Page 1 of Intrigued By Love

Chapter One

Kailani

“Want to hear your horoscope for the day?”

Raquel, my assistant manager, rushed through the open door of my office, holding a folder in one hand and her smartphone in the other.

“Not really,” I said, looking up from a stack of papers detailing the events planned for the upcoming month at Lykaios Bora Bora, the luxury resort where I was the general manager and a shareholder.

“Oh come on, Kailani. Humor me, for once.”

Raquel had an obsession with zodiac signs, numerology, and anything to do with predictions of the future. Most of the time, I half listened to her rattling on about what the sun, moon, and stars had in store for my future, but today wasn’t the day.

By midday, the property was going to be swarmed, and it wasn’t going to ease until the first week of the next month. My baby sister, Kalina, Lina Xander under her supermodel-movie-star persona, was marrying A-list Hollywood producer/director, Thaddeus Oliver.

Thad had decided a destination wedding was the least he could do for my sister and therefore decided to rent the entire resort for over a month. This also meant I had to do everything in my power to make sure my baby sister’s dream wedding became a reality.

Though I never thought I’d be trying to orchestrate a traditional Hawaiian wedding in French Polynesia. Yes, the two cultures had similarities, but there were many stark differences, mainly ceremonies and traditions passed down over centuries. My mother’s family could trace their Hawaiian roots for generations, and the customs were to be respected, no matter if any of my three siblings or I were in Europe or in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

Good thing I had my mother and aunts and their almost daily check-in calls to help make it “just the way it’s supposed to be.”

“Pretty please.” Raquel gave me puppy-dog eyes.

“Unless you can predict that this celebrity-filled, month-long wedding extravaganza is going to go off without a hitch, I don’t want to hear it.”

“We’re in the hospitality industry—nothing ever goes off without a hitch. We deal with mercurial guests every day. What works for them in the morning could be a catastrophic disaster by lunchtime.”

I couldn’t argue with her assessment. The LB, as we called the resort, had a reputation for making everything perfect for its guests, which also meant dealing with moody clientele.

“Speaking of, did you explain to Mrs. Baker that it wasn’t possible to extend her stay?”

Raquel sighed dramatically. “I did. Saying she was upset was an understatement, and reminding her that she signed an agreement stating she understood the limited time for her reservation made no difference. She had an epic meltdown, worthy of your sister’s Oscar-nominated performance. But after I offered her a free four-night stay in the villas the next time she was in the area, she mellowed out.”

Daphne Baker was a country music diva who came with an entourage of twenty and spent more time on vacation than on her music. In the two years since the resort opened, she’d visited the island four times. I knew as soon as I saw her on the reservation list two months ago that we’d have trouble with her, and arranging to give her a free stay was worth the cost of her leaving the island without an international incident.

“So that means we’ll have an empty property for an hour or two before bedlam ensues.”

“Why are you so worried? It’s your family who’s coming. I’ve met them. They’re very relaxed people.”

“It’s not my parents or sisters or my brother I’m worried about. Even Thad is someone I love seeing. It’s everyone else. My extended family and all the A-listers who’ll show up expecting to have everything handed to them.”

Even though Thad had explicitly limited who his wedding invitees could bring, going as far as having security and background checks done on them, I knew some would bring people who weren’t approved. This would result in a lot of handholding and headaches.

“At least most of the non-family and friends won’t arrive until the week of the wedding.”

“True. I just want everything to be perfect for Lina.”

“It will be.” Raquel handed me the folder she was holding. “Here’s the list of room, villa, and bungalow assignments.”

I smiled. This was one less thing for me to oversee. “Thank you.”

“So want to hear your horoscope now that I’ve added back a few hours to your life today?”

“You’re like a dog with a bone.” I shook my head and then nodded. “Go ahead.”

She beamed at me, taking the seat across from my desk, and scrolled on her phone.

“Ready to listen? It looks very important.”

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