smart and sexy—an irresistible combination...and she’d had enough integrity to refuse his crazy scheme.
Nope. He wouldn’t miss another opportunity to see her. Boarding the shuttle, he took a seat up front, securing his duffel bag at his feet. The warm island breeze coming through the open windows rustled the multicolored sticky notes extending past the pages of the daytimer. He stared at it. This is private property—do not open it. Though, she had left it on the plane... She was lucky that he knew where she was staying so he could return it. One peek wouldn’t hurt, he decided, opening the book to that day’s date. Flight to Maui was written on the top of the page and highlighted in green. Wailele Polynesian Luau was listed toward the bottom and highlighted in pink. The rest of the page was blank. No harm done. Not much here he didn’t already know. He closed the book.
How busy was her week? Maybe he could show up somewhere some evening and buy her a drink? No, that was stupid. If she had wanted to see him again on this trip she wouldn’t have taken off the moment she was free from the confines of the plane. Besides, what good would come of a drink with a beautiful woman like Hayley?
His knees bounced and he looked everywhere but the source of temptation on his lap. He wouldn’t want anyone flipping through his personal belongings. Respect her privacy...
What the hell. Once he gave back the book, he’d never see her again anyway. He flicked it open and started to scan its pages... Ten minutes later, he knew she was a Harvard graduate—based on her alumni event later that summer—that she had regularly scheduled eye and dental appointments and once she’d attended them she gave herself little star stickers, and that her next vehicle maintenance was booked for the following month at Los Angeles BMW. The woman had great taste in vehicles.
Other than that, court cases and appointments with clients filled the remaining pages, all the way to Christmas. No vacations planned, no family dinners, no dates... She was obviously as career focused as she’d claimed and not at all interested in a relationship—exactly the kind of woman whose help he could really use that week.
If only she’d taken him up on his offer.
AN HOUR LATER, Hayley struggled to breathe. And not from an asthma attack induced by the island’s humidity. Nope, this was a full-fledged panic attack. She dug through her purse, her carry-on and her suitcase, frantically tossing items aside on the floor of the hotel lobby while she waited in line to check in.
Where was her daytimer? She couldn’t have lost it. Her life was inside that book. Her court cases and client appointments...things were color coded and organized...and she didn’t even have a backup, refusing to use the firm’s public appointment calendar. She was accountable to herself and no one else...but now, damn it, she wished she’d put her court dates at least into the micromanagement system.
“Checking in, ma’am?” A hotel desk clerk appeared next to her with flower leis over his right arm. He draped one over her head as she glanced toward him.
Freaking out actually.
“Would you like assistance with your bags today?” he asked.
“No, thank you,” she said, shoving everything back into her suitcase. She stood and tossed her carry-on over her shoulder as she approached the desk, racking her mind for where she could have tucked that book.
Come on, think. When was the last time...? Oh, no. Her eyes widened. The plane.
She shook her head, remembering the momentary lapse in judgment when she’d actually thought about taking Chase up on his offer to act as her fiancé for the week. It was crazy... It would never have worked...right? She’d had her moments over the last forty-eight hours when desperation had caused her to contemplate actions that severe, but luckily she hadn’t gone through with any of them.
“Hayley!”
Great, now she was hearing his voice. She really was frazzled. At the desk, she handed her reservation confirmation to the smiling woman behind the computer. No doubt she backed up her important information. “Checking in—last name, Hanna.”
“Um... I think your husband is calling you,” he said, nodding behind her.
“I’m not married.”
“Well, there’s a man looking for you.”
Hayley sighed as she turned to see Chase coming toward her. Better yet—holding her daytimer. Oh, thank God. She’d never in her life had the urge to kiss someone as much as she was tempted to kiss him at that moment. Rushing toward him, she grabbed her book and hugged it to her chest. “I missed you,” she said, oblivious to the man staring at her with open amusement. “Not you—the book,” she said in case there was need for clarification.
“I got that,” he said with an unoffended laugh. “I was actually going to wait until your bikini wax next Wednesday to return it, but I thought you might need it sooner.”
Her eyes widened. Her bikini wax? He’d read her daytimer? “Hey! This was a piece of personal property—you had no right to snoop through it.” She wasn’t sure which embarrassed her more—the fact that he’d seen her bikini wax appointment or the fact that it was probably the most interesting thing in there. She tucked her planner into her carry-on and folded her arms across her chest, noticing that his gaze followed. “Hey, up here.” Sure, she hadn’t minded him checking her out on the plane, but that was before he’d discovered her color-coded analness...and oh, she prayed he hadn’t seen the “Good for you” and “Way to go” star stickers throughout. Or worse, her daily affirmations written in the back of the book.
“Sorry,” he said, looking anything but. “Look, I didn’t read through it...just a few pages to find out how I could return it to you. You’re welcome.”
He had returned it and really that was all that mattered. “Thank you,” she said. “Oh, no.” She groaned, noticing Cornelius Thompson and several board members entering the hotel lobby.
Chase turned. “Your coworkers?”
“Board members and one partner at the firm,” she whispered, moving to stand behind Chase. Maybe by some stroke of unexpected and unusual luck, they wouldn’t notice her. Man, why couldn’t she be as tiny as Terri-Lynn? Her friend could have hidden behind the thin, tall, potted palm trees next to the check-in counter.
“Hayley, hi,” Cornelius said a moment later, leaning around Chase to see her. “I thought that was you. Just checking in?”
Numbly, she nodded. If she pretended Chase was a bellboy, would he go along with it? He had offered to be her fiancé, and at least this way, he’d get a tip.
“Great. You know Kelly Miller and Ian Kelsey.” He did the introductions, but she wasn’t paying attention. “And this is your...” He paused, looking at Chase.
Don’t just stand there, she thought. Tell them who he is. Her lips refused to move.
“Her...um...fiancé, Chase Hartley.”
She blinked. Huh? That wasn’t the right answer. She swung to face him and started to shake her head, but Cornelius was already nodding his approval as he extended a hand, which Chase accepted. What was going on here? They’d agreed that his idea was a bad one. She shot daggers at him, but he ignored them.
“Nice to meet you,” Cornelius said.
Say you were kidding... Tell my boss the truth, she silently pleaded. She would, if she could find her voice.
“You, too, sir,” Chase said instead.
Hayley could do nothing but hold her breath, force a smile and watch in horror as the two shook hands.
Shit, shit, shit.
* * *
“OKAY—LET’S HEAR IT,” Hayley said as she unpacked her suitcase in her room. Chase’s family