Waikiki Wedding: Unforgettable Nights in Hawaii Read online

  A faint blush tinged her already rosy cheeks. “Guilty.”

  “We’re missing two passengers.” The bus driver stood in front of the vehicle and glared at them. “I need to keep to the schedule.”

  “Sorry.” Ray walked briskly beside Amy back to the bus.

  She giggled again, close to his ear. “He looks like the type to make us write ‘I will not be late again’ one hundred times.”

  Despite the driver’s reproach, Ray wasn’t sorry they’d lingered. He felt comfortable with Amy. She was easy to be with. Easy to talk to. As if they’d known each other a long time.

  But, once on board, Amy scooted into the seat next to her brother, and Ray had no choice but to once again sit next to Tish. He leaned back in his seat and contentedly watched the scenery roll by. Nothing here reminded him of Oklahoma, and he was loving it.

  He might have to make a bucket list of his own. Since graduating college, he hadn’t planned much more than one day at a time and had never been particularly interested in travel. But the quiet roar of this peaceful ocean enticed him to visit other places on the planet. Like the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco’s cable cars …

  Stop it. You just met the woman. You don’t even know if Amy has a boyfriend back home.

  For a brief selfish moment, he wasn’t sure he cared.

  Chapter Five

  The ride to the next stop couldn't go fast enough. If Amy could think of a way to look behind her and steal a glance at Ray without getting caught, she would.

  "Don't you agree?" Doug asked, except she had no idea what he was talking about.

  "I, uh …"

  Doug crossed his arms and swallowed a smile. "Mind wandering again?"

  She should have figured with the type of work her brother had done that he'd be aware of everything around him, including her inattention. "Sorry."

  "You realize, unless he's from San Francisco, there's not much point in getting … friendly."

  The way he nearly choked over that last word had Amy covering her mouth so not to laugh at him. And no way would she tell him Ray was from Oklahoma.

  "Don't look at me that way, Amy Elizabeth. I know of what I speak."

  "Are you giving her trouble?" Emily asked from across the aisle. "Don't you pay a bit of attention to him, Amy. Big brothers are annoying that way."

  "I beg your pardon?" Doug's eyes formed two perfect circles.

  "You should see the grief my brother gave the two of us," Emily continued, ignoring her fiancé. "Especially after he figured out we'd been slee—"

  "Billy," Doug cut Emily off, even though Amy knew darn well what she was about to say, "had every reason to be concerned about his sister's well-being."

  "And yet here you two are, on the verge of getting married." This time Amy crossed her arms and leaned back.

  From across the aisle Emily flashed her a thumbs-up.

  Amy was really going to like having a sister.

  The tour bus pulled up to its next stop and Amy scooted to the edge of her seat, more excited at a chance to visit again with Ray than in seeing the famed beaches or the men riding the impressive waves to shore.

  "Were you planning on jumping over or under me?" Doug asked.

  Though Amy knew very little about sports, she did know the best defense was a good offense, and she had no intention of making excuses for herself. "Were you this difficult when I was four?"

  Doug cracked up laughing. "As adorable as you were at four, I didn't have to worry about who was trying to get into your pants."

  "Okay, children." Emily pushed to her feet and, shaking her head, stretched out her hand to her fiancé. "I feel like a romantic walk on the beach."

  A huge grin spread across Doug's face.

  Amy now realized he lit up that way every time he looked at Emily. Just watching the two of them made Amy feel warm and fuzzy, and also really wishing she had someone to take romantic walks on the beach with and to curl into that someone’s shoulder afterward. "Go on." She shooed her brother into the aisle and followed behind him.

  At her first step off the bus, Amy almost lost her breath. The view was just as beautiful as the pictures she'd seen online. The bus driver had said the size of the waves depended on the time of year, and today they were spectacular. Slipping out of her flip-flops, she moved forward. "Wow."

  "Agreed."

  "Oh!" She jumped, not having heard Ray step up beside her.

  "Sorry. Didn't mean to startle you."

  "No. I was just lost in the view. I've lived in San Francisco for some time now, but the ocean there doesn't look anything like this."

  Tish came up beside them. "Even L.A.’s coastline doesn't look like this."

  "We were just saying that," Ray said to his sister.

  "Wow." The single word was repeated as Courtney and Lisa joined them, along with Matt and Doug.

  "Having grown up here, I do tend to take this for granted." Emily stood, holding her fiancé's hand.

  "Still want that walk?" Doug asked.

  Nodding, Emily squeezed his hand.

  "Coming, sis?"

  Amy's heart took a small leap. Sis. That was the first time Doug had called her that. She'd almost shouted, "Absolutely," when something inside made her reconsider. "You two go ahead. I want a closer look at those surfers. See if I can find the Big Kahuna."

  Doug eyed her warily before finally nodding.

  "Is he always this protective of you?" Ray asked.

  A vise squeezed around her heart as the words I don't know rose to her lips, and then an image of a young Doug fixing her grilled cheese sandwiches came to mind. Another memory surfaced of him rocking her to sleep after something had frightened her. The pressure on her chest eased, and a smile teased at the corners of her mouth. "Yes. Yes, he is."

  "I know how he feels."

  "Oh my." Courtney stared in the direction of a couple of strapping guys in wet suits cut off at the knees. Each holding a board over their shoulders, they ran toward the water, firm muscles strutting across the sand. "Hot damn."

  "Wedding. Saturday. Drew," Matt said slowly.

  "I'm just appreciating the view." Courtney winked.

  "I don't know about you guys, but I'm ready for a snack." Lisa pointed toward a row of food and souvenir kiosks.

  "I'm in." Matt turned and led the way, Lisa following in tow, and Tish, shrugging, fell in step beside her friend.

  "Hungry?" Ray asked Amy.

  "Not really. I just want to dip my toes in the water. You know, to say I've played in the North Shore, even if I'm not brave enough to rent a board and give it a try." She and Doug couldn't have been more different had they been born to different parents. Where he had taken risks all his life and thrived on adrenaline, she was fond of the tried and true. The safe route. Though she'd love to tell Ray or anyone else she'd chosen a business major because she had a plan, the truth was, it was a safe and practical choice. The same with her MBA. It was the safe route. The sure choice.

  "In that case …" Ray toed off his sandals and, holding them in one hand, reached out with his other. "Ready?"

  • • •

  When they returned to the bus, Ray strode to the back to reclaim his seat next to Tish. He found Courtney standing in the aisle, chatting with his sister about wedding details.

  “Ray, would you mind swapping seats with me for the next leg?” Courtney asked. “I’m just filling Tish in on the plans for the bachelorette party.”

  “No problem.” He trod back down the aisle and stood beside Emily. “Tish and Courtney want to sit together. So if you don’t mind …” He indicated the window seat, and, smiling, Emily got up and let him slide in.

  “So,” Emily turned to Ray. “You’re all here for Courtney’s wedding. You came from Los Angeles?”

  “Yes, I was there visiting my sister. I actually live in Oklahoma.”

  Across the aisle, he noticed Doug’s brow furrow.

  “What’s that like?” Emily asked.

  “God's cou
ntry. Flat farmland for miles. I’m really enjoying the coastal scenery here.” He glanced out the window, then turned back to his seatmate. “Are you from San Francisco?”

  “Oh, no. I live in Kona. On the Big Island,” she added, apparently deriving from his expression that he was clueless as to what and where Kona was.

  “Can’t imagine living in Hawaii all year long. That must be nice.”

  “There’s a reason it’s called paradise,” Doug said.

  “I’m the only one from San Francisco.” Amy talked across Doug, across the aisle, and across Emily to reach Ray. “And the rest of our wedding party of course. They’re arriving today. My roommate Carrie is the bride, and my other roommate Linda is the maid of honor, and I’m one of the bridesmaids. Carrie wanted a destination wedding so—”

  “So it was a good opportunity for you and your brother to spend some time together,” Ray yelled back across the aisle and two people.

  “Yes.” Amy smiled up at her brother. “We haven’t seen each other in a really long time.”

  It was somewhat similar for him and Tish. She’d been home only a couple of times since moving to Los Angeles five years ago and then only for a short visit. And Ray had hardly recognized her. The shy teenager who’d immersed herself in movies to liven up the starkness of life on the farm was now a confident, sophisticated woman.

  “I came in a few days early so Doug and I could hang out.” Amy squeezed her brother’s arm. “I’m so excited to have my big brother back. And a new sister.” She smiled at Emily.

  “Not quite yet but we’re working on it.” Doug reached across the aisle and grasped his fiancée’s hand. “When it’s right, it’s right. I knew the second I laid eyes on her—" He stopped, looked at his sister and then at Ray. His stone-faced expression altered slightly.

  Ray couldn’t tell if it was a frown or an outright glare, but it was definitely negative. He wasn’t sure why. He and Doug had seemed to hit it off and get along well. Had Ray done something to offend—

  Amy. Ray looked across Doug to the woman who’d captured his interest at his first glance but couldn’t avoid her older brother’s glare. Obviously Doug didn’t trust Ray to keep his hands and other body parts to himself. Perhaps with good reason.

  Nevertheless, Ray continued to talk with Amy across the aisle, both of them leaning forward to talk around Emily and Doug. The engaged couple, sitting back in their seats, carried on their own conversation. Occasionally Doug leaned forward to say something to Ray, but his body language suggested his intent was to physically block Ray’s view of Amy. Or maybe Ray was just being paranoid. The four continued two or three conversations, bobbing their bodies forward and back, until the bus stopped for lunch.

  “Where’s the restaurant?” Ray asked, stepping down to the gravel. All he saw was a collection of picnic tables.

  “It’s that truck over there.” Emily pointed to a large covered pickup across the parking lot with an awning over a wide-open window. A dozen people waited in line to order. “This is one of the most famous shrimp trucks in Hawaii.”

  Shrimp truck. The only food trucks Ray was familiar with sold tacos or ice cream, but he was willing to try something new. After they’d reached the front of the line and gotten their food, he carried his plate of fried shrimp, dipping sauce, and fries back to a table where his sister sat with Courtney, Lisa, and Matt.

  “We can make room for you, Ray.” Lisa scooted closer on the bench to her husband, but there was still barely enough room for Ray’s plate, let alone his broad shoulders and hips.

  “Plenty of room here,” Emily called out to him from the next table. “Please, join us.” She indicated the empty bench seat across from her and Doug.

  Guessing who would soon be sitting on the same bench seat with him, Ray tried to look offhand and casual as he slid across from the engaged couple. “Thanks.”

  When Amy walked over with her lunch, she looked pleased to see him there but only smiled and nodded. She slid onto the bench beside him, leaving several inches of space between them. But Ray could still sense the warmth of her body. No, that was crazy. It was just damned hot out here.

  “Best shrimp I ever ate.” Amy wiped her mouth with a paper towel.

  "Agreed." Ray’s attention was diverted by a couple of shirtless surfer dudes, tightening their boards to the roof of their Woody wagon. They strode with long steps toward the shrimp truck but slowed as they neared an oil drum garbage can where Tish was depositing her used paper plate.

  Ray didn’t like the looks on their faces. He still couldn’t get used to his sister being a knockout. Back in Oklahoma, before she’d replaced her thick glasses with contact lenses, slimmed down, and toned up to an hourglass figure, she’d just been his awkward teenage kid sister.

  He extricated himself from the bench and started toward them, puffing out his chest and flexing his arms. But his interference wasn’t needed. With a polite but firm put-down, Tish easily dismissed the horny jerks.

  When Ray returned to the table, Doug flashed him an understanding grin.

  Yeah, I get it. Ray sent his silent message to the other man. Doug was as protective of his younger sister as Ray was of Tish. The two men had a lot of things in common. Too bad one of them was Amy.

  Chapter Six

  The more time Amy spent with Ray, the more she liked him and the more she wanted to know about him. What was his favorite color? Favorite food? She already knew he liked history and travel, even if he hadn't had much chance to see the world yet. Her list of questions grew with every passing conversation.

  Sitting near him gave her a thrill that made her toes tingle. Watching him walk over to his sister, ready to knock heads together if necessary, had Amy ready to swoon like a teen dreaming of her knight in shining armor. If that wasn't the silliest thing at her age, but she couldn't help it. Something about him just felt … different. Special. Maybe she was letting herself be carried away by the romance of paradise, but, for now, she had every intention of enjoying the ride.

  "Ready to head back to the bus?" Doug pushed to his feet, offering Emily a hand.

  "Yep." Emily swung her legs over the bench and stood beside her fiancé. "We've got about two minutes till the driver leaves without us."

  Doug waited a beat for his sister. "Coming?"

  "Do you think I have time to use the restroom?"

  "Sure." Emily nodded. "See you on the bus."

  Gathering all her trash into a sack, Amy glanced around for a closer garbage can.

  "I'll take that," Ray said. "You go on to the ladies’ room."

  A smile tugged at her cheeks, and her heart did a little two-step. It was a silly little thing, but the best things in life came in small packages and small gestures. "Thanks."

  Hurrying in and out of the restroom, Amy wasn't at all surprised to see Ray waiting for her at the bus.

  "Ready for dessert?" he asked.

  Dessert?

  "Next stop," he explained. "The shaved-ice place."

  "Oh, Mitso … Matsu …" She chuckled. "That place." Already she felt as though she'd been on and off this bus a bazillion times. Unlike the times before, instead of finding an empty seat waiting for her by her brother, Emily sat by the window.

  "You don't mind if I sit by this big galoot for a while, do you?" Emily curled her arm through Doug's and smiled. And, if Amy wasn't mistaken, winked at her. Her brother, on the other hand, looked directly over her shoulder at Ray. He didn't seem displeased exactly, but happy wasn't a word she'd have used either.

  "No, not at all." She scooted over to the window and turned in time to see Doug drill Ray with a stern look, and Ray respond with a single curt nod. What the hell was that all about?

  Ray settled in beside her, glanced up at the bus driver, over to Doug, and then, leaning back, blew out a slow breath. "What do you think the odds are your brother would skewer me if I held your hand?"

  She didn't know or care. Immediately winding her fingers with his, she leaned back and smiled at hi
m. "What's your favorite color?"

  "Blue. Yours?"

  "Most of my life pink, but now purple. Your favorite food?"

  "Steak. Ribeye. Medium. You?"

  "My mom's lasagna with gobs of gooey cheese." Back and forth they went down her list. By the time they'd gotten to all the siblings on the family tree, the bus had pulled over to let the tourists out.

  "Remember, folks," the driver repeated, "we are not allowed to park the bus here. You will have to deboard quickly, and then we will pick you up in thirty minutes at the bus stop just ahead."

  Miscellaneous responses of "Got it," "Uh-huh," and "Yes" blended in with head bobs and people bustling to exit the bus.

  Ray waited for Doug and Emily to slide from their seats and move ahead before he exited their row. Never letting go of Amy’s hand.

  So far everything he did made her feel like a giddy teen.

  Off the bus, Doug and Emily were already taking their place in the long line of tourists wanting dessert. The quaint shopping village reminded Amy of an Old West town. In the back of her mind she'd expected a tiny shack, passing customers shaved ices through a cut-out window. She hadn't anticipated a full-size shop with multiple food and gift items for purchase and an overhead menu as wide as the room.

  "Know what you want?" Ray asked.

  "I think, since I'm on Oahu, I'll try the Hawaiian."

  "Even though the only fruit I recognize is papaya, I'll go with the tropical."

  That was another thing she liked about this guy. While he didn't seem reckless, he struck her as more adventurous than she was. A balance to her careful way of life. Shaking her head, she almost rolled her eyes. And her tendency to overthink. Which she was doing now. A couple of strangers on holiday getting along. She really needed to stop thinking like a damn teenager and just enjoy the day and the flirtation.

  Emily left her place in line and came up beside them. "No sense in all of us waiting in line. Tell me what you want, and you guys save us a seat, if one of the benches opens up."

  "Good idea." Amy relayed their selections.

  Ray was already pulling his wallet from his pocket.