Chapter 9

Are you sure you’re single? Your status says undetermined.

Burke stared at Ash’s message, his chest loosening now that she’d responded. He had her phone number, and he could go to her house. But he’d tossed and turned last night, her words reverberating around inside his head and keeping him awake.

I’m tired of pretending.

Maybe we can try that kiss again.

Embarrassment and humiliation had been constant companions since that terrible kiss in the restaurant. It was like Burke had forgotten how to kiss a woman he liked.

He’d tried making excuses for himself until about midnight. Everything from It’s been a long time since I kissed someone to It was unexpected. I was nervous.

He tapped around on the app, finally finding the place that he could choose his relationship status. He chose single and navigated back to the messages. Ash had been very easy to find on Get Together, mostly because he’d searched by location.

AshyGirl was typing, and a message popped up that said, I heard a rumor that you’re actually engaged.

His parents weren’t going to ever check this app, and Burke wanted things to be real with Ash. She’d been real with him last night, and while it left him discombobulated and bit uncomfortable, he wanted to do the same for her.

The barbecue is at three, he typed out and sent. I was hoping you might want to get together for lunch before we go.

Won’t we be eating at the barbecue?

Burke sighed as frustration built inside him. I’ll buy you as much coffee as you want. Did he sound desperate to see her? Probably. But he’d been thinking about that failed kiss and what a second one might be like. He wanted to see her, find out if the attraction between them was that electric pulsing that had been firing in his pulse for a couple of weeks now.

He wasn’t sure what he’d do if it wasn’t, or if their second kiss was as bad as the first. He just knew he wanted to find out—and that was something he hadn’t wanted to do since Bridgette.

He closed the app before Ash could respond, and he called her. She answered with, “I’ll meet you at Sea Party in twenty minutes. I want to start with the vanilla mocha Frappuccino.”

“Twenty minutes,” Burke said, and if they were still in best friend status, they’d both hang up and see each other in twenty minutes. But neither of them ended the call this time.

“I’m sorry,” Burke blurted.

“About what?”

“The only thing that was a disaster last night was that kiss, which I’d totally like a do-over on.”

Silence poured through the line, and Burke checked to make sure the call was still connected. It was, and Ash came on, along with some background noise, which meant she’d covered the mouthpiece of her phone for a moment.

“All right,” Ash said. “Apology accepted. See you in twenty minutes.” She hung up, but not before Burke heard at least two women giggling, and an added measure of embarrassment pulled through him.

“Doesn’t matter,” he told himself. “You’re going to go meet her and find a way to tell her that you have a little crush on her too, and maybe you’ll have to keep pretending but that maybe the engagement could be real too.”

He shook his head. He was deluding himself if he thought he was ready to be engaged, even to Ash. Heck, two weeks ago, he hadn’t even been ready to start dating.

His phone bleeped out a weird little chime, and he checked it. Someone else had friended him on Get Together, a woman named Darcy Hinkle. A groan started in the back of his throat and ground out across his vocal cords.

No, he was definitely not interested in Darcy or being on this app, and he uninstalled it before leaving to go meet Ash at Sea Party.

Thirty minutes later, her vanilla mocha Frappuccino was cold, and his coffee was gone. As were an order of lobster fritters.

“Ginger spiced sea scallops,” the waitress said as she set another plate in front of him. “Do you want another long macchiato?”

“Yes, please.” He handed over his cup, and the brunette disappeared. His leg tapped, and he wondered if he’d have to sit through another cup of coffee before Ash showed up.

He’d just sliced a scallop in half when the chair across from his scraped against the concrete. “Sorry I’m late.”

Burke stared at Ash. Her curls fell over her shoulders in easy waves, and she pushed them back in that self-conscious way she had. Their eyes met, and that electricity leapt from her to him, jumpstarting his heart and making the way he pushed her coffee toward her clumsy.

“It’s cold,” he said instead of hello. He pulled in a breath through his nose and said, “It’s good to see you. I thought for a minute you wouldn’t show up.” He added a nervous chuckle, and Ash smiled as she lifted her cup to her lips.

A tiny sip, and she grimaced, put the cup down, and crossed her arms over her chest. The waitress returned with his macchiato, and he said, “She needs a new vanilla mocha.”

“No problem.” She collected the offending drink and walked away.

Burke figured he had a few minutes before the Frappuccino returned, and he didn’t want to beat around the bush. “So, you have a little crush on me?”

He regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth. Arrogant much?

“At least I don’t totally want a do-over of that kiss. If you can even call it that.” She glared at him, adding a smile the longer they watched one another.

Burke started laughing, her remark deserved. When she joined in, all the tension between them broke. “So, are we really going to give things a try?” he asked.

The waitress put Ash’s new coffee on the table and made herself scarce. Ash picked up her cup and took a sip, a smile warming her whole face. “We’re already pretending. If it doesn’t work out, we’ll just break up like we’ve always planned.” She sounded nonchalant about the whole thing, but Burke didn’t buy it for a second.

Ash was the type of woman who planned and prepared. She probably knew what she’d be doing a month from now. But he said, “All right,” and reached across the table to gently take her hand in his, his head ducked and his eyes focused on the table.

“I started feeling things for you when I held your hand a few weeks ago,” he said really quietly.

“You’ve never felt anything for me before?” she asked.

He lifted his gaze to hers. “Well, when I was younger. In high school. Leo made it quite clear you were off-limits.” And Burke was fairly certain her older brother’s opinions hadn’t changed.

A sourness filled Ash’s expression. “Leo? He said something to you?”

“Yes,” Burke said. “And he probably still would.”

“Why? I’m thirty-five-years-old.” She cocked her head. “And you were his best friend. Why would he think we shouldn’t be together?”

Burke shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“We don’t lie to each other,” she said.

Burke sighed, half amused she’d used his words against him and half annoyed. “Fine. He didn’t think we’d last, and he didn’t want you to get hurt.”

Ash’s eyes blazed, and she reached for her phone. “Oh, I’m going to talk to him about this.”

Burke covered her hand with his. “It’s not worth it, Ash.”

Their eyes met again, and Burke wondered if now would be a good time for that kiss do-over.

Nope, he thought. Not in another restaurant. He wanted to kiss her when he was all alone with her, so he could take as much time as he needed to truly experience her and let her know how he felt.

He looked away, and said, “So we’re pretending, but not pretending.”

“Well, the engagement is still fake,” she said.

That was for dang sure, but Burke kept the thought to himself. He’d proposed so many times to Bridgette, he’d actually vowed never to do it again. If the relationship with Ash progressed that much, would he even be able to get the words out?

If things get that serious with Ash, he thought. You’ll be over Bridgette and ready to move on.

Burke seized onto that thought, because he really wanted to move on. Had for a while. Hadn’t known how. But with Ash by his side, he thought it might actually be possible.

Burke held Ash’s hand as they walked into the gardens at Aloha Hideaway. It was cool in the shade, and there were misters like at the restaurant the other night. Long tables had been set up, and they held huge, stainless steel buffet servers. The scent of pineapple and roasted meat hung in the air, almost distracting Burke from the sight of his father speaking to a red-headed woman.

He led Ashley in that direction in time to catch the end of the conversation and to say hello to Stacey DuPont, the owner of Aloha Hideaway. She’d grown up on the island too, and while she was a few years older than Burke, it seemed like all the island natives knew each other.

She’d inherited this building and land from her grandfather, and Burke felt a kinship with her for that reason.

“She’s bringing out the rolls, and then we’ll start,” his dad said.

Everyone knew Burke’s mother planned these barbecues, but his dad would be the one to say a few words of acknowledgement and gratitude for their company and employees. Then they’d eat, and play games, and enjoy the beach. Later that night, there’d be fireworks and brownies, and his father would have a bonus check for everyone who worked for the company.

“Great,” Burke said. “I’m starving.” Three cups of coffee was not food, and even the fritters and scallops were hours ago.

“Have you two gotten a ring yet?”

“Dad, I said it would be a few days.” Burke tightened his hand in Ash’s. “Dinner was just last night.” It seemed impossible that less than twenty-four hours had passed since then. A lifetime of things had happened with Ash, and she squeezed his hand back, grounding him.

He moved away from his dad, but he didn’t go far. If he was going to take over the farm—and thus the barbecues—in the future, he’d need to be seen by the employees. Earn their respect.

But you do that at work, he told himself. Not a barbecue.

So he migrated further over to the cooler with the strawberry orange punch and got some for himself and Ash. He turned back to the crowd and did a sweeping glance of everyone there. A few more people came into the gardens, and then Stacey returned with two other people and set the rolls on the end of one of the tables.

She nodded to Burke’s father, and he said, “Welcome,” in his great booming voice. “Heather and I are so glad you could all make it to our annual barbecue this summer.” He beamed around at everyone, even the people behind him. If there was one thing about his dad, he was charismatic and commanding. Burke would give him that.

“This is our second year at Aloha Hideaway, but in case any of you don’t remember, Stacey makes the best Kalua pork on the island.” He flashed her a smile. “And today, we have homemade sweet buns from down the beach at Sweet Breeze Resort and Spa, which she also owns.”

Burke wasn’t sure why he was mentioning Sweet Breeze, but he really wanted one of those homemade buns. He’d read an Internet article about them, and the Hawaiian woman who’d been hired at the resort and then introduced them to the menu. Apparently, tourists and locals alike went to the hotel to eat just because of the buns.

“Today, I’d like to thank each and every one of you for the dedication and hours you put in at Petals and Leis. We’re up twelve percent in revenue this year, our highest gain in a decade.”

Applause broke out, and Burke released Ash’s hand in order to clap. He spotted Leo and his wife coming down the path and further into the gardens, and he tensed. But Leo didn’t scan the crowd for him, and why should he?

“And I’d like to make one announcement before we eat. Petals and Leis has just inked a new agreement with both Sweet Breeze Resort and Spa in Getaway Bay and the Ohana Resort in the East Bay. We’ll be their sole flower supplier and have kiosks in their lobbies for lei and flower sales.” His smile reached the very edges of the party, and probably beyond.

A cheer went up, and Burke couldn’t help the pride swelling in his chest. He’d suggested kiosks in Getaway Bay and other big tourist places, and his father had started with the two biggest resorts on the island.

But still. It felt good that one of his ideas had some merit in his father’s eyes—and it would help their company grow.

“All right.” His father held up both hands, laughter in his words and on his face. “We’ve got food now. Festivities will begin shortly, and we’ve got access to Aloha Hideaway’s private beach until midnight. Fireworks and bonuses will be around nine-thirty, and Stacey’s provided us with a popcorn bar this year too. That’ll be set up at seven.” He met her eyes, and she nodded.

“So, let’s eat!”

People immediately moved toward the buffet set up on the tables, but Burke hung back. Ash stayed right at his side, her slender fingers slipping right back between his. A thrill ran down his back, and he glanced at her.

“Thanks for doing this,” he said.

“Don’t thank me yet,” she said, nodding toward something. “Here comes Leo, and I’m going to give him a piece of my mind.”