Totally Tempting. Mary Lynn Baxter
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put his hands in his pockets. “I take it you enjoyed your morning?”
“Very much. How was yours?”
“I talked to Furukawa this morning. He said he could see me day after tomorrow, so I guess I’ll be hanging around here for the next couple of days.” He glanced at her and then away. “I think I’m going to need some pointers on how to take a vacation. I hope you’re up for the job.”
Jodie smiled at him. “Oh, I’m sure you’ll get the hang of it soon.”
The doors opened and they stepped into the lobby.
“I’ve called the office twice in hopes of learning about some crisis that only I could handle,” he said with a slight smile. “Unfortunately everything is running smoothly.”
He sounded so disgruntled that Jodie laughed. “It’s not that bad, I’m sure.”
“I asked around to find out what people usually do here besides visit the beach.” He reached into his shirt pocket. “I found there are all sorts of things to see, if you’d be interested.”
They walked out toward the water and walked along the edge.
He offered her the brochures and she eagerly took them. She looked over the various places of interest.
“There’s so much to do and see.”
By mutual agreement they turned toward a small café that caught their attention. Once seated, they glanced over the menu. Jodie ordered a large salad and Dean had a sandwich.
She continued to look through the brochures. “I’m amazed. We could spend a month and probably not see everything.” She pointed to one of the brochures. “We can attend a luau,” she said hopefully. “Or have you already been to one?”
“’Fraid not. I wasn’t here long enough to do any sightseeing. I’m game for whatever appeals to you.”
“Mmm,” she said thoughtfully, thumbing through the brochures. “We could explore the other islands, charter a helicopter to look around at everything, check out the mountains or turn into slugs and lie on the beach all week.”
He couldn’t seem to take his eyes off her. She glowed with enthusiasm, something he’d rarely felt. “Sounds like a plan.” He glanced at his watch and reached for his cell phone. “I’ll make reservations for the luau and then I thought I might rent a car so I can do some shopping.”
Her brows lifted. “You want to go to a mall? Dean, you have hidden depths!”
“I’m embarrassed to say that I didn’t really pack the right clothes.” He glanced down toward his feet. “I’m going to need to go native and get some sandals, maybe a couple pair of shorts, as well. And no self-respecting tourist could leave the islands without owning an authentic Hawaiian shirt.”
She laughed. “Good for you. Step number one—dress for the occasion. Do you want me to go with you?”
He froze. Of course he wanted her with him. He realized that he’d presumed she’d go.
He cleared his throat. “Unless there’s something else you’d like to do.”
“I love to shop. Stick with me, kid, and I’ll show you a pro at work.”
He touched her hand. “Thank you.”
She grinned at him. “You may not feel so grateful after I drag you through a few stores.”
“I’ll take my chances.”
As a general rule, Dean disliked shopping, but then he’d never before gone on a spree with Jodie Cameron. They wandered through one of the malls and listened while groups of the locals played ukuleles and serenaded the shoppers.
“I used to play one of those when I was a kid,” she confided as they stood and listened.
“Were you any good?”
“Well, I won’t go so far as to say that, but I learned three or four basic chords that worked for most songs. What I lacked in talent I made up for in enthusiasm.” She looked up at him and laughed, wrinkling her nose.
She was adorable.
“You’ll have to play for me sometime,” he said.
“Oooh, nooo, I don’t think so. I haven’t touched one in years. I don’t know what happened to the one I had.”
“Then we’ll add that to our shopping list. One ukulele for you to serenade me with each evening. There are all kinds of working vacations. Who knows? You may launch a new career.”
“You have no idea what you’re asking,” she replied ominously before she ruined the effect with a chuckle.
Dean followed Jodie in and out of various stores, in awe of her shopping talents. She knew immediately whether something would work for him and wasted no time looking at the rest.
She finally sent him back to a dressing room to try on several of the items she’d chosen. While she waited, Jodie wandered over to the gift-shop section of the store. She cheerfully bought gifts for everyone in the family as well as several of her friends.
She’d just paid for them when she saw Dean come out wearing a pair of shorts that fit him like a glove and a short-sleeved shirt with a tropical print.
“Wow. You look gorgeous,” she said without thinking. When he turned an interesting shade of red, she realized what she’d said. “Oh! I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have—”
“Oh, no. Don’t apologize. You’ve just made my day. I don’t believe anyone has every applied that word to me.”
“Turn around,” she said, still feeling a little awkward.
She checked the fit of the shirt across his shoulders and tried to ignore the way the shorts curved over his muscular butt. “You’ll do,” she said in a croak. Jodie cleared her throat. “What about the others? Did you like them?”
“Yeah. I’m getting all three shorts and a few extra shirts.” He glanced down at his bare feet. “I, uh, didn’t think my black socks and shoes went with the outfit.”
“Good thinking. It just so happens the shoe department is right over there. Let’s see what size you are and we’ll get you fixed up right away.”
By the time they reached the condo it was late afternoon and both of them had their arms full of packages. Once inside, they dumped them in the middle of the floor.
“I think we bought out the stores,” he said, staring at the pile in wonderment.
“I still can’t believe you actually bought a ukulele. You must be a glutton for punishment.”
“How can you be in Hawaii and not want to play some of their songs? Now you have the songbook to help you.”
“Uh-huh,” Jodie replied, sounding skeptical. She looked around. “All right. Let’s sort them out.”
“What did you sneak off and buy while I was trying on shoes?” Dean asked, sorting through and picking out his purchases.
“A dress to wear for the luau tonight. I thought as long as you’re going native, I might as well join you.”
They carried the packages and sacks to their respective bedrooms. Before going into hers, Jodie looked at him and said, “I’m going to need a nap if I’m going to stay up late tonight.”
“I was thinking along the same lines. I’ll set my alarm to ring in a couple of hours.”
“Thanks.”
Once inside her room, Jodie leaned against the closed door, dropping her packages. What in the world was wrong with her! She felt as though scales had dropped from her eyes. How could she ever have thought Dean wasn’t attractive? Maybe it was the environment and seeing him away from the