Annie's Rainbow - Fern Michaels [36]
“He’s going to be upset! Is that what you said? No, no, that’s all wrong. I’m the one who is upset. What I should do is buy my damn coffee from the Piggly Wiggly. Oh, we’re here. How much is the fare?” Annie counted out money and added a generous tip to offset her surliness, after which she trudged wearily into the hotel, registered, and headed for her room. She showered, washed her hair, turned the air conditioner as high as it would go before she crawled between the crisp, cool sheets. She was almost asleep when she bolted upright to ring the front desk. “Don’t put any calls through to my room until I tell you otherwise.” A minute later she was sound asleep.
On the ride back to the airport to pick up another fare, the driver stopped to call the airport and have his boyhood friend paged. “This is Miki, Roy. I think I just took your guest to the Royal Hawaiian. That was one pissed off lady. How long you been waiting? Dump the leis and let’s catch a beer. Okay, your loss. What do you mean, what should you do? Tell Mr. Grayson you had two flat tires. On the other hand, the truth is always an option. Yeah, see you around.”
Golden sunshine found its way into Annie’s room just as she opened her eyes. She reached for the small travel clock on the nightstand. Ten minutes past six. She closed her eyes to see if she needed more sleep. When her lids snapped open she dialed room service and ordered breakfast and a newspaper. “No, I do not want to know about my messages. No, I am not interested in any guests sitting in your lobby who are waiting for me. Leave the tray outside the door please.” Annie stomped her way to the shower.
Thirty minutes later, Annie opened the door for her breakfast tray. She peeped under the lids. Just as ordered. The paper was folded neatly, there were fresh flowers on the tray, and the coffee smelled heavenly. As she munched and crunched the crisp bacon, she placed a person-to-person call to her brother.
“This was a mistake, Tom,” she said the moment she heard her brother’s voice. “He left me cooling my heels at the airport for over two hours. He could have paged me. Why is it you guys always stick together? This is not acceptable business behavior. I am calm. I’m eating my breakfast on the balcony and staring at the incredible blue Pacific Ocean. Now I know why they call it a jewel. You want me to call him? Not in this lifetime, big brother. I’m going to go shopping. Maybe I’ll go to the beach and get a sunburn. That’s what you’re supposed to do when you come to Hawaii. Does Rosie miss me? No kidding. Your whole shoe or part of it? The whole thing? That dog has great teeth. How’s business? Ohhh, I like the way that sounds. I have to get dressed. I’ll call you tonight. Remember now, there’s a five-hour time difference. Don’t lecture me, Tom. I think the way I do business has been satisfactory so far. Too bad more people don’t operate the way I do. Good-bye, Tom.”
At ten minutes past ten, dressed in sandals and a pale blue sundress, her hair piled high on her head, Annie sashayed down the hall to the elevator. When the door swished open on the ground floor she found herself staring straight into the most incredible blue eyes she’d ever seen in her life. The owner of the blue eyes was also the most handsome man she’d ever seen. She knew exactly who he was.
In the blink of an eye, Anna Daisy Clark fell in love with Parker Grayson. She walked toward him, her eyes appraising him. “Daniel was right. You really do have incredible blue eyes.”
He was at her side in an instant, his hand outstretched. Annie clasped it and crunched his hand.
“That’s no mean handshake, Miss Clark.” Grayson grinned, showing perfectly aligned white teeth that had never seen a set of braces.
“My brother taught me to do it that way. We used to arm wrestle. I always won. You look, Mr. Grayson, like I felt yesterday while I waited for two hours in this blistering heat for a driver who never