“I lost your number,” Elodie blurted.
Scott blinked. “What?”
“I lost the piece of paper you wrote your number on. All I remembered was the area code and a few numbers. I was going to get in touch with you but couldn’t. Then I decided to come here and see if I could find you. Which was incredibly stupid, I realized pretty much as soon as I stepped out of the airport. But I decided to stay anyway, hoping against hope that maybe I’d find someone who worked on the Naval base who might know you.”
Scott pushed off the wall and walked toward her. Elodie kept her gaze on his and tilted her head back as he got closer. He stopped right in front of her and took the bottle of water out of her hand and put it on the counter next to her. Then he opened his arms.
Elodie didn’t hesitate. She felt comfortable with this man. She never would’ve come to Hawaii if she didn’t. She rested her head on his shoulder and felt his arms close around her. She slowly wrapped her own around him, and they stood like that for quite a while.
Scott smelled like soap and…man. She couldn’t say exactly why, but was comforted whenever she was around him. She’d never felt like this before in her life. Safe. As if she could be whoever she wanted to be and do whatever she wanted to do and no one would dare stand in her way.
It was an uncomfortable thought, simply because she knew she ought to feel that way on her own, not because she had a man at her side. She’d worked her ass off to be an independent and strong woman. But right now? She was nearly at the end of her rope. On the outside, she looked put together and confident, but deep down she was terrified.
She wanted to hope that Paul had given up and was satisfied she wasn’t living in New York City anymore, but she had a feeling the ruthless head of the Columbus family would never give up until she’d paid for saying no to him…as crazy as that might seem to any rational person.
“You’re thinking too hard,” Scott said, his chest rumbling under her ear with his words.
She looked up at him.
“You hungry?”
Elodie shrugged. “I could eat.”
“Good. You been to Helena’s yet?”
“Who?”
Scott chuckled. “Helena’s Hawaiian Food. It’s a restaurant. A damn good one. There’s a dine-in option, but it’s always completely packed. It specializes in homestyle Hawaiian cooking. I thought maybe we could pick up some food then come back to this side of the island, to Barbers Point Beach Park. By the time we get there, most of the tourists—the ones who bother coming to this side—should be heading back to where they came from. It’s a public park, but it won’t be overrun by people.”
“Sounds great. I haven’t seen much of the island,” Elodie told him.
“You haven’t had time to get out and about?”
“It’s not that. I don’t have a car and have been using public transportation. And I don’t really know the cool places to go. I went down to Waikiki and there were just too many people around for my liking.”
“Yeah, Waikiki isn’t bad, but if you’re looking for pristine beaches and privacy, that isn’t the place to go. I’d be happy to show you some of my favorite spots and hikes if you want. We can go up to the North Shore sometime as well if you’re interested.”
Elodie wanted to immediately agree. But she needed to rein in her enthusiasm. Once he learned who she’d worked for, and heard the entire story about why she’d been using different names, he might feel differently about hanging out with her.
Taking a deep breath, Elodie stepped back and Scott immediately dropped his arms, giving her space. Her stomach chose that moment to rumble.
He chuckled. “Right, and that’s my cue to get my butt in gear and get us moving. Let me grab some shoes and we can go. We’ll make a stop at your place, then we’ll go downtown, grab the grub, then head to the beach. Sound okay?”
“Sure. Scott?”
“Yeah, El?”
Hearing even the shortened version of her real name felt good. It had been so long since she’d been Elodie, she hadn’t realized how much she’d missed it. “Thanks.” She didn’t know what she was thanking him for. For being trustworthy. For seeming to be excited to see her. For offering to give her a day of normal instead of immediately asking her to spill all her secrets. For making things so easy.
He reached up as if he was going to touch her, then stopped himself mid-reach and dropped his hand back to his side. “You’re welcome.” Then he turned and headed into the small living area of his apartment.
Elodie waited by the entrance of the kitchen and had to smile when he came back to her. He hadn’t put on a pair of sneakers, but instead he wore flip-flops. She tried to hide her smile, but obviously wasn’t successful because he asked, “What?”
“I just…I wasn’t picturing you as a flip-flop kind of guy.”
Scott laughed along with her. “I wasn’t before I moved here. I was a boots guy all the time. I wanted to be ready for anything. But it’s hot here. And I have to wear my combat boots at work and my sneakers when I work out. It feels good to let my toes breathe. And I’ll have you know these are super-authentic Hawaiian flip-flops, and they’re comfortable as hell.”
Elodie looked at her own feet. She held one up. “These are super-authentic ABC Store flip-flops and they suck, but I still love them.”
Scott laughed. “Right, the ABC Stores are handy on the island, carrying anything and everything a tourist could want, but I’ll have to bring you to the store where I got my kicks so you can see the difference between those cheap plastic things you’re wearing and the good-quality ones.”
Elodie would have agreed, but she had to be very careful with her money. She couldn’t exactly spend like she had an unending supply of cash. Unfortunately, she never knew when she might have to pack up and flee. At the first sign that Paul had tracked her down, she’d need to leave.
“There she went,” Scott muttered. He reached for her hand and held on tightly as he pulled her toward his door. “No thinking,” he ordered. “Today’s for good food and getting to know an old friend.”
He was exaggerating their connection, but Elodie still appreciated the sentiment. Scott did feel like an old friend. Even though they’d only met a short time ago, they’d been through something intense, and that made her feel more connected to him than if they’d just met in passing.
She was somewhat embarrassed to let Scott see where she was staying, but Elodie straightened her shoulders. There wasn’t anything wrong with it. No, it didn’t have an ocean view, and it was only a room in a nice old lady’s house, but it had been exactly what she’d needed when she’d arrived.
Scott held the door as she climbed into the passenger side of an old beat-up pickup truck, then he walked around and got behind the wheel. Trying to make conversation, Elodie said, “So…your truck is…nice.”
He snorted. “She’s a piece of shit, but the engine is perfect and I have no worries that she’ll break down. I bought it from this guy that a former SEAL who lives up at the North Shore hooked me up with. The guy built the engine from scratch and she runs perfectly. And a bonus is that I don’t have to worry about anyone trying to steal her…no one in their right mind would take a second glance at this thing.”