‘You look… Nani – beautiful!’
‘And so do you, Uncle.’ She grinned as she took in his colourful shirt and trousers. ‘I never thought I’d see the day you’d don a pair of chinos.’
He grimaced as he took her arm in his. ‘Mention the trousers again, and you can do a double shift tomorrow.’
She giggled and he was saved from any further ribbing by the security guard at the gatehouse. He stepped forward, his smile polite. ‘Invitations, please.’
Kalani pulled one out of his pocket. It was the colour of sunrise with the silhouette of several surfboards and their owners, one in a wheelchair, one with a prosthetic leg, one with only one arm, some with no external injuries at all but clearly all united by the beach and their boards. She loved it.
‘They really have gone all-out,’ she said to him as the security guard opened the gates.
‘Wait until you see inside,’ he said. ‘I’ve heard some of the locals talking about it this afternoon. It seems Mr Masters, the guy who heads up the Foundation and is staying here, has a lot of passion for this project. I think you’ll have a lot in common with him.’
‘Really?’ Maybe this evening wouldn’t be such a chore after all. Maybe she did stand a chance of not only doing some good but also getting to talk that passion through with someone who shared it. ‘I’d kind of had a different expectation in my head, it’s not often you meet people that aren’t in it for their own financial gain, good PR or otherwise.’
‘Well, maybe this guy will surprise you.’
She nodded as they followed the perfectly manicured driveway that weaved through the landscaped grounds. She could hear music now, the celestial sound of a steel guitar playing the chilled-out music of the island mingling with the gentle hum of chatter in the distance.
‘Do you know much about the people coming tonight?’ she asked.
‘Anyone who’s anyone, Mr Masters has roped them all in. I think he’s hoping to raid their pockets before the night is out.’
‘Now that’s a plan I can get on board with… oh wow!’ Where the path forked ahead there was an old surfboard sporting a sketch of cocktails and an arrow pointing to the left, towards the rear of the house and closer to the sea. At its base were various-sized lanterns, lit up and adorned with shells. ‘I love that.’
Kalani grinned. ‘Look, there’s more.’
Sure enough as they turned down the path, more shell lanterns ran along its edge, their soft glow accentuating the trail and she felt herself smile. This really wasn’t like any other cocktail party she’d been to and her beach dress fitted right in – thank you, V!
As the music and voices grew louder the path curved off to the right and just ahead, she could see a beautiful pergola. Fairy lights weaved with creeping vines through the wooden pillars and along the lattice roofline, small tables made of what looked like driftwood and varnished to a warm rich colour were decorated with flickering lanterns, sand and shells. Straight ahead was a wooden stage featuring three propped-up surfboards with the charity name – Fun For All – written across them in wave-like writing. To the left the ocean rolled, its waves crashing peacefully in the distance. To the right, the impressive house ran for as far as the eye could see.
People milled everywhere, some readily recognizable like the mayor, the chief of police, famous local author Idris Magnum, as well as some of the island’s hottest surf talent. And they were all fixated on the stage – local DJ, Eddie, had them eating out of the palm of his hand. Everyone was smiling, everyone was happy, and hopefully that meant money for the Foundation and a successful start to their relationship with the surf school.
‘They’re in the middle of the auction,’ a young woman explained, coming up to them and smiling at Kalani. She was dressed impeccably in a black bodycon dress, her dark hair perfectly smooth and make-up flawless. Malie didn’t recognize her. ‘Mr Masters has had them here for over an hour already and the drinks haven’t stopped flowing.’
‘Bidding while under the influence, hey? You sure Harry isn’t going to complain?’ Kalani gestured to the chief of police.
‘You know, I think he’s actively encouraging it.’
They both laughed and Kalani turned to Malie. ‘This is Grace, she’s the lady we have to thank for Mr Masters coming to us with this venture.’
‘Ah, Malie, it’s so lovely to meet you.’ Grace turned her smile on Malie and a genuine warmth lit up the woman’s eyes. ‘I loved the piece you wrote on Surf Therapy and the work you have been doing here.’
‘You read it?’ Malie didn’t know why she was surprised; she wrote it as a feature article on their website with this exact goal, to bring charities like Fun For All her way. Zoe with her travel-writing expertise had even cast her eye over it and said it was great.
‘I did. I also liked how you incorporated an awareness of the invisible hurdles young people face and how you carefully craft your lessons to boost self-esteem and tackle social awkwardness too.’
She’d really read it. It wasn’t just some PR babble to make her feel special.
‘I’m so pleased you liked it.’
‘Loved it! It was just what we were looking for when we decided to trial this initiative.’
Malie felt her smile widen and looked to Kalani to see he was just as pleased. ‘Well, I’d love to offer my thanks to Mr Masters personally, if he’s around to be introduced?’
‘Of course.’ Grace scanned the crowd, craning her neck and frowning. ‘He did have a call to take earlier, I think he might still be on it.’
She turned back to Malie, ‘As soon as he returns, I’ll bring him to meet you. I know he’s keen to discuss the initiative with you directly. In the meantime, I highly recommend the Fun For All cocktail we’ve had mixed specially, it’s going down a storm.’
A waitress appeared as though beckoned with a tray of tall cocktail glasses and a drink that very much resembled a Tequila Sunrise, complete with colourful umbrellas, orange slices, cherries and straws. Malie picked one up and grinned as Kalani did the same.
Her godfather was a tower of a man and broad as a bodybuilder, seeing him with such a drink topped off his alien outfit rather brilliantly.
He sipped at the straw and she felt the giggle bubble up in her belly.
‘Say anything…’ he said around the straw as Grace walked off into the crowd, ‘and that double shift will be a triple.’
She took the straw between her lips, fighting back her smirk, and sucked down the sweet drink. She looked to the stage and tuned in to what Eddie was saying.
‘We have a fabulous item up next; you’ll all want to get your hands on this one, especially if you missed out on the surf lessons with our very own Kalani that were on offer earlier this evening.’ Malie felt her cheeks colour as she realized where this was going. Eddie chose that exact moment to catch her eye above the crowd. ‘We have a package of five private sessions, only this time they are being offered by the legend that is, Malie Pukui!’
There was a round of applause and she felt her cheeks heat further.
‘We arrived just in time,’ Kalani murmured, clearly amused to see the discomfort transferred to his goddaughter.
‘Who’s going to start us off?’ Eddie asked the crowd.
‘A thousand!’ someone shouted.
‘Twelve hundred!’
‘Fourteen hundred!’
Figures were flying through the air and the excitement in the room was palpable. She took another sip of her drink and felt her pulse racing with the thrill of it, her embarrassment forgotten. To know that this was something she was able to offer personally and have it raising so much money for the Foundation was wonderful.
‘This is fantastic, Malie, fingers crossed they secured something similar for mine earlier.’
She nodded, her eyes fixed on Eddie and wondering when the bidding would end.
‘Tell you what, ladies and gentlemen, why don’t I bring the lovely Malie up here and you can see for yourself the amazing comp
any you will have for those five lessons – her smile alone is worth it! Hey, Malie!’
He sent her a wink across the room and she shook her head with a laugh.
‘Come on…’ Eddie waved his hand at her and the crowd started to turn, hunting her out. Kalani nudged her with his elbow.
‘You can’t leave him hanging.’
‘You’re only saying that because you managed to escape!’
Kalani shrugged. ‘You only have yourself to blame for taking so long to turn up.’
‘I was having a hair emergency.’
‘Be that as it may, your hair can’t save you now.’
She laughed again, ‘I’m gonna kill him.’
Kalani chuckled. ‘Best save that for after the auction, he’s doing an epic job of it.’
Her godfather was right. Eddie was doing a great job and she had to trust him. If her going up there raised even more money, then it would be worth every step.
She walked forward, her drink still in hand, and smiled at the crowd parting before her. Eddie filled the air with her numerous surfing accolades, and she tried to tame her smile; it wouldn’t do to look too arrogant about it all but hearing it listed like that made her heart pound harder and her lungs feel fit to burst. She really had achieved a lot and sometimes it was easy to forget in the day-to-day running of the school.
‘Hey, Malie.’ He grinned down at her, holding out his hand to help her onto the stage; she took it, stepping up and turning to look out over them the crowd.
It was hard to make out Kalani – to make out anyone – with the lights now directed onto the stage, onto her.
‘Here she is, folks. Say hi, Malie.’
She leaned into his mic and gave a soft ‘Hi’, her fingers fluttering in a wave.
‘Four and a half thousand!’ The shout was instant and Eddie laughed.
‘Remember, it’s just the lessons, folks!’
Oh, God. She wasn’t one to blush, that was Lils’ trick. But right now, the heat flushing her body had less to do with the hot lights and everything to do with the suggestion in Eddie’s statement. The laughter rippled through the crowd, along with a flurry of further bids. She squinted against the lights, trying to make out who was bidding but it was impossible.
‘Five thousand!’
‘Five and a half!’
‘Si—!’
‘Twenty thousand.’ The male bid stole through the crowd, steady, level, controlled. Nothing like the previous shouts had been.
An amazed hush swept the room, Eddie made a choked sound like he’d swallowed his own mic and then he coughed, his brow hitting the heavens.
‘Did I just hear twenty thousand dollars?’ he said, leaning towards the crowd with his ear and giving Malie a quick smile, bringing the reality of the sum home for her too.
‘Yes, twenty thousand.’
She tried to follow the voice in the crowd – there was something so familiar to it, disturbingly familiar. But it couldn’t be. It couldn’t.
It was just the familiar English twang that made her think of him.
‘Wow!’ Eddie declared, one hand raised in the air. ‘Well, in that case, I think we have a winner who definitely deserves to take to the stage too. Come on up here, twenty-thousand-dollar man!’
The crowd applauded, the excitement travelling through the room as the sea of people began to part and the lights on the stage found him in their midst.
Her heart leaped into her throat the second her eyes hit upon his. On him. Her smile faltered, her lashes fluttered.
‘Why, it’s our very own host,’ Eddie erupted. ‘Todd Masters!’
He – who – what, now?
Mr Masters.
The Todd Masters.
The man she had to thank for his business.
The man she wanted to discuss ideas with.
The man she now had to deliver five lessons to… was the man she had decided she was best staying well clear of!
She swallowed, made her smile lift again and watched him approach. There was nothing chaotic or flustered or wet about him now. He was every bit the slick millionaire she expected Todd Masters to be. Not a hair out of place in its flicked-back style, his black shirt falling over the abs she knew existed beneath – she’d felt them, after all, when she’d pressed her hand into his chest and they’d flexed beneath her. Her fingers tingled with the memory and she clenched them at her side, her drink cooling the other palm.
It couldn’t be him.
Maybe it was just a trick of the light, she could barely focus straight after having those lights on her seconds before. Maybe her memory was playing tricks on her, it had been dark at the beach, easy to mistake him for someone else.
She kept on staring, wishing herself wrong.
Eddie was still talking, making some joke about whether it was a valid bid if it came from the owner himself, which only had the crowd cheering more, patting Masters on the back as he smiled and ribbed Eddie in return.
She heard it all but it was distant, drowned out by her ears that rang with her racing heartbeat. And then he looked back to her again, his eyes locking with hers as he closed the remaining distance and she couldn’t breathe. They were bemused, surprised even, but above all she could read something else in their depths, she could read it because she felt it too. An awareness, an attraction. It pulsed through her, out of her control, impossible to resist.
She wet her lips and realized this was how a mouse caught in a trap must feel, only this was a trap of her very own making.
Five lessons… up, close and personal…
What had she let herself in for?
Chapter Three
IT HAD ALWAYS BEEN his intention to purchase something at the auction, of course it had. How could he expect others to cough up if he wasn’t willing to do the same?
But surf lessons? And five at that.
It wasn’t like he had the time for it. His foundation may be treating the kids to a holiday of a lifetime, but it was still work for him.
Work with some surfing on the side, it now seemed.
He climbed up onto the stage, careful to place Eddie between him and the infamous Malie – how had he not known it was her? He must have seen pictures, come across something, but he’d scoured his brain and come up blank. He certainly hadn’t recognized her on the beach earlier and if they’d crossed paths before, there was no way he would have forgotten. She was unforgettable.
The last few hours had already proven that. Didn’t matter he had work to tend to, she’d been there, her smile, her laugh, her presence… and now here they were, paired up by his outrageous bid. He hoped he knew what he was doing…
‘So, Mr Masters,’ Eddie turned to him, his grin wide.
‘Todd, please.’ Mr Masters made him think of his father and the phone call that afternoon that had sent him running to the beach for some breathing space.
‘Very well, Todd, I think you will agree you’re in very talented hands with our Malie here.’
‘Gentle hands, I hope.’ He looked to her with his tease and was relieved to see the wide-eyed panic he’d caught a glimpse of when she’d recognized him had fallen away.
‘If you want gentle, Mr Masters,’ she said smoothly, ‘you might be best with Kalani.’
The crowd laughed, as did Todd. He’d met Kalani briefly and gentle was not a word he would use to describe the giant.
‘In that case…’ He rolled his shoulders, cocked his head from side to side, giving the impression of a boxer about to hit the ring. ‘Give me all you got, I’m sure I can take it.’
She rewarded him with a laugh that rolled with the crowd. ‘You’re on.’
‘Now I hate to kick the boss off the stage…’ Eddie gave him a grin before looking back to the audience, ‘but the band are itching to set up, so I need to shoo the pair of you off and get the last item sold.’
Todd jumped down and offered up a hand to Malie. For a second, he wondered if she’d refuse, the challenge he’d read in her expression
told him as much. It had been similar to the look she’d given him at the beach after ranting at him. But she didn’t. She placed her hand in his and the simple touch had his palm alive, his body eager to maintain the connection as it slipped from her hand to her lower back to lead her off to the side, away from the speakers and the general hubbub.
‘You should have told me who you were.’ She rounded on him, her hair captivatingly wild as its curls flounced around her shoulders with the sharpness of the move. He could see golden streaks running through the dark mass, something he’d not spied when they’d been wet from the sea.
She crossed her arms, her stance accusatory, as she stared up at him and blew an errant curl out of her eyes. They were green. Green and sparkling, hitting with the blue of her dress and making him think of a blue lagoon with its varying shades and something he could dive into and get lost in. He’d had the same thought at the beach and it had been just as ridiculous then. There would be no getting lost in anything. There would be surf lessons, some harmless fun, then back to business. He had no room in his life for more.
‘Are you not going to say anything?’
Caught staring, he wanted to slap himself. After that afternoon’s embarrassing encounter, the least he could do was show her the real him. The man who was always in control of himself and the situation.
‘You ran off so quickly, I didn’t get chance to… and it wasn’t like you introduced yourself either.’
‘I’m Malie, surf school instructor, ex-champion, it’s a little different to, I’m Mr Masters and I’m the millionaire staying at the private residence beyond the overgrown foliage.’
‘I have to say I prefer your introduction, it’s way cooler.’
Her eyes softened with her smile. ‘You’re a charmer, Mr Masters, I’ll give you that.’
‘Enough with the Mr, it makes me want to turn around and look for my father.’
‘And that’s a bad thing?’
Meet Me in Hawaii Page 3
