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

‘Cheers.’

He left before Malie could get wind of his plan and change both their minds. He left before he could change his own too. His instincts told him this was worth taking a risk on and they’d never let him down before.

He was pensive, so distracted by his thoughts that it took him a while to realize his phone was ringing in his pocket. He pulled it out and checked the ID. It was Grace, his PA.

He swiped the call to answer. ‘Hi, Grace.’

‘Todd, I’ve had a call from Tara’s mum, Anne-Marie. She’s asked if you could give her a call back, I explained you might be tied up but—’

‘Of course, I’m just heading for the house, I’ll call her on the way.’

He hung up, hoping whatever it was, it was nothing bad. Tara was doing so well and as far as he could tell, her parents were benefitting too. Everything seemed to be heading in the right direction.

He located their number and dialled, Tara’s mother answered after a few rings. ‘Todd, thank you so much for calling back!’

He could hear the smile in her voice and took it as a good sign.

‘No problem, how can I help?’

‘I… err, we – Charles and I – wanted to ask a small favour, if at all possible, it’s fine if you can’t, or if it doesn’t work for you, or you know, you have plans…’

She was rambling with obvious nerves and he chuckled. ‘Hey, Anne-Marie, it’s fine, just ask…’

Chapter Fifteen

THEY WERE ON THEIR second bottle of wine and the giggles were rife. God, how she’d missed this!

‘So come on, Zo, spill, there must have been at least one total hottie in the Caribbean that you had your wicked way with?’ She topped up Zoe’s wine glass before seeing to her own and plonked the bottle back on the table between them.

They were lounging on the cushioned sun-beds Malie had borrowed from her neighbour for the duration of Zoe’s visit, having realized the upside-down crate she often used wouldn’t cut it and she didn’t want her friend feeling like she had to stay in her wheelchair all of the time.

‘Please,’ Malie groaned out slowly, ‘I need to know one of us, other than loved-up V, is getting some these days!’

‘You have such a way with words, Devil.’ But Zoe’s laugh totally belied her criticism as she lifted her glass and sipped at it. ‘Since when have you struggled anyway?’

Since a certain someone appeared on the scene, or the beach more like…

‘Ah, hang on,’ Zoe said, all enlightened. ‘It’s because of him, isn’t it?’

Malie feigned innocence. ‘Who?’

‘The sexy millionaire who heads up the charity and has you craving more than just a quickie.’

‘Zoe!’

Her friend laughed harder. ‘Don’t you go acting all hurt and offended, Devil, you forget I know you.’

‘And I know you and you’re changing the subject.’

Zoe shook her head. ‘I’m not, there really is nothing worth telling.’

Malie snorted into her glass. ‘Well, that’s disappointing.’

‘It’s worse than disappointing, the fact is there have been men, walking-sex-god type men, but every time we get to the bedroom they morph into airy-fairy nurse types. Tell me if I hurt you, is this OK, do you want me to move you here, here or here?’ She flapped her hand around her dramatically. ‘It’s like they suddenly think I’ve lost the use of every limb and that I’ll break if they so much as touch me, let alone lose control. And don’t get me started on the panic in their faces when I so much as moan.’

‘Moan?’ Malie looked to Zoe and tried to keep the rising giggle in.

‘Yes, you know…’ Colour crept into Zoe’s creamy white skin and her eyes flashed. ‘An oh-yes, God-yes, When-Harry-Met-Sally moan, they practically leap off me in fear. It’s good enough to kill the moment dead.’

‘You know what you need?’ Malie said, acting the expert and waving her glass at her friend.

‘What?’

‘You need a real bad boy, someone who’s been around the block a few times and could really show you a good time. A bit of rough.’

Zoe laughed into her wine glass, humming as she swallowed it down. ‘You probably have a point there.’

‘It’s such a shame you and Finn never… you know…’ Malie made a bed-squeaking sound, lifting her mouth at the corner as she gestured.

Zoe shot her a look, choking on her wine. ‘Finn?’

‘Yeah, come on, don’t give me that look of surprise. You forget, I know you too well.’

‘You don’t know me as well as I think you do, if you believe there was anything going on between me and Finn.’

‘The lady doth protest too much, methinks.’

‘Really, you’re going to use Shakespeare against me now? You didn’t even read the book.’

‘I did so,’ Malie protested or rather lied, her lips pursed around the laughter dying to get out.

‘Right, which play is it in?’

Malie erupted with a giggle. ‘OK you got me, but seriously, the line still holds… he was a bit of rough with a reputation to boot, he would have sorted you out “down there” no problem.’

‘Down there, Jesus, Devil, what kind of phrase is that?’

‘You know what I’m getting at though, don’t you?’ Malie laughed and Zoe joined her, throwing back a gulp of her wine.

‘Yeah, well, that was never going to happen.’

‘But why not? And don’t tell me it was because of the accident.’

Zoe shook her head. ‘No, not that. At least…’

‘At least?’

Zoe looked to her and Malie caught a glimpse of vulnerability in her fragile features, a weakness her friend rarely let slip through. ‘That summer at the Crab Shack, Finn always treated me like you girls did.’

‘Well, not quite,’ Malie laughed softly. ‘I wasn’t eyeing you up like I could strip you naked and have my wicked way with you.’

She was trying to lighten Zo’s mood and was pleased to see her friend’s lips quirk with a hint of laughter.

‘I swear you just see what you want to see.’

‘You ask V or Lils and they’ll tell you