She took a step back from the escalator to let others go down to the baggage claim and a little tutu stepped up.
Maile gave her a smile, and the little old woman gave her nod. "Mahalo." She stepped up and put her hand on the railing.
Maile leaned to the side and saw Shawn Velasco just a few feet away and closing fast.
"What's the rush?"
He shrugged and the duffel on his shoulder almost slid off. "I wanted to get a head start at the baggage claim."
Maile almost snorted a laugh at that. "You know how long it's going to take for the luggage to come off the carts."
A gap opened up in the stream of disembarking passengers headed down the escalator and Shawn gestured for her to get on.
Maile stepped up onto the top step and then turned to look up at Shawn. "You have some kind of magic trick to get your bags faster?"
Shawn shook his head and she saw the highlights in his hair catch the light. "I want to get down to the Odd-sized Items area and make sure our instruments are okay."
She nodded, understanding. "I didn't think about the instruments." She grinned. "I just have my instruments in my luggage."
He chuckled. "Your instruments aren't a hundred pounds of wood. With a carry case the size of a Buick."
Maile rolled her eyes just in time to step off the bottom of the escalator.
"I know you're full of it, Shawn. But listening to you now..."
Maile winced as the humid heat of Hawaii's air hit her like a wall. "Ugh."
Shawn stepped up beside her and dropped his arm around her shoulders. "Don't tell me it's the humidity getting to you."
Maile kept walking, letting him leave his arm around her shoulders.
She let it go until they were to the halfway point between the baggage carousel and the odd-sized pickup desk.
Maile turned around, moving out of reach for his arm and swiping the tip of her finger across his forehead. She managed to barely wince at the moisture on her fingertips. She held her hand up in front of Shawn's face, playfully sneering at him. "What was that about humidity?"
He sighed and pushed her hand away from his face. "Whatever. Sweat is natural!"
"Your brain," she shook her head, "isn't natural!"
She swept her arm out toward the odd-sized pickup desk. "There you go."
Maile stepped away from Shawn only to be whirled around, almost crashing into his chest.
It was instinct that brought her hands up between them and she was squished between his hard muscular chest and his muscled arm.
Maile looked up and clenched her teeth together. "What are you doing?"
He gave her a bright smile and wagged his brows at her. "Me? I'm giving you shit. It's a thing. Right?"
She rolled her eyes. "Then let me go before I kick you and you can't sh-"
"Maile?"
Maile froze in place, mid-word and turned.
Well, she started to turn.
But, she still had an arm around her.
