"I don't know about all that," I said sighing, "but you're right. I really want to do this with him."
"Not that he needs it, but he totally has the best friend stamp of approval," she said. I smiled, thanking her.
"Do you know anything about the people we're taking out today?" I asked her. She didn't. It wasn’t a group who had arrived together. It was a collection of people who had just booked a hike at the same time.
That was cool; I liked hikes. A lot of people didn't really think hiking when they thought of Hawai'i, but Lanai had some amazing trails. So much of the island was still rugged and wild.
The group we had was a mixed bunch, some older and younger people. For the sake of keeping everyone happy and making sure everyone was okay during the hike, we chose a coastal trail instead of an inland one. That way they could enjoy the beach and coastal cliffs instead of just forest. The Pu'upehe trail went along Hulupoe Beach and up a cliff where we would be able to see Sweetheart Rock.
There were a few kids on the hike with us. They ran ahead, exploring the tide pools and hopping along the rocks usually covered with water when the tide was in. In the group were a few people who were around the same age as we were. Rayleigh and Hank were there, too, but they hung around the back of the pack taking a lot of photographs. I walked with Makani. It was a beautiful day, as usual. Desk duty wasn't bad, but it was nice to get outside sometimes.
I lasted no time at all before I started wondering where Nate was and what he was doing. I sort of wished he had some on the hike with us. He seemed pretty athletic; he'd be able to hack it. A guy in a black baseball cap fell into step next to me. I glanced at him and smiled.
"Hey," he said.
"Hi. What's your name?"
"Clay. What's yours?"
"Abby. This is Makani," I told him. "You checked in this past weekend, didn't you?"
"Yeah. You live here on the island?"
"Mm-hmm. Where are you visiting from?"
"New York."
"What do you think of Lanai?"
"I usually stay on Oahu, but I might be coming back here," he said.
"You should," I said.
"I think I will. I'd love to hang out again."
"Oh, are you a big hiker?" I asked, dodging the obvious flirtation.
"I could become one," he said. Oh boy, I thought. "When do you get off work?"
"Depends on why you're asking."
"Let's go somewhere for drinks," he suggested.
"Can't," I said apologetically motioning to Makani.
"Does she want to come, too?"
"No, she's not going anywhere with you," Makani said.
"Are you together or something?" he asked.
"Ding, ding, ding," I said, laughing with Makani. I only used the island wife excuse when guys weren't taking no for an answer. There was no truth to it. Honestly, I was interested in Nate, and this guy was doing nothing for me. He left me alone, falling back in the group.
We got back to the hotel, walking up from the beach. The group started breaking up since we were on the familiar trail up to the hotel.
"Abby?" I heard someone call behind me. I stopped. Makani stopped with me. Rayleigh was hurrying up the trail to catch up with me.
"Is everything okay?" Makani asked.