Page 34 of One Night in Hawaii

“Oh, sorry,” I said without meeting his eyes. “I have some things to do. I’ll see you at the party tonight, though.”

He looked at me like he wanted to say more. “Okay. I’ll see you there.”

“Hey!” Ryder was on the beach waving at us like an idiot. “I was wondering if you guys were ever coming back.”

Penelope was sitting in a beach chair with her feet in the water. She had on her sunglasses but not the hat. I was a little surprised to see her hanging out with Ryder.

Archer and I walked toward them. “What are you guys up to?” I asked.

“Hanging out, killing time until it’s time for the party,” Ryder answered. “I found this one looking a little forlorn on the beach and decided to take her under my wing.”

“You didn’t just find me,” Penelope said. “You were stalking me. I was enjoying the private beach in front of our house when he showed up.”

“Hang out with us,” Ryder said. “I was going to cook some hotdogs.”

“I can’t,” I blurted out. “I need to run some errands.”

“What?” Ryder looked confused. “Like what?”

“Stuff. Supplies. Oil. I need oil.”

“Okay. You’ve got the keys to the truck.”

“I’ll walk,” I said. “See you guys later.”

I quickly walked away before Archer could offer to come with me. I couldn’t be around him.

I had to sort out my feelings and figure out why the thought of Archer with Ashley was bothering me so much. As I walked into town, I tried to shake off the thoughts of Archer and focused on my errands.

I walked into the store and grabbed the oil I needed. As I paid for it, a familiar voice spoke behind me. “Hey, stranger.”

I turned around to see Max, my ex-boyfriend. I had not seen him in over a year. “Hi, Max,” I said.

“What brings you to this side of town?” he asked.

“Just running some errands,” I replied, trying to keep it as vague as possible. Max and I dated off and on through college but it just never stuck. He was decent enough, but we never really clicked.

Max leaned in closer to me, his breath hot against my neck. “You look good,” he whispered. “Better than ever.”

“Thanks,” I said with a tight smile.

Max moved in even closer, his lips dangerously close to mine. “Do you want to grab a drink or something?”

I pushed him away. “No, I don’t. I have plans.”

“Aw, you’re breaking my heart,” he joked.

“I’m sure your heart will be just fine. Bye, Max.”

It was strange because normally when Max and I had these chance encounters, we did get a drink and then other things happened. That was about the only thing good between us. But I didn’t want that. I wanted only one man, and I couldn’t have him. I spent another hour meandering around town killing time.

When I got back to Ryder’s place, Archer and Penelope were gone—thank God. Ryder and the guys were all getting ready for the party. I decided I was going to have fun. I was going to party like I was single and looking for excitement.

I took a quick shower and put on a black bikini with little fake diamond embellishments. It was more of a suit you wore to be seen in rather than swim in. The beach party might end up with some splashing in the water. The dress I was wearing wasn’t really a dress at all. It was a crocheted dress that landed mid-thigh with long, flowing sleeves. I put some product in my hair to tame the frizz and opted to leave it down for the night. To my surprise, I found myself actually putting on a little eye makeup. Nothing major, but enough to make me look different than I normally did.

“Knock, knock!” I heard Penelope call out.

“Down here!”

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