Meet Me in Hawaii by Georgia Toffolo (novels for beginners txt) 📕

so that he could approach their walk on far more solid ground and make it all about the charity and not this irresistible pull he felt towards her.

He caught a passing waitress and took up two glasses, then debated putting his glass back – he didn’t need alcohol to lower his inhibitions any further, he was already being tested to the limit by Malie’s unique charm. But then it didn’t seem right only returning with one. So, two it was.

Shaking his head at his own uncertainty, he turned to retrace his steps. All he needed was to be his usual, normal self. He never let his countenance slip. He never let the physical override the mental.

He lifted his gaze, seeking her out, and there she stood waiting for him. Her beauty, her smile… his stomach flipped like he’d gone over a hump in the road. He knew he was in trouble, yet he kept on walking. They had people to help and, together, there was so much good to be done. He wouldn’t jeopardize any of that for whatever temporary affliction this was.

‘Here.’ He proffered a glass and she took it with a smile, her lips surrounding the pineapple-adorned straw as she took a sip.

‘You like it, then?’ He gestured to the glass. ‘The Fun For All cocktail?’

‘It looks…’ she took another sip, ‘and tastes remarkably like a Tequila Sunrise.’

He laughed. ‘Close, it’s a Tequila Sunrise with a fun twist.’

Her smile warmed him through. ‘You going to tell me what the twist is?’

‘Top secret, I’m afraid, it would be more than my life’s worth.’

She laughed, the sound so easy, so perfect. ‘For real?’

‘For real.’ He looked past her to the path which led to the beach from the pergola and through a part of him, the part that was aware of the crowd and kept this side – the right side – of professional, he said, ‘We can get to the beach this way.’

‘Perfect.’

Lights secreted away in the ground lit up the path. Palms swayed in the sea breeze and the noise around them turned from party music and chatter to the waves crashing on the shore and the wildlife.

He hadn’t actually done this yet, taken a stroll on the beach at night, enjoying the beauty Hawaii had to offer. By the time he closed his laptop or came off an overseas phone call he was either ready to sleep for the few hours he routinely had, or he’d hit the gym to try and get his mind to quit. It seemed it took the appearance of someone like Malie to make it easy to do just that.

‘It is beautiful here,’ he murmured, and she turned to him with a smile as stunning as the view, although her response was cut off by a particularly high and piercing Ko-Kee cry from the undergrowth.

She looked in its direction, as did he, half expecting to see its source staring back at him.

‘They’re loud, aren’t they?’ she said.

‘What is it that makes the noise?’ He squinted into the darkness but still he could see nothing obvious. ‘There must be loads of them, it’s quite incessant.’

‘They’re Coqui frogs, the sound is in the name. They’re native to Puerto Rico but people say they were accidentally imported here on shipments back in the late eighties… They’re seen as a nuisance, but I kind of like the sound. It beats the quiet any day.’

‘I can’t imagine Hawaii ever feeling quiet.’

‘True.’ She took a long breath and let it out slowly. ‘It’s part of the reason I love it here.’

‘Not a fan of silence?’

The beach lay just ahead, the white sandy stretch illuminated by the light of the moon alone and for a second he was stunned still. How had he not done this yet? It was beautiful. No light pollution to ruin the night sky, not like the city skylines he was used to. The moon was bright white, turning the few clouds into wisps of silver, stars littered as far as the eye could see.

‘I’ve always lived by the sea,’ she said. ‘The sound of the waves breaking is home for me.’

‘And where is home? Or where was it?’

She gave him a wistful smile. ‘Devon.’

‘You miss it?’

‘Sometimes.’ They reached the path and she dipped to slip off her sandals. ‘When I think of my childhood, I miss it. Like Nalu, I was practically born in the ocean. My parents owned a surf school in Hawke’s Cove and my brother and I took advantage of that every chance we got. Even when we should have been doing homework, we’d sneak off, grab a board and hit the waves.’

She gave him a cheeky grin and he was transported back in time, imagining a younger Malie doing just that. She stood and walked onto the beach, her faced lifted to the moon and Todd just watched her, his mind on what her childhood must have been like. To have had one where you shared in your parents’ joy, had a sibling to conquer the waves with, had a home. A real home.

‘You coming?’ she called over her shoulder.

He started to move after her and she turned to face him as she backed away. ‘Take your shoes off, honestly, the sand will feel amazing beneath your feet.’

He shook his head and smiled. It was such a simple thing to take pleasure from. He toed off his shoes, his socks, and stepped into the sand. The cool grains eased between his toes, his feet sinking into the softness.

‘See?’ she cooed, her fingers holding her straw before her lips, her eyebrow raised.

He nodded. ‘OK, I’ll admit it’s… different.’

And nicer than he expected…

She stepped backwards, luring him closer to the shoreline and he followed, wanting to know more. All about the girl, Malie. Adult, Malie. The whole package.

‘What brings a woman from Hawke’s Cove all the way to Hawaii?’

‘It’s a long story.’

‘I have all night.’

She gave a soft laugh. ‘I’ll give you the cut-down version. My father and Kalani – he’s my