“Hey.” He smiled as he opened the door. “Come on in.”
I got up close to him and took a whiff of his body.
“What are you doing?” He laughed.
“Making sure you smell clean and free of alcohol.”
“Did I pass?”
“Yep. With flying colors.” I smiled. “Anyway, go put on your swim trunks.”
“Why?” He narrowed his eye.
“Because we’re going to go swim with the dolphins.”
“Seriously?” His grin grew wide.
“Seriously. Now get a move on because Juno is waiting for us.”
“Who’s Juno?” I asked as I walked to the bedroom.
“Our captain.”
We hopped into my rental car and I drove us to where Juno was waiting for us with his boat.
“Why are you doing this?” Drew asked.
“Doing what?”
“Taking me to swim with the dolphins.”
“I kind of got the impression that since you’ve been here, you have done everything Jess wanted to do and nothing you wanted to. At dinner the other night, you seemed really interested in swimming with the dolphins and she just kind of dismissed you. So I thought you should get the chance to do it while you’re here.” I looked over at him.
“That’s really nice of you. Again, thank you.” He placed his hand on my arm, and suddenly, I felt like I couldn’t breathe.
“Just paying it forward and making your shitty time here a little less shitty.” I grinned.
“I appreciate it.” He laughed.
****
Drew
Swimming with the dolphins was the highlight of my entire trip. I had never experienced anything like it or the sense of peace that inhabited me. When we were finished, we headed back to the hotel.
“That was—”
“Magical?” Jillian smiled as she glanced over at me.
“Yes. Very magical. Listen, I was thinking. I want to thank you for such a great day, so I was hoping you’d agree to have dinner tonight.”
“You don’t have to take me to dinner, Drew.”
“I know I don’t. I want to.” I smiled. “I’m leaving tomorrow morning, so I thought one last dinner would be nice.”
The grin on her face widened. “Okay. Dinner it is. Just give me some time to shower and get ready.”
“How about I pick you up at six o’clock?”
“Six will be good.”
Walking into my suite, I headed to the bathroom and turned on the water for a shower. Spending the day with her was amazing and the things I’d felt for her before only intensified. Being with her and in her presence made me a happy man. I hadn’t felt this way in a very long time, if ever. Leaving tomorrow morning was going to be hard because I’d probably never see her again. It didn’t matter anyway; she was on a journey to find herself and I wasn’t going to stand in the way of that. For tonight, I would enjoy the next few hours spent with her and then tomorrow, it was back to reality with only the memory of a girl I met on a plane who enriched my life in such a short period of time.
Chapter Eleven
Jillian
Stepping out of the shower and slipping into my robe, I facetimed Kellan.
“Hey, you. How’s it going in Hawaii?”
“It’s great. How are you?” I asked as I started to put on my makeup.
“I’m good. No complaints. Are you going somewhere?”
“Yeah.” I smiled as I looked at my phone. “I’m having dinner with Drew.”
“You’re having dinner with the guy from the plane and his girlfriend?”
“Nope. Just him. He broke up with her and kicked her out.”
“Jilly Bean, I thought you were in a man-free zone?”
“I am. It’s a goodbye dinner. He’s leaving tomorrow and so am I. No big deal.”
“He broke up with her in Hawaii? Wow.”
“I know, but he was very unhappy. She was kind of a bitch.”
“So let me get this straight. He broke up with his girlfriend, while on vacation, may I add, you broke it off with Grant, and now the two of you are single and having dinner together. Sounds like a rebound to me.”
“Ugh, Kellan. It’s dinner. It’s not like I’m sleeping with him. He’s my friend.”
“Where does he live?”
“I don’t know. I never asked.”
“Why? Don’t friends usually ask each other where they live?”
“Does it matter? It’s not like I’ll ever see him again.”
“True.”
“I’m hanging up now, Kel. I’ll call you when I get to New York.”
“Sounds good, Bean. Have a good night with Airplane Guy and have a safe flight.”
“Thanks. I’ll talk to you soon.”
After ending the call, I blow dried my hair, sprayed it, and slipped into a long black floral print maxi dress. The truth was that I felt something for Drew. He was an amazing man with a good heart. He was also a man that I could see myself falling madly in love with. Meeting him couldn’t have happened at a worse time.
As I slipped on my shoes, there was a knock at the door. When I opened it, I swallowed hard when I saw Drew, face of the gods, standing there in his khaki-colored casual pants and a white button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up. Shit. My lady parts were on fire.
“Hi there.” I smiled.
“You look gorgeous.” He winked.
“Thanks. You’re looking pretty hot yourself there, Mr. Westbrook.”