23
PARKER
The resort had a few restaurants to choose from. There was everything from fine dining to a burger shack on the beach. From romantic and private to a family-friendly wonderland for children complete with a play area, face painting, and a game room.
That last one obviously wasn’t going to work for what I had in mind, but all the others were fair game. Eventually, I decided on the most expensive one, but not because it was the most expensive. Isabella wouldn’t care about that, but what she would care about was the view, and according to those in the know, the patio I was standing on was the best one to watch the sunset from.
Before she arrived, I’d stashed a suit in Reese’s room just down the hall from ours. I hadn’t known for sure if she was coming, but I wanted to be ready if she did. Which was also why I’d booked an in-room massage for thirty minutes after her scheduled time of arrival.
Having left instructions with the massage therapist when I made the booking, I knew Isabella would be down soon. I’d asked that she be told to meet me here for dinner when she was done, and I also knew that even though she was probably still pissed at me, her curiosity would win out in the end and she would come downstairs to join me.
Tonight, I was going to impress her. The suit I’d chosen looked good, and it’d been confirmed for me when even Reese had commented on it when I’d come out of their bathroom after changing.
Our table was at the edge of the patio, not far from the sand and with an unobstructed view of the sunset over the ocean in the background. The table itself was covered with starched white tablecloths. Lit oil lanterns decorated the center of it, and they’d even sprinkled flower petals over it.
I’d preordered a bottle of white wine, which was already chilling in a fancy-ass ice bucket on its own stand next to our table. A bottle of sparkling water was also already waiting for her, and as soon as she arrived, our waiter would be bringing her ice.
The chef was a cool guy who was friends with Marley. We’d met the day I’d landed in Hawaii, and when I went to speak to him after I chose the restaurant he worked at for tonight, he promised me the best meal we’d ever had.
With all the arrangements out of the way, the only thing left to do was to wait for her to make her appearance. I stood next to our table, staring at the bright orange glow of the sun on the water. It would start dipping low soon. I just hoped she wouldn’t miss it.
Over the last few days, I’d realized a few things. One was that Ihadbeen acting like a childish idiot at the meeting—and after. Isabella wasn’t mine, and as much as I’d hated seeing her flirting with another guy, I should’ve kept it together. I shouldn’t have allowed the jealousy to run away with me like that.
Another thing I’d realized was that she’d been right when she’d said I wasn’t ready. I hadn’t been. I’d known the pitch, but I hadn’t put enough thought into how to deliver it or into the actual meaning and feeling behind the words. I’d done that now, though.
It was too little, too late for that meeting, but I wanted to prove to her that I could take things seriously and that I did. More than that, that I’d heard what she’d said and that I would do better next time.
“Parker?” The soft, barely audible murmur of my name caught my attention, breaking me out of my thoughts.
I refocused. Isabella came toward me, looking surprised and a little suspicious as those intelligent blue eyes took in the scene in front of her. “What is this?”
“An apology,” I said, unable to stop staring at her, but I also didn’t try all that hard.
She looked stunning in a pale purple sundress and sparkly sandals on her feet. Her hair was loose, falling in slightly damp waves past her shoulders, and she was hardly wearing any makeup at all.
In a word, she was breathtaking.Absolutely fucking breathtaking.
The only thing that would’ve made it better was if she had been smiling, but she wasn’t. Instead, she suddenly seemed nervous.
Her gaze raked over me and she sighed. “I wish the massage therapist would’ve told me to dress up. All she said was to meet you here for dinner. I didn’t know it was such a fancy restaurant. I kind of figured we’d be eating on the beach.”
“You look perfect,” I said. “Weareon the beach. There was no need to dress up.”
She lifted an eyebrow, once again taking me in from head to toe. “Someone should tell your suit that. If there was no need to dress up, you’d still be in your T-shirt.”
“I’m apologizing,” I said. “That’s why I’m dressed up. Plus, I want to show you that I can do things right, and the suit is part of that.”
“Okay,” she said, dragging the word out. “What are you apologizing for and how is a suit going to show me that you can do things right?”
“Because I fucked up at the meeting and I’m ready to practice the pitch again,” I said. “Hence, the suit. I’ve been working hard on nailing the pitch itself, too. I wanted you to the get the full effect.”
Moving forward at the same time she did, I got to her chair before her and pulled it out from under the table. She glanced up at me, finally smiling again. “Are you also practicing how to be gallant?”
“Nope, but I’ve been thinking about what my mother would say about how I’ve been treating you, and she’d be disappointed. Contrary to what you might think, she raised me to be a gentleman. I’m trying to remember what that means, but I’m pretty sure getting your chair is part of the deal.”
The smile faded slowly from her lips, but she kept her eyes on mine. “She wouldn’t be disappointed in you, Parker. You’re not a bad guy. You just had a bad day, and let’s be honest, I could’ve handled it better myself.”
She took her seat and I rounded the table and did the same.