Matthew rose. “Enjoy your weekend, Everett.”
“You, too.”
The door clicked shut.
Everett rested back in his chair, letting the silence settle. His hands were steady, his pulse calm. He should have felt threatened. Challenged.
Instead, he felt something else entirely.
A shift.
Delegating hadn’t killed him. Allowing someone else to own decisions hadn’t ruined his hotel. And the world didn’t collapse when he didn’t micromanage.
He checked the time. Just enough to make the beach party.
Everett had to start somewhere to build back trust with his daughter. That meant getting to the beach on time.
He changed in the bathroom. Then he took the elevator and walked outside.
The sky was a cloudless, electric blue. The palm fronds bent and danced in the tropical breeze. The sun burned bright and hot on his skin, the same way he felt when Rowan was in his arms. A grin tugged at his mouth. He’d be early.
For the first time in a long time, he wasn’t chasing perfection.
He was chasing time.
And tonight, he knew exactly where he wanted to spend it.
The beach behind the shop glowed under strings of bulbs. Someone had dragged out the speakers. Slack-key guitar hummed low, mixed with talk and laughter. A grill threw up sweet smoke. Paper plates bent under kalbi ribs, macaroni salad, pineapple that dripped down wrists. Kids ran in crooked lines, sandy feet slapping. Dogs made slow loops, noses down. The air tasted like salt and soy.
Rowan moved through it all with a stack of napkins tucked under her arm. Her tank stuck to the small of her back. She kept an eye on the teenagers pretending not to hover near the dessert table and the aunties policing the tongs. She felt the shift in the air—the subtle prickle that always announced Everett Hale before his shadow even touched the sand. She tried to keep cool but found herself automatically turning to seek him out.
He stood a few feet away as Kelsey dashed off to join Brie and the others. The sharp short-sleeved polo was a deep blue withPuritystitched on the upper right pocket. Khaki shorts and boat shoes completed the business casual look. Someone handed him a drink in a plastic cup shaped like a pineapple. He accepted it like it might explode.
Why did she find his reaction suddenly charming?
He caught her staring and lifted the cup slightly in an awkward toast. “Aloha,” he said, voice deeper than usual.
Rowan bit back a smile. He pronounced it like he was ordering a corporate merger. “Hey,” she said casually, leaning against the table. “I’m glad you made it.”
“Me, too.”
The sizzle of attraction snapped in the air. His gaze roved over her body, reminding her of all the places he’d enjoyed. Keeping their relationship a secret for now gave her a thrill, and the hungry look on his face told her he felt the same. “I like your pineapple.”
He choked out a laugh. “If we were alone, I’d punish you for that remark.”
Delight flowed through her. “Sounds hot.” His warning glance only made it worse. “Did you say hello to Tino and Howie?”
Everett nodded. “They introduced me to a few of the aunties, and I used the phrase you taught me.O wau he honu poha.”
Uh-oh. She couldn’t help teasing him when he’d asked her for a Hawaiian phrase to greet her friends. Her father always told her she had an evil sense of humor. “Good for you! I’m sure they were impressed.”
His brows knit. “The aunties smiled politely but Tino and Howie laughed so hard they walked away.”
Rowan schooled her expression into the most innocent look she possessed—which wasn’t very innocent at all. “Weird. Maybe you said it wrong?”
“Rowan.” Just her name, low and suspicious.
Her head tilted. “Yes?”
