“I am,” she said.

  Donnie looked around. “Mother, this is the registration desk. The restaurant is over there.” He pointed over his shoulder.

  “I know. I know.” She propped her hands on her hips and shot him a scowl. “But you know all those tickets we received for dinner cruises on the Blue Pacific…the one you’re thinking about buying?” She paused and didn’t continue until he nodded. “Well, I was thinking that you probably don’t want to distribute those tickets to our guests until you’ve seen the ship. Right?”

  “Your point, Mother?” Donnie cleared his throat. Marla paid no mind to his glare.

  “I met one of our guests today. She’s such a sweet, sweet girl, yet so sad and dejected. Something awful has happened to her. I don’t know what, but you could give her something to smile about if you’d invite her to dinner. And if dinner was on the ship, you could cheer her up and check out the dinner cruise’s operation at the same time. Multitasking. Isn’t that what you call it?” Marla gave him that look. The one that said she had a right as his mother to demand outrageous things of him. “And you never know, you just might have a good time.”

  “Mother.” He sucked in a breath, hoping it’d help him stay calm. “Contrary to what you might think, your job at the hotel is not matchmaker. In fact, you don’t have a job here at all.”

  Marla marched around the counter and grabbed Donnie’s arm, leading him toward the center of the lobby. “Donnie… what’s it gonna hurt if you escort a pretty girl to dinner? She’s all alone.”

  “It’s not a good idea.”

  “Why not?”

  Donnie laughed as a trapped feeling washed over him. “If she’s here alone, I’m sure it’s for a reason. And I doubt she wants me intruding.”

  “Oh, great…” Marla threw her hands in the air. “You’re just going to let her wither away until her heart is beyond repair?”

  “I’m sure someone is up for the task of saving her. Maybe even someone here at the hotel.” Donnie shrugged and shook his head. “But it’s not me.”

  “It’s not gonna kill you just this once.”

  Donnie’s jaw clenched, but he managed to get his objection out anyway. “Mother, I don’t have time to go roaming around the hotel looking to invite all the single women to dinner.”

  “You don’t have to invite all of them. Just one.” Marla took on a triumphant smile. “And you don’t have to go looking for her.” She turned Donnie around. “She’s right over there,” she said, giving him a push in the direction of the gift shop.

  Donnie scanned the area at the shop’s entrance. The only solitary person he saw was a tall, slender woman. Her long hair was dark, like espresso, her face pretty. Maybe he could just say hello. It would be rude of him not to inquire after her comfort and contentment.

  As he and his mother approached the young woman, she caught sight of them and smiled. “Marla…”

  “How are you today, Genie?” Marla asked.

  “Wonderful.” She giggled, but there was a sadness radiating from her smile. “But who wouldn’t be in this paradise?”

  “Genie, this is my son, Donnie.”

  “It’s nice to meet you.” Genie smiled and offered her hand. He accepted.

  “Believe me,” he said. “The pleasure is all mine.”

  “You work here at the hotel, too?” she asked.

  He nodded.

  “Yeah? What do you do here?”

  Before his mother could brag about the fact that he owned the place, he said, “I do a little of this and a little of that.”

  As pretty as Genie was, there was something in her eyes—agony, perhaps—that tugged at his heartstrings. It made him want to pull her to him and comfort her.

  “It was very nice to meet you.” She gave him one last smile, then turned and stepped away. His heart wanted to follow her.

  “Um, Genie?” He stepped clumsily after her. She glanced over her shoulder, smiled and stopped. He said, “I’ve a favor to ask you.” She waited. He swallowed the lump in his throat, or maybe it was his pride, and said, “I have to attend a dinner cruise tonight. Would you like to join me?”

  For a minute, she looked liked she was going to decline, but then the a smile tipped the corners of her mouth. “Okay.” She nodded. “Might be fun.”

  “Great. I’m meet you here in the lobby. At four.”

  “What’s the dress code?”

  He chuckled, suddenly very aware of his tan trousers and yellow Hawaiian shirt. “Everything in Hawaii is casual.”

  “All right.” She nodded. “See you here in the lobby at four.”

  Donnie watched her walk toward the elevators. He hoped she showed. Mentally, he calculated the odds. Forty-sixty. Thirty-seventy. Definitely not in his favor.

  If he had reminded her that he owned the hotel—he was sure Marla had already brought it up—it might have increased his odds. But truth be told, Donnie didn’t want to have dinner with that kind of girl.

  Genie caught one last glimpse of Marla’s son, Donnie, as the elevator doors closed between them. He had movie-star good looks with a tall, athletic body. His hair was as dark as the night and cropped short. His eyes matched the blue water off the shores of Oahu.

  She wondered what his job at the hotel really was? He’d been awfully evasive when she asked. Maybe hotel concierge or something like that. It mattered little, though. She was here to forget about that rat, Ross, and she had a feeling Donnie Taylor was a good way to start.

  Genie decided to wear a dress she’d bought a couple of days ago in Waikiki. She’d been instantly drawn to the Hawaiian dress with spaghetti straps. Its red flowers against a black background was eye-catching. She’d also picked up a short cashmere sweater in black to go with it.

  At five of four she grabbed her leather-cased phone, draped the strap over her shoulder, and headed out. When the elevator doors parted at the lobby, she couldn’t believe her eyes. Donnie was standing at the concierge desk, wearing a Hawaiian shirt that matched her dress. Genie’s first thought was to run back upstairs and change so he didn’t think she was spying on him. That was something Ross would’ve thought.

  Before she could press the elevator button, Donnie glanced her way and smiled. Too late. She was stuck now. She felt her face flush as she stepped out of the lift.

  He strolled toward her with the kind of swagger that comes from an abundance of confidence. His delightful smile made it easier to take his assurance, which bordered on arrogance.

  “Nice dress,” he said.

  “Nice shirt.”

  “You know what this means…?”

  She sucked in a breath and held it, waiting for him to say something completely unfiltered and inappropriate.

  “You and I…” he said. “We’re a perfect fit.”

  He offered his arm and she draped her hand around the crook of it. “You’re pretty sure of yourself,” she said as he led her toward the hotel entrance.

  “No, I’m not,” he said softly as they passed through the doors. “It’s just a cover.” He opened the door to a car waiting at curbside.

  “For what?” she asked, climbing into the back seat.

  Donnie slid in beside her and the driver shut the door. Donnie leaned toward her and said, “Intimidation.”

  Genie felt her brow furrow, unable to determine if he was talking about himself or her.

  “You intimidate the hell out of me, girl.” He chuckled a bit, and shook his head.

  “Me? Intimidate you?” Maybe he thought she was rich or something. Boy was he in for a shock. She and Ross had saved for over a year to afford this trip.

  “You’re an incredibly beautiful woman, Genie.” His admiring gaze raked over her in ways that made her want to blush.

  Me? Genie fought hard to keep her cool by tossing in a little humor to see if it’d help. “You don’t get out much, do you?”

  His laughter lightened the mood, and she was happy for it. He said, “Oh, I pride myself on being an authority on beautiful women.” He nodded. “And you’re by far at the top of the list.”

  She studied him stoically as the thought actions speak louder than words crossed her mind. She asked, “Do women actually buy that line?”

  He looked at her for a minute, really looked at her, then a sad smile tipped the corners of his mouth. Genie bet he was a good kisser. He asked, “You’re fresh off a heartbreak, aren’t you?”

  Genie’s heart stammered against her chest and she felt her face flush. “Nothing I can’t handle.” It took her a few seconds to work up the courage to look at Donnie. But she might as well get it over with and set the boundaries right now. “And nothing I want to talk about, either.”

  “All right.” He waited a beat before saying, “Can I ask you one thing, though?”

  She raised her eyebrows to harden her glare.

  “Are you really single? Or are you just waiting-on-him-to-come-to-his-senses single?”

  Genie hadn’t considered that notion. She let the idea tumble around in her head. Would she go back to Ross? She’d like to think she wouldn’t. “I am,” she said, hoping to convey a measure of certainty in her words, “really single.”

  He shot her sly grin. “Good.”

  The drive to the marina was pleasant with Donnie naming points of interest along the way. Genie could get used to having her own personal tour guide.

  “Were you born on the island?” she asked.

  “No.” He shook his head. “I’ve been here for around five years. I’m originally from Texas.”

  “Texas?” She never would’ve guessed. There wasn’t much about his accent that made him seem any different from the people she was used to chatting with on a daily basis. Although, now that she thought about it, Marla did have a touch of southern in her tone.

  “Why does that surprise you?” he asked behind a chuckle.

  “Texas.” She shrugged. “Brings to mind cattle ranches, oil wells, and somebody who sounds just like J.R. Ewing.”

  “But hopefully not as ruthless, right?”

  “Hopefully not.” Genie let her gaze roll out the window. Donnie was incredibly easy to talk to, and so polite and accommodating. Maybe she’d been going after the wrong type of guy. Jerks. That’s what she’d always been attracted to—why, she didn’t know. But Donnie was living proof that nice guys could also be incredibly handsome and debonair.

  At the marina, a large crowd had gathered near a vessel that looked like a smaller version of the ship Genie and Cami had taken a cruise on after graduating from high school.

  “So these dinner cruises are popular here, huh?” she asked off-handedly.

  “That they are.”

  The driver opened the door and Donnie climbed out, then offered his hand to her. “Thanks,” she said, leveraging her way out of the car. Genie began to wonder how much of a dent tonight had put in Donnie’s wallet. This dinner cruise couldn’t be cheap.

  A gentle Pacific breeze blew past, taking Genie’s worries with it. Oh well. Maybe he had a coupon or something. However he’d come by the tickets, she intended to enjoy the evening.

  After they posed for the commemorative photograph, Donnie and Genie were whisked away to the top of the four-deck ship. The dining room was meant to convey opulence, but Genie knew it was not much more than a pretense. Even so, she intended to enjoy the evening. What’s not to enjoy? She was dining with an incredibly handsome man who was nothing short of the perfect gentleman. Under those circumstances, a girl could overlook the fact that the restaurant wasn’t nearly as luxurious as it pretended to be.

  Genie eyed the long tables in the center of the room, hoping they wouldn’t be dining at one of those. She’d prefer something a little more intimate, like one of the private tables along the windows.

  The hostess greeted them with a smile. “Name?”

  Genie glanced at her name tag—Angela—vaguely hearing Donnie say, “Taylor.”

  The girl perused her list. “Donnie or Richard?”

  “Donnie.”

  “Great.” With a nod, she added, “We got a table with a great view over here for you.” Angela pointed to the other side of the ship.

  “Wonderful.” Donnie held Genie’s hand as they followed the waitress to one of the tables midway along the starboard windows.

  Thankfully, the tables were intimate. Just two diners for each. Genie liked that idea. Donnie pulled her chair out, and once she’d seated herself, he did the same.

  “Would you care for some wine?” he asked.

  She nodded. “Sure. I’ve love a glass.”

  Once the hostess heard Donnie’s request for a bottle of wine, she ambled away. He’d ended up ordering a pinot. His first requests had been Argiolas Vermentino or Turley Zinfandel, neither of which they had on board the ship. Donnie could already see tons of changes needing to be made if he bought the ship. Trouble was, he wasn’t sure where to begin.

  Instead of dwelling on the dinner cruise’s inadequacies, he settled his sights on Genie. She was such a beautiful woman. He couldn’t understand how she’d come to be here in paradise all alone. Oh well, if someone had been dumb enough to let her go…Donnie’s gain. He just wished he could be sure she liked him more than his money.

  Their salads came, and while they ate, they chitchatted about nothing to personal. Genie said only that she was in Hawaii to get away from it all, and was enjoying her respite.

  The show was Hawaiian in every sense of the word, but Donnie had seen better. Every so often, Genie would look at him and smile. He got the feeling she was a little bored by the show, but every time her eyes met his, hers sparkled.

  He leaned her way, asking, “What do you think of the show?”

  It took a moment before she said, “It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen.”

  “Well, if you ask me,” he said, “they could invest a few bucks and hire some quality entertainment.”

  “That would be a start.” Her voice remained neutral, but from the perplexity lurking in her eyes, Donnie figured she felt the same about it as him.

  Like a bolt of lightning, it hit Donnie. Who better to know how to give this place a much needed shot in the arm but a woman hoping for a fabulous evening? At least that’s what he’d like to think she was counting on. Donnie leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. “So what would you do to this ship if you owned it? How would you turn it into the best dinner cruise on the island?”

  “Well…” She hesitated, clearly mulling it over. “Assuming that I’ve already taken care of the entertainment.” She gazed around the dining room. “Are we in the economy section?” she asked, then looked at him with sweet eyes that made him forget that he might’ve been insulted.

  It was impossible to ignore or dismiss her admiring gaze. It wrapped him in pleasure. “No.” Donnie shook his head and laughed to himself. “We’re in the royal treatment section.”

  “Well, it’s worse than I thought then.” Her eyes filled with an odd mixture of wariness and joy. “First, the dining room needs to be redesigned. It’s nice, but not nice enough to expect people to pay royal treatment prices. I’d rearrange the dining room completely. It’s too crowded in here.” She shook her head. “If people are paying for luxury, it should start with privacy.” Genie shrugged, and Donnie tended to agree. “And where is the Captain?” she asked. “People like dining at the Captain’s table on cruise ships. So why not here?” Genie gave the room another once-over while Donnie was making mental notes of everything she said. “I’d probably do something with the decks too. Make it enticing for couples to steal a romantic moment against the moonlight.”

  “Anything else?”

  “Yeah.” She giggled. “I’d give it some dorky name…like Glamorous Genie, or something stupid like that.”

  “Any improvements to the food?”

  “It’s mediocre at best.” She shrugged. “I’d bring in a top-notch chef and revamp the menu entirely.”

  Man, this girl had a head for business on her shoulders. Donnie didn’t know if he wanted to hire her or date her.

  CHAPTER 3

  THE NEXT MORNING, MARLA was waiting for Donnie in his office. Not that he was particularly surprised. He knew his mother would want the dirt on last night. It’s just that there was nothing to tell. He’d had a pleasant evening with Genie, but soon she’d be headed back to the mainland and that would be the end of that.

  “Good morning, Mother.” Donnie stopped at the chair she occupied in front of his desk—When Marla had no qualms about claiming his chair as her own, it was a sure sign that she was up to something—he kissed her cheek and then proceeded to his own chair behind the desk.

  “How was your evening?” she asked, and that did surprise him. He’d anticipated a little buttering-up before she dove right into the heart of the matter, the reason for this chat.

  “It was fine, Mother.” He smiled. “We had a pleasant evening.”

  “So you like her?”

  “Yes, I like her.” He felt the blush heating his cheeks and tried to stifle it. “But there are two very good reasons why it can’t go any farther.” Donnie fell silent, thinking she’d issue a protest right off the bat. When she didn’t, he continued, “Firstly, she’ll go back to the mainland when her vacation is over.”

  “Oh, like you couldn’t convince her to stay,” Marla said with a saucy edge to her voice.

  “And that brings us to the second reason.” Donnie nodded. “How could I ever be sure if she likes me or the fact that I own this hotel?”

  “Why on Earth would you tell her you own Sapphire Bay before you got to know her?”

  “I didn’t tell her, you did.”

  “I didn’t tell her that you own the hotel.”

  “What exactly did you tell her?”

  “That you work here.” Marla shrugged. “It’s not a lie.”

  Donnie rubbed his forehead with the tips of his fingers. He must’ve come across as a buffoon last night. He’d spent the evening thinking she knew who he was, while she had been (wrongly) informed that he was simply an employee of the hotel.

 

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