“What do you want from me at work?” she asked.
Lawrence thought about the question as he navigated back to the dock, where she’d left her car. He parked beside her and looked out the windshield. “I think you’re beautiful, and I had a great time tonight.”
“Thank you,” she said. “I did too.”
“Would it hurt your feelings to ask that we kept our relationship…private for the time being?” He turned to look at her, needing to judge her expression in this moment.
“That’s fine,” she said, and it might’ve been the first time a woman said something was fine and meant it.
“I don’t like drama at the bank,” he said. “And honestly, I’m still trying to decide if I’ve made a huge mistake or not.”
Maizee looked like he’d splashed ice water in her face, but she recovered quickly. “I know what you mean.”
“Do you?”
“The man I was engaged to?” She heaved a sigh and looked out her window. “He was the branch manager in Lanai. When we broke up, I couldn’t go back to work. I asked for a transfer immediately, and well.” Another sigh, and Lawrence strongly disliked this unsettled side of Maizee. “That’s why I’m here now, and not there.”
Lawrence wanted to reach across the console and take her hand in his. But he asked, “You were engaged to Winthrop Porter?”
She swung her attention to him. “Yes. You know him?”
“He’s my branch manager on Lanai,” Lawrence said. “Of course I know him.” And he didn’t like him much, though he did a great job in the branch. But what in the world had Maizee seen in him?
“So we’ll just play things by ear,” he said quietly. “No romance in the office. And if things get weird for either of us, we’ll say.” He searched her face, realizing he could easily lose himself in this woman’s blue-eyed gaze. “Okay?”
She nodded. “Okay.”
“Great.” He smiled. “So what are you doing tomorrow?”
Lawrence spent the morning at the sporting goods store, buying anything and everything he could think of that one might need to bike down the coast and spend the day on the beach. He had backpacks, sunscreen, towels, an umbrella, a bike, helmet, and enough clothes to keep him cool and dry for a week.
He loaded up everything he could fit in his car, and he asked if he could get the bike delivered to his building by noon. Of course he could, because he could pay anyone to do anything when he wanted them to.
So it was that he was standing on the sidewalk, properly geared up, a stylish backpack on his back and standing beside the best bike money could buy, when Maizee showed up. She wore tight spandex from shoulder to knee, and she rode her bike like a professional.
Lawrence’s heart beat out of control, and he blurted, “I’m not going to lie. I can’t remember the last time I rode a bike.”
Maizee laughed, a musical sound that increased his pulse, and said, “Did you buy that bike this morning?”
“I sure did.”
She tipped her head back and laughed again, filling the sky with the sound of it. “Why didn’t you just say so?”
He shrugged. “You said you liked biking to a picnic spot. I figured I could do it, even though the last time I rode a bike, I was twelve years old.”
“How did you get around?” she asked.
“The subway,” he said. “New York City sidewalks aren’t kind to bicyclists.”
Maizee shook her head, a look of admiration on her face. “It’s flat, hard ground,” she said. “Maybe twelve miles. And I brought all the food, even that chocolate cake I mentioned last night.”
“All right. You go first.” He didn’t want her to watch him try to get on the bike, something he hadn’t even done yet. But he did want to do things he hadn’t before, and if he could ride behind the beautiful Maizee Phelps to a picnic on the beach, he was going to do it.
She kicked off easily, and he managed to get himself on the bike without falling down. Why couldn’t riding a bike be as simple as reading a financial document or converting currency? Those things he could do.
But with every stroke of the pedal, things got a little better. The view was gorgeous, with the ultra-blue ocean on his right and the rolling green hills of Hawaii on his right. He followed Maizee until she turned off the road onto a sandy path, and then he dismounted. She chained her bike to a tree, and he followed suit, thinking he’d probably follow this woman wherever she wanted to go.
Once again, he forced himself not to think too far ahead. This was a fun Sunday afternoon date with a woman he was just getting to know. He may very well learn things about her he didn’t like, and then he’d have to decide what to do.
But for now, he took her hand and tromped through the sand in his new biking shoes to a designated spot. She spread out a blanket and pulled out a few bags of food, perfectly chilled with pockets in the side she’d filled with ice packs.
Lawrence loved the salty scent of the sea as it mixed with Maizee’s perfume, and he was glad to be outside for probably the first time in years. He felt brave, indestructible, and like he was really living his life.
Finally.
Seven
Maizee caught Lawrence’s eye as he passed her office and started up the stairs to his. He didn’t wave. Or smile. Nothing. He did nothing. Just continued past.
Though they’d talked about it, and she’d expected him to do exactly what he’d done, her chest still pinched.
They’d had such a great weekend together. Sunday afternoon had passed in the blink of an eye, ending with her curled into his side as the sun sank into the ocean. She’d confessed that sunsets were some of her favorite times of the day, and he’d laughed at her while she ate her cake before the rest of her lunch.
The conversation had been light and easy, nothing about Winn or previous relationships. Nothing serious about how they’d act at work. Just enjoying the sand, the surf, and the sun—and each other.
He’d told her that his sailboat was named after his grandmother, and she liked the vulnerability he showed when he spoke of the important people and things in his life.
She felt a bit windblown and sunburnt this morning, but it wasn’t anything a little moisturizer and a lot of makeup couldn’t fix.
Her phone sizzled at her, and she made a grab for it as she’d set that notification specifically to Lawrence. Morning, beautiful.
Good morning yourself, she sent back, glad she hadn’t been out of the dating game for too long. Lawrence possessed a quiet spirit, and he was completely unlike the man she’d imagined the owner of Gladstone Financial to be.
Yes, he was gorgeous. Strong. Wealthy. But he had a soft side. A vulnerable side, and he had confessed that he was working on doing things around the island that he’d previously never experienced. Thus, the hiking last weekend and the bike-riding this one.
She liked that he was willing to try new things, but that those same things made him nervous.
He had become more human to her over the course of the last two days, and while she still imagined him to be able to do anything, at least she knew some of it made his nerves fly into overdrive.
I have a lunch appointment today, his next message said. But I’m free for dinner.
She giggled and immediately glanced toward her open door. But no one ever came to see her this early in the morning. After all, no one had go to the bank as their first errand of the day, and her afternoons were always busier than her mornings.
Are you asking me out? she thumbed out and sent just as Will walked into her office. She glanced up and erased the smile from her face. “Good morning, Mister McMahon. What can I do for you?”
He glanced over his shoulder and entered her office before closing the door behind him. He took the seat across from her as her phone sizzled again. She swiped quickly to silence it, wishing she could continue her flirtatious texting with Lawrence.
She met Will’s eye again and this time she did flash him a tight smile. He sat there, his gaze appraising a
nd firm, and she fought the urge to squirm. She’d only been at this branch for a week. What could’ve possibly gone wrong?
And why did she care? Anyone could process loans, and Maizee had been seriously considering her life choices over the course of the past few days. Well, not on Saturday during the sailing, nor Sunday during the picnic. But before that.
“I need a loan,” he finally said, and surprise mingled with relief in her lungs.
“Well, you’ve come to the right place.” She opened a drawer and pulled out the employee applications for loans. “We have the best rate for employees out of any other bank.” Maizee slipped into her salesperson voice, pointing at boxes on the form, and then the website address at the bottom. She told Will she would put his to the top of the pile if he went with the paper application, or watch for his email if he used the website.
He grew redder and redder during the brief conversation, and then he stood, leaving the paper on the desk. “Thank you, Maizee,” he said.
She stood and stepped around the desk. “Of course.”
Will opened the door and walked out without looking back. Maizee caught the door before it could clang into the glass and watched him go. She wasn’t sure what he was playing at. Was he testing her? Seeing how she’d treat an employee who came in asking for a loan? Or did he truly need the money?
No matter what, she’d been professional and courteous, and there was no way he could find fault with what she’d done.
Still, something gnawed at her as he disappeared into his office, and she let herself wonder what her life would be like if she’d gone to pastry school or perhaps taken up beach volleyball as a profession. But the required bikini as a uniform was just a bit out of her reach.
Turning back to her desk, she caught sight of her phone screen brightening, and she hurried back over to it.
Lawrence had texted a few times. First with, Yes, I’m asking you out.
We can do something totally American. Burgers out at Cattleman’s Last Stop.
If you want.
Oh, Maizee wanted to go to dinner with him. She wasn’t sure where Cattleman’s Last Stop was, but she did like a juicy hamburger with all the toppings. She sent back, I’m in. You want to come pick me up tonight?
They’d met for both of their dates so far, though she suspected the ritzy high-rise where she’d picked him up yesterday afternoon was really his home. He probably owned the whole block.
Definitely. Text me your address. I’m headed out for the day.
Sure enough, about five minutes later, Lawrence walked past her office, the sight of his back in his dark suit almost as tantalizing as watching him enter the bank.
She wanted to jump up and follow him, find out where he was going. But he didn’t answer to anyone at this bank; he simply happened to have an office here because he enjoyed living in Hawaii. At least that’s what he’d told her while they lay on the sand together last night.
He liked being in a time zone behind New York City, as he could make more practical decisions after the heat of the moment was over.
Maizee stayed at her desk, but it took a great deal of will power. She ate lunch at her desk, as she had every day last week. And she left the bank right when the clock struck five so she could rush home and get ready for her dinner date.
She brushed invisible lint from her skirt right as the doorbell rang. Lawrence had obviously found her house, and her heart vibrated the way the sound of the bell still did.
Taking a deep breath, she told herself, “Go have fun.” At the same time, tremors moved through her stomach. She couldn’t believe she was going out with another man from her bank. The risk she was taking seemed astronomical, and it accounted for at least half of her nerves as she walked down the hall to answer the door.
Lawrence stood there in a button-up shirt the color of raspberries, which he’d paired with a pair of black shorts that shone like oil in the evening sunlight. He glanced up from his phone like he was waiting for the bus, and then his hands fell to his sides.
His eyes raked across her body from top to bottom and back again, a hint of desire and hunger entering his expression. He whistled as the heat from outside started to make Maizee melt a little.
“Don’t you look amazing?” He stepped into her, and she should’ve fallen back to allow him room.
She didn’t, easily slipping her hand into his as he entered her personal space.
“I love the dress,” he murmured, bending his head a bit to sweep his lips along her forehead.
Maizee had bought it for her engagement party and worn it exactly once. It felt good, freeing, to wear it again and receive a compliment from a handsome man. She loved the silvery sheen of it and how sometimes, if the light was just right, it looked blue.
Her stomach growled, and while Lawrence surely couldn’t hear it, he stepped back and asked, “Should we go?”
“Yes, I’m starving,” she said.
He drove for quite a while, right along the coast and around the curve in the island. Maizee marveled at all the wild land on this island, all the places to explore. She’d make sure she wasn’t caught in a rainstorm when she hiked all of this land, and she hoped Lawrence would be with her just in case the sky did open and cause her problems.
The lot in front of the restaurant held quite a few cars, of a wide variety. Pickup trucks, sedans, SUVs, and Lawerence’s Benz rounded out the crowd. The tires crunched over the gravel as he found a spot, and he met her at the front of the car and slung his arm around her.
“This ranch is still operational,” he said. “They don’t send calves to the Mainland, but only produce beef for local consumption.”
“Fascinating,” she said. “What’s it called?” The restaurant had a sign that read “Cattleman’s Last Stop,” but surely that wasn’t the name of the entire ranch.
“Wahine Nani,” he said. “It means beautiful woman in Hawaiian. The history says that a Spanish paniolo came from California and fell in love with an island princess. They started this ranch, and the land is blessed as long as there are Hawaiian cattle roaming it.”
Maizee loved listening to the sound of his voice. “How do you know all this?”
“I like to read.”
“An indoor activity.”
He laughed as he mounted the steps. “Yes, an indoor activity.” He opened the door to a wall of sound but tried to talk over it. “I know a lot about this place, I just haven’t gotten out and seen it for myself.”
“Well.” Maizee moved right into his chest and placed her hand over his heartbeat. Was it her imagination or did his pulse skip around a bit? Did she really have that effect on him? It seemed impossible, as she felt way out of her league. “We’re changing all of that, aren’t we?” She stepped into the bar and restaurant before he could answer and drank in the surroundings.
The décor was quite tacky, but it somehow fit the theme of a ranch restaurant that served some of the biggest burgers and thick-cut fries Maizee had ever seen. She watched a waitress walk by with three plates balanced in her hands, marveling that she didn’t drop them as she stepped.
“Two tonight?” a man asked. He wore a cowboy hat and jeans, and the only indication that he worked there was the apron around his waist, which bore a huge horseshoe with the words Last Stop splashed over it. He grabbed two menus and glanced at Lawrence.
“Oh, hey, Larry.” He grinned at him. “Haven’t seen you in a while.”
“Evening, Mack.” Lawrence smiled easily at the man and said nothing about the nickname. Maizee gawked at him, his demeanor, clothing, and professional status nowhere near a Larry.
But she waited until Mack had tossed the paper menus on the table and sauntered away in his cowboy boots before exclaiming, “Larry?” with a little giggle.
He shrugged one shoulder and lifted the water glass that was already on the table to his lips. “Sometimes I like to be anonymous.”
She scoffed. “Does that actually work?”
“Out here, it doe
s.” He gazed at her evenly. His eyes positively sparkled when he leaned forward and said, “So be sure to call me Larry.”
Wow, his mouth couldn’t be any more perfect, all curved up like it was. Maizee’s heart was the one skipping around now, and all she could think of was what it would be like to kiss the man sitting across from her.
His lips said, “Dr. Pepper,” alerting her to the fact that someone had arrived and had asked for their drink orders.
“Do you ever drink anything besides Dr. Pepper?” she asked.
“Sure,” he said, but he didn’t specify what.
She tore her eyes from him and said, “I’ll have strawberry guava lemonade.”
The cowgirl who’d moseyed over left, and Lawrence leaned back in his chair. “So, you’re quite sporty. Tell me what else you do. Ziplining? Skydiving?” He didn’t wear a smile, and Maizee’s chest pinched all the air out of her lungs.
Sporty? What did that mean?
Did he like sporty? Was she too masculine for him? She’d tried to doll herself up with the silver dress, but maybe he thought she was trying too hard.
She gulped her water, trying to figure out how to answer.
And Larry just sat there and stared at her, no help whatsoever.
Eight
Lawrence had obviously said something wrong. What, he didn’t know. But Maizee sat there, blinking much too fast. Then she started gulping water, which was a real feat as the liquid in his glass tasted like it had come from the animal troughs out on the ranch.
“Sporty?” she finally squeaked.
“Yeah,” he said, trying to figure out how she could take that the wrong way. “You do like hiking and biking and stuff.” He worked very hard not to pitch his voice up on the end, as if it were a question. He already knew she liked outdoor activities, and that was pretty sporty to him.
“Yes.” She finally realized the water wasn’t good, because she pushed the glass further from her.
Lawrence didn’t want to play games, and frustration rose through him. “So what did I say wrong?”
The Brave Billionaire (Clean Billionaire Beach Club Romance Book 11) Page 5
