Chapter 2

Chapter 2 (Monday, February 9th, 10am)

“No, that’s fine – it’s only ten o’clock in the morning here. Yeah, I got the story you wanted, boss. Mmm hmm – yeah. Got that too. Well, that’s what you asked for, isn’t it? Yeah. Uh-uh – and pictures to got with the story. I should have my spread ready for you by Wednesday, so you’ll have it for the weekend paper. Yeah. I know. All right. Hey – I gotta run – I gotta go grab my luggage before it disappears round the bend. Okay. Bye.”

“Aloha – welcome to Kauai. Mr. London?” asked a young lady bearing an armful of orchid leis on one arm, a clipboard in the other. As he snapped his cell phone back in its holster at his waist, he turned in her direction. His eyes slowly adjusted to the bright Hawaiian sunlight behind her.

“Yes, that’s me,” he replied, and bent his head down low so the lady could place the lei around his neck.

“Mahalo for coming to Kauai. Enjoy the wedding this week. Aloha!” And she walked away, in search of more lucky visitors who had paid to be lei’d at Lihue International Airport that day. Boy, this company certainly knew their stuff. Even taking an earlier flight than the one he was supposed to take tonight, Luke still got his lei greeting at the airport.

The cell phone at his waist chirped as he began to maneuver his wheeled luggage over to the rental car offices. “Yes?” he said as he held the phone to his ear.

“Oh, wonderful – you made it there in one piece! Thank you for calling your mother when you landed – I’ve been worried sick. I didn’t know which flight you were on, since you changed your schedule. When I hadn’t heard from you…”

He calmly interrupted his mother. “Mom – I just arrived. Literally. I just walked off the plane not ten minutes ago. I barely turned my cell phone on and my boss called. I had to assure him I got the story he wanted. I barely got off the phone in time to catch my luggage. I had just stepped away from the luggage carousel on my way to get my car when you called. So you see, I didn’t even have time to call you to let you know I’d arrived safely before you called me.”

Mrs. Pamela London heaved a great sigh. “You always were the one who crossed my eyes while I tried to keep watch over you. I suppose that’s why I worry over you the most – you’re always such a flurry of activity, I barely know where you’re at half the time.”

“Well, Mother, now you know where I’m at. I’m in Lihue. Just got to the island. I’ll see you and Dad down here on what? Thursday?”

“Yes, that’s right. Our flight leaves O’Hare late Wednesday, sometime after midnight. We stop over in San Francisco for barely 45 minutes. Then we’re due to arrive in Lihue Thursday morning. Your dad has the tickets with the exact times. We’ll call you Wednesday evening and give you our flight information, all right?”

On the other end of the phone, she heard a grunt. “Are you okay over there?” she asked.

“Yeah… just hoisting my luggage on the shuttle bus is all. I’m fine, Mother, really. I’ve got a story to write tonight, then I have to polish it off and send it in come morning. That’s why I flew in earlier today – so I could relax. Mark and I are supposed to get in a game of golf tomorrow afternoon, and other than that…”

He heard his mother sniffle, and he heard her take a deep breath, as though she wanted to say something but then changed her mind. “Mom – I’ve gotta go. We’re at the car rental lot, my low battery alert’s beeped five times already, and I’ve got to get my car. I’ll see you and Dad on Thursday, okay? I love you. Bye.”

He didn’t hear a response from her. His cell phone battery chose that moment to expire.

- - - - -

Annie spent a short time unpacking her things. She didn’t want to have to iron the wrinkles out of anything later simply because she couldn’t be bothered to hang up her things when she first arrived.

She changed into her swimsuit, and threw on a pair of comfortable walking shorts and a tank top over her suit. She decided to get out in the sun, maybe see a few sights, and spend a few hours relaxing. And she needed a nap. She wanted to be able to stay awake to see Luke London when he checked in late tonight. But since her body was still on Central Standard time – a time zone with six hours’ time later than Hawaiian time – she wanted to give herself time to adjust to local time.

Annie pulled her change wallet from her purse and made sure she had a few twenties in there in addition to some smaller bills, as well as her credit card and license. She grabbed a beach bag and put the wallet in the small zippered pocket on the inside. Then she tossed in an oversize towel, her sunglasses, her hotel key car, rental car keys, a well-read romance novel by her favorite author, some sunblock, a well-worn baseball cap with the White Sox emblem on the front, and her Kauai guidebook. Not sure if she’d be better off taking her long afternoon walk in her sandals or not, she tossed her trail-running shoes and a pair of socks in the bag for good measure. She laughed as she looked in her bag at the stuff she'd tossed in there. Once a girl scout, always a girl scout, she thought. At least she would be prepared. At the last minute, she decided to grab her windbreaker, in case she needed a light jacket at some point during her outing. She slipped on her comfortable walking sandals and left her room, making a mental note to remember 2401, as the room number wasn’t marked on the key card.

After stopping at the front desk to find out Luke’s room number - 3401, she walked down to the oceanside grille and restaurant. The grounds at the Poipu Sheraton were quite extensive, but the best part of it were the ocean views. The pool, with it’s manmade waterfall cascading over rocks, was amazing as well. She couldn’t wait to go for a swim. And the pool was oceanside as well. It just didn’t get much better than this, she thought.

After enjoying a wonderful chicken caesar salad for an early lunch at the oceanside restaurant, Annie slipped off her sandals as she stopped where the grass and path met the sand. She stooped low and picked them up, tossing them into the beach bag she had flung over her shoulder. She saw folks were just beginning to gather on the lawn. In a short while, all the chaise lounge chairs would be occupied, as the sun worshippers came to claim them. Annie found an empty chair and sat down. She pulled out her sunblock and began to apply it to her arms, legs, and face.

It was absolutely beautiful here, she thought as she looked around. She could see why Zoey wanted to be married here. When Zoey came to Kauai with her family five years ago to celebrate her parents’ 30th wedding anniversary, she came back and announced that when she got married, she was doing it in Kauai. At the time, she hadn’t even met Mark. Hadn’t even thought of a wedding, other than knowing it would take place in Kauai. And here it was, the week of her wedding, and the happy ending was at best, a ‘maybe.’

Annie forced herself to close her eyes. She did not want to follow that train of thought. Zoey and Mark would live happily ever after. And they were getting married in paradise. This Saturday, on Valentine’s Day. What could be better than that?

She pulled out her book, got comfortable, and started to read. And promptly fell asleep.

- - - - -
(Monday, February 9th, 11am)

It was a pleasant drive from Lihue to Poipu, especially through the Tree Tunnel. He’d been here once before, following an assignment back when he’d have to chase celebrities for a story, if he wanted his story published. Back before he decided to freelance instead. Which had inadvertently led him back round robin to Chicago, working for the Tribune. With a story printed every weekend, in the People section. Yes, Luke had come a long way from his celeb-chasing days, when he wrote under his moniker, Stone London.

He got the nickname after the interview for his first story. He had just wrapped up his part of the interview, and the photographer was taking pictures to accompany the story. He’d overheard the young starlet tell the photographer that she was just mesmerized by Luke’s eyes. Gray eyes that changed in intensity, from smoldering charcoal to steel to a gray so light it was like stone. The veteran photographer enjoyed razzing Luke, so when he submitted his pictures, he added a note saying, “These are the pictures for Stone’s interview with the starlet.” And the name had stuck.

For three long years, the name Stone had stuck. He decided he like the anonyminity it gave him, so he kept it. But he yearned to be recognized as a journalist by his own name, so when he took the job in Chicago, he decided to write under his own name, Luke London.

And if he found himself in a situation where he didn’t want to give out his real name when asked, he always said, “The name’s Stone.” It wasn’t an outright lie, just not the whole truth.

Luke parked his rented Toyota in the Sheraton guest parking lot and got his luggage out of the trunk. A quick stop at the front desk and he was on his way to his room, 3401. He dropped his luggage unceremoniously on the bed, unzipped the main compartment, and rifled through his clothes until he found what he was looking for. He pulled his board shorts from the bottom of the luggage, and then grabbed an aloha shirt too. This one was his favorite, the cotton fabric washed to a comfortable, lived-in feel. The red hibiscus flowers reminded him of the painting he’d gotten for his parents on his first trip to Kauai.

He thought he might give his mom a call and let him know what his room number was, but then he remembered his cell phone had died. He grabbed the charger from his laptop bag. He looked around for an outlet as he pulled his t-shirt over his head, found one and plugged the phone in. Then he yanked off his Levi’s, anxious to get into his shorts and out into the sun. He slipped on his flip flops – or as Hawaiians called them ‘slippahs’ – stuffed the key card in his wallet, put his wallet in his pocket, and he pulled the door shut as he walked out.

The pool was a short walk from his room – he saw it outside, below his room balcony. He walked around, looking for an empty lounge chair but found none. He walked over to the poolside snack bar, ordered himself a burger, chips, and a mai tai. By the time his food was ready, he’d found a recently-abandoned lounge chair just a few feet from the snack bar, and stripping off his aloha shirt and slippahs, marked it as his own.

He ate the burger at the snack bar counter, making quick work of it because he realized that he’d missed breakfast. He showed his hotel key card and was able to get two guest towels at the guest services counter, where he had grabbed a local attractions guide while he waited for his food earlier. He dropped the towels and guide on his chair as he walked by it, and in three long strides he was at the pool.

The water was refreshing and cool on his skin. Even in February, the temperature in Kauai was still around 79 midday. He came up from under the water, rivulets of water dripping down his face until he wiped them clear with his hand. Luke looked to the sky – it was blue and cloudless and perfect. He wished he could paint something so pristine and wonderful, to capture the sights in Kauai forever, to gaze upon when he wanted back home. But his way was with words, not with paints. He’d have to settle for a picture or a postcard of the beauty he found in Kauai.

Luke stepped out of the pool, mopped off his shoulders and chest with one towel, and spread the second on the chair. With a sigh, he closed his eyes and gave in to complete relaxation. Within minutes, his breathing had slowed, becoming deeper as he slept.

- - - - -
(Monday, February 9th, 12pm)

Annie had woken from her nap refreshed. She reached into her beach bag for her water bottle, a bit annoyed with herself for having forgotten to put one in there. She rarely walked out of her house without at least two water bottles, but this was vacation. She didn’t exactly have a fridge stocked with Aquafina at her disposal now, did she.

She pulled her hat from her bag, pulled her long braid through the back and fit the hat on her head, tucked in a few stray strands of hair, and stretched her arms overhead. She glanced around, looking for the snack bar that she’d seen when she first came down. She grabbed a few dollars from the wallet in her bag and headed for the far side of the pool. She’d decided to stretch her legs a bit with a walk along the beach, but first a stop to the bathroom was in order. Then she’d grab a bottle of water to take on her walk.

Annie enjoyed people-watching, and vacations were always a great place and time for people-watching. She looked around the pool as she made her way to the path that meandered around the pool to the snack bar. Had Annie been watching where she was going, she would have sooner seen there was a path light directly in front of her.

But her gaze was on a far more interesting figure. On a lounge chair not far from the snack bar, was sprawled a most captivating specimen of the male of the species. His hair fell in chocolate waves to his shoulders, unruly and quite sexy. Dark sunglasses covered this man’s eyes. He had broad shoulders and his strong arms were crossed over a magazine he held at his chest. His chest… his well-defined chest was covered with a sprinkling of curly brown hair that twinkled golden in the sunlight. Annie wished he’d move that damn magazine, so she could glimpse at his abs. He had a gorgeous set of abs, she decided. Her gaze traveled lower. Damp board shorts clung to lean yet muscular thighs, and my, oh my, what else those shorts clung to.

Annie sucked in a breath as she dropped her gaze, just in time to see a two foot high metal lantern atop a post at her feet. She stopped short, managing to not knock it over, but her body’s momentum caused her upper body to pitch forward. She wobbled her outstretched arms about her sides in circles, trying to maintain her balance, as she gasped and let out a fairly audible “Oh! Ooh!” She managed to stay on her feet, dropped her arms back to her sides, and very gracefully stepped around the path light.

Just that moment, Luke woke up. His gaze fell directly on her. Do I know her? he thought. He was sure he didn’t know him, but he could swear just a moment ago she’d been waving her arms and shouting “Hello-o!” at him. He shook his head, as if that would better help him recall her name. Did he sit next to her on the plane? No, he’d have remembered that face. That he was certain of.

No, he didn’t know her, but that didn’t mean that he wouldn’t soon know her. He watched from beneath his sunglasses as she passed his chair and went behind the rock wall there. He waited a safe moment or two, then sat up and glanced behind the wall. Well, she wasn’t waiting at the snack bar, so he assumed she went down the hallway there to the restrooms. Good, that gave him a few minutes to make a plan and put it in action. He had to meet her and find out why she was waving to him, if in fact that was what she had been doing when he woke up.

Luke decided he’d jump into the pool and cool off first. Whoever she was, she sure packed a punch. Even hiding her hair under that hat, he saw the long braid hanging down her back as she passed by. Long, chestnut hair – Lord, that was his undoing. A long mane of blond hair did nothing for him, but brown hair? Chocolate, caramel, chestnut, mahogany, walnut – brown hair? Made him weak in the knees, every time.

She was trim, curvy in all the right places. At least the places he saw in his minute of ogling her. And she wasn’t petite or delicate-looking, in any way. Which worked well for him too – he liked a woman who was taller than average. Not so tall that she came near his full height of six foot two. He’d dated a tall woman once – she was just shy of six feet. He hadn’t like it one bit. No, this mystery woman looked just about perfect.

As Annie came around the corner, she saw him again, lifting himself out of the pool, not bothering to use the stairs. His strong arms flexed as he did so, and she stood watching his muscles move. She was mesmerized. She loved to watch people, but this was almost beyond just ‘watching.’ The high voice of the girl behind the snack bar counter pierced her thoughts.

“What can I get you today, ma’am?”

Annie may be a lot of things, but she wasn’t a ma’am. Not yet, she wasn’t. She was still a ‘Miss’ though she doubted she could make herself feel better by correcting the young girl.

She’d come for a water bottle, but as she glanced up, she saw pictures of some fruity concoctions on the wall behind the girl. “Tell me about those,” she said as she pointed.

A few moments later, Annie had ordered a fruit smoothie, made with pineapple, mango and banana. She turned to look for that gorgeous body again, but he was gone. She wrinkled her brow together in disappointment.

“I’m sure you look lovely like that, but I’d be willing to bet you look even better without that pout.” She’d felt the male heat behind her the same second his words rumbled in her ear.

Annie slowly turned towards the voice that brought to life the butterflies in her stomach. That wonderful, orgasm-inducing voice couldn’t possibly belong to that gorgeous body, could it?