His Perfect Match (3 page)

The Hawaiki Inn
Tairua, New Zealand

Darius pasted on his best professional smile. “Congratulations.” He handed the room key to the new groom. “I hope you both enjoy your stay.”

The blushing bride was practically beaming with happiness and she gazed up at her new husband. “How can we not? This place is beautiful.”

Just over the couples' shoulder was a floor-to-ceiling picture window that overlooked the Tairua Harbor. The turquoise-blue water almost matched the color of the cloudless blue sky exactly. In the distance the lush green
mountainside of Paku volcano stood high in the middle of the perfect skyline. The palm trees swayed only slightly as a soft breeze rolled by and the bright sunlight warmed the hot-pink, soft lavender and bright-red tropical flowers indigenous to the area. Tairua was as close to paradise on earth as one could hope to get and yet Darius was certain the newlywed couple before him would probably never leave their room over the next two weeks.

As they turned from the counter heading up the stairs to their room, Darius returned to his task of entering invoices into the computer system when the phone rang. He answered on the second ring. “Hawaiki Inn—a little touch of paradise on the Coromandel Peninsula. How can I help you?”

A woman cleared her voice softly. “May I speak to Darius North.”

“Speaking.”

“Darius?”

“Yes.”

There was such a long pause, Darius wondered if the caller had disconnected. “Hello?”

“Darius…this is Liz. Elizabeth.”

His heart stopped for a moment, and then he realized it couldn't possibly be his Elizabeth. He struggled to find his voice. “Hello, Elizabeth, how can I help you?”

“Darius, it's me. Elizabeth Donovan.”

His heart stopped once again, and, as if by some reflex reaction he slammed the phone down on the base. He took several deep breaths trying to control his breathing.
Liz Donovan?

He walked around the check-in counter and took a seat on one of the plush tangerine-colored sofas scattered around the hotel lobby. Why would Liz Donovan
be calling after all these years? How had she found him? What could she possibly want?

He leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees and cradled his head in his hands.
If you hadn't just slammed the phone down in her ear you might have been able to get answers to those questions, idiot.

The ringing of the phone startled him and he glanced over at the desk. He sat still as stone listening to it ring and ring. After several rings it stopped and he released a sigh of relief. Then it started up again. He stood but found his feet rooted to the spot. After several rings it stopped again. Then it began again.

Just then, his assistant Alika came into the lobby and headed straight for the ringing phone, never noticing his boss standing a few feet away.

“Don't answer that.” Darius's harsh tone cut through the air like a knife, and Alika stopped dead in his tracks.

His dark eyebrows rose in confusion. “We're no longer answering the phone?”

“Just don't answer it.” With a quick glance at the confused man, Darius turned and headed out the glass sliding doors that led to the palm-tree-lined walkway that wound its way through the hotel bungalows and eventually down to the harbor.

Alika stood in stunned silence looking back and forth between the phone and the rapidly disappearing back of his normally super-composed boss. At first, he'd assumed Darius was headed back to his own bungalow, but then he watched him take the curve leading to the harbor. Alika prided himself on knowing his enigmatic boss better than anyone, and he knew he was going for a swim. He always swam when he had a difficult problem to solve. But what was troubling him now?

Alika glanced back at the phone when it suddenly stopped ringing, remembering the look of fear and anger on his boss's face. His natural curiosity ate at him as he tried to imagine what kind of telephone call could both intimidate and infuriate his boss?

With a shrug he turned and headed down the hall leading to the kitchen to talk to the chef. But just as he started to walk away the phone started to ring again. Instinctively he walked back and answered it.

“Hawaiki Inn—a little touch of paradise on the Coromandel Peninsula. How can I help you?”

“I'd like to schedule a reservation,” the woman's voice on the other end said.

Alika quickly scheduled the reservation and, after ending the call, headed to the kitchen once again. His mind briefly fluttered back to Darius's strange behavior, but he quickly dismissed it, deciding that despite his great curiosity it really was none of his business.

“A
re you sure about this?” Dee asked, sitting on the side of the bed as Liz packed her suitcase.

“What choice do I have?” Liz pulled several pairs of underwear from the drawer and tossed them into the bag. “He won't take my calls.”

Dee lifted one of the well-worn pairs of underpants and frowned. “Is this the best you've got?”

“I'm not going there to seduce the man.”

Dee looked directly at her for several long seconds. “Are you
sure
about that?”

Liz slammed the drawer closed. “How can you even suggest such a thing? My only child is dying—that I know
for sure!
This man is his best chance for a transplant—that I know
for sure!
Beyond that, Dee, I don't know a damn thing,
for sure.”
An uncomfortable silence fell over the pair until Liz released a deep sigh. “Sorry, didn't mean to snap.”

“I know.”

Liz moved on to digging around for shoes in the bottom of her closet.

“Do you think he'll do it?”

“Yes,” she grumbled. “He'll do it.”

She turned from the closet carrying two pairs of sensible flats in various shades of beige, and dropped them on top of everything else in the suitcase. She could tell by the way Dee was eyeing the case that her packing left something to be desired. But considering the stress she was working under she thought she was doing good just to get everything
inside
the suitcase.

Liz stood staring down at the hodge-podge of faded blouses and frayed jeans, trying desperately to ignore the feeling of fear building in her chest. “He'll say yes because it's the
responsible
thing to do.”

Dee's eyes widened at the heavy sarcasm. She glanced back down at the open suitcase. “I know you're going there for Marc, but I really wish you would spend some of your savings on a decent wardrobe. You haven't seen Darius in almost ten years, you don't want to show up looking like a ragamuffin.”

Liz braced her hands on her hips, and looked at the aunt whose advice she normally took as gospel. “Aunt Dee, I left him at the altar to run off with his brother. We haven't exchanged a glance or single word since then. Despite all that I'm about to show up at his place of business and ask him for a
kidney.
Trust me, Aunt Dee, there is nothing pretty underwear can do for this situation.”

“It couldn't hurt,” Dee grumbled.

Liz flashed her aunt a frown, realizing this was where Marc had picked up the annoying habit of mumbling
under his breath. She began collecting her toiletries from the dresser.

“Besides, I need every dime for Marc's medical care—nothing else matters.”

Dee walked over and laid her hands on Liz's shoulders. “That's not true. You matter.”

The loud engine of a school bus grew closer and Liz knew that any second her son would come bursting through the door like a tiny dynamo. Instead of answering Dee's last remark she turned and headed to the front door to greet her son.

It was rare that she was able to greet him coming home from school, and watching his face light up as she opened the front door made it all the more special.

“Mom! What are you doing home so early?”

“I wanted to see you before I left. I'm going away for a week.”

“Oh.” His slender body, padded in winter gear, brushed past her and his heavy book bag was momentarily trapped between the doorjamb and Liz. With a wiggle and a push against his mother both boy and bag were soon hurrying down the hall to his bedroom. “Hi, Aunt Dee.” Marc threw up his hand in greeting as he passed Liz's bedroom where Dee was quietly reorganizing the suitcase.

The older woman picked up a thin nightgown that had definitely seen better days and shook her head in resignation.

Liz, following him down the hall paused at her bedroom. “He doesn't seem the slightest bit fazed by the fact that I'm going away.”

“Why would he be?” Dee asked, tossing aside a pair of frayed leather sandals she deemed beyond embarrassing.

“I've never spent a night away from him.” Liz fought the sharp shooting pain in her chest that reflected her own fear of separation anxiety. “You'd think he would be a little nervous.”

“Why? Because you are?” Dee shook her head. “Liz, all his life you've worked double time to make sure he felt safe and secure. And guess what? It worked. He knows you're coming back and he knows I'm here while you're gone. He's not nervous because he knows his world is stable.”

“I guess you're right.”

“I know I am. Now, go say goodbye before the cab gets here.”

Liz came to Marc's bedroom and leaned against the door frame watching as he played video games. How to say goodbye? She was about to leave her son for the first time ever to fly around the world. She shook her head at the audaciousness of the task before her. But she would succeed. She had to. “I know you better not have any homework since you're playing video games.” She folded her arms across her chest.

He shook his head, never taking his eyes from the television screen.

“None at all?”

The head shook again.

“Hmm…that's strange because it's Tuesday, and you always have a spelling test on Wednesday, so shouldn't you be studying for your test?”

He glanced over his shoulder with a frown. “That's not homework, Mom.”

“No?”

“Uh-uh, that's just something the teacher tells you to do.”

Liz frowned at his convoluted logic. “I have no idea why you think that makes a difference, so turn off that TV and get started studying.”

With a heavy sigh he turned off the TV and turned to face his mom. “You gonna quiz me?”

“No, Aunt Dee will. My cab will be here soon.” She came into the room and sat down beside him on the bed. “Marc, you know I love you, right?”

“Uh-huh.”

“And I'll be back as soon as I can.”

“I know.”

“Do you want to know where I'm going?”

His young face became strangely sober. “I already know. Aunt Dee said you're going to see if you can find a kidney for me.”

Liz's eyes widened. She wasn't sure how she felt about Dee sharing that with him, but it didn't seem to trouble him.

“Something like that. I promise I'll be back by Saturday.”

“Okay. Aunt Dee said we're going to play hooky tomorrow and go to the zoo.”

“Sounds like fun, wish I could come along.”

“You can go with us next time.”

“Liz, your cab is here,” Dee called from the front of the small house.

“Be right there.” She leaned forward and hugged Marc close. “I'm going to miss you so much, but I'll get back as soon as I can. I love you.”

“Love you too, Mommy.” He pecked her cheek and then, having done his duty, immediately began squirming to get free.

Liz slipped on her heavy winter coat and boots and,
taking the small suitcase from her bedroom, headed for the living room where Dee was peeking out the window.

She placed a soft kiss on Dee's shoulder. “Take care of my baby, Dee.”

Dee looked her directly in the eyes as if to convey the sincerity of her next words. “You know I will.”

 

Two and a half days later an exhausted Liz climbed the carpeted stairs leading to the welcome center of the Hawaiki Inn resort. Even in her bedraggled state Liz couldn't help but be impressed by the elegant bungalow-style hotel.

She'd arrived on the courtesy van along with six other guests and all the others had already gone in to register. But she'd just stood on the porch taking in her new surroundings.

Liz wasn't sure exactly what she expected but it certainly was not this warm and welcoming chocolate-colored wood-shingled village. Everything about the place said “Come inside my walls and rest.” And after her long trip she was more than ready to comply. The problem was that somewhere inside those walls awaited the confrontation of a lifetime.

It had only been two days since she'd left the snowy streets of Columbus, but she could've traveled to another world. Where Columbus was experiencing one of the worst winters on record, New Zealand was just entering its summer season. Where Columbus was all freezing winds and dirty snow, New Zealand was a lush green landscape sprinkled with flowers and trees of every color.

The welcome center sat back from a cliff top. Standing on the long, circular porch gave Liz a breathtaking
view of a harbor with the clearest blue water she'd ever seen in her life. It sparkled like a pool of tiny crystals in the bright sunlight.

Colorful flowers were scattered in pots and growing wild throughout the complex. So many of them she was certain she'd never even heard of before.

Unable to put off the inevitable any longer she entered the lobby and found it just as colorful as its surroundings. The large open room was decorated in tangerine and royal purple. Large, plush sofas were spread around beside small wood tables beneath walls decorated with abstract artwork. Candles, lanterns and tiki torches adorned the room. As she crossed to the counter the last couple from the van were getting their room key.

“Welcome to Tairua, can I have your name please?” The young Maori man at the counter gave her a wide smile.

Liz felt her spine relax and only then did she realize she had expected to see Darius standing behind the counter. “Thank you. It's Lisa Smith.” She gave the alias she'd registered under, fearing Darius would cancel her reservation if she used her real name.

“Yes, Ms. Smith, I have you right here.”

He punched something into the computer. “You will have the Nogomain bungalow.”

“Nogomain?”

The young man smiled. “All of our bungalows are named after Polynesian gods and goddesses. Nogomain was an aborigine god that gave spirit children to mortal parents.”

“Really?” Liz thought that maybe fate was sending her a positive sign given how desperately her mortal child needed some spiritual intervention. With impressive
speed the attendant explained to her all the hotel's amenities and gave her a small brochure to fill in the blanks.

A short while later, small suitcase in hand, she was wandering down the redbrick path that wound its way through the collection of small bungalows looking for Nogomain.

A couple passed her looking so completely in love that for a moment her heart ached for what she'd never had. Further down the walkway she saw a group of teens talking and laughing as they took the path that led down to the harbor. And, as she spotted her bungalow and approached it, she noticed a group of people off to her left, toasting their glasses. She placed the key in the lock of the door, glanced at the group and felt her heart stop.

There in the middle of the small crowd stood Darius looking like a Maori god himself. The years had changed him, but she knew it was him without a doubt. His perfect smile seemed even whiter. His light complexion had darkened to a golden bronze. His short-cropped dark hair had lightened to a sandy brown.
Funny, I'd always thought his hair was black.

That single thought reminded her of just how little she knew about this man she was once engaged to. She quietly moved from the walkway across the plush grass to shield herself behind a nearby tree.

Where did that body come from?
The Darius she remembered was lean and bordering on skinny. This man was full of muscles—everywhere. From his impressive pecs, over the six-pack abs to the thick thighs. If he'd been fully dressed in one of the business suits he use to wear constantly she would've wondered if anything was padded, but wearing only swim trunks revealed that the only thing padding his bulges and biceps was pure flesh.

She frowned. She didn't remember him looking this
good. She searched her memory and decided that was because he
didn't
used to look this good. Time had obviously been good to him. She fought down the slight resentment she felt, realizing that while she'd been struggling to put herself through school and at the same time take care of a sick child he'd been here living the life of a real-life beach boy. But justice wouldn't allow the resentment to simmer. Immediately her conscience asked the question:
and whose fault is that?

She stood hidden behind the tree listening as he informed the group of guests about the evening's activities, including a full luau dinner. Apparently the Hawaiki Inn went to great lengths to keep their guests entertained.

It didn't take Liz long to realize there were changes other than his physical appearance. Darius had always been self-confident but there was a sternness about him that she'd never seen before. Despite the wide smile he gave his guests there was a hardness to him. Soft brown eyes that she remembered as being full of compassion were no longer tender. Now they were shrewd, analytical, as he scanned the group around him and sized up each individual.