Debbi Rawlins - Delicious Do-Over

“It’s not like when we were in college,” Mia was saying. “Manhattan isn’t exactly teeming with eligible men.”

“Well, neither is Chicago,” Lindsey added. “I haven’t had a real date in seven months.” She eyed Shelby, who never seemed to have trouble in that department. “Maybe we should’ve moved to Houston, Mia. If things got too bad, at least we could count on leftovers.”

Shelby waved a hand. “Oh, sweetie, you’re delusional if you think I’ve had any better luck there.”

Lindsey snorted. “Right.”

Mia’s brows arched. “Really, Shelby?”

“Really,” she answered defensively, and then shrugged. “I can’t remember the last time I went out a second or third time with the same guy and those are the dates that count.” She sniffed. “And no, it’s not because I’m too picky.”

“You have every reason to be damn picky. We all do,” Mia said.

“Amen.” Lindsey downed a sip, even after she’d told herself to lay off for a while. “Still would be nice to have an assortment to be picky over.” She frowned at Mia. “Whatever happened to that guy you worked with? David, right?”

Mia choked out a laugh. “There was never anything there.”

“Yeah, I remember him,” Shelby said. “When you first started with the firm you thought he was hot.”

“He is hot. Sadly, he’s taken.”

“Married?” Lindsey said sympathetically. She’d nearly made that mistake with a guy who worked for the same accounting firm she did. Fortunately, he worked out of the Detroit office and their flirting had taken place over the phone. Good thing she’d found out the jerk was married before she’d met him in person.

“To the job,” Mia said, and went on about David being too chicken to break company policy. Then she grabbed the champagne, and topped off everyone’s glasses. “This is what I don’t get…when we were in school there were all kinds of guys around. If we didn’t have a date, it was because we didn’t want to go out.”

“I know, right?” Shelby frowned thoughtfully. “Even when we went out in groups, guys always outnumbered us. So what the hell happened to them? They can’t all be married and living in the burbs.”

“You have a point.” Mia sipped slowly. “Even during spring break, I swear, there were two guys to every girl.”

“I’m the accountant,” Lindsey said. “I’d say more like three to one.”

“Junior year. Fort Lauderdale.” Shelby slumped back, sighing. “Oh, my God.”

“Are you kidding?” Mia stared at her in disbelief. “Come on. Senior year, Waikiki beach, hands-down winner.”

Lindsey smiled broadly. “Yep,” she said, easily recalling Rick’s face. His body. Oh, God, what a night that had been.

“Hey, guys,” Mia said, after a long silence. “I have an idea.”

“Oh, no.” Lindsey groaned. “I don’t know if I can take another one.”

“No, this is good.” Mia grinned. “There’s no law that says spring break is just for college kids.”

“Okay.” Shelby drew out the word.

Lindsey had the distinct feeling she wouldn’t like where this conversation was headed.

“We’re going to be working our asses off until we get Anything Goes off the ground, right? If we want to take a vacation, this is the time. Probably the last time for years. Who knows, maybe we’ll even get laid.”

Lindsey frowned. “Hawaii?”

“Why not?” Mia glanced at the empty champagne bottle and signaled the waiter.

“Because it’s too expensive, for one thing. Are you forgetting we’ve just signed our lives away?”

“I don’t know.” Mia sighed, moved a shoulder. “Maybe we can go on the cheap, pick up one of those last-minute deals.”

“It wouldn’t hurt to see what’s available,” Shelby said.

Lindsey hated the idea, but she figured she’d get voted off the island. “I suppose not.” She set down her glass, her head spinning. “But we’d have to set a budget first. A firm budget.”

Mia nodded in agreement, and Lindsey studied her, wondering what the heck was going on. This wasn’t like Mia. She was usually more cautious and sensible. They were alike in that way.

“You know what would be really cool?” Shelby leaned forward. “Remember those three guys we met on our last day on Waikiki beach?”

“Uh, yeah,” Mia said. “Smokin’ hot.”

Lindsey stiffened. “What about them?”

“What if we could get them to meet us?” Grinning, Shelby darted a mischievous look between them. “In Hawaii.”

Rick. Oh, lord. Lindsey’s stomach churned and for a moment she thought she really was going to be sick.

“How would we do that? We don’t even know their last names.” Mia snorted. “Not to mention they’re probably married or in prison.”

Shelby made a face at Mia, then ignored her completely. “We know what university they went to, so we use Facebook.”

“Huh.” Mia looked as if she were mulling it over. “We could send a message to the alumni group. It couldn’t hurt.”

“But they’ll have to have signed up as alumni in order to get the message.” Lindsey clung to the hope that this crazy idea would fall apart. She couldn’t see Rick again. Her friends didn’t understand. She hadn’t told them everything about that night.

Shelby shrugged. “Lots of people do. I have, haven’t you?”

Mia shook her head. “Look, they answer, they don’t, so what? It’s Waikiki. We’re bound to meet some gorgeous surfers who’ll be ready to party.”

“I like it.” Shelby dug in her purse and produced a pen. “Anybody have a piece of paper or a dry napkin?”

Mia pulled her day planner out of her leather tote and tore off a used page. “Here.”

“Oh, my God, they still have those things around? Why don’t you use your BlackBerry?” Shelby found a clean spot on the table and started writing.

“I do both,” Mia said, and glanced meaningfully at Lindsey, who Mia knew would normally appreciate the caution.

Right now, all Lindsey could think about was what it would be like to see Rick again, to feel his talented hands all over her body.

“Okay, how about something like this…” Shelby squinted as if she were having trouble reading her own writing. “Here we go… ‘Remember spring break? Mia, Lindsey and Shelby will be at the Sea Breeze Hotel during the week of March whatever. Come if you dare. You know who you are.’”

“Not bad, but we’ll have to be more specific.” Mia did a quick mental calculation. “Remember spring break 2004.”

“Right.” Shelby scribbled in the correction. “Lindsey, what do you think?”

She shoved a hand through her hair and exhaled a shaky breath. It was dim in the bar. Maybe they couldn’t see her blush all the way to her blond roots. “I think you’ll have to change Lindsey to Jill.”

Shelby blinked. “You didn’t give him your real name?”

Lindsey slowly shook her head, and ignored the eruption of laughter. She was too busy panicking over seeing him again.

LINDSEY STEPPED OUT on the tiny balcony and let the clean fresh air bathe her skin. Like magic the tension melted from her body, and she strained over the railing, trying to get a glimpse of the ocean. They’d booked two adjoining mountain-view rooms, which meant they could see a small wedge of green mountain and lots of other hotels that crowded Waikiki. The price was right, though, and as nice as the ocean-view rooms would have been, Lindsey had insisted on sticking to their budget. How much time would they be spending there, anyway?

She gave up any hope of seeing the water, and gazed down at the profusion of pink, yellow and white plumerias that covered the trees around the hotel grounds. Inhaling deeply, she swore the flowers’ perfume wafted all the way up to the seventh floor. Or maybe her senses had misfired, and what she remembered was the night on the beach when Rick had tucked one behind her right ear.