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“So, I gotta ask,” he announces. “How is it that these happy-couple photos are going to cheer up your mom? Won’t she be worried to see her daughter hitting it off with some stranger?”
“Oh, no. You won’t be a stranger. I told her weeks ago I was dating a guy long-distance. These are going to be proof.”
He chuckles in that smooth, rumbling way I’m already starting to love. “Okay, okay. I can see the diabolical genius of it. Your mom is pressuring you to date… you’ve got the story already rolling…”
“Exactly. I made up this guy, Matt Monroe, and she’s so happy for me. I guess that’s what matters to me right now. I’ll deal with the rest down the line. Winters are always the hardest for her anyway. She always perks up come spring.”
“The winter blues. You must be from one of those states where the sun doesn’t shine.”
“Once, the winter was so bad that the local newspaper printed an actual article about our first sunny spring day. ‘Locals Appreciate First Sunshine of Ninety-one Days.’”
“Man, ninety-one days of gray. That’s a long stretch.”
“It probably sounds ridiculous that it made the news, but believe me, it was worthy. I remember that day. The feel of sunshine on my cheeks was a revelation. I was like, what is this wonderful feeling?”
He grins. “I get it. We’re sun worshippers out west. And I get that you want to cure your mom’s winter blues, too. No harm there. If you ask me, your fib about the boyfriend goes under the umbrella of ‘harmless white lies.”
“I’m hoping for more than harmless. I’m hoping we earn some actual smiles.”
“I’ll put on the charm for the photos.”
“You seem to be fairly good at that.”
“Fairly?” He arches his brow again, then nudges me gently. I rock in the hot water, and when I settle in again—eek! —our shoulders kiss. “Come on. I’ve been told I have a silver tongue. And all you’re giving me is ‘fairly’ charming?”
“Okay, okay,” I giggle. “I take it back. Very charming.”
“Great revision. I’ll take it. Believe me, your mother will think you’ve got husband material in your life when these photos come in. She’ll start searching for baby blanket patterns online so she can start crocheting. These photos will be better medicine for her winter blues than one of those UV lights.”
“Ugh. I actually did get her one of those a few seasons back. It didn’t fix things enough…”
When he watches me, patiently waiting for more, my words flow out. “It’s like she thinks that if she fixes me, her life will improve. We’ve got issues.”
I pause before promising I’m working on it, like I always tell myself.
Oh, Chester.
I miss you.
The water tickles my chin when I sink a little lower. My arm slides delightfully along Mr. Hunk’s.
We settle in closer together.
Maybe it is too easy to sit next to this guy.
And maybe I still have Vacation Brain. The rum isn’t entirely out of my system, and the sunshine and surf view make me feel very… un-Hazel-like.
I don’t usually chat like this with strangers.
Hawaii has cast some kind of spell on me. No, it’s probably this guy who has cast it. His easygoing openness makes me want to be more open than usual. Plus, I know I’ll never have to see him again once this week is over. That takes a lot of pressure off.
As the jets massage my back, I relax a few tense muscles.
Our legs touch under the frothy surface. Just barely, but… still. The contact makes me feel all buzzed up, even more so than that cocktail I slurped down as if it was Gatorade. My heart thrums happily.
“Everyone has issues,” he says.
“Yeah. One hundred percent.”
