Meet Me in Hawaii by Georgia Toffolo (best affordable ebook reader TXT) 📗

‘Now I really am lost, a hand in what?’

‘That’d be telling! Shall I ring her on the mobile too, do you think?’

Malie laughed. ‘That’ll only have the same result, the apps are the same whether they’re on the phone or the computer.’

Victoria looked genuinely deflated, her pout emphasizing the luscious curve to her lips. Damn, she could be pretty and sophisticated whatever face she pulled. It was a quality Malie had never been able to master.

‘Of course,’ Victoria murmured, taking a sullen sip from her glass. ‘Not sure what I was thinking.’

Malie laughed again, eager to lift her friend’s mood. ‘Hey, if getting married means you lose your mind, I’m quite pleased I’m set to avoid it for life.’

There was a male grumble in the background as Oliver muttered something to Victoria and her friend batted him away. ‘She’s just joking.’

‘I am…’ Malie gripped the cork and twisted the bottle, the pop sounding the same time as her adamant, ‘not!’

‘Whatever, Malie…’ Victoria’s soft brown eyes pinned her through the screen, ‘one day a guy is going to walk into your surf school and sweep you right off that board of yours.’

She laughed at the analogy and ignored the little voice that said, he already has, you just left him back at Tara’s, steadily pouring herself a glassful instead. ‘Are you getting all fanciful as well as losing your marbles?’

‘I’m not being—’

Malie was saved the rest of Victoria’s rebuttal by Lils’ face filling a new square on the screen. ‘Lils!’

‘Yes!’ Victoria said, crossing her legs and setting the laptop before her so she could peer down into it. ‘Where’ve you been?’

‘Hey, sorry, Mum, but some of us have to work this time in the morning.’ Lily brushed her hair out of her face with one gardening-gloved hand and managed to smudge dirt across her cheek with it. Malie was about to point it out when Lils frowned into the screen and blurted, ‘Geez, are you seriously drinking bubbly at this time in the morning, V? I know you’re getting married and you work in a bar, but…’

She raised a disapproving brow and both Malie and Victoria just laughed.

‘I am, and not just any…’ Victoria raised the bottle to the screen so that they could see the label, ‘I believe this is the finest the Hawkesbury Estate has to offer.’

‘How did you…?’

‘As if you don’t know,’ Victoria said, her smile bright as she took a sip and hummed with exaggerated bliss. It would no doubt be much nicer than the cheap knock-off Malie had in her hand.

She took a sip minus the hum. ‘You’re gonna have to give us a clue.’

Victoria closed in on the screen, her face so alive, ‘Blake Hawkesbury only went and had a whole case delivered! It arrived thirty minutes ago, woke us right up.’

‘Oh wow, how sweet!’ blurted Malie, that was Blake all over. ‘No wonder you’re enjoying breakfast bubbles.’

Lily smiled, clearly not surprised. ‘He said he might send one.’

‘Did he now?’ Victoria grinned. ‘Did he also happen to mention the card that might accompany the case?’

Lils couldn’t keep a straight face; her eyes were wide with forced innocence as she shook her head.

Victoria laughed, ‘You’re such a crap liar, Lils.’

‘OK,’ Lils burst out. ‘He might have mentioned an idea and asked if I thought it was a good one.’

‘And you said yes.’

‘Well, of course I did, what’s not to love about it?’

‘Nothing at all.’

‘And have you replied?’

‘No, not—’

‘Hey, hey, hey, guys!’ Malie felt like she was watching a tennis match, her eyes pinging back and forth the two screens and not having a clue what was going on. ‘Can someone tell me what you’re talking about before I lose my mind?’

‘On that note, I’m hitting the shower.’ Oliver leaned into the screen, offering a glimpse of naked torso as he kissed Victoria full on the mouth. ‘Be good, ladies, not too many bubbles, darling, we’re seeing Mum later and she’ll likely be opening more!’

‘Bye, Oliver,’ Lils and Malie chorused and he rewarded them with a grin and a shake of the head before leaving the picture.

Victoria’s attention shifted off the call for a long, drawn-out moment and both Lils and Malie coughed loudly.

V’s eyes snapped back to the screen, her cheeks flushing pink. ‘Sorry.’

‘We know he has a fine behind,’ teased Malie, ‘but seeing you ogling it when we don’t get the view, it’s just plain unfair.’

‘Hey, that’s my behind to ogle, not yours.’

They all burst out laughing and Lils dropped back from the screen, unveiling leaf-adorned hair and the picture-perfect backdrop of the Hawkesbury estate. Malie felt a pang of longing and quickly quashed it with a swig of cheap plonk, focusing on the funny smile Lils now wore instead.

‘Oh no, are you going all wistful on us, Lils?’

‘No, it’s just… I’m so happy that V’s found someone so perfect for her.’

Malie felt the truth behind her words, the sadness that Lils had thought she’d had that once too, only to find she’d been so very wrong. She wanted to distract her. ‘Finding the pickings a little slim in the Cove, love?

‘Slim to none.’ Now Lils pouted and just as Victoria had – she looked perfectly beautiful with it, mud-streaked cheek and leaf-adorned hair and all.

‘That’s not true,’ said Victoria. ‘What about Ben down the chippy? I heard he’d come back to take over from his dad and is quite the looker now.’

‘You are joking, right?’

Malie stifled another giggle.

‘I wouldn’t date anyone in the Cove if you paid me, not with Mrs Whittaker and her busybody antics. You know, I’m still convinced she knew about Al’s intentions to do a runner before I did.’

Even through the screen Malie could see Lils’ cheeks colour and knew that the bluster was all front, that she was still messed-up over her relationship with her ex, who’d been far too charming and slick and an overall nasty piece of work. He hadn’t fooled the squad – V, Zoe