Of course he did.
"But maybe we can go to dinner later. We can use that time to get to know each other better and work on the story we're going to tell people when they ask about us."
"That's why I'm here."
He rose from the chair. "I'm going to take a shower and get back to it. How about we meet in the suite at seven?"
"I'll be ready."
When James disappeared back into the room, I pushed away all the thoughts about this crazy situation. I opened the book about how to find your purpose in life and began reading. I found a pen and filled out the questionnaires to identify my passions. It wasn't long before frustration had me shutting the book. So many of these questions asked what I had loved to do as a child or what I wanted to be when I grew up, among other questions that I had no answer to. The responses that came to mind hadn't been my heart’s desire but what my parents had wanted for me.
Giving up on finding my life’s purpose, I pulled out the tourist guide and flipped through it, dog earring pages that looked interesting. After that, I went inside and lay down to take a nap.
Just before seven,I exited my room wearing the sundress I had bought earlier. I wore the overpriced Hawaiian pearls in my ears with it. I pulled the front section of my hair back but left the rest down.
James's gaze raked over me as it had done in my wedding dress and in the bikini. "You look nice." He turned away, going over to the table to get his wallet from his computer bag.
"You do too.” And he did. He wore a pair of cream-colored slacks and a dark green shirt that made his hazel eyes glow with a golden hue. It was such a shame that a man who was so hot could act so cold.
He didn't make eye contact with me as he strode toward the door. "I've arranged for a car to drive us to a nice restaurant outside of town."
"Sounds lovely."
Like most of our car rides, we were silent except for brief answers to questions that our driver asked us about why we were here and whether we were enjoying Hawaii.
When we arrived at the restaurant, we were escorted to the back where there was a terrace overlooking the ocean. The restaurant sat on a bluff, so along with a spectacular view of the water, we could see to the other side of the island. When I stopped to really take it in, it stole my breath. I was in paradise. Despite my family's money, we hadn't traveled. I had never been out of California until I went to Las Vegas. Mesmerized by the view, I realized I'd been so caught up in this crazy marriage scheme, I hadn’t fully been taking in the wonder of Hawaii.
"Are you okay?" James's voice held concern.
I turned to him, curious about his question. "I'm fine."
"You're crying."
Was I? I pressed a hand to my cheek, and indeed, there were a few tears there. "They're just from the overwhelming beauty. I mean look at it, James. It's Mother Nature in all her glory."
He turned his gaze to the horizon, but I could tell he wasn't seeing what I was seeing. Of course, he wasn't. He'd probably seen this a million times before.
I wiped the tears and took a sip of water to compose myself. I would focus on the task at hand right now, but I made a vow that for the rest of my stay, I would savor all of my experiences.
Our intimate dinnerbetween newlyweds felt more like an interview. I wouldn't say we shared all our innermost intimate details, but we shared more than we might normally have to ensure that we knew enough about each other to act as if we were soulmates. We decided we'd stick to our personal histories as much as possible. The only made-up parts would be how we met, our past relationship, our supposed breakup, and our reunion.
The best part of the dinner was the food, which was spectacular. Before we left, I pulled out my phone, taking a picture of the view as well as our table so I would have something to remember it by. Maybe tomorrow when I went out, I’d get a journal to store these memories.
When we returned to the hotel, James went back to work, big surprise, and I went to my room to read before going to bed.
The next morning, I woke and could see that today would be a repeat of yesterday except, of course, without the sex. To change it up, I decided that instead of going to the beach, I would choose a place to go in the guidebook. Flipping through it as I drank my coffee, I found a waterfall a little ways out of town. A waterfall in Hawaii seemed like the place to go. Beaches and waterfalls, wasn't that what Hawaii was known for? That and I suppose a volcano or two.
James stopped working long enough to ask me my plans for the day. I offered again to help him, but he told me to enjoy my vacation.
After having something to eat, I ordered a car to take me to the base of the trail that would take me up to the waterfall. As I walked the path, I'd never seen such beauty in my life. I felt like I was walking through a make-believe paradise. The trees were lush green. The flowers were bold and bright and exotic.
When I reached the waterfall, I found a place to sit away from other tourists and soaked everything in. I closed my eyes and focused on the warm breeze against my cheeks and the sweet scent of nature.
My phone beeped, interrupting this wondrous moment. I pulled it from my pocket, checking the screen. It was a text from Amelia. I opened it up.
Sendme pictures of you enjoying the trip to Hawaii.
At first,I thought she was just being friendly considering I was her sister-in-law. But then I realized she was probably asking for them to put on the company website.