White Ginger Read Free Page B

him.
    “Hello. Sorry I didn’t hear you arrive. When I’m working I become so focused, nothing short of a hurricane would register with me.” She laughed and held the door open with her hip.
    He liked her laugh; she had an earthy chuckle that suggested a deep enjoyment of life, even though her eyes were still shadowed.
    “Have you recovered from your flight?”
    “More or less, thanks.”
    “I thought you might like this,” he announced holding the bottle aloft. “It’s Australian. We can celebrate your new car–a four-wheel drive by the way–and with a refund of a month’s rental. Jimi was most apologetic. Said he’d fire the idiot who didn’t treat his customers well.”
    “Thank you, again. I’m impressed you managed to organize it so quickly. And here was me thinking I’d have no one to help me out of an awkward situation when that stupid car carked it.”
    “I take it that means when it died on you?”
    She laughed again. “I see I’m going to have to teach you Aussie speak. Give me a chance to have a quick shower and change and I’ll cook you a thank you meal.”
    “Sounds good. I’ll open the wine.” Suiting action to words, Arne poured a glass for himself and one for Amelie and then carried them out onto the veranda.
    He leaned against the upright, contemplating the twists of fate that had crossed his path with that of the woman inside. Three months she’d said. Who knew what could develop in three months? If he hadn’t set out to check on his furthermost weather station yesterday instead of today, he wouldn’t have run into her when she needed assistance. And now he’d found a golden opportunity to see her regularly over the next few days.
    Amelie joined him a short time later. Dressed in a white shift dress, her hair loose and smoothly brushed to curl around her cheek, she seemed more relaxed. He noticed a faint smudge of color on the back of her hand as she took the glass of wine he offered her.
    “An occupational hazard?” he asked.
    She glanced at her hand. “Absolutely. I didn’t even stop for lunch.”
    “So, you had a productive day? Cheers, by the way, and welcome to Kauai.” He clinked his glass against hers.
    She nodded. “ Thanks. Yes, I think I’ll create some of my best work here.”
    “What sort of painting do you do?
    She sipped her drink. “Designs for decorator fabrics. We have a Hawaiian collection coming out next spring based on what I produce here.”
    “I’d like to see it. Will you show me?”
    Wide-eyed, she glanced up at him, pausing with her glass halfway to her mouth and then her gaze slid away. She sipped her wine, half turning to the garden below.
    “Sorry, maybe that’s presumptuous of me?”
    On twenty-four hours acquaintance, Arne boy, maybe it is.
    “Nothing’s finished yet. Perhaps later though.” Leaning over the railing, she breathed deeply. “Isn’t this the most beautiful spot? I can’t believe my luck. I feel like I’m in paradise.”
    He smiled at her enthusiasm. “That’s its Hawaiian name.”
    The scent of white ginger sweetened the night air. He leaned on the railing beside her. Bare-footed, she would just be able to lay her head on his shoulder. He had a sudden desire to pull her close and kiss along the tender skin of her neck, all the way to her luscious full pink lips.
    Great way to start a dinner date, making her think you’re going to nibble her neck. He schooled his features to reflect a more appropriate thought.
    She turned to look up at him, elbows resting on the railing. “What do you do, Arne?”
    “Dive, swim, look at fish.”
    “Umm, that sounds idyllic.” Her brow creased into a tiny puzzled frown.
    “It is. And that’s just my work…I’m a marine biologist.” He grinned as the joke registered and her beautiful smile reappeared. That was a smile to keep a man coming home every day.
    “You should dive with me and experience the world of the reef,” he suggested thoughtfully. “The colors are