I squeeze her fingers in mine. “I know I don’t really know you that well, okay? But I’d like to change that,” I add. “We’re friends, Quinn. And friends help each other out.”
She blows out a breath, and I think she’s about to tell me to take her home, that she really has changed her mind. But then a song comes on the radio that triggers something in her. Her eyes widen a little as she stares at the radio, her mouth set in a firm line.
I’m about to ask her what’s wrong when she pulls her hand from mine and releases her seat belt before opening the door.
“Okay, let’s do it.”
“Sally,” I say, my arms wide as we walk into the reception area.
Owen’s mom grins at me, stepping out from behind the counter as I pull her into a hug. “Kai, good to see you,” she says, smiling.
“You too, as always,” I reply, hitting her with a wink. Sally laughs, shaking her head at me as I turn to Quinn and introduce her. “Sally, this is my friend Quinn. Quinn, this is Sally, Owen’s mom and owner of this fine establishment.”
“Nice to meet you, Quinn,” Sally says, holding out her hand.
“You too,” Quinn replies, shaking her hand. “This is a beautiful hotel.”
“Thank you,” Sally replies.
“So, Quinn is a masseuse,” I start, already knowing she’s nervous and probably wants to bolt. “She’s recently moved to Maui and is looking for work. Not sure if you guys have anything going or not, but we thought we’d drop by and see.”
Beside me, Quinn swallows hard as she says, “I’m sorry, I know this is really?—”
“Actually, this is perfect timing,” Sally says, smiling. “We recently opened another place on Lanai, which has meant some staffing shuffles. We were planning to advertise soon, but if you have your resume here, I’d be happy to take a look.”
“She does,” I say, nudging Quinn.
“I can’t believe I have a job,” Quinn says, shaking her head in disbelief as we walk back to the car.
Laughing, I throw an arm around her shoulders. “You do,” I tell her.
“Thank you, Kai,” she says, looking up at me. “Seriously, I don’t know how I can ever repay you for this.”
Grinning, I stop, turning her to face me. “I know how,” I say, putting my hands on her shoulders.
Quinn smirks, rolling her eyes as she says, “Let me guess, it involves us taking our clothes off?”
I laugh. “Mind out of the gutter, woman!”
Now it’s Quinn laughing. “Oh, that’s not what you were going to suggest?”
I cross my arms, shaking my head. “Nope.”
“Seriously?”
“Seriously,” I confirm. “When you and I do get naked, I want it to be because you want to, not because I made you or you owed me or whatever.”
She raises a brow in question. “And what if I never want to?”
I rock back on my heels, hoping that is not the case. “Well, then we just stay friends,” I tell her.
“You’d be happy just being friends with me?”
I huff out a laugh, dropping my arm around her shoulders again as we start walking to the car. “Yes, Quinn, I already told you that. We’re friends, that’s totally okay with me, okay?”
“So what is it you want then?” she asks as we stop by the passenger door.
With a grin, I unlock the car, opening the door for her as I say, “Easy. I wanna teach you to surf.”
