the fling was the best thing about the trip?”
He grinned. “Piña coladas are overrated. A beach is a beach. But being with you? That’s unbeatable.”
Even as he said it, he longed to take her back in his arms.
Good thing his flight was leaving in twelve hours.
If he stuck around much longer, he’d never want things to end.
Chapter 34
