Ashlyn laughed. “Maybe next time you’ll listen to your little sister and not try to ruin things that are in your own best interest.”
He grinned. “I thought this was about you and Danica switching lives—not trying to play matchmaker.”
“Hey, whatever happens between you two is a fringe benefit,” she explained. “Just like I hope will be the case when I get together with Danica’s friend Hunter.”
“Hunter, huh?” Boyd was not so sure he wanted this dude to hunt after his sister, but he realized she was an adult and he had to trust her judgment just as she clearly trusted his.
“Yes, Hunter. We’re meeting tomorrow for lunch. I’ll let you know how it goes.”
“Spare me the details,” he said.
“So long as you do the same, should you and Danica decide to hook up.”
Boyd pondered the possibility. “My lips will be sealed, if things head in that direction.”
“Okay, now that it’s settled, mind if I go back to sleep?” Ashlyn yawned for effect.
“Go right ahead. Hope you have a good time tomorrow with Hunter.”
“I could say the same for you and Danica. I assume you’ve already made plans?”
He grinned crookedly. “I’m going to show her around a bit, per your suggestion. Other than that, there’s nothing special in the works.”
“If you say so,” she said. “Aloha.”
Boyd disconnected, laughing to himself at his sister’s overactive imagination when it came to his love life. In fact, he didn’t really have a love life at the moment. But then neither did Ashlyn. Did that make them two sorry siblings, or what?
Chapter 3
The next day Danica was up at the crack of dawn. In spite of what had been a long day before, she was eager to have some fun and adventure. Being able to do at least some of that with Boyd made her even more excited. She tempered that excitement, reminding herself not to have any unrealistic expectations where he was concerned. After all, the truth was that at the end of the day she wanted more than just a romp in the hay, or on the sand.
But she had also come to Hawaii with her eyes wide open, hoping to catch a fish of sorts, who would cause her heart to skip a beat and show some passion and promise in the bedroom. Could Boyd deliver in that regard? If so, then the future, if there was one between them, would work itself out.
Otherwise she was still up for a good time, and Boyd seemed to be more than up for the challenge. Or had he simply gotten a little carried away with his desire to kiss her last night and had all but forgotten it today? She’d find out soon enough.
By the time Boyd showed up, Danica had gotten better acquainted with the house, unpacked her belongings and had a light breakfast. In keeping up with island tradition, she’d dressed casually in a multicolored short-sleeve shirt, Bermuda shorts and sandals. She pulled her hair back into a ponytail.
Boyd liked what he saw as he appraised Danica. She fit right in with her attire, and stood out at the same time with sheer beauty that even in Hawaii was a treat to behold.
“Aloha kakahiaka,” he said. In case she didn’t know, he explained, “That’s good morning.”
“Good morning.” Danica blushed, thinking she needed to become more familiar with Hawaiian words to keep up with him.
“Ready to take a look around your new city?”
Danica certainly wished it was a permanent arrangement, as she imagined she could get used to this atmosphere in a hurry. But the clock was ticking with each moment and before she knew it, she would be back in Chicago and her real life. Meaning far away from the Big Island and Boyd Reed.
Glancing at him, she saw that he looked manly in a yellow polo shirt, gray shorts and gym shoes. A whiff of his spicy cologne appealed to her.
“I’m ready if you are,” she declared.
“Great.” Boyd looked around and saw that everything seemed to be in order. Ashlyn kept the place immaculate and it looked like Danica wanted to do the same during her stay. That certainly worked for him, though he’d never tell her that, now that things seemed to be on the right track in their new friendship.
In his car Boyd turned to Danica as she was buckling up. “Did you sleep well?”
“Yes, I did, thank you,” she answered. “Wasn’t too hard, all things considered.”
“I’ll bet.”
“How about you?” Danica pictured him asleep. And then she pictured him in bed, doing things other than sleeping.
“Yeah, slept like a baby,” he said. Not that he would’ve had a problem if she had been around to keep him wide awake.
“Good for you.” She smiled thoughtfully as they began to drive. “So where to first?”
“I thought we’d head downtown so you can familiarize yourself with what many consider the pride of Hilo.”
“Hmm…okay. Sounds interesting.”
“What has Ashlyn told you about the city, if anything?” Boyd asked.
“Not much,” Danica had to admit. “Mostly general stuff, like a few tourist attractions. Guess she wanted me to discover most things on my own.”
“That’s the best way to get to know Hilo,” he agreed. And I’m happy to do my part, so I get to hang out more with you.
They parked off Kamehameha Avenue and went on foot to explore the roughly ten-block downtown.
Boyd pointed out the historic Federal Building. “It was built way back in 1917,” he told her.
“Incredible.” Danica took a picture of the building.
“That’s the Pacific Tsunami Museum,” Boyd said a few minutes later. “It came about after devastating tsunamis in 1946 and 1960.”
“Can we go inside?”
“Of course.”
Later they stood before the Kamehameha Statue, honoring King Kamehameha I, who was the first chief to rule all the islands. Boyd took a picture of Danica beneath it, then flagged a passerby to take a picture of them together. For him it was an excuse to get close to Danica. He put his arm around her and smiled as the picture was taken. Danica felt the contours of Boyd’s rock-hard body as he hugged her and she him, barely able to concentrate on the picture as much as the man.
They finished the downtown tour with a short walk in Happiness Garden, a park that overlooked Hilo Bay and provided a stunning view of Hilo’s Black Sand Beach and the Mauna Kea Mountain; followed by a stroll along Banyan Drive with its magnificent banyan trees.
“I could take pictures here all day,” Danica laughed.
Boyd smiled, enjoying the sound of her voice. “I’m sure you could.”
“But I’ll show some restraint and see what else is out there.”
“Good idea.” He noticed an errant hair had fallen onto her brow, and took the liberty of brushing it off with his hand and smoothing it back. “That’s better.”
Danica blushed. “Where to now?”
“I was thinking we could grab a bit to eat—at my place,” Boyd suggested out of the blue. “Then we can check out a few more places that might interest you.”
“Sounds good to me.” Admittedly