Page 15 of Finding Kenna
“Nope, I don’t believe it,” Aleck said.
Kenna laughed, and once again Aleck was struck by her beautiful smile. It lit up her face. And he loved that she didn’t seem self-conscious about laughing either. Some women he’d known had covered their mouths with their hands while laughing. Or they’d just giggle. Or they’d complain about getting laugh lines on their face. But Kenna’s laugh was genuine.
They sat on the lounge chair for a while longer, talking about nothing important. The amazing Hawaii weather, how impressive surfers were, the necessary evil of tourists in Hawaii, and Kenna told him that it was a personal mission of hers to find the best beaches on the island, even if they weren’t open to the public.
“The best beaches?” Aleck echoed.
“Yup. Some of the best places to body surf, or lie on the sand without having to deal with hundreds of tourists, or to snorkel, are privately owned. I’ve been able to find a lot of them, have been kicked off a few, but for the most part, as long as you aren’t being a jerk, no one cares if you’re there.” She gave him a side-eye. “I bet the Navy base has some good beaches.”
Aleck chuckled. “Probably not as many as you’d think. Unfortunately, the top officers don’t really look kindly on sailors lounging around on a beach while at work.”
“Darn,” Kenna said.
“But I’m happy to get you on base and drive you around if you want to look for yourself.”
“Yes!” Kenna said enthusiastically. “And in return, I’ll be happy to show you some of my favorite private beaches. But you have to promise not to do anything to get us kicked out.”
“Promise,” Aleck said.
The beeping of an alarm sounded from inside Kenna’s pocket, and Aleck reluctantly let go of her hand so she could shift on a hip and pull out her phone.
“Shoot. My break is over,” Kenna said as she turned off the alarm.
Aleck was surprised at how fast the time had gone. But then again, he had a feeling he could’ve talked to Kenna all night and not gotten bored.
“I really would like to see you again. Maybe on one of your nights off,” Aleck said.
“I’d like that,” Kenna said.
Aleck let out the breath he’d been holding since his screwup. He was happy she was giving him a second chance after putting his foot in his mouth. “Can I get your number? Or I can give you mine,” he said, not wanting to be too pushy or get a set of fake digits.
“Give me yours,” Kenna told him.
Aleck rattled them off and she programmed them into her phone. He felt his cell vibrate in his pocket after a moment.
“I sent you a text so you’d have mine too,” Kenna told him.
Aleck beamed. “Awesome.” He stood and held out his hand. “Come on. Let’s get you back. I don’t want your boss to be pissed.”
“Alani’s cool. She’d understand.”
“Still.”
Kenna put her hand in his and let him help her up. And instead of letting go immediately, she held on as they walked back toward Duke’s. The lights of the restaurant seemed extra bright after their time on the beach.
A loud burst of laughter came from the bar area, and Aleck couldn’t help but smile.
“Sounds like Elodie and Lexie are having fun,” Kenna noted.
“Yup.” Looking over at the bar, he saw the women were laughing it up with the two bartenders. Mustang, Midas, and Jag were sitting at a table near the bar.
“Should I be worried about how much they’re drinking?” Kenna asked tentatively as she looked over at Elodie and Lexie.
“No,” Aleck said. “Mustang said he was going to have a word with the bartender and ask that they go easy on the liquor in their drinks.”
Kenna stared at him. “That’s…kind of presumptuous, isn’t it?” she asked.
“Not really,” Aleck said easily. “Both Elodie and Lexie already knew, since Mustang and Midas discussed doing it in front of them.”
