Page 17 of The Bride's Secret

“Ha. Ha. Very funny.” She flipped from one to the other and back again. “Which will it be? I was planning to watch both…”

“Oh, whichever. Put your favorite one on first.”

So they watched Sleepless in Seattle, and he might not want to admit it, but Wyatt’s attention was glued to the screen.

One more reason to love this guy. For the millionth time since she’d run away from her wedding, she wished she’d met Wyatt under any other circumstance. But she couldn’t regret their current situation. When would she ever be in the presidential suite with a hot guy who respected and cared for her? Never again, she was sure of it. So she planned to make the best of her time with Wyatt so that she could pine for him for the rest of her life. She snuggled closer, and his hand curled around her shoulder, protectively.

Chapter 9

Wyatt woke early the next morning. He felt like a champion having gone to bed last night without a kiss. Did they give out medals to nice guys? He doubted it. They’d watched for hours, ate more ice cream than he’d ever had in one sitting and then she’d fallen asleep in his arms. Slipping away, covering her up with the blankets, and finding his own bed had taken herculean strength, but he had, and now he woke up pleased because of it. But he needed to run. He needed some space. So he worked out, showered and had breakfast before she made an appearance out of her bedroom.

Then he left. He had to prepare for his meeting with Miss Spagnoli. The more he thought about a possible contract with Aloha Industries, the happier it made him.

A text dinged.You still around?Carisa.

He smiled.Yup. I have work to do. See you at the pick-up point for the volcano tour.

I worried all that estrogen last night scared you away.

He smirked. She had no idea.I worked out and did manly things this morning to make up for it. Have a good morning.

She responded with a row of emojis he couldn’t even begin to decipher and so he pocketed his phone.

After an hour in the business lounge, he was ready for his lunch meeting.

He pulled up in front of Waieapicu. He’d read all about it. A local favorite, kept religiously out of tourist eyesight. But the locals loved it, and he’d read that Miss Spagnoli worked hard for its success as a local icon. He had sent a car to pick her up and she should be arriving any minute. He entered early to grab them a table and to get a feel for the place.

Every face inside turned to see who entered. From their hopeful expectation when the door opened to their fallen disinterest when they saw who stepped inside, he guessed most people knew the others who came. He was charmed. How often did he come to such a place? He chose a comfortable table, overlooking a courtyard to their right. A cheery woman with long, thick, dark hair and the lovely brown skin of the islanders approached. “You expecting someone?” She indicated the place opposite.

“I am.” The door dinged and he stood up with a smile. “And she just walked in the door.”

“You here with Miss Spagnoli?” She winked. “You’re braver than most.”

“Got any tips?”

She shook her head. “Change your gender.” Laughing, she welcomed Miss Spagnoli with a kiss on the cheek. “Come on in my dear. This man seems to think he’s saving a spot for you.” She raised her eyebrows and some kind of silent communication passed between the two of them that Wyatt didn’t try to understand. He held out his hand. “Miss Spagnoli? I’m Wyatt Jackson.”

She eyed him for a moment and then placed her hand in his, solid, firm grip, one shake.

Okay, got it. Business only.

She sat across from him, leaned forward and smiled.

For a moment, he was stunned by her beauty. The bright blue of her eyes was not an exaggeration in the pictures he’d seen. But he tried to set that aside, realized he had been totally checking her out, and hoped she hadn’t noticed.

She had. Her eyebrow rose and she slowly let her gaze travel over his face, resting on his jawline, his mouth, then she checked out his shoulders, chest until he squirmed.

Her eyes returned to his. “So, Mr. Jackson.”

“Call me Wyatt.”

She nodded.

“Wyatt. You from Texas?”

“Yes, Ma’am. Born and bred.”

She nodded. “How is it you come to be so familiar with our best kept neighborhood secret?”

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