Devon Archer - Aloha Fantasy

For now she was just happy to be taking this big adventure, having no idea what to expect. She was up to the challenge, though, and clearly Ashlyn was, as well. If it worked out well, maybe they could do it again in the future.

She raised her wineglass. “To a great swap!”

“Ditto,” Ashlyn said as they virtually clinked glasses.

* * *

“You’re joking, right?” The words came out of Boyd Reed’s twisted mouth and were hardly meant to be humorous. His half sister, Ashlyn, had just told him about her plans to lend out their house to a veritable stranger.

Ashlyn batted her lashes as they stood on the lanai. “Of course not. It was just a spur of the moment thing I threw out there and I’m glad I did. I think it will be a good experience for me and Danica.”

Boyd didn’t exactly see it that way. To him, this Danica was getting a month’s free rent in a million-dollar property. He doubted his sister would be getting the same deal, even if she thought this seemed like a great idea.

“You’ve seen her what, once in the past decade?” He’d gathered this much from what Ashlyn had told him about her college friend over the years.

“Actually I see her all the time thanks to Skype,” Ashlyn quipped.

“You know what I mean.”

Ashlyn frowned. “I don’t understand what you’re getting so riled up about.”

“Then I’ll tell you.” His thick brows drew together. “That’s a valuable piece of real estate you’re living in. You can’t just go around inviting people you hardly know outside of virtual reality to practically take up residence here. For all you know she could trash the place, or worse!”

“Danica is perfectly harmless,” Ashlyn countered. “And I do know her quite well. She’s definitely not the trashing-someone’s-house type. We may not have seen each other in person very often since college, but we’ve always kept in touch by phone, email and even snail mail over the years. Besides, this was my idea to switch places, not hers.”

“But she certainly seized the opportunity,” Boyd grumbled stubbornly, a trait he’d inherited from their father. Whereas Ashlyn was just like her mother—generous to a fault and perfectly happy taking chances with her life. And property. Well, he wasn’t going to just stand by without at least giving his opinion that she could be playing with fire in coming up with this cockamamy plan.

“Can you blame her?” Ashlyn challenged him. “Who wouldn’t want to spend a few weeks in Hawaii, soaking up the sun and everything else our islands have to offer?”

“Yeah, I suppose.” Boyd realized he was fighting a losing battle with little ground to stand on. Maybe he was just being overprotective of her and the property they co-owned.

“What are you so worried about anyway? Do you honestly believe Danica plans to come here and make a mess of things just to piss you off? Or maybe rob us out of house and home, as if she needs to?” Ashlyn folded her arms, giving him a look that suggested how ridiculous that was. “The lady’s an award-winning, highly respected photographer, who’s doing quite well for herself, thank you.”

“I never suggested she was a thief,” Boyd said lamely. Even if he questioned her motives, it was obvious to him that Danica was successful in her own right. Just as Ashlyn was, as an international relations specialist. And he was an unqualified success as an investor in everything from stocks to high-end properties. His keen investments afforded him the ability to act as a tour guide on the side. Showing visitors his appreciation for the paradise he lived in made his pleasant life even sweeter.

“If you give Danica half a chance, you just might find you two have a lot in common,” Ashlyn said.

“Such as…?” He imagined this would be good.

She met his gaze. “You’re both headstrong, great looking, educated, successful, independent, outgoing…and available—”

“Whoa…hold on a minute.” Boyd had no argument about the adjectives applied to them until she got to the available part. Yes, he was single again and—by choice—had been for some time. Between work and not finding that one woman who really fit the bill, he wasn’t looking at the moment. “This isn’t about my love life.” Or was she being sneaky in trying to play matchmaker between him and her college friend?

“Hey, I’m just saying…” Ashlyn gave him a coy look.

“Yeah, right.” He frowned lightly, even though he knew she had his back always, as he did hers.

“Danica’s a great gal and still my best friend. All I’m asking is that you give this experiment a chance to work for me and her. And don’t be afraid to put your tour guide cap on to show her around our great city. I promise she won’t bite.”

Boyd grinned. He wasn’t entirely averse to being bitten by the right woman. And maybe nibbling on her body, too. It would be premature, though, to think that this was in the works with her friend.

“Fine,” he relented. “She can come and hang out at the house for a month. I promise I’ll be on my best behavior and make her feel welcome on the island.”

Ashlyn’s face broke into a wide smile. “Mahalo.” She lifted up on her toes and hugged him. “I knew I could count on you.”

“Always,” Boyd promised. He would take Danica’s visit one day at a time till her month was up and Ashlyn was back where she belonged.

And Danica was back in Chicago.

* * *

It was exactly a week after they made plans to switch residences for a month that Danica was aboard a plane bound for Hilo International Airport. Though she had hardly been able to think about anything else, it was still hard to believe she was actually en route to heaven on earth. She was almost giddy with excitement and intended not to waste one moment in this trip of a lifetime.

If that meant trying new things, she would.

She’d love to be swept off her feet by a hunk in Hawaii who could take as much as he gave. But she wasn’t getting her hopes up. Whether in Chicago, Hilo or anywhere else, romance only happened if the connection was there. And if it wasn’t, oh, well…

Danica sipped on her cocktail in first class, looking out on the thick white clouds. She knew that at that moment Ashlyn was en route to Chicago. They had timed it to practically pass each other in the air as they literally switched places in their lives.

Before she’d left, she had given her loft a more thorough cleaning than usual, wanting to leave a good impression for her friend, whom Danica believed was getting the short end of the stick in the exchange. She, on the other hand, was getting a slice of Hawaii, which spoke for itself.

Nevertheless Danica was proud of her place in the Windy City and wanted Ashlyn to feel right at home. Toward that end, she’d left her a few goodies—fresh fruit, chocolate and wine—the latter two of which were Ashlyn’s guilty pleasures. And Danica’s friends promised to take Ashlyn out on the town and be available if she needed anything.

As promised, Danica had asked a handsome male friend named Hunter Ortega to give Ashlyn a call and see if they might hit it off. Hunter was a successful investment banker who had been to Hawaii many times. He was also single after ending a long relationship and seemed a good match for Ashlyn.

One can only hope we both do better in each other’s stomping grounds than in our own backyards when it comes to finding love.

When the plane landed, Danica had butterflies in her stomach. She was on the Big Island and there was no turning back now. For a month, this was home.

She received a spirited lei greeting and was pointed in the right direction to retrieve her bags. Afterward, she found Ashlyn’s white Suzuki Kizashi sedan and was on her way. Marveling at the lush scenery, Danica drove from the airport and, per Ashlyn’s instructions, wound her way through several streets before reaching Kalanianaole Avenue and the house she would call home for the next month.