Page 11 of One Night in Hawaii

5

ARCHER

“Dammit, Pip. Why? On what planet would I want to go fishing? Do I look like the kind of man that goes fishing?”

“Which is exactly why we’re going. It’s not just fishing. It’s like a little baby cruise. We get to see the sunset and drink Mai Tai’s. It’s better than sitting cooped up in this place.”

“I’m not cooped up.”

“Archer, I spent twenty grand on this outing. You will go and you will like it.”

My mouth dropped open. We were rich, but that was ridiculous. “Penelope! Why in the hell would you spend that kind of money? We could have bought a boat for that much.”

“No, we couldn’t,” she said, snorting. “When’s the last time you went boat shopping? You couldn’t buy a speedboat for twenty grand.”

“Fine. I’ll go, but this is a waste of money.”

My plan was to get on the boat and drink until I passed out. They could carry me off the damn boat. When my sister wanted something, she didn’t stop until she got it. I was on the hook. I got dressed in a pair of shorts and a polo shirt, which was very out of character for me. It felt strange to be showing leg. I was usually in a suit, even on the weekends.

There was a car waiting to take us to the stupid boat. On the way, I felt I should remind my lovely sister of a few important facts. “You know, our great-great-uncle died on the Titanic.”

“Lighten up, Archer. It’s not like you knew him.”

“Nope, never got the chance because he’s sitting at the bottom of the ocean.”

I walked down the dock toward the end where a very nice, large boat gently bobbed up and down.

“That’s us,” Penelope said with excitement. “Just us! I’m so excited.”

“Welcome aboard.” A young man wearing all white greeted us with Mai Tais. “You’re free to take a seat on the deck or head downstairs for hors d’oeuvres.”

“We’ll sit on the deck,” Penelope answered.

I was thinking a little snack and more alcohol was the better choice. I followed behind my sister. Her white sundress whipped around giving her a very ethereal appearance.

She sat down on the sofa that spanned around the deck, then looked over at me and smiled. “Isn’t this amazing? I think I want a yacht. I would love to sail around the south of France for months at a time. I’m going to ask Matthew.”

“Have fun with that,” I muttered. “What would you do all day? You’re stuck in the middle of the ocean.”

“The idea is to relax.”

I sipped my drink and looked around. “Are we going or what?”

I noticed a woman being helped on board. Blonde curls were piled on top of her head. She was wearing cut-off jean shorts with a frayed hem and strings hanging down very tan, toned legs. A simple white tank top with a black bikini top completed the look. I assumed she was an employee but wondered why she wasn’t in the white uniform like the others.

Her bright smile made her glow. She threw her arms around one of the young men in white. They talked for a few seconds. I decided she was probably the reason we hadn’t set sail. She was an employee and she was late. I was irritated that instead of getting the show on the road, we were forced to wait for them to catch up before she got into uniform and we could go.

Then, someone handed her a drink and she started walking toward us. I looked over at Penelope. “I thought this was a private cruise.”

“It is.”

“Hi!” The beautiful woman pushed up her sunglasses. That was when I recognized her. She was the woman I nearly bulldozed on the beach. Her eyes met mine and I saw the moment she recognized me.

“Hi!” Penelope jumped up and greeted the woman. “I’m Penelope.”

The woman pulled her eyes away from mine and focused on my sister. “It’s nice to meet you, I’m Shiloh Gates.”

They both looked at me like I was supposed to jump and get all excited.

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