Seashells & Mistletoe (Hawaiian Holiday Book 2) Read online

  Why did the camera linger so long when it was clear no kiss would happen? Then Ryan had his answer. The girl’s eyes grew huge, her lips parted, and she shook her hair while waving her hands. Her lips mouthed, “No.”

  The guy remained squatted down and the girl continued to shake her head and wave her hands. He couldn’t read her lips well enough to be sure what she said, but the guy held up a box in front of her—one of those little black velvet boxes that snap open to show off a treasure worthy to inspire a woman to think this man in front of her is the greatest human being that ever lived. He was absolutely perfect for her. No other man existed who could even compare. This man had no equal.

  This girl had no interest. She again waved her hands.

  The crowd cheered, “Kiss, kiss,” clearly watching the same thing on the Megatron that he was.

  It was plain she wasn’t about to kiss this guy. It was clear she didn’t want to be there in that moment. Suddenly she glanced up and Ryan knew the moment she saw the huge screen overhead. Her jaw dropped.

  He felt pity for her. He never liked the kiss cam, knowing it put people in such awkward positions. Admittedly, he’d never seen someone propose on the screen before. How crazy was it to propose in front of a crowd when you clearly didn’t know if the woman would say yes? There wasn’t even enough room for the guy to kneel gracefully. The floor had to be sticky, grimy, covered with who knew what disgusting stuff.

  Trevor took a drink from his glass and suddenly choked. In between coughs he said, “That’s Lauren.”

  “Who?

  “Lauren. The maid of honor. Nicole’s best friend. They arrived this morning for the cruise.”

  “Well, apparently someone wanted to make it a double wedding,” Ryan commented.

  When Lauren jumped up and hustled away, Ryan’s heart tugged. Good lord she had to be humiliated. It was bad enough to be proposed to in public when you wanted to marry the man. But to turn him down? With the camera on? The game was broadcast worldwide. Anyone who knew Lauren, and a million strangers who didn’t, knew she’d dumped the guy on his tail.

  Well, everyone who knew her wasn’t necessarily watching the game, and not everyone who watched knew who she was, so her discomfort should end quickly. Their cruise would go a long way toward making sure of that. Ten days in a closed environment would allow her to hide while it passed.

  Still, he couldn’t shake off the sympathy he felt. The poor girl. That look on her face when the guy held up the ring. It was clear she didn’t want to hurt his feelings, but if he was crazy enough to propose on the kiss cam, he wasn’t considering Lauren’s feelings. In that case, he deserved what he got.

  Still, no one deserved to be shot down in public like that.

  The game went to commercial and Ryan pushed himself to his feet. “I’m grabbing another beer, do you want one?”

  “Bring me another soda. Are you packed yet?”

  Ryan chuckled. “Packed? We’ve got two days before we leave.”

  “We leave the morning of the 22nd. Today’s the 20th. That gives you one day to pack.”

  Ryan shrugged. “It’s Hawaii and it’s a twelve-day trip. I’ll throw in a couple pairs of shorts, a couple of t-shirts, some sunscreen and an extra pair of flip-flops, and I’ll be good to go.”

  Trevor shook his head. “I hope that’s not all you’re bringing. Nicole will expect us to go to the clubs or whatever they call it, and some fancy dinners. Do the little things that most people do on a cruise.”

  “I’m not most people. I plan to swim, sleep and soak up some sun, and not necessarily in that order. I don’t need fancy clothes for that.”

  “Whatever.”

  Ryan had a suit picked out, freshly dry-cleaned, ready to put in his garment bag. He knew the dress code. He just liked egging on his brother. Being in a closed environment for almost two weeks would give him so much time to aggravate Trevor. He couldn’t wait.

  Hawaii, here I come.

  *** End of Excerpt ***

  Cruising into Christmas Hawaiian Holiday Series by Aileen Fish

  Buy Here

  Sweet Romances by Rachelle Ayala

  The Hart Family

  Christmas Lovebirds

  Valentine Hound Dog

  Spring Fling Kitty

  Blue Chow Christmas

  Valentine Wedding Hound

  Summer Love Puppy

  Dog Days of Love

  Valentine Puppies and Kisses

  Playing for the Save: Men of Spring

  Hide My Heart: Love and Trouble

  Jade: Perfect Match

  Broken Build: Chance for Love

  Hidden Under Her Heart: Chance for Love

  Black Tied: Love Charmed Romance

  Christmas Romances

  Christmas Stray

  A Christmas Creek Carol

  A Veteran’s Christmas

  A Father for Christmas

  A Pet for Christmas

  A Wedding for Christmas

  Reader’s Guide: http://rachelleayala.net/books