“The luau doesn’t start until six. Do you want to spend the rest of the afternoon in here, or should we venture out?”
“An hour or so on the beach sounds nice. It’d be great to go back home with a killer tan. One that’ll make my friends jealous.” She moved out of bed before he could complain. “Especially since they made me buy two bathing suits, and so far I’ve only used one.”
They’d gone snorkeling in the ocean and swimming in the lagoon, but hadn’t taken the time to simply sit on the beach and soak up the sun.
While she searched through a drawer, he soaked up the sight of her naked. No matter how many times he saw her sans clothes, it never got old.
Kelsey slipped on the emerald green bottoms first. “I definitely prefer you the other way,” he said, earning an eye roll.
All too soon she covered her breasts with the bikini top. “Your friends have good taste.” He left the bed and grabbed his swimsuit from the drawer. “But I’m not sure you should wear this bikini in public.” Drew ran his palms down her sides. “I might not be able to keep my hands off you on the beach. Forget about the other poor guys out there. They’ll be unable to look away from you.” He traced the edge of the fabric covering her breasts. “This reminds me of a suit you had a long time ago.”
The memory of that summer day surfaced once again. This time he didn’t push it away. “This suit is having the same effect on me now as the other one did.”
“Really? This sounds like an interesting story. Do share.”
She’d admitted she’d decided to marry him at the age of ten. He could share this memory with her. “It was the summer you turned seventeen. After working on his car, Ian and I decided to go for a swim in the pool. You were back there with your friends and you had on this emerald green bikini. I’d never seen you in it before, and all I could think about was getting you alone and out of it. After that afternoon, I never thought of you the same way again.”
Kelsey smiled. “I remember that bathing suit. I’d never bought a bikini before. I went shopping with Cat and Ella, and they talked me into it.” Her expression changed, and she crossed her arms. “Why didn’t you say or do something? You didn’t have a girlfriend, and I wasn’t with anyone.”
Perhaps he should’ve kept the memory to himself. Drew gently gripped her shoulders. “You were a month away from turning seventeen, and I was twenty-one. It didn’t seem like a good idea.” He kissed her frowning lips. “Would you want your seventeen-year-old daughter dating a twenty-one-year-old guy?”
“Maybe if I knew him the way my family knew you,” she answered with a shrug. “You were practically family. My parents would’ve trusted you.”
He didn’t agree. Put in a similar situation someday, he wouldn’t let his daughter near the dude until she turned at least eighteen, no matter how close to the family he was. “It doesn’t matter anyway.”
“We can’t change the past.”
But he wished they could. He would’ve married Kelsey right after her parents passed away, making her life so much easier. “C’mon. Let’s go. You won’t get a great tan sitting in here.”
Lingering on the past only brought his guilt to the surface. Guilt didn’t belong on his wedding day.
Lying on her stomach, she watched people walk or run along the path. From here she could see the two volleyball games being played at Fort Derussy Park. Considering the games were only for fun, all the teams appeared very competitive.
She glanced past the park and searched for Drew. He’d gone to get them a late lunch, leaving her alone to enjoy the surroundings and reflect on the day. They’d gotten married. The wedding band and diamond on her finger proved it hadn’t been a dream. She didn’t regret her decision, but the reporter outside the chapel had reminded her of an important fact: she hadn’t married just anyone. True, Drew had grown up in North Salem, and he owned a home there. However, today people around the world recognized the name Drew McKenzie. He was arguably the best quarterback to ever play the game. Someday he’d be in the Football Hall of Fame. Incidents like today would happen again. She didn’t need to ask him to know it was true. She’d seen his picture plenty of times on the Internet and in the checkout line at the grocery store. Seeing her picture alongside his was going to take a lot of getting used to—assuming she ever got used to it at all.
Finally, Kelsey caught sight of Drew walking back to her. She wasn’t the only one watching him. Women as well as a few men eyed him as he strolled down the walkway. Some even turned so they could keep watching him after he passed by. Kelsey didn’t blame them. He had a body worthy of a superhero. And finally, after so many years, she got not only to look at it, but touch it too.
As Drew passed a surfboard rental stand, a couple walking with a son and daughter stopped him. Kelsey guessed the boy was about ten or eleven. He wore a New England Rebels baseball hat, making her wonder if he didn’t live somewhere in New England. The boy spoke, and Drew nodded before accepting the hat while the boy’s mom dug through her bag for a pen.
As she watched Drew speak to the family, the cell phone in her beach bag chimed. She didn’t even know why she’d tossed it in the bag. Everyone, including Bertha Wilson, the insurance representative handling her claim, knew she was on vacation this week.
OMG! You got married, the message from Ella read.
Before she could respond, a second one came through. This one from Cat.
Why didn’t you tell us you were getting married? Congrats.
News had spread even faster than she’d imagined. Had they seen something on the Internet or had Jill McKenzie shared with more than Drew’s immediate family?
Ella sent a second message. Congratulations. Can’t wait to hear the details. Enjoy your honeymoon.
Kelsey waited a second to see if any other texts popped up. Then she typed a group message. I’ll tell you both all about it when I get home.
“Telling Cat and Ella we got married?” Drew arrived back carrying two plastic food containers.
“Didn’t have to.” She dropped her cell phone back into her beach bag. “They know. Both just sent me texts congratulating me. I don’t know how they found out.”
Kelsey accepted a container and opened it. Several sushi rolls and pieces of sashimi were inside, along with some wasabi and ginger. “Regular sushi?” Her friends enjoyed both sushi and sashimi. She’d never been adventurous enough to try anything except California sushi rolls, which didn’t contain any raw fish.
Drew opened two pairs of chopsticks. “You said you wanted something different. The sushi and sashimi here are some of the best I’ve ever had. Try it.” He expertly lifted a piece of salmon-colored fish and offered it to her. “If you don’t like it, I’ll go get you something else. The shrimp truck down the beach is quite good.”
She had let him pick out their lunch. If she didn’t like it, next time she needed to be more specific. Before she took too much time and thought about how she was about to eat raw fish, she accepted the chopsticks.
Seafood was popular throughout New England, and she’d grown up eating it. That didn’t mean she enjoyed all seafood. She tended to stick with a handful of types, including scallops, lobsters, cod, shrimp, and haddock. She never enjoyed tuna, salmon, or swordfish regardless of how they were cooked. Drew had given her what she guessed was salmon by the coloring, and she prepared for the strong fishy taste she associated with it. Oddly, she found the taste very mild. Nothing like the salmon served at Masterson’s.
Swallowing, she nodded. “It doesn’t taste like I expected.” She looked over the other selections in the container. “I wouldn’t want it every day, but it’s good. That was salmon, right?”
Drew nodded and selected sushi for himself.
She pointed to a red slice of fish. “What kind is this?” Before she tried it, she wanted to name it.
“Tuna.” He pointed to each one and labeled them before eating the sushi he’d picked up.
Kelsey sampled the shrimp, followed by what Drew la
beled as white tuna. “I saw you sign that boy’s hat. I bet you made his day. Do you get stopped like that often?” Outside the chapel, the reporter had drawn attention to them, so of course people had recognized him. Moments ago though, he’d merely been walking back from getting food.
“It happens. But a lot times people look at me and then assume I’m a Drew McKenzie doppelganger and keep on walking.” He picked up the last piece of salmon in his container. “Reporters like the one outside the chapel find me sometimes, but it’s not usually too bad.”
She frowned, and her shoulders dropped before she could stop them.
“We should’ve talked about this before the wedding.” He put his food and chopsticks down. “If the media makes you uncomfortable, you never have to speak with them. Ignore them, walk by them, hang up on them. Do what you have to. I don’t want them coming between us.”
She had no proof, but believed one of the reasons so many celebrity relationships failed was because of the media. Couples encountered enough stress without having a reporter announcing everything they did to the world.
“Kels, tell me you’re not regretting your decision.”
Insecurity. It flashed in and out of his voice, but she heard it. Drew McKenzie insecure? It was difficult to comprehend. “No regrets, today or ever.”
She expected a smile. Instead he gave her slight nod. “Good. Same goes for me.”
***
The word luau conjured up distinct images in her mind. None of them included riding an escalator to the rooftop of a hotel in the middle of a busy city. Yet here she was standing on an escalator in Honolulu on her way to see a luau.
“Shouldn’t luaus be on the beach or in a park?” Unlike her, Drew didn’t seem to find it odd the Under the Stars Luau took place on a hotel rooftop.
“I don’t think it matters.” They stepped off the escalator holding hands. He hadn’t released hers since they stepped out of their hotel suite. “I’ve been to a few, all held in different places. The one at this resort is my favorite.”
Drew led her down a carpeted hallway and then outside. Numerous long tables capable of seating ten guests were set up, each covered with a white tablecloth. A stage with netting pulled back was positioned in front of a covered building that resembled a large open hut.
“I expected something very different tonight.” Kelsey sat and took in her surroundings.
He smiled and winked. “Don’t worry. You won’t be disappointed.”
A conch-shell-blowing challenge kicked off the evening festivities. While they dined on authentic Hawaiian cuisine and chatted with the couple seated across the table from them, musicians set up in what she kept thinking of as a hut entertained them. A brief fashion show started about a half hour after dinner.
“Is this it?” she whispered. Maybe she’d seen too many movies, but didn’t luaus have hula dancers and men tossing around flaming batons?
Drew pushed her Mai Tai closer to her. “Relax, enjoy your drink and watch.”
The stage cleared and an attractive woman with luminous jet-black hair, dressed in a black-and-red floral printed muumuu took the stage and welcomed everyone.
For the next forty minutes, Alani, their host for the evening, walked them through stories the dancers expressed using movement and beautiful costumes.
“The fire dancers are coming up next,” Drew whispered.
“How do you know?” She didn’t see any men walking around with flaming objects.
Drew gestured toward the stage. “They’re closing the nets around the stage. They do it right before the fire knife dancers come on.”
Fire knife dancer did sound more dramatic than flaming baton twirler.
Kelsey inched to the edge of her seat as five fierce-looking men dressed in traditional island clothing took to the stage. She didn’t move a muscle again for several minutes as the men amazed her with their skill.
“What did you think?” Drew asked. They’d left the rooftop and were now strolling along the beach. Live music from a restaurant overlooking the beach filled the air, but it wasn’t so loud they couldn’t carry on a conversation.
“It was all nice, but the guys at the end were amazing.”
He’d already deduced she’d enjoyed the last segment the most. She’d sat mesmerized as the five men performed. He’d had a similar reaction the first time he’d seen the show. Even after seeing the show for the third time, he found it incredibly impressive.
“They must spend years learning to do that. If this football thing of yours doesn’t work out, maybe you should pick it up.” Kelsey gently nudged him in the side.
“Yeah, only if you promise to take care of all the burns I come home with.”
“If I have to take care of those, does that mean you’ll expect me to take care of all the aches and pains you come home with after a game this season?”
“Now that you bring it up, it does sound like something an obedient wife would do.” He waited for the reaction he knew the statement would elicit.
“Obedient! Hold on, buster, I’m not going to start obeying you just because we’re married.” She walked closer to where the water and sand met. “If you want to obey me though, feel free.” Her voice contained happiness and laughter. The two things had been missing during all the conversations they’d shared since Ian’s death.
No longer content with holding her hand, he put his arm around her shoulders. “I’d never want you to obey me, and you know it.”
If she had obeyed him weeks ago and accepted his loan, they wouldn’t be standing here married. At the time, he’d been frustrated. Tonight he was glad she hadn’t agreed.
“You’re my wife, not my dog. If I wanted someone to obey me, I’d go adopt one.” He’d never once imagined using the title wife when referring to Ian’s younger sister. Now it belonged to her, as did his heart.
Momentary fear gripped him. If she ever found out what he’d done, it could destroy everything. How’s she going to find out?
Jack knew better than to tell her or the real estate agent; he knew Drew. Once the garage did go back on the market as planned, Drew would make an offer just like any other potential buyer would.
“I’d like to get a dog. Before the fire, I was actually thinking of adopting one.”
He’d never gotten one because he didn’t think he was home enough. If Kelsey wanted a furry four-legged friend, they’d get one. “We can look when we get home.”
Warm water rolled in and over their feet before receding again. “The water at home would be freezing right now. Even in the summer, I don’t think it ever gets this nice.”
“And it’s always this temperature. They don’t have the huge changes in weather like we do at home. It’s just one of the many reasons I love it. Eventually, I plan to buy a place out here.”
Kelsey moved several inches closer so now the water not only washed over their feet, but reached their ankles. “I could imagine spending months at a time here. But another house? You’ve got two now. How many do you need?”
“None as long as you’re by my side.”
“Knock it off.” He pictured her rolling her eyes at him.
Drew stopped walking, forcing her to stop as well. “I’m serious. As long as I have you, I don’t care about the other stuff.” A vision of her leaving him sent a chill down his spine. “I love you. No matter what disagreements we have, don’t ever forget I love you.”
Chapter Fourteen
Kelsey left Principal Carter’s office and all but skipped back to her classroom Monday afternoon. If the halls had been empty, she may have actually skipped. In less than four months, she’d be done with teaching for good. Finally.
It wasn’t that she didn’t like her students. The majority of them were good kids who behaved and did what she asked. Naturally, some she’d liked more than others, but every teacher felt the same way, even if they wouldn’t admit it. It was more all the stuff that went along with teaching she hated. If she wasn’t correcting lab reports or hel
ping the students prepare for standardized tests, she had parents complaining because their son or daughter wasn’t doing as well as they wanted. Come June, she wouldn’t ever worry about any of those things again. She’d handed Principal Carter her formal written notice today. At first, he’d asked her to reconsider. In the end, he’d understood and thanked her for telling him now, long before the school year ended, giving the district enough time to find her replacement. Tonight, she’d give her two-week notice at Masterson’s too.
She hadn’t planned to leave both jobs after selling the business. Even without the loans hanging over her head, she had expenses. Waitressing part-time was a common option for both graduate and undergraduate students. Drew had asked her to reconsider her plan. Her first instinct had been to shoot down his suggestion. They might be married, but she didn’t need or want him taking care of her. During the plane ride home, he’d laid out his argument in a calm, logical manner. He pointed out all the bonuses she gained by dedicating herself to her studies and not trying to split her time between school and a part-time job. He’d ended the conversation by assuring her once she earned her doctorate and landed a research position at a lab, he’d never ask her to not work again.
“Bye, Mrs. McKenzie,” a student she didn’t recognize called out as he passed by her.
Kelsey smiled. “Have a good practice.” The student was dressed in running shorts and a track jersey with his name on the back, suggesting he was on the team.
All day, middle school students—both those she knew and those she didn’t—had been greeting her in the hallways or stopping by her classroom. During lunch, Lynn, a social studies teacher, had good-naturedly referred to her as the school’s new celebrity. A title she’d happily pass on to someone else. She’d never been one to seek out attention. She preferred to remain in the background. At least for the moment, her marriage to Drew made doing so impossible. Especially tonight at the restaurant, because if the middle school students and faculty knew about her change in marital status, so did the majority of the town.
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