Friday, May 18th, 2018

Kimberly's POV

By now, the whole restaurant heard us, but I didn't care. It's none of their business.

"I can't believe you guys set me up with him. Ugh!"

"Well, you aren't a pleasure to be around either."

"Kim, look disregard the date part. We had no clue, and neither did Ryder's friends. Let's all sit down and enjoy dinner. The guys were nice enough to pay for us."

"Fine! Then, someone better move because I am not sitting near him."

"May I ask how do you know each other?" One of the guys asked.

"It was at an advertising convention in Las Vegas. He was a total jerk the whole convention. Then, whoever organized it put Ellis right next to us. They tried to outshine Forester, but no one outshines the #1 advertising agency in the United States."

"Ms. Forester, you weren't all sunshine and roses either. Fellas, there is no way in heck that I am going out on a date with a Forester. I rather date an ogre than a Forester."

"And, I would rather kiss a poisonous snake than go out with an Ellis!" This is going to be a long evening. I need a bottle of wine for this.

"Good evening, everyone. My name is Lacey. What can I get for you to drink?"

"I would like a glass of Cabernet Franc, please." I can't believe it. Of all the people they set me up with! Everyone ordered their drinks.

"I'll be right back with your drinks," Lacey says as she walks away.

"So, gentlemen, please excuse my outburst. I appreciate the supposed date, but there is no way humanly possible I could ever date an Ellis. I hope you understand. And, what are your names? I was introduced to Steph already."

Mr. Ellis had the nerve to glare daggers at me. I heard him mumble, "Bougie chick."

I just rolled my eyes. Whatever! I sure did plant my 4" heels in his shins. And, who the heck is he calling bougie? I'm far from bougie, Mr. Stuck Up.

"Ouch!!" He screamed like a punk.

"I'm Koby. Nice to meet you, Kimberly."

"I'm Laki. Nice to meet you too."

Lacey came back with our drinks, then we ordered our dinner. I saw how much fun everyone was having except me. I can't stand his guts.

Ryder's POV

Not even on Mars would I even think about dating her.

She was the one that I couldn't stop looking at in the smoking, sexy, bikini?! Hot body, and very attractive. But, eww, she is a Forester. I feel like I am going to throw up in my mouth. My parents would choke the life out of me if they found out. Nope, this dating thing with her is NEVER happening.

Look at how happy the guys are, and how miserable I am. I drank my glass of wine in one gulp. I waved the waitress over.

"Another glass of wine please?"

"Sure. Right away. Would anyone else like another glass?"

"I would like another glass. Thank you."

She's proper, but bougie. Lacey came back with what seems like extra drinks.

"Ma'am, here is your Cabernet Franc. But also, the gentleman at the bar would like to pay for this drink for you."

"Thank you very much." We all turned around to see who paid for the drink.

"Well gentlemen, thank you very much for the wine and dinner. Let's get together again, next time without Ryder Ellis. I'll see you later, ladies." She got up from the table and made her way to the bar. How rude.

"Uh, sorry, Ryder. We don't know much about the feud between the companies. You seem like a nice guy. The only thing Papa Forester told us was never let Ellis take away what we have built here at Forester. I'm Livia."

"It's okay, Livia. To tell you the truth, my parents never told me the real reason behind it either. They basically told me to stay away from anyone associated with Forester. Do all of you work at Forester?"

"Yes, we do. The four of us have been friends since elementary school. We have been inseparable since then. I'm Marta. You all seem really nice. Kim is really a nice, hard-working person. She's very passionate about what she does and goes above and beyond to be the successful person she is."

"Uh, sorry Ryder."

"Steph, that's okay. You guys had no idea, so I'm not mad." Now, I have to start searching again and get her out of my mind.

"Hey, you guys, remember yesterday when Ryder could not stop staring at the smoking, hot beauty on the beach in the light blue bikini? That was her. Ryder has the hots for Kimberly Forester!" The whole table erupted in laughter.

"Keep your voices down. And, I certainly do not have the hots for her."

"Stop it, man. You were planning your wedding to her and how many kids she was going to pop out. You couldn't even walk over to her just to say hi," Steph says while laughing.

"Just shut it. I don't want her at all."

"Ryder, I know we just met, but you are in denial. You were happy as a kid in a candy store when we tried to set up the date. Hopefully, you both get over whatever it is because you two are both passionate about what you do. And, seem stubborn. I can tell that you definitely are into each other."

Yeah, that is absolutely not going to happen.

Kim's POV

"I hope I am not intruding, but I couldn't resist a beautiful woman like yourself."

"Thank you for intruding and thank you for the compliment. You're off to a good start. Just so you know I don't play hard to get because I am hard to get. I'm Kimberly."

"Extremely confident, Ms. Kimberly. I'm Rhys. Rhys Lawson."

"I love your British accent. Yup, you're off to good start indeed. I apologize if you saw my outburst not too long ago. It's just my friends set me up on a date with someone who is from a rival company. That's like forbidden."

"I did, Ms. Kimberly. But I understand. So, what do you do for a living?"

"Again, I'm sorry about that. I am the Chief Operating Officer of Forester Advertising Agency in Los Angeles. My parents are the owners. How about yourself?"

"I'm a Software Engineer for Alphacom Smart Technologies in Phoenix."

"We both have stressful jobs. But thankfully for the next two weeks, I'm going to enjoy my vacation in Maui."

"Hmm, you say two weeks? Looks like we'll be seeing each quite often. Listen maybe tomorrow the two of us could tour Maui?"

"Mr. Rhys, it's a date." We clinked our wine glasses and took a sip. Yup, this is going to be a fun, two weeks after all.

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Saturday, May 19th, 2018

Last night wasn't a total disaster. I had a great time with Rhys. It was so great a time that I didn't get back to my room until 2:00 am. We found a cozy, little cafe that stays open 24 hours and talked most of the night about our lives.

During our trip to the cafe, we saw an aquarium, and it advertised an underwater restaurant. So, we are going there today.

We are spending the whole day together. So, he is coming to our resort to pick me up. I told the girls and they were okay. They also kept apologizing about last night. But I apologized to them because they had no idea. And, to be honest, mom and dad never told me why they don't care for Ellis. And, I'm not worried about it.

I hope I do not run into him at the resort. Of all the people to come across, it is Ryder Ellis. Ugh.

I told Rhys I would meet him downstairs in the lobby. I will not have a man coming to my room. Nope. Nada.

After grabbing my things, I left my room and went to the elevator. I inwardly cursed when I saw who was on the elevator.

Through gritted teeth, "Good morning, Mr. Ellis."

He did the same thing. "Good morning, Ms. Forester."

After that, we didn't say one word to each other until the elevator suddenly stopped.

"You have got to be kidding me!" I started banging on the door.

"I don't want to be stuck on an elevator with you either, Ms. Forester. Are you seriously banging on the door? Move."

He had the nerve to scoot me out of the way! "What's your problem?! You shocked me."

"Instead of banging on the door, why didn't you press this button? And, I did no such thing."

"Emergency, how can I help you?" We heard a voice say.

"You did. It went right up my spine. Jerk."

"Will you shut up already?! Ah, I'm stuck on the middle elevator with an overly talkative guest."

"Sir, we are on our way."

"Who are you calling overly talkative?! I was fine on this trip until I saw you. Why do you have to be an overly, ignorant jerk? And, in the same resort as us?"

"Purely coincidence, woman." He then had the nerve to back me up against the wall and placed his hands on the sides of my face. "Uh, what are you doing? You're invading my personal space. I have a knee and I'm not afraid to use it. Don't even think about kissing me. Ellis lips will not touch my mouth."

"Like I said, Ms. Forester, overly talkative. Just shut it for 5 minutes. And, once again I would rather kiss an ogre."

The elevator jolted a little, causing him to press against me. Then, the elevator started going down. "Do you mind getting off me?"

I pushed him away, and thankfully the elevator stopped on the first floor and the doors opened. I ran off that elevator.

I sent a text to Rhys to explain what happened. Our building had a Starbucks on the first floor. I grabbed something for breakfast from there. Then, I went to wait for Rhys by the front door. He told me to look for a navy blue Lexus SUV. As soon as he pulled up, I walked over and got in.

"I'm sorry about being late. I got something from Starbucks for breakfast."

"It's alright. Let's go-ahead to the aquarium".

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Before Rhys and I entered the aquarium, I heard someone yell, "Kimi Forester, is that you?!" We turned around and saw, "Nicole Kahale?! Oh my gosh, I haven't seen you in years! How are you?"

We both squealed in delight.

(Nicole)

"I'm great, Kim. Girl, I missed you. I'm in town visiting my grandparents. I live in Long Beach now."

"I missed you too. I'm still in Los Angeles. I work at my parents' company now as the COO. We so have to catch up."

"Yes, we do. How about we go out to dinner tonight? Hey, we can even double date. I met someone last night staying at the same resort as I am - Jade Gem Resort and Spa. I'll convince him. What is your number?"

I gave Nicole my number. "We are at the same resort as well. Do you remember Marta, Livia, and Roshawna? We came on vacation together. Nicole, this is Rhys. Rhys, do you mind going on a double date?"

"It's okay with me. Nice to meet you, Nicole."

"Nice to meet you too, Rhys. I sure do remember them. It will be great to see them again. And, you guys will love the undersea restaurant. It has some of the best food in Hawaii. We'll catch up some more later. Enjoy your date."

"Thanks, Nicole. We'll see you later." Nicole walked away. Rhys and I then walked towards the aquarium.

"Thank you for agreeing to go on the double date. We were great friends back in college, but lost contact afterward."

"You're welcome, Kimberly. Let's go inside."

Ryder's POV

Right after that fiasco last night, I went to one of the bars at the resort and met someone. So, I asked her for a date, and she said yes. I'm looking forward to it.

My phone rang, so I checked it to see I received a text from Nicole. She was asking if it was okay to go on a double date with one of her good friends from college. I texted back saying that it was okay.

Ryley sent me a text too. It said, "Good morning, daddy and I love you." There was even a kiss emoji included. My mother must have done that. I sent Ryley a text back. "Good morning, my favorite girl. I love you too."

Before Ryley starts school, I'm going to take my princess on a father/daughter vacation. The guys ditched me for the ladies. They are really nice. I'm not going to let Kimberly Forester ruin my vacation.

I'm going to the gym, and then to the beach. I got to keep myself in tip-top shape. Not my fault I am a babe magnet. The only thing is that I attract the wrong babes. Off to the gym I go to.

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Kim's POV

Rhys and I had a great time at the aquarium. And, Nicole was right. The food we ate at the restaurant was amazing.

As soon as Rhys brought me back to the resort, I went straight to the gym. Now, I'm on my way back to my room. Please, oh please, don't let me run into Ryder Ellis. I pressed the elevator button. Once the door opened, I breathed a sigh of relief.

I made it up to my room with no incidents. I ran right to the bathroom to take a nice, warm shower.

After my shower, I got dressed.

Again, I am going to meet Rhys downstairs in the lobby. We are going to Nicole's family restaurant tonight. I texted Rhys the address, so he knows where to drive.

My phone rang, so I answered it.

"I just pulled up in front of your building."

"Okay, I'm on my way." I grabbed my bag and left my room.

Thankfully, no elevator drama like earlier. And, no sign of Ryder Ellis. Yes!

I made my way off the elevator and walked to Rhys' SUV.

We then drove off to the restaurant.

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"Hi, and welcome. How many in your party?" The hostess asked us.

"I'm meeting my friend, Nicole, here."

"That's right. She told me to show you to her table. Please follow me." We followed the hostess to where Nicole and her date were sitting. We saw Nicole and the back of the head of her date.

"Hi, Nicole. Your family's restaurant looks amazing!"

I gave her a hug. "Thanks. Wait until you taste the food. Have a seat, you guys." As soon as we walked over to our seat, I couldn't believe who Nicole's date was. Why is the universe against me?

Ryder Ellis in the flesh, once again. I looked at Rhys who had an, 'Uh-oh' look on his face.

"I want you guys to meet my date. This is Ryder."

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Stock photo of Rhys Lawson is courtesy of Can Stock Photos - © Can Stock Photo / curaphotography