made for sex.
“I was going to replace your bathroom tile today,” Lani announced when he returned to the kitchen. “But it’s stuck in a bottleneck at the port in Honolulu. Hopefully it’ll arrive tomorrow.” She added cream cheese and smoked salmon to the eggs she’d poured into a pan.
“Did you ever reach your friend?” The woman hadn’t answered her phone when Lani had called her from the Breslins’ house.
“No. I called her again last night after I got home. And three times this morning.” She shook her head. “But there wasn’t any answer.”
“Maybe she and that Ford guy eloped last night,” he suggested. “And she was calling to tell you before they left the island.”
“Perhaps,” Lani murmured, clearly unconvinced as she snipped fresh chives into the mix. “But you’d think she’d at least answer her phone.”
“Probably not if they’re on their honeymoon.”
“I suppose that’s a point. But I can’t believe she wouldn’t have called me first. Ford runs a charter boat. I thought it would be fun if we could all have a twilight dinner sail this evening, but if she doesn’t call back, I guess that’s off the table. Meanwhile, we’re taking you shopping.”
“I am not, under any circumstances, going to wear one of those damned flowered shirts.”
Lani sighed and reminded herself to be patient. He was, after all, a malihini —a newcomer—and should be allowed time to adjust. “May I remind you that my dad wore one last night? And that I thought he looked great?”
“It fit him,” Donovan agreed. “He’s not only a native, he’s the king of the island. Literally. Which means he can pretty much wear whatever the hell he likes.”
“Point taken. But you can’t deny that Tom Selleck looked hot in them in Magnum P.I.”
“Selleck is an actor. He was playing a part. The shirts were part of his character’s laid-back image.”
“But not part of yours,” she guessed.
Just when she thought he might be beginning to unwind, he reverted to the man who’d shown up here yesterday. “Lani, I’m a police detective. My image is supposed to be a symbol of authority.”
Lani decided that this was not the time to point out that she’d never been all that fond of authority figures.
“All right.” She took the pan off the range and tipped the folded omelet onto a plate. “I’ll let you off the shirt hook for now, but those jeans have to go because they’re heavy and bulky, and don’t dry fast when they get wet. Which they will. The same as your shoes. Except for hiking over the lava on the volcano, you’ll need slippahs.” When she saw him about to argue, she clarified. “Otherwise known as flip-flops on the mainland.”
“No. Period. Way.”
“They’re more than an island fashion statement. They’re practical because they dry fast and it’s easy to shake the sand off them.”
“I don’t remember any fashion police when I was down here with Nate.”
“Maybe not. But I’ll bet you ended up borrowing his stuff.”
His brow furrowed as he thought back. “Yeah. I guess I did.”
“See?” She flashed him her best smile. The same one she’d pulled out while contestant wrangling on Beauty in order to urge intimate sharing in the “confessional” segments.
“The thing is,” Donovan argued, “I don’t need to worry about getting wet or sand in my shoes today because I’d planned to sit out on the lanai and get some studying done.”
“Wrong again,” she answered cheerfully, ignoring his frown. “Since the library’s not open today, and the tile hasn’t arrived, as soon as you finish that omelet, we’re going sightseeing. And, if you’re very, very nice, before shopping, I’ll even take you snorkeling and introduce you to Moby Dick.”
“Since I had to wade through the damn book in freshman English, Moby Dick isn’t really a draw.”
“You’ll like this one. He’s an uhu , or parrotfish I feed every day.” She nodded at the untouched
“I was going to replace your bathroom tile today,” Lani announced when he returned to the kitchen. “But it’s stuck in a bottleneck at the port in Honolulu. Hopefully it’ll arrive tomorrow.” She added cream cheese and smoked salmon to the eggs she’d poured into a pan.
“Did you ever reach your friend?” The woman hadn’t answered her phone when Lani had called her from the Breslins’ house.
“No. I called her again last night after I got home. And three times this morning.” She shook her head. “But there wasn’t any answer.”
“Maybe she and that Ford guy eloped last night,” he suggested. “And she was calling to tell you before they left the island.”
“Perhaps,” Lani murmured, clearly unconvinced as she snipped fresh chives into the mix. “But you’d think she’d at least answer her phone.”
“Probably not if they’re on their honeymoon.”
“I suppose that’s a point. But I can’t believe she wouldn’t have called me first. Ford runs a charter boat. I thought it would be fun if we could all have a twilight dinner sail this evening, but if she doesn’t call back, I guess that’s off the table. Meanwhile, we’re taking you shopping.”
“I am not, under any circumstances, going to wear one of those damned flowered shirts.”
Lani sighed and reminded herself to be patient. He was, after all, a malihini —a newcomer—and should be allowed time to adjust. “May I remind you that my dad wore one last night? And that I thought he looked great?”
“It fit him,” Donovan agreed. “He’s not only a native, he’s the king of the island. Literally. Which means he can pretty much wear whatever the hell he likes.”
“Point taken. But you can’t deny that Tom Selleck looked hot in them in Magnum P.I.”
“Selleck is an actor. He was playing a part. The shirts were part of his character’s laid-back image.”
“But not part of yours,” she guessed.
Just when she thought he might be beginning to unwind, he reverted to the man who’d shown up here yesterday. “Lani, I’m a police detective. My image is supposed to be a symbol of authority.”
Lani decided that this was not the time to point out that she’d never been all that fond of authority figures.
“All right.” She took the pan off the range and tipped the folded omelet onto a plate. “I’ll let you off the shirt hook for now, but those jeans have to go because they’re heavy and bulky, and don’t dry fast when they get wet. Which they will. The same as your shoes. Except for hiking over the lava on the volcano, you’ll need slippahs.” When she saw him about to argue, she clarified. “Otherwise known as flip-flops on the mainland.”
“No. Period. Way.”
“They’re more than an island fashion statement. They’re practical because they dry fast and it’s easy to shake the sand off them.”
“I don’t remember any fashion police when I was down here with Nate.”
“Maybe not. But I’ll bet you ended up borrowing his stuff.”
His brow furrowed as he thought back. “Yeah. I guess I did.”
“See?” She flashed him her best smile. The same one she’d pulled out while contestant wrangling on Beauty in order to urge intimate sharing in the “confessional” segments.
“The thing is,” Donovan argued, “I don’t need to worry about getting wet or sand in my shoes today because I’d planned to sit out on the lanai and get some studying done.”
“Wrong again,” she answered cheerfully, ignoring his frown. “Since the library’s not open today, and the tile hasn’t arrived, as soon as you finish that omelet, we’re going sightseeing. And, if you’re very, very nice, before shopping, I’ll even take you snorkeling and introduce you to Moby Dick.”
“Since I had to wade through the damn book in freshman English, Moby Dick isn’t really a draw.”
“You’ll like this one. He’s an uhu , or parrotfish I feed every day.” She nodded at the untouched
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