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

at her plate. ‘The man’s got a point… Ladies, same again?’

Both Malie and Zoe nodded.

‘I’ll see you guys back at the school for your lessons soon,’ he said to Tara and Todd as they stood up too. ‘And thanks again for all your help today.’

‘You’re welcome,’ Todd said.

‘Next time,’ Tara blurted, ‘can you warn me I’ll be working?’

They laughed and Kalani ruffled her hair. ‘Sure thing, kiddo, but I’m really grateful, you did the work of ten men up there today.’

Tara immediately puffed up. ‘I did, didn’t I?’

‘Yup.’ He gave her a gentle fist bump and left them to it.

Todd turned to look down at Malie and Zoe, almost wishing she’d stop him, ask him to stay, anything but this…

‘Hopefully I’ll see you again before you leave, Zoe.’

‘You too.’ She gave him a smile that smacked of an apology. Not that she had anything to be sorry for.

He looked to Malie, ‘Let me know when you’re next free for my lesson, or if it suits better, with Zoe staying, perhaps I could ask Kalani to take my lessons?’

He said it with his heart in his throat, hoping she would rebuke the suggestion.

‘Sure… that would probably be best all round.’

He felt the pang of disappointment deep in his chest, immobilizing him, the silence awkward and heavy; he’d swear even Tara picked up on it as she took hold of his hand. ‘Can we try the coconut today?’

He was slow to smile down at her. ‘You can try whatever you like.’

Her grin lifted his spirits enough to leave but he couldn’t stop himself from taking one backward glance to find Malie looking right back at him. Their eyes met, the world stopped, and for the briefest second, the world fell away again, and the future was full of possibility.

And then she blinked and the wall was back, her eyes turning to Zoe beside her and his heart squeezed tight in his chest.

‘Come on, Mr Masters, I bet that queue is going to be huge.’

Malie averted her gaze. There was too much in his, too much she couldn’t acknowledge or accept. No matter how much she wanted to. She looked at Zoe to find her friend too busy watching Todd leave.

She elbowed her. ‘Hey.’

‘Hey yourself,’ Zoe murmured, nudging Malie back but not taking her eyes off him.

‘Hey.’

Zoe dragged her eyes away and looked at Malie hard. ‘Well, if you’re not going to appreciate his… assets, why can’t I?’

Malie stared at her, hardly able to believe what her friend was saying. Yes, Malie had been clear that there was nothing between them, that there would never be, but she’d also been clear about why. Did Zoe really—

‘See!’ Her friend suddenly blurted. ‘You care!’

It took another second to realize that Zoe had played her. ‘Not funny, Zo.’

‘I’m just trying to make you see sense.’

‘Yeah, well you ogling the first guy I’ve ever wanted to get serious with really isn’t going to help.’

‘It just did.’

‘What do you mean, it just did?’

‘That’s the most honest you’ve been about him to date, admitting that you want a relationship with him.’

‘I’m not admitting—’

Zoe’s hardened stare cut her off.

‘OK, I am admitting that, but it still doesn’t change things.’

‘Change what? The whole, he’s a millionaire and has no place hanging around the little people like—’

‘I didn’t say little people.’

‘It’s what you meant though, Devil. And quite frankly it sucks that you would ever think it. And if you bring up my family’s wealth again, the rest of my drink’s going over your head. There aren’t thousands of miles and a WiFi connection between us to protect you now.’

Malie felt her cheeks burn. ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you with that, it just slipped out, I was desperate.’

‘Desperately trying to avoid the feelings you have for him, yeah, I get that. But if you want my opinion, guys like that are in short supply. The way he is with Tara, helping out Kalani, he obviously has the brains to have reached the grand heights he has career-wise and still he puts time and money into his charity ventures, into people that need it…’

Malie picked at the chips on her plate but didn’t eat one. She couldn’t stomach any more food now. Not with Zoe pointing out the obvious. But how great he was wasn’t the issue.

‘To have all that going for him and to look like he does, I think it’s practically criminal that you’ve turned him down.’

Malie pushed her plate away and said nothing. What could she say other than to repeat herself?

‘The thing is, I thought V was lucky,’ Zoe continued, on a roll, ‘finding Oliver and the happiness she has, but you put him and Oliver side by side, I’d struggle to choose between them. And that happiness she’s found, it could be yours too.’

Malie shook her head, ‘Don’t, Zo.’

‘Don’t what?’

‘Tease.’ Don’t tease me with the picture-perfect future that deep down I crave but don’t think I can have.

‘I’m not teasing you, Devil, I’m telling you to get out there and take what he is offering. It exists, it’s not a figment of my imagination how he looks at you and quite frankly, if I was you and I had him looking at me like that, I’d be wheeling myself out of here and high-tailing it after him right this minute.’

There was a startled cough from behind them and they both turned to find a flustered Kalani staring at a point between their heads. ‘I’ll just put these down here and make myself scarce.’

‘You don’t need to—’ Malie started to say.

‘No, no, it’s fine, this has girl talk written all over it. I’ll be back at the bar… with the men.’

He fled and they watched him go, torn between guilt and giggles.

‘Oh dear,’ Zoe covered her mouth, ‘do you think he’ll be able to look me in the eye tomorrow?’

They both laughed, the atmosphere easing.

‘Look, Malie, you are one of my best friends,’ Zoe said softly. ‘I love you like a sister. I wouldn’t