Paige had always had a thing for the bad boys. It wasn’t practical, or really even smart, but most of the time they didn’t give her a second glance, so she couldn’t get herself in too much trouble. Wyatt had been the first bad boy to look back at her. Giving in to that attraction had landed her on the path to single parenthood. Even knowing that didn’t make her take the step back from Mano that she knew she should.
He never looked at her directly, but she could feel his attention completely fixated in her direction as though he knew she was admiring him. “Do you have plans this evening, Paige?”
Paige frowned. She really didn’t have plans for the week. The only thing on the books was the memorial service on Friday. “I don’t have plans at all. I figured I would talk to the concierge about booking a few things this week, but right now, I’m winging the whole vacation.”
“Are you the kind that normally wings a vacation?”
“God, no,” she admitted. “I’m a super planner, but this was a bit of a last minute adventure for me. I read some of a travel guide on the flight over, but that’s about it.”
“A last minute trip to Hawaii to stay in the penthouse suite, eh? There are worse things, I suppose.”
Well, she supposed that some people lived a life with random tropical vacations, but Paige wasn’t one of them. “I’m not complaining, that’s for sure. I do feel a little like I’m flapping in the trade winds, however. I’ll feel better once I have a plan.”
“Well, start your plans with having dinner with me tonight,” he said.
Paige narrowed her gaze at him, wondering if perhaps she’d heard him wrong. It was one thing for her to fantasize about him, but why would a Polynesian god like him want to have dinner with her? Was he just being polite because he knew she was here alone? “You want to have dinner with me?”
Mano chuckled and shoved his free hand into the pocket of his jeans. “Why is that such a ridiculous proposition? You eat, don’t you?”
“Well, yes, of course I eat. It’s just—”
“And you don’t have plans, do you?” he interrupted.
“No plans,” she confirmed reluctantly. She wasn’t sure why the idea of having dinner with him unnerved her so much. She should be relieved. This was one meal she could have with a man where she wouldn’t have to worry about him watching her critically across the table the whole time.
She could just imagine her family’s response if she told them she was having dinner with a blind man— “He’d be perfect for you!”
Perhaps that was the key to his interest. He didn’t know what she looked like. Her sister, Piper, had once suggested she try dating one of her blind patients. The helpful idea in Piper’s mind had only sounded cruel in her own head. Maybe her sister was on to something, though.
“Excellent. I’d love for you to join me tonight at the owner’s table of The Pearl. It’s our seafood restaurant and was rated as one of the best on the island the last five years running. You’ll love it.”
The owner’s table? That made more sense to Paige than the idea of a date or something, although she had to admit she felt a pang of disappointment that went straight to her core. This was some kind of “schmooze with the rich hotel guests” kind of thing. With her luck, he’d probably try to talk her into buying a time-share or something. Mano would certainly be disappointed to find out she wasn’t the usual wealthy penthouse guest. Of course, a nice dinner with him was certainly better than anything else she had planned, which was a big nothing all by herself.
“I can give you some suggestions on how to spend your time here,” he added almost as if to sweeten the deal, as though a free meal and looking at his handsome face all night wasn’t enough.
“Okay,” she said at last. “You’ve talked me into it.”
“I usually don’t have to try this hard to get a woman to have dinner with me,” Mano said with a wry smile. “I was about to be offended.”
Paige felt a blush of embarrassment rise to her cheeks. “I didn’t mean anything by it. I just can’t fathom why you’d want to spend your evening with me.”
For the first time, Mano looked at her, as though he were looking into her eyes. Even with his gaze hidden behind his dark glasses, she felt an unexpected connection snap between them and her body reacted. Her tongue felt thick in her mouth as her lips dried out like a desert. Her heart started racing in her rib cage and she suddenly wished this dinner was more than just politeness and tourist tips.
“Why wouldn’t I want to spend time with you?” he asked.
Paige didn’t want to list out all her flaws. Normally, she didn’t have to tell a man what was wrong with her. They knew all too well just by looking at her. “You’re busy. And you don’t even know me,” she replied.
“Hōkū likes you. He’s the best judge of character I know. Anyway, by the end of dinner tonight, we won’t be strangers any longer. I’ll meet you at six.”
Paige stood dumbstruck on the lawn as Mano and Hōkū continued on their morning walk. She wasn’t quite sure how any of this had happened, but now she was having dinner with him. A bolt of panic shot through her, sending her on a fast path back to her hotel suite.
What was she going to wear?
* * *
“She’s traveling alone, sir. Her reservations were made and paid through a travel agency. I tried to Google her and I didn’t come up with anything but an obituary for her grandfather, who died a few weeks ago in Southern California. She doesn’t even have a Facebook account.”
Mano listened to Chuck report back on his penthouse guest as he dressed for dinner. “Is my tie straight?” he asked, turning to him.
“Yes, sir. Don’t you think it’s odd that there’s nothing about her anywhere?”
These days it was a rarity, but that didn’t mean there was something wrong with it. “Maybe she’s mastered the fine art of living under the radar. It’s a highly underrated skill these days. Not everyone feels the need to broadcast their every thought and feeling into cyberspace. I don’t.”
“I was able to get a little information on her deceased grandfather,” Chuck added. “Apparently, he was a former military man that went into real estate development after World War II. He’s credited with starting the tract house boom of the 1950s, creating affordable housing for returning soldiers to start families. That, along with the population growth in California at the time, made him a fortune.”
That was interesting. His shy flower was an heiress to quite a large chunk of money. She certainly didn’t act like one. “So her grandfather invented cookie-cutter suburbia? That’s quite an accomplishment.” Mano straightened his suit coat. “Anything else?”
“I did ask Wendy about her. She handled her check-in.”
That caught Mano’s attention. “And?”
“She said Miss Edwards was very willowy, tall and thin. She was pale with an unremarkable face.”
That was an odd way to describe her. “Unremarkable? Is that good or bad?”
“I don’t know, sir.”
Mano sighed. People with eyes simply didn’t use them the way they should. If he had his sight back, he would study every detail the way he did now with his hands. He’d talked to multiple staff members, and none of them could tell him what Paige looked like. It was as though she was a ghost that only he could sense. “What time is it?”
“Almost six.”
“I’d better get going then.” Mano made his way through the suite. He counted his steps, knowing his path through the rooms to the front door like the back of his hand. At the door, he whistled for Hōkū and waited for the sound of clicking toenails across the marble floor to come closer. He put on the dog’s service harness and gave him a good scratch behind the ears. “Thanks for the information, Chuck.”
“Sure thing. Have a nice dinner,” he added with a teasing tone that Mano ignored.
Chuck disappeared into the elevator as Mano rang the doorbell and waited for Paige to answer. It took her a moment, probably because
she was wearing heels. He heard the slow, unsteady steps approaching the door. She must not be used to wearing dressy shoes.
The door swung open and he was greeted with the scent of the hotel’s coconut soap, a touch of Chanel No. 5 and the underlying hint of hand sanitizer he’d come to associate with Paige. His muscles tightened as he drew her into his lungs, making him more eager than he should’ve been to spend the evening with one of his hotel guests.
“I’m ready,” she said, almost breathless.
He took a step back, then offered his arm to escort her over to the elevator. Mano noticed she leaned a bit more on him than he expected. Definitely the heels. It couldn’t possibly be that she wanted to huddle close to a blind man, could it? The tightened muscles throughout his whole body hoped so.
“Does Hōkū get to join us for dinner?” she asked as they made their way to the restaurant.
“Yes. Hōkū goes everywhere. Even before I lost my eyesight, it was the policy of the hotel to welcome all service animals throughout the site. This close to the military base, we’ve hosted a lot of former military over the years with PTSD and injuries that require assistance. Everyone here knows Hōkū, anyway. The chef is known to make him his own treat to enjoy under the table while we dine.”
“I guess that’s not a bad job to have. He’s like the hotel mascot.”
Mano chuckled. “I suppose he kind of is.” The doors to the elevator opened and he led her down the path to The Pearl. The restaurant wasn’t original to the hotel, but Mano had added it not long after he took over the resort from his grandparents. The hotel was famous in its own right for being the oldest and most authentic resort on Waikiki, but he’d wanted to add something to put it over the top. It had taken him weeks to interview executive chefs and discuss menu plans to complete his vision, but within a few years, they’d earned a Michelin star. Even people who couldn’t stay at the hotel went out of their way for reservations at The Pearl for dinner, especially on Saturday nights.
Hōkū slowed ahead of him and Mano knew they were getting close to the restaurant.
“Good evening, Mr. Bishop,” the hostess said as the outer doors swung open and the cool blast of air-conditioning hit them. They stepped inside, waiting to be escorted to their table. “Right this way.”
“This restaurant is beautiful,” Paige said as they wandered back toward his reserved table. “That fish tank is amazing. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a salt water tank that large outside of an aquarium.”
Mano had always enjoyed snorkeling as a teenager. When they opened this restaurant, he wanted the centerpiece of the dining area to be a saltwater tank that showcased the beauty under the surface of the ocean just beyond the hotel. “It’s a custom designed tank,” he said. “It had to be built inside the restaurant otherwise there was no way to get it through the doors. It has over twenty different species of tropical fish, anemones and sea urchins. There’s even a small nurse shark. None of which are on the menu,” he said with a smile. “That would be a little creepy.”
“Here’s your table. Your server will be right with you both. Enjoy.”
Mano gestured for Paige to take a seat to the left of the curved booth and he sat to the right. Hōkū found a spot beneath the table and curled up, resting his head on the top of Mano’s shoe.
“Do you like seafood?” he asked. “I guess I should’ve asked that this morning when we made plans.”
“I do. I’m trying to avoid the fish that’s higher in mercury and anything raw, but I’ve been known to eat my weight in shrimp when the opportunity arises.”
“That means the ahi tuna is out, sadly, but if you like coconut, we have an amazing coconut shrimp here. It’s served with a spicy pineapple marmalade.”
“That sounds wonderful.”
Mano ran his fingers over the custom braille menu to see what tonight’s fresh catch was. The specials changed depending on what was available each morning at the Honolulu fish auction. He was pleased to find smoked Hawaiian swordfish poached in duck fat with roasted purple sweet potatoes. That was one of his favorites.
“Everything here sounds delicious,” Paige said.
“It is. But save room for dessert or you’ll regret it.”
The server came a moment later, taking their orders. Paige had taken his recommendation of the coconut shrimp with passion fruit rice pilaf. She turned down his suggestion of a mai tai, though, opting instead for a sparkling water. With that done, they handed away their menus and he was finally able to focus on figuring out his newest guest.
“So, Paige, tell me what it is that brought you to Oahu so unexpectedly, and alone?”
“I suppose that isn’t normal, especially considering I’m staying in a suite that could sleep a dozen people. I’m actually here for my grandfather. Next Friday, his ashes are being interred at the USS Arizona. He arranged this trip for me to bring him here.”
That was not the answer he was expecting at all. He hadn’t connected her grandfather’s recent passing to the trip. “I’m sorry to hear about your grandfather. Were you close?”
“Yes. I took care of him the last few weeks of his life. It was hard to watch the illness eat away at him, but I could tell he was ready to be done with it all. That’s when he let go.”
He noticed a sadness in her voice that he didn’t like. He wished their conversation hadn’t taken such a somber turn, but there was nothing he could do about it now. Few came to Hawaii for a funeral, but Paige was the exception to the rule.
“I knew he always wanted to return here when he died, but I never expected to be the one to do it. I thought for certain my parents would come out here for the service, but his instructions were very clear—I was the one to bring him. All the arrangements were made in advance and no one told me what to expect, so when I arrived it was quite a shock. I certainly didn’t need the penthouse or the first class airfare. I guess it was his way of taking care of me since I take care of everyone else all the time.”
Over the years, Mano had entertained scores of ridiculously wealthy couples vacationing from around the world, corporate bigwigs doing business and the rich and famous of Hollywood looking for a tropical escape. Chuck had mentioned that Paige’s family had money, so he’d assumed that she was just another guest like the rest.
But the more Paige spoke, the more he began to doubt his assumptions. She seemed to be very ill at ease in the luxury of his hotel. Rich heiresses were normally quite comfortable traveling well and rarely noted that they spent their time caring for others. It seemed there was another confusing layer to Paige. Was it possible that she’d been raised without the benefit of the family fortune?
“What do you do for a living?”
“I’m a registered nurse.”
He couldn’t suppress his groan at her response. That wasn’t what he’d thought she would say. Everything about her surprised him.
“What’s wrong with being a nurse?” she asked.
“Nothing is wrong with it. It’s a noble calling. I’ve just spent more time than I ever wanted to around nurses. I was hospitalized for quite a long time with my injury. They were all great and cared for me very well, but I avoid hospitals at all costs now. I couldn’t imagine working there every day.”
“It’s different when you’re not the patient. I was a born caretaker. My mother told me I was such a little mama as a child. I was always carrying around my baby doll, and when I got older, I wanted to babysit at every opportunity. I thought maybe I would work in pediatrics one day. But when I spent time with my grandfather, he would tell me stories about World War II. At least ones that were okay for a little girl to hear. It made me want to work with soldiers when I grew up, so that’s what I did instead. I got a master’s degree in nursing and I work at the veteran’s hospital in San Diego on the orthopedic floor. I work mainly with soldiers that have lost limbs or had their joints replaced or rebuilt.”
“That sounds like a hard job to have.”
“It’s difficult work, but it
can be so rewarding. I love what I do. Almost all of my time goes to my job, which leaves little for me. I think that’s why my grandfather wanted me to come here, to get a break.”
Mano tried not to stiffen at Paige’s words as she spoke about her work. It wasn’t that there was anything wrong with her answer, but it did give him pause. Chuck had been right when he asked if Mano was considering Paige for more than just dinner. He’d only used it as an excuse to learn more about her. She’d caught his attention without even realizing it.
But knowing she was a nurse...that changed things.
She herself had said she was a caretaker. One of his aunts was a nurse. Since the day of his accident, she’d fawned over him, treating him as nearly helpless. People who went into nursing had a strong desire to care for others. Mano didn’t want to be taken care of. He didn’t want to be fixed or babied, and he certainly didn’t want to be pitied.
Then again, there was something about Paige that his body reacted to instantly. He didn’t know what she looked like or anything other than the feel of her hand in his, but he wanted to know more. As the pieces of her history started to click together in his mind, he found himself more interested instead of less. Of course she was a nurse. That explained the rough hands after washing them dozens of times a day and the scent of hand sanitizer.
“My grandfather knew this is something I never would’ve done on my own,” she continued, oblivious to his thoughts. “He wanted me to take a break and enjoy life, if for just a week. So I’m trying. I find it’s easier to do in Hawaii than it is at home.”
“Everything is easier in Hawaii. It’s a state of mind.” Mano considered his options for this evening and decided that he didn’t mind if she was a nurse. So far, she’d let him take the lead, not once going out of her way to help him when he didn’t need it. Being a nurse might not be all bad. If things worked out, maybe she could give him a sponge bath...
The Pregnancy Proposition Page 3
