Copper Lining (The Cardwell Family #3) - Christy Pastore Page 0,2
morning with the spoiled rich princess.
The woman . . . with the glossy, reddish-brown hair that I want to wrap my hands around as I take her from behind.
Fuck. And that ass of hers. The sun-kissed globes barely concealed by black fabric were made for my hands, among other things.
I’ve seen people do some crazy things on vacation.
Buy the bar a round of shots.
Get drunk and dive into the pool fully clothed.
Sing karaoke like no one’s listening.
Hell, I’ve even seen people hand their room keys to complete strangers.
But this woman takes the cake. I’ve never seen someone dive right into a swarm of dangerous creatures for a piece of jewelry. Ever.
It wasn’t even a wedding ring.
She might be my most spoiled client, yet.
And she’s booked me for a private paddleboard lesson tomorrow?
I don’t have a problem with rich people. I have an issue with people who do dumb things. Especially when those dumb things happen on my watch.
I finish cleaning the boat and then make sure everything is locked up. Slinging my bag over my shoulder, I’m ready to go back to the bungalow and crash. Maybe get a drink first.
My feet carry me past the cool surfboard fence. As I walk down the palm tree-lined sidewalk, I hear the locals call out to me.
“Hey, Wes!”
“Aloha, Manta Ray Whisperer!”
“Weston, my bruddah!”
I wave and smile and then duck inside one of my favorite little bars on the island. I nod to the bartender, Karel.
Island life. It doesn’t get any better than this. Time well spent away in a place that cleanses the body, mind, and soul.
“Aloha, bruddah Wes,” he greets me with a handshake. “How you doin’, my man?”
“Aloha, buddy.” I take a seat, and he pours me a tall beer. “I’m just glad today’s over.”
“Tough day at the office?” he asks and places the glass in front of me.
I laugh. “Crazy woman jumped into a swarm of eagle rays for a bracelet.”
His brown eyes pop wide. “Wow, that’s a new one.”
“Tell me about it.”
“You want pupus or the usual?”
I take a long drink and nod. “Yeah, the usual.”
My eyes drift to the television above the bar. “Kentucky braces for another round of storms.”
I listen as the CNN anchor talks about the storms, and my heart collides with my ribs. Haven’t heard from my brother, Brant, lately. I glance at my watch for the time. It’s almost midnight in Mayfield.
I’ll call him tomorrow.
The bar is relatively quiet, but it’s the off-season, so it’s not all that surprising.
I swivel my chair to face the patio. Looks like it might rain. I scan the restaurant, sipping my drink slowly.
My heart hammers in my chest when the woman who has already taken up too many of my thoughts appears in the doorway.
And, of course, she walks into the bar looking like every man’s wet dream wearing a tiny, white lace dress that shows off her toned legs and her beautiful tan skin.
Fuck my life.
She hasn’t seen me yet. I flip back around just as Karel places my burger and fries in front of me. Instead of looking back, I dig into my food.
It takes everything inside me to not glance over my shoulder when I see a curtain of shiny dark hair take a seat at the corner of the bar.
“Aloha, and welcome to Maui’s best tiki bar,” Karel calls out to her. “The Maui Grove.”
That’s when I feel her stare on me.
I can’t help it. I look in her direction. Something about her drives me crazy. And I don’t think it’s the spoiled princess thing. I may have labeled her wrong. That’s what’s great about fake labels—they wear off fast.
There’s something more to her. Why would a beautiful woman come to Hawaii alone? Charter a private yacht alone?
Then it hits me. She might be dying. This could be her last hurrah, and I was a total asshole to her.
Nope. I push the horrible thought out of my mind and chew another bite of my burger.
Karel makes her a mai tai and sets it in front of her. Her small fingers wrap around the glass, and I notice she’s got two big gold rings on. The silver bracelet dangles from her wrist.
Minka sips her drink and glances around the room. When she finishes, she stands and asks one of the servers where the restrooms are.
Karel looks up from the sink where he’s cleaning a glass. “You gonna fill me in on the story with the hottie over there?”