After the lesson, when they were getting dried off, Finn asked her to spend the day with him. Of course, she refused, so he asked again. She told him no, but the crestfallen look on his face made her soften. “I’ll pick you up in an hour,” he said quickly,” before she could change her mind.
She knew it was a mistake to let him see where she lived. As she was getting ready, a terrifying thought entered her mind—what would happen if Anthony decided to come home? Talk about a disaster of epic proportions. Her thoughts kept vacillating between excitement over her approaching date with Finn, and fear over what would happen if Anthony found out.
By the time the doorbell rang, her heart was beating so furiously she swore it was trying to claw its way out of her chest. She paused at the door, took a deep breath, and opened it. “Hey.”
“Hey.” A smile lit Finn’s features. “You look great,” he said, taking in her cut-off jean shorts and snug-fitting T-shirt.
He was about to come inside when she stopped him. “We can go, I’m ready.”
He cocked his head. “I can’t come in?”
“No, let’s just go.” She stepped out and closed the door. Then she turned the handle to make sure it was locked.
“Okay,” he said slowly, giving her a funny look.
This was getting sticky. Quickly, she began walking down the sidewalk, making him have to hurry to catch up to her.
“Are you okay?”
She smiled. “Of course. Why?”
“You seem a little edgy.”
“No, I’m good,” she lied. “Is that your jeep?” She pointed to the black vehicle in question, which was parked alongside the curb.
“Yep.”
Her heart sank when she saw Liam walking across the yard. He waved, then hesitated when he saw Finn. The two nodded at one another.
Guilt coiled around her like an anaconda, squeezing her guts out. “Hey,” she called, trying to get to the jeep as fast as she could.
“Wait,” Liam said. “I have a package for you. It was delivered to me by mistake.”
Crap! The wedding ring. Panic ignited through her like wildfire. “I’ll get it later.”
“We’re not in a hurry,” Finn said. She could tell from the baffled look on his face he was wondering why she was acting so strange.
“No worries,” she said breezily in an attempt to appear casual—even though she was about to have a coronary. She dove into the jeep with the gusto of a baseball player sliding in to home plate.
Finn stood there for a minute, a curious expression on his face. Then he shook his head and went around to the driver’s side. He got in and turned to her. “What was that all about?”
She forced a laugh. “Nothing.”
“Were you trying to avoid that guy?”
“Liam? No, Liam’s great. He’s my next-door neighbor.”
He put his hand on the ignition, and she silently willed him to start the engine and get the heck out of Dodge. She kept expecting Anthony’s Mercedes to pull in any minute.
“Was it the package?”
“No.”
“Your brother?”
The color drained from her face.
She could tell Finn instantly picked up on the change in her body language. He studied her intently, and she got the distinct feeling there were few things she could hide from those perceptive green eyes. “What’s going on?”
The thought came to her that she should just come clean here and now. But she couldn’t. Telling Finn would wreck everything. He would hate her. And she needed to be with him, even if she could only be with him for a few days. She placed a hand on his arm, sending a jolt of electricity through her veins. She wondered if he felt it too. “Remember our agreement: no past, no future, only today. Let’s just go and enjoy the time we have. Okay?”
His jaw tightened, and he looked like he might argue. Finally, he nodded and started the engine.
After the tense moment in front of her condo, Samantha feared Finn might grow sullen and refuse to talk to her, as Anthony often did. To his credit, however, he turned on the radio and began singing along to the tune that was playing. The warm air felt good on her face, and she felt her mood lift as she looked at the sun shining brightly above them. Her eyes took in the spectacular view of the ocean to her left. It was hard to believe she was in such a beautiful place with the most exciting man she’d ever met.
She stole a glance at Finn. Warmth rushed over her when he smiled and winked. “Where’re we headed?”
“You’ll see,” he said evasively.
She was surprised when he stopped at a school. “What’re we doing?”
A smile played on his lips as he opened the door to the jeep. “Come on. I’ll show you.”
A few minutes later, they were standing beside a doublewide trailer that was parked on the edge of the playground. Samantha gave him a questioning look.
“My friend, Lynette, teaches first grade reading. She said we could stop by today and visit her class. I thought that since you want to be a teacher, you might enjoy saying hello to the kids.” There was a hopeful expression on his handsome face. “Is that okay?”
Gratitude welled in her breast, and she had to fight the urge to fling her arms around Finn. “I would love that.”
“Good.”
She tilted her head. “But I only told you about the teaching last night. When did you set this up?”
His eyes twinkled. “A little while ago… after you agreed to spend the day with me.”
She scrunched her nose. “Is Lynette okay with us doing this on such short notice?”
He chuckled. “Yeah, she’s fine. Things operate a little differently here in the islands. Everyone tends to go with the flow.” He touched her arm. “Let’s go meet the kids.”
A broad smile spread over Lynette’s face when Finn and Samantha stepped through the door. “Aloha,” she said, as the kids all turned to look.
A couple of boys called out Finn’s name. He smiled and waved before hugging Lynette and kissing her on both cheeks, much like Anthony’s designer, Julie, had done. Then he turned. “This is Samantha.”
Samantha thrust out her hand, but Lynette hugged her instead. “It’s very nice to meet you. Thanks for stopping by. Finn tells me you’re studying to be a teacher.”
“Yes, I’m attending Sacramento State.” At least, she was… until she got engaged, but she certainly wasn’t going to tell Lynette that.
“That’s fantastic.”
Samantha was struck by how attractive Lynette was, making her wonder if she and Finn were more than friends. The thought sent a pang of jealousy running through her. And then she winced inwardly. She, of all people, had no right to be jealous of any association Finn had.
Lynette turned to the class. “Children, as you can see we have special visitors that are going to help out in the classroom today.”
Several of them started talking at the same time, trying to get Finn’s attention. They motioned for Finn to come closer to their desks. He walked over to them.
Lynette laughed. “As you can see, they love Finn.”
“Does he come here often?” Samantha said.
“He’s been in a few times to talk to the kids on career day,” Lynette explained. “He and my husband surf together, and Finn’s always willing to help out.”
Samantha was a little taken aback by the relief that swelled over her when she heard that Lynette was married. “So your husband’s a surfer?”
She chuckled dryly. “He’s actually an accountant by trade. But to hear him talk, he lives to surf and then goes to work during the time in between.”
“So, Finn talks to the kids about surfing on career day? I wouldn’t think there would be a lot of available jobs in that field.”
Lynette gave her a funny look. “No, he doesn’t talk about surfing. He talks about his background in computers.”
“Oh, that’s right. Finn mentioned that he dabbled in computers before coming here.”
Amusem
ent lit Lynette’s eyes, and she looked like she was going to say something when Finn interrupted them. “Are you ready for the kids to read to us?”
“Yep… sure am.” Lynette held up a hand to quiet the room. “This is Finn’s friend, Samantha. Let’s give her a big aloha.”
“A-lo-ha!” they chimed.
“Thank you,” Samantha said, smiling. It felt good to be in a classroom, surrounded by eager-faced children that were so full of life.
“Finn and Samantha will take you outside—one-by-one—and they will listen as you read a portion of the story you’re learning this week.” Lynette turned to Finn and Samantha. “You can sit outside on the steps or on the benches next to the library. Spend about seven minutes with each child.” She smiled. “I really appreciate the two of you coming in today. It’s important for the children to read out loud, but with a classroom full of kids, that’s sometimes hard to facilitate.” She lowered her voice, speaking directly to Samantha. “See the girl sitting at the end of the table?”
Samantha nodded.
“Masina and her family have just moved here from a remote village in Samoa. This is her first experience in a classroom setting. She has a hard time reading aloud. I’m not sure if you’ll be able to get her to read to you. But it’s worth a try.”
Butterflies fluttered in Samantha’s stomach. “I’ll do my best.”
Finn winked. “You can do it. She’ll love you… just as I do.”
Samantha’s face warmed as she caught the implication of his words. She decided to start with Masina. The poor girl looked as if she might melt into tears when Samantha asked her to get her book and come outside to read. They sat down on the bench. As Masina opened the first page of the book, Samantha stopped her. “So, what’s your favorite color?”
Masina looked down.
“Mine’s pink. When I was your age, I had this pink dress that I insisted on wearing every Sunday to church. I even tried to sleep it in once.” She chuckled. “Of course that didn’t go over too well with my mom.” Samantha cocked her head, studying Masina. “Let me see if I can guess your favorite color.” She pressed her fingers to her temples, and pretended to go into a state of concentration as she picked the one color that few children liked. “Brown.”
Masina shook her head no.
“How about black?” More head shaking, this time more vigorously.
“Hmm… green?”
“No.”
“Blue?”
A tiny smile formed on Masina’s lips.
“Ah-ha! It’s blue, isn’t it? I can tell from the look on your face.”
“Yes,” Masina whispered.
“Moving to a new place is not easy, is it?” When Masina didn’t answer, Samantha continued. “I recently came to Oahu too. I’m from California. I’ve had a lot of changes in my life lately.”
Masina looked at her for the first time. “What kind of changes?” she said timidly.
A smile broke loose inside Samantha at the look of interest on Masina’s face. She was getting through to her. “A new house… new friends.” She wrinkled her nose. “Strange food.”
Masina giggled. “Yes, I never had a musubi before coming here.”
“What’s a musubi?”
“It’s spam that’s put on top of a block of rice and wrapped with this black stuff.”
Samantha grimaced. “Sounds disgusting.”
“It’s not bad,” Masina said, her voice adopting the practical tone of an adult.
“The black stuff is seaweed,” Finn added from the nearby bench.
The boy beside him piped in, “Musubi’s are my favorite.”
“I think we should make Samantha try one, don’t you think?” Finn teased.
“Yes,” Masina and the boy said.
Samantha chuckled and pointed at Masina. “Okay, for you, I will.” She sighed. “You’ll get used to it here. Take it one day at a time, and before long, this will start to feel like home. You know, reading’s a lot like that. All you have to do is take it one word at a time, and before long, you’ve read a whole book. Do you think you can do that for me?”
She shrugged, smiling shyly.
“Can you?” Samantha said kindly.
“Yes.”
“Okay, let’s try it.”
With a halting voice, Masina began to read. Samantha looked over at Finn, who gave her an appraising look. A feeling of contentment settled over her. It felt right to be here in this setting with Finn. And it felt good to know that in a small way, she’d been able to help Masina, simply by sharing a little of herself.
It took an hour and a half for Samantha and Finn to get through all of the children. And Samantha loved every minute of it. When they got back into Finn’s jeep, Samantha turned to him, her eyes going moist. “Thank you. That was fantastic. One of the nicest things you could’ve done for me.”
He placed a hand over hers. “You’re welcome. You were good with those kids… especially little Masina. You’re going to be a great teacher.” His eyes lit up. “Okay, you ready for more fun?”
She chuckled. “Absolutely.”
“I’m sure you’re getting hungry. We’ll get something to eat soon, but first, I want to take you to do something else … if you’re okay with that.”
“Sure, what’re we doing?”
“It’s a surprise,” he said mysteriously, pumping his eyebrows.
“I don’t see how you can top what we just did, but I’m game.”
“All right. Let’s do it.”
A little while later, he pulled into a parking lot across from Foodland, where Samantha had gone the day before. They removed their seatbelts, and he hopped out. She did the same. He reached in the back and started pulling out snorkeling gear. “Ever been snorkeling before?”
“A few times. I did a little at Turtle Bay, near the coral reef.”
His smile turned crooked. “Not even like the same thing. Wait until you see this.”
The enthusiasm in his voice was infectious, and she smiled. “Are there lots of fish?”
Mischief danced in his eyes. “Fish, turtles… sharks.”
“Sharks?” She gave him a doubtful look. “Are you serious?”
“Yeah, that’s why they call it Shark’s Cove.”
She wrinkled her nose. “You’re joking.”
“No, that’s really the name.”
There were at least forty people in the water, including children. “There aren’t really sharks, are there?”
He laughed. “There’ve been a few white-tipped reef sharks spotted outside the cove. But they’re not dangerous.”
She shuddered. “As long as they stay outside the cove.”
“You have nothing to worry about. “The real reason it’s called Shark’s Cove is because the outline of the reef outside of the cove resembles a shark when seen from above.”
“Oh.” A smile quivered on her lips. “Is there anything you don’t know?”
He chuckled. “Yeah, lots. Just stick around. You’ll see.” He grabbed her hand. “Come on.”
It took all of fifteen minutes for Samantha to realize that Finn was absolutely right: snorkeling at Turtle Bay didn’t hold a candle to Shark’s Cove. She was mesmerized by the colorful fish darting in and out of rocks and spindly plants like they were playing a game of tag. Finn pointed, and she looked up. Just below the surface of the water was a school of silver fish that looked like long cigars, moving gracefully through the water. They were almost translucent, and she would’ve missed them had he not pointed them out. She felt like she was in a giant aquarium, making it hard to believe the water was only waist-deep.
Finn motioned for her to follow. Side by side, they wound their way around the boulders that were rising above the surface of the water as they went deeper into the cove. She felt a rush of cold water. Finn touched her arm and stood. She did the same, surprised to learn they were at the back section of the cove. The cold water was from the tide pouring over the barrier.
He lifted his
mask and pushed it over his hair. Water trickled over his gorgeous face, reminding her of an Abercrombie and Fitch commercial. “How ya doing?”
“Great. This is incredible.” The wind picked up, raising goose bumps on her arms. It was warm in the water, but cold now that she was out.
“You’re cold.”
She drew in a shaky breath when Finn stepped up and began rubbing her arms. Fire surged through her veins, making her forget the cold. He locked eyes with her, and she knew he was going to kiss her. Warning bells went off in her head, but she silenced them as she moistened her lips and lifted her mouth to his.
He lurched forward, knocking her back. She stumbled slightly before he caught her. “Whoa,” he said, looking down at the water.
A young boy stood and lifted his mask. His eyes grew large. “Oops. Sorry.” He pulled his mask back down and dove into the water.
Finn laughed, shaking his head. “Kids.” She wondered if he might try and kiss her again, but he pointed instead. “I want to take you to the deep section where people scuba dive. You can see giant turtles.”
“Lead the way.”
Finn watched as Samantha took a large bite of pie. “Mmm,” she said. “Delicious.”
He smiled broadly. “See, I told you. The best haupia coconut pie on the island.”
“I believe it.” She made a face. “For a minute there, when we were ordering our food, I was worried that you might try to make me eat that musubi that Masina was talking about.”
“Yeah, I thought about it, but I didn’t want to scare you off.”
“That bad, huh?”
“It’s not my favorite… but the locals love it.”
“I suppose I’ll have to eventually try it, since I promised Masina I would. But right now…” She took another bite of pie, letting the delicate coconut melt in her mouth. The bottom layer was composed of a decadent, creamy chocolate followed by a layer of coconut cream. It was topped with a thick layer of homemade whipped cream. Heaven in every bite.
After snorkeling, Finn had brought her to Ted’s Bakery, a casual eatery located right next to Kamehameha Highway—or Kam Highway, as Finn called it. The bakery wasn’t much to look at, but the food was amazing. They were sitting at an outside table, watching the steady stream of passing cars and buses. They each ordered a crab-and-bacon sandwich with fries and chocolate haupia coconut pie for dessert.
Everything to Lose (Destination Billionaire Romance) Page 7
