Free How to Date a Millionaire by Allison Rushby Page A

then?’
    I sigh. ‘I just … messed it up. I didn’t say or do the right thing.’
    ‘Oh,’ Alexa replies.
    Yes, oh.
    We spend the rest of the trip back to the apartment in silence, though at least this gives me the time and the space I need to work out why I kissed Seth in the first place. It wasn’t because of the heart thing, or the mothers thing, or the Pearl Harbor thing or the Hawaiian sunshine thing.
    It was because I like him. And because he was so obviously hurting.
    I’d thought that maybe, reaching out to him, I could help.
    Well, I thought wrong.
    And I guess that’s not so hard to believe. After all, it’s only happened a million and one times before.

‘Oh, wow! This place looks great! Good choice, B and G!’ Nat gasps, impressed at the lush greenery and neon sign lighting up the outside of Keo’s.
    Holly pats her belly. ‘Well, they felt like something spicy. And Keo’s is supposed to do great Thai. The best in Hawaii.’
    ‘I’ve never had Thai,’ Alexa says. ‘My parents are more into eating Middle-Eastern.’
    ‘William will have to take you for a stroll through the menu then. He used to work in a Thai restaurant, you know.’
    ‘When I was a student,’ my dad adds. ‘Thai cuisine’s very big in Australia. You going to go Thai hot with me, Nessa?’
    I nod absent-mindedly as we approach the front door of the restaurant.
    ‘Maybe we should order a whole fish. Mahimahi or something similar. What do you think?’
    ‘Sure. That would be nice,’ I say and my dad gives me a strange look as he holds the door open for me. I can’t even raise enthusiasm for a slap-up Thai meal? There must be something really wrong.
    ‘Do you like hot food, Nat? Alexa?’ Holly asks.
    ‘I love it,’ Nat says.
    ‘Me too,’ Alexa adds.
    ‘Great. That makes the lot of us. We can go all out and leave with steam coming from our ears. A table for five, please,’ she says to the man behind the carved wooden front desk.
    ‘Of course , Ms Isles! It would be my pleasure!’ He practically jumps out of his skin. Hmmm. Seems like some people still recognise Holly around these parts after all, belly or no belly.
    ‘Perhaps we shouldn’t order things too hot, though. You need to be careful of your blood pressure,’ my dad starts, but Holly waves a hand.
    ‘William, I’ll be fine. Dr Reid said everything went straight back to normal. It was probably just the stress of getting over here.’
    The four of us turn and look at Holly as we wait for our table. The stress of booking over the phone, ordering a pj, arranging a car and packing a small suitcase?
    Holly laughs, seeing our expressions. ‘Fine. I know I’m a princess. It was probably just the stress of trying on those maternity swimsuits and catching sight of myself in a three-way mirror.’

    Dinner is absolutely scrumptious and it’s nice to finally spend some normal kind of time with Holly and my dad this trip. Honestly, poor Holly has been like a mad cat for the last couple of weeks – either sleeping or chasing her tail like a crazy thing. It’s good to see her on the home stretch to having B and G at last.
    The five of us power our way through Keo’s fresh summer rolls, mee krob and some golden triangles that come with a really yummy tangerine sauce. Our plates have just been cleared and we’re all sitting back resting our stomachs and talking about what’s going to happen when Holly finally goes into labour, when Holly turns to my dad. ‘Youknow, you’ve never told me. What was it like the day Mia gave birth?’
    ‘Mia was your mum?’ Nat asks, beside me, and I nod quickly, my eyes turning immediately back to my dad. And …
    No. No. He’s really going to do it. Again. He loves telling this story. A bit too much, actually. He tends to cry when he gets up to the bit where I’m actually born.
    ‘I don’t think you should have asked that question.’ I shake my head at Holly. ‘He gets a bit emotional.’
    ‘Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t