Page 37 of The Worst Vacation Crush

Right. Of course, someone from Blue Pacific would’ve had to contact Kai’s family to hire this guided tour of the island.

I supposed Mr. Peters must have thought making preparations for a sinister spy mission was too important of a job to trust to a lowly personal assistant. My cold, dark heart dislodged itself from my throat and settled back into its place in my chest.

Guilty consciences weren’t easy things to live with.

We reached the small hut and she motioned for me to take a seat in one of the chairs sitting in the shade of the awning.

“I’m going to run over to Koa’s shack and get some Hawaiian ice. Sound good?” Kai flashed that dimple at me, and all I could do was nod.

Back home we just called ice… ice—not Ohio ice. I wasn’t sure what was so much better about ice in Hawaii that it needed to bear the name of the state in which it had been frozen.

But whatever.

I was up for anything that could distract me from the disaster of the past ten minutes, even if it meant eating fancy-pants ice cubes.

“None for me, sweetheart,” Kai’s mom called after him as she pulled an old photo album through the open window of the hut. She came and sat in the chair beside me. “I’m not ashamed to say that I cried a little bit when Kainalu’s father told me you were coming.”

Great! I hadn’t even started any of the dirty work ahead of me and already, I had Kai’s mother in tears.

“I’m sorry.”

“Oh, no! They were good tears. Did Kainalu tell you his grandfather started our family business?” She opened the thick book and flipped through several pages.

I cleared my throat and shifted in my seat. “Yes, he mentioned something about it.”

She plopped the album in my lap and pointed to an old black and white photo. I did a double take because the young man standing on the beach looked just like Kai. “Wait. Is that…”

“My father-in-law. He made this album a long time before he could afford to print brochures. He went around and took pictures of all the best places on the island and would let his guests choose their destinations.”

My fingers developed a will of their own. I couldn’t help but trail them across the page, allowing the history of this book to soak into me. “Wow. You guys really have been in business for a long time, haven’t you?”

“Only because we care about our guests. We want them to love our island just as much as we do.” She turned the page and smiled. “I thought you might like to know a little bit about our story.”

We chatted about the history of this family business that clearly meant more to this kind woman than I knew was possible. I certainly hadn’t felt that attached to the family business I’d left behind.

A few minutes later she took the photo album in her arms and held it close to her heart. “We’re in this business for the long haul. You can count on us to be good partners. You send travelers our way, and we’ll show them the best time of their lives. You can be sure they’ll come back for more!”

I cringed inside. Somehow Chuck had left this family with the impression that I was here to work with them—not destroy everything they’d built.

I guess I could understand him keeping his plans for world domination under wraps, but getting this sweet lady’s hopes up was cold, to say the least.

My new dream job was becoming more distasteful by the minute.

Mercifully, Kai rounded the corner of the hut, holding a bowl in each hand.

Kai’s mother stood up. “I’ve got some work to do inside. I’ll leave you two kids to enjoy your treats.” She rested her hand on my shoulder and leaned a little closer. “He’s a good boy, my Kai. Do you like good boys, Beth?”

My cheeks burned with the heat of a thousand suns. Yes, I liked good boys—and Kai in particular. I still hadn’t gotten the sight of his ripped abs out of my head.

But I wasn’t supposed to like him. I couldn’t like him. It was my job to put him and his entire family out of work.

I hadn’t found my voice yet when she patted my shoulder and spoke again. “What am I saying? Of course you like good boys. Good girls always like good boys.”

Kai shot his mother a pleading look.

“Okay, you two. I get the hint. You’d like to be alone.”

Kai’s face flushed as he mouthed I’m sorry. Was this the side of him that his mom had been talking about? Bashful Kai?

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