worry. I’m not going to give away your secret identity.”
He tilted his head, looking confused.
She waved a hand. “You know, the whole save a life and then disappear thing?”
“Oh.” He stuck his hands in his back pockets and dropped his gaze to the grass, studying it intently.
“Anyway, if you come back sometime, my manager would love to comp you a meal. We have great chicken wings.” She smiled. “And they’re usually safe to eat.”
One dark brow rose at that, but at least he wasn’t staring at the grass anymore. “Maybe I’ll try it sometime.”
“So, you work nights, too?”
She thought she heard a grunt as he spun at the waist to locate his dog, who’d trotted down to the beach and was sniffing at something in the sand. “You might say that. But I’m on vacation right now.”
“Oh.” She nodded and the nodding turned into a slow head bobbing. Her gaze moved out to the ocean. Was he trying to be mysterious? Or was he trying to get her to leave him alone? “Well, I guess I should leave you to—”
“I’ve only been here a few days, so … Can you recommend any sights I shouldn’t miss?”
“Well, there’s the Maui Ocean Center.”
He nodded. “Okay.”
“And Mount Haleakala. It’s over ten thousand feet.”
“Sounds ambitious.”
She grinned. “And, of course, the humpbacks.”
“Excuse me?”
“The whales. You’re lucky to be here in February. Their favorite breeding ground is just off the coast of Maui this time of year.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, there’re several cruises that take tourists out to see them.”
“Humpbacks.”
“Of course, you’d have to put on your thick glasses and slump your shoulders for that.” She grinned.
His brows drew together and he blinked.
Her smile slowly faded. “You know, the superhero? When he wore his glasses he was the unassuming …”
He squinted at her. “Are you comparing me to a superhero?”
She rolled her eyes. “Like, duh! You’re Captain Mysterious. Able to perform the Heimlich and CPR all in a single bound!”
“Oh, no.” Shaking his head, he rubbed his forehead. “You have a moniker for me?”
Wishing she’d kept her mouth shut now, Kristen nodded. “Well, it wasn’t me. Everyone in the bar—”
“The whole bar was talking about me?” His eyes were wide. This wasn’t going the way she’d planned.
Maybe she should rethink her idea. Even if he were interested in her, she only had a few weeks before she had to return to San Diego and resume her real life.
But in the two months she’d been here she hadn’t met any other guy she’d felt so drawn to. There was something about him. Something dark she recognized from her worst days in the hospital.
And she’d promised herself at her last doctor’s appointment that, from that moment on, she’d live life to the fullest. And that meant sometimes taking risks.
So, maybe he’d tell her to get lost. After what she’d lived through? She could handle a little rejection.
Decided, she drew a deep breath. “You know … just a bit farther from Tradewinds is a great seafood place I’ve been wanting to try. But I hate going to a restaurant alone, don’t you? If you like seafood, maybe we could go together sometime.”
The crashing of the waves seemed louder in the long silence. Then he switched his gaze out to sea. “Uh, I’m not really good company right now.”
Ouch. The fact that his answer stung a bit told her she really hadn’t been prepared for rejection. Seems her glass-half-full attitude needed a reality check. “Okay.” She nodded and waved a hand, took a step back, and then another, her sneakers sinking into the sand. “No worries.”
She spun on her heels and jogged up to the street, yanked her bike from the rack and wheeled it across Kihei Road and into the foyer of the condominium building. Her cheeks were on fire, half embarrassed, half mad that she’d made a fool of herself. Boy, had she misread the signals.
Digging in her backpack, she pulled out her mailbox key, mumbling to herself, wanting to smack her forehead. “What an idiot. You just had to go up to a complete stranger, didn’t you?” She inserted her key, yanked open the door and pulled out her mail. “Why do I do this to myself? I never learn—”
“Kristen?”
She jumped and gave a tiny shriek as she swiveled to face the voice. “Luke!” She pressed a hand to her chest and gulped. “Geez, you scared me.”
“Sorry about that.” He winced and reached up a hand to rub the back of his neck. Her gaze was drawn to his bicep, which was clearly familiar with a set of weights.
Then he lowered his arm and she took in the rest of him in the bright light of the lobby.
Except for his broad shoulders, he was fairly slim. Did he scuba dive? He had the perfect swimmer’s body. His taut abs showed beneath his tight T-shirt and so did what looked like a set of dog tags on a long chain. Military?
“Listen, can we start over?” His voice was smooth and yet rough. Not terribly deep, but not too high either. And she picked up a trace of a Southern drawl in his accent. Possibly Texan.
It was her turn to blink at him. “Uh, sure.”
A tiny smile curved the edges of his mouth. “Seafood sounds good. Tomorrow? Around seven? Meet you here?”
She smiled and nodded, feeling euphoric, as if she’d already won the Geographic Universe photography contest. “As it happens, I’m off tomorrow, uh, you mean later today, right? Seven’s good. How about we meet at the picnic table?”
He shook his head, then stopped and nodded with a small smile. “Uh, yes, today, this evening.” He stared into her eyes and his jaw shifted to the left just a fraction.
Mesmerized, Kristen could’ve stood there forever noting every nuance of his face, absorbing him. But he bent down and picked up her keys, offering them to her. “You dropped these.”
“Oh.” She hadn’t even noticed. “Thank you.” She took them from his outstretched palm and the same energy tingled her fingers as before. Maybe he felt it, too, because he glanced down at his hand and then back up at her, his dark eyes questioning.
“Looking forward to tomorrow, Luke.” She dropped
