Love Me Again, Cowboy

Isaac got his heart broken a month ago, and he’s still not over it.

I wrap an arm around his shoulder and shake him. “This is a good thing, man. We’re all single and heading off to college in a couple months. Imagine the fun to be had.” I slap his chest before releasing him and start to climb the steep steps up to the park. “Relationships are just too much work,” I say over my shoulder. “Not worth it.”

“So, what? You’re swearing off women now?” Brock’s skepticism drips from his words.

Just as my sight clears the top of the staircase, I falter and almost trip. There, about ten feet away, the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen is placing a floral lei over someone’s head. She looks like she’s straight out of a Hawaiian Airlines magazine. Her dark brown, wavy hair spirals at the ends all the way to her waist. She has sun-kissed, bronze skin and the most alluring smile. I can’t help but notice how her white tank fits her hourglass curves perfectly, and she wears a floral sarong over her shorts, showcasing an amazing set of toned legs. She’s a tropical flower in the middle of a desert.

Isaac comes up beside me. “You’re drooling.”

I turn to look at him and Brock, only then realizing I’ve stopped in my tracks near the top of the staircase. I chuckle at myself and continue to climb the last few steps. The park is decked out, luau style. Tiki torches flicker their orange-yellow glow every few feet, giving off the district scent of citronella. Behind the makeshift stage, a backdrop of a beach scene makes a pathetic attempt to turn the desert into a tropical landscape. A gathering crowd sits in the stadium-style seats, talking with one another while they wait for the entertainment to begin. As we approach the Hawaiian beauty, I slow my pace and ask Isaac, “Who is she?”

“Dunno,” Isaac says.

Brock leans in. “That’s Ala’s sister.”

“Ala? Is that Ben’s wife?” Ben is a few years older than we are and works at Fort Huachuca Army Base in Sierra Vista. My brother had him over a couple of Sundays ago to watch football.

“That’s the one,” Brock says. “Ala’s on the events committee with my mom. That’s her younger sister, visiting for the summer. My mom said to be friendly to her since she’s new.”

“Oh, I plan on being very friendly,” I say just before she approaches, earning a chuckle from my friends.

She places a lei over Brock’s head. “Aloha.”

“I just got lei-d.” Brock winks. “Get it? Laid?”

She rolls her eyes. “Yeah, brah. Real original.”

I laugh. Girl’s got spunk. When she turns her attention to Isaac, I slug Brock on the arm. He shrugs it off, still laughing at his own joke.

“Aloha,” she says to Isaac and places one of the floral loops over his head.

“A-lo-ha,” Isaac says back, smiling at her with an overeager grin.

I sigh, grimacing. It’s like they’ve l

earned nothing from me over the years. She pulls another flower necklace off her arm and turns in my direction. With her hands already lifting to put the lei over my head, she hesitates a moment. I smile, knowing she’s interested by the way her gaze roams over me with approval.

Her eyes linger for a moment on my boots before making their way back to mine. “Aloha, Cowboy,” she says in what seems a more sultry way than she’d spoken to my friends.

I decide to give her my signature move. It works every time: the smolder. I concentrate on my sexiest come-hither gaze just as she’s about to give me the lei.

She hesitates again, and her eyes narrow. “Are you okay?”

What? It didn’t work? That’s never happened before. My smolder usually has girls swooning the instant I lay it on them.

I drop the smolder and give her an easy smile. “Yes, darlin’. I am now.”

She returns the smile, and I can tell she likes the country drawl and being called darlin’.

She goes onto her tiptoes and places the lei gently over my head. When she’s close, I smell the sweet scent of some exotic flower, and suddenly all my plans of staying away from girls vanish along with the last of the daylight.

I stare after her when she moves to the next group that just ascended the stairs. She doesn’t give me another glance. I stay for a moment longer waiting to see if she’ll steal a look my way, but nothing. Have I completely lost my touch? Has getting dumped for the first time somehow ruined my game? Can girls smell that kind of thing on a guy?

I walk over to my friends who are waiting for me while they take turns putting their hands in the fire of a torch, but I halt. I’ve never been a quitter, and I’m not about to start now.

“You coming?” Brock asks.

I give them a wicked grin. “In a minute.”