Before she’d left, she had given her loft a more thorough cleaning than usual, wanting to leave a good impression for her friend, whom Danica believed was getting the short end of the stick in the exchange. She, on the other hand, was getting a slice of Hawaii, which spoke for itself.
Nevertheless Danica was proud of her place in the Windy City and wanted Ashlyn to feel right at home. Toward that end, she’d left her a few goodies—fresh fruit, chocolate and wine—the latter two of which were Ashlyn’s guilty pleasures. And Danica’s friends promised to take Ashlyn out on the town and be available if she needed anything.
As promised, Danica had asked a handsome male friend named Hunter Ortega to give Ashlyn a call and see if they might hit it off. Hunter was a successful investment banker who had been to Hawaii many times. He was also single after ending a long relationship and seemed a good match for Ashlyn.
One can only hope we both do better in each other’s stomping grounds than in our own backyards when it comes to finding love.
When the plane landed, Danica had butterflies in her stomach. She was on the Big Island and there was no turning back now. For a month, this was home.
She received a spirited lei greeting and was pointed in the right direction to retrieve her bags. Afterward, she found Ashlyn’s white Suzuki Kizashi sedan and was on her way. Marveling at the lush scenery, Danica drove from the airport and, per Ashlyn’s instructions, wound her way through several streets before reaching Kalanianaole Avenue and the house she would call home for the next month.
It was a large two-story Hawaiian plantation-style residence surrounded by mature landscaping of palm trees and lush tropical plants.
Danica walked onto the lava-rock front porch with a built-in koa wood seat. She found the key under the doormat and went inside, stepping onto a ceramic-tiled floor in the foyer.
All she could think of after one glance of the great room was Wow! The place was huge, with a eucalyptus hardwood floor. The sun shone through a skylight over a vaulted beam ceiling. The furnishings were an impressive blend of antique and contemporary. On a hexagonal glass coffee table was a bottle of macadamia nut honey wine with a ribbon around it and a tag that read Welcome.
Before she sampled it and went on the grand tour, she had one task—to set up her laptop.
She and Ashlyn had sent each other a short video message to be played the moment they arrived in each other’s homes.
Sitting down on the plush couch, she watched as Ashlyn’s face came onto the computer screen.
“Aloha, Danica. Welcome to my home. I won’t take up any of your precious time. Just wanted to tell you a bit about the house. It was built in 1937 by my grandparents, who left it to my parents, and eventually it became my and Boyd’s property. The house overlooks Richardson Beach with black sand that you’ll find really interesting. Okay, enough from me. Have fun and maybe meet the man of your dreams. Aloha!”
Danica smiled. She was already having fun. As for meeting the man of her dreams, she was keeping an open mind but not getting her hopes up.
She rose and approached stained-glass doors that opened to the backyard garden and a path toward the ocean. After grabbing her digital camera, Danica stepped outside, basking in the warmth and sunshine. She couldn’t resist taking a few pictures right away to send back to her friends in Chicago.
Walking across winding cobblestones, Danica stood not far from the beach, taking in its intriguing black sand. She snapped more pictures, this time focusing on the marvelous ocean itself. Turning back to the magnificent yard, she came to a section with red, pink, white and purple anthurium flowers and couldn’t resist the urge to see them through her lens. The yard was shaded by grand hapu’u tree ferns and fruit and palm trees.
What she wouldn’t give to have them in her backyard every time she stepped out of the house.
Danica shifted the camera west across the grassy yard, hoping to catch a perfect sunset. Her lens instead fell upon the sculpted image of a tall, muscular African-American man with black Rasta locks. After getting over the shock, Danica had to admit he had certainly gotten her attention better than any sunset ever could.
Chapter 2
“So you must be Ashlyn’s friend?” Boyd asked, as if he had a doubt.
“Yes,” she answered, moving the camera away from her face. Her big café au lait eyes assessed him. “And I take it you’re the brother?”
He flashed a half grin. “Indeed. Aloha.” Moving closer, he stuck out a hand. “Boyd Reed.”
“Danica Austin.” She put her hand in his, feeling his long fingers wrap firmly around hers as she gazed up at his eyes, which were an appealing mix of steel gray and jet black. “Aloha.”
Boyd studied the woman. He had to say that the few photographs he’d seen of her hardly did her justice. She was gorgeous, with a butterscotch complexion, high cheeks, a dainty nose and full lips. The fine brunette hair fell below her shoulders and suited her. She was slender with just the right curves. She had on a white ruffle corset, jeans that hugged her hips and flats, which from where Boyd stood were perfect for her above average height.
“Didn’t mean to scare you,” he said. “I called out for you inside, but got no answer. Then I heard you out here.”
“It’s all right,” Danica said after taking a breath. Of course he had a key to the house. After all, it was part his. Still, it might have been nice had he phoned ahead of time to let her know he was coming. “You may have caught me off guard, but that was mainly because I was so absorbed with the beauty all around me.”
And now with the beauty in front of her. She had to admit that Ashlyn’s brother was one hunk of a man. Her immediate thought was of Boris Kodjoe with dreadlocks, in an attractive coat of milk chocolate and at least six foot three inches. Boyd wore a print shirt and shorts, accentuating his muscled arms and strong legs. Sneakers completed the relaxed island look she’d already come to recognize.
Danica resisted the urge to snap his picture. After all, besides being Ashlyn’s very appealing, photo-worthy brother, he represented Hawaii itself.
“I take it this is your first time to the islands?” Boyd asked.
“Yes. I’ve wanted to come for years, but the time was never right.”
Until Ashlyn decided to give you free room and board and you simply couldn’t resist. “I see,” he said. “Look, I would have been happy to pick you up at the airport, but Ashlyn said the two of you had worked it out to take each other’s car as part of this swap.”
“We did,” Danica acknowledged, somehow sensing he wasn’t necessarily on board with their arrangement. Why was that? “Seemed like a fun way to step into each other’s world. I thank you anyway for being willing to chaperone me from the airport, had that been necessary.”
“Not a problem.” Boyd gave a tiny smile. He wished she wasn’t so damned attractive; it only made it more difficult not to like her. Even more he wished she hadn’t come. Would she find she couldn’t hack it and leave early? Maybe he would just let this thing play out and see how things went. For all he knew, maybe Ashlyn would find that Chicago wasn’t exactly what she had in mind and be back on the Big Island in a snap, sending her friend packing.
“So did you have a chance to check out your new digs?” he asked Danica, trying to keep his voice friendly instead of overly suspicious and guarded.
“No, I haven’t had the chance to do that yet,” she said.
“Well in that case allow me to give you the grand tour.”
Did she have a choice? She forced a smile. “That would be nice.”
* * *
“This