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Chapter 8
Destiny strolled leisurely along the Boardwalk and slid her sunglasses on over her eyes. The sun in Maui was either brighter or closer than it was in Tallahassee, Florida.
"Fresh pineapples!" a man shouted. "A dollar each!"
Yum, pineapples, she thought. The girls would like those. Pulling out a five-dollar bill, she approached the man.
"I'll take five," she requested.
"Five pineapples," he said under his breath as he bent over and picked up four. He juggled them in his hands for a minute impressively, then he arranged them in a basket for her to carry them. "You'll love them. Only the best sold in Maui!"
She thanked him and continued on her way. She didn't know where she was going. She wanted to see the island as much as she could before she settled into more specific activities.
When Destiny noticed an elderly woman selling what looked to be hand woven bags, she stopped and sorted through them. They were beautiful, and when she asked the woman if she made them herself, she found that she didn't understand a word she was saying.
"Do you speak English?" she asked gently. The woman frowned, thinking, then shook her head. Destiny used what little Spanish she knew from her grandmother to say, "¿Tú hablas español?"
The woman smiled brightly and began talking rapidly in her native language. Destiny decided she had made it worse since that was all she knew, and looked around helplessly.
"Need some help?"
She turned around, ready to take help from whomever she could.
Howie's breath caught in his throat. The girl attempting to talk to the Spanish-speaking woman was stunning. Her eyes were emerald green, and showed her frustration. The black hair framing her perfectly shaped face was long and curly, and her skin was tan. He found himself staring at her, and he almost didn't catch her response. He was too drawn to her lips, shining with a glossy dark purple lipstick.
"If you can speak Spanish, I suppose you could help me," the girl said. He glanced at the woman, who was still talking, and he could pick up words here and there.
"She says that they're made by her and her daughter," he explained and paused. "Also that they're five dollars each, American dollar. Again, she and her daughter made them. Oh, and did she mention that they cost five dollars?"
The girl laughed. "Is she repeating those two lines over and over? They do sound familiar."
"Pretty much," he said, nodding. "I'm Howie."
"Destiny," she informed him, holding out her hand. He took it and brought it to his lips, delighting in her blush.
"Would you like to buy some?" he asked, taking out his wallet.
"Yeah, I want one," she said, fingering one. "They're beautiful."
You're beautiful, he thought.
He turned to the woman. "Dos, por favor," he requested. She smiled and held out her hand. He laughed and looked at Destiny.
"The elderly get more and more picky with money as they age," he said. She laughed with him, nodding. Then she pulled a five-dollar bill out of her purse, and he stopped her.
"My treat," he said, smiling. She hesitated, and he added, "Please."
"All right," she said. She smiled at him, noticing how warm his big brown eyes were, and how when he smiled, they twinkled.
Destiny picked out a jungle green one, and Howie couldn't help but point out, "It matches your eyes." Her cheeks took on a flushed pink, and he ducked his head and studied the bags to pick his out. Why did he need one anyway?
"You know what?" he said, giving up. "Pick mine for me, would ya? I have no clue how to pick one of these out."
She grinned and sorted through them until she held up a purple one.
"How's this one?" she asked.
"How did you know purple's my favorite color?" he asked, with mock surprise. She laughed and pointed at him. He looked down at his plum T-shirt, and looked back up with a sheepish look.
"Gracias," the woman spoke up. Howie nodded as Destiny started to turn away.
"Gracias," he echoed and turned around too. Destiny was waiting for him patiently.
"Thanks for the bag," she said, smiling.
"No problem," he said, shrugging. "A beautiful bag for a beautiful woman."
She smiled and looked away. "Stop that," she pleaded as they walked.
"Stop what?" he asked innocently.
"First the bag matched my eyes, and now the bag matches everything?" she asked, her eyebrow raised.
"I don't lie," he said. "You are very beautiful."
"Thank you," she said, and fell silent.
"Do you live in Maui?" he asked, to make conversation. She shook her head, and her curls made a soft, gentle 'swoosh' sound. He grinned watching her.
"My best friend, Faith, has an uncle that owns condos here, and five of us are staying for the summer."
"Derek Manti?" he questioned. She nodded, looking at him, her eyes questioning.
"He's a nice guy," he said. "My friends and I are staying in his condos. They're nice."
"They are. He rented out one huge one for all of us, so we don't have to stay alone since we did come to spend some time with each other," she explained. "Hope is his daughter, and Faith and Grace are her cousins. They're twins. Faith is my best friend, and Promise is Grace's best friend, but we're all really close."
"So wait," he cut in. "Destiny, Hope, Promise, Grace, and Faith?"
She nodded, hiding a grin.
"How on earth did you guys come across each other?" he asked, amazed.
"Well, like I said, Faith and Grace are sisters, and Hope is their cousin, so either that was planned in their family or not, I never bothered to ask, I just accepted it. And I met Faith 5 years ago. We were both working for her uncle, here. But then we left and returned to Tallahassee. I moved in with her and Grace, and Promise replied to an ad for two more roommates. She was the only one who did, so Grace asked her cousin Hope to move in, and that's how it came to be," Destiny explained. "So it was really just a strange coincidence, 40% of the time."
"Did you call yourselves the 'Principle Club'?" he joked. "Maybe a Charity or Joy would have joined."
She smacked him playfully on the arm, and fixed her lips with a fake pout.
"I don't appreciate your teasing."
"Hey," he said, holding up his hands. "It was too easy to let go."
A fierce wind suddenly picked up, and Destiny's hair blew in her face. She gathered it in her hands and pulled a hair band over it.
"I should get back," she remarked. "I have all these pineapples, and I don't know what the girls want to do tonight."
"Can I see you again?" he asked bravely. He felt a connection with Destiny that he longed to feel more of.
She looked sideways at him. He was waiting for her answer expectantly. She detected a hopeful look in his playful brown eyes.
"Why not?" she agreed. "Call me sometime." She reached into her purse and pulled out a pen. He extended his hand dutifully, and she smiled. Then she scribbled her number on the back of his hand.
"Thanks again for the purse, and your Spanish ears," she said, grinning.
When I look into your Spanish eyes…
Howie grinned as she walked away. She hadn't mentioned if she knew who he
was, so maybe it was a coincidence. Either way, there was a connection.
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