22
ISABELLA
“Welcome to Maui, folks. The weather outside is a balmy sixty degrees and it’s set to be a pleasant weekend ahead. Thank you for flying with us and we look forward to seeing you again next time.”
A pleasant weekend ahead, huh? How do you know?I knew the captain had been referring to the temperature, but I wished I could’ve asked him to guarantee it—and not just about the weather.
It was time for wedding number two, and even though I’d debated showing up for it, I’d still found myself packing and ready for the car when it had arrived.
After our showdown on the street after the meeting, I hadn’t seen Parker again yet.
I’d emailed to let him know I’d be working from home for the next few days, and then he’d left for Maui earlier than he’d been planning to, emailing me back to say he was needed here for wedding preparations.
We hadn’t spoken about the plan for me to join him here at all, and I didn’t even know if he was expecting me. Nerves fluttered around in my bloodstream, threatening to keep me nailed to my seat instead of disembarking with all the other passengers.
Eventually, I joined the stream of people leaving the plane, only because the view beyond my window made it impossible for me to stay put. I’d seen pictures of Hawaii before, obviously, but I’d never been here and I hadn’t been prepared for how vibrant and colorful it would be in real life.
Cheerful local music met my ears when I neared the door, and I practically felt my stress melting away when I stepped into the sunshine outside.If it’s this awesome at the airport, I can’t wait to see and experience the rest of it.
The only dark cloud hanging over me was the fact that I’d be spending my time here with Parker.But now isn’t the time to let anyone ruin the best mood I’ve been in for days. Not even the guy who put me in the worst mood I’d been in for years.
I still couldn’t believe what he’d done or everything that he’d said after, but as I looked out over the palm trees swaying in the light breeze and felt the rays of the Hawaiian sun warming my skin, I decided against playing it all over in my head again.
I’m in freaking Maui!At the very least, I was going to do my best to enjoy it here as much as I possibly could.Parker be damned.
I boarded the bus waiting to take us to the terminal building, finding a spot to stand near another window. I alternated my attention between the bright smiles and excited chatter of those around me and the magnificent views I could see even from here.
Allowing the good spirits of the other vacationers to infuse me with their relaxed, happy vibes, I breezed through the process of claiming my baggage and finding the shuttle that would be taking me to the resort where we were staying.
My name, along with the estimated time and date of my arrival, had been provided to the hotel last week, before the blowout had happened, so I wasn’t surprised to find a well-dressed man holding a sign with my name on it at baggage claim.
He smiled and greeted me warmly, taking my suitcase and leading me to an air-conditioned mini-bus. It seemed it was just me for this trip, since he climbed in behind the driver’s seat once my stuff was stowed in the back and pulled into the traffic surrounding the airport.
“First time in Maui?” he asked with a toothy grin when he glanced in the rearview mirror and caught me gawking out the window. “You’ll love it here. No one wants to leave.”
“I absolutely believe that,” I replied without hesitation, glued to the scenery and trying to take it all in. He fell silent and allowed me to marvel at this place all the way to the resort.Maybe I shouldn’t leave. Maybe I should take a page out of Marley’s book and stay right here.
But even as the thought struck and no matter how tempting it was, I already knew I’d be flying back home at the appointed time. As much as things were rocky between Parker and me and as much as I didn’t even know if we could keep working together, I wasn’t about to give up. I’d simply have to try harder.Workharder.
After that meeting, he’d been a Class-A Dickhead to me, but I hadn’t lost hope in him. He was still my ticket to the next tier, and I was clinging to that damn ticket like it was the golden one taking me to the Chocolate Factory.
And okay, maybe I’m clinging to Parker just a little bit, too.Despite how he’d acted, I knew he was a good guy, and I’d known, even as I was doing it, that he would probably perceive my behavior as flirting back with John. In his eyes, I hadn’t been practicing what I preached. While there was no excuse for how he’d blown up at me, I would accept the partial responsibility I’d had in what had happened.
Because, unlike him, I’m a fucking grownup.Part of that was having the strength to accept blame when it was due, to admit when I’d been wrong, and to have the fortitude to move ahead regardless.
I had also learned from my mistakes, which was why I’d insisted on us having a suite with two bedrooms this time. There was no way recent history was going to be repeating itself this weekend.
“This is it, ma’am,” the driver said, waving at the white building looming up ahead of us.
Parker had booked us into the resort where the wedding was going to be held, and it was beautiful. Lush greenery snaked up the walls and surrounded both sides of the gravel drive we were traveling down. The sparkling, azure waters of the ocean glinted just on the other side of the main building, and there were several smaller buildings leading off it, presumably built that way so the majority of the rooms were right on the beach or at least had a view of it.
I sighed contentedly, thanked my driver, and got out of the car when the door slid open. Greeted by more smiles, music, and even a brightly colored lei, I grinned and accepted a cocktail from the tray held out to me by one of the staff members.
Dutifully reporting to reception first, I was told we’d already been checked in. They issued a key to me after my passport was scanned over by the pretty girl behind the reception desk. She pointed me in the right direction and said that my luggage would be delivered to our suite, and then there was no more delaying the inevitable.
My stomach clenched at the thought of what I would find when I got to the room we’d be sharing. Parker had already been here for a couple days, and since I wasn’t even sure if he knew I was coming, I had no idea what I would be walking in on.
I tried to prepare myself for the worst. For a suite that had been party central for two days, littered with empty liquor bottles, condom wrappers, and possibly even a naked woman or two in his bed.