Wow.

Trina was in complete awe at the surrounding landscape. Hawaii was just as beautiful as she'd been told, and seeing it for herself and experiencing it was truly, truly amazing.

She’d checked into the renowned Orchid Hotel with her three best friends six hours ago, and did nothing but run around with excitement as they checked out the beauty of all that lay before them.

The hotel itself was impressive enough with its contemporary decor and multicolor schemes within the spacious suites which had access to ocean-view terraces. But, Trina was more in love with what she saw outside.

She loved the luscious green acres of land adorned with fan palm trees that overlooked the magnificent turquoise Pacific Ocean. She loved the fresh, languid air she breathed into her lungs, and she loved the clear sky that stretched into the heavens now speckled with twinkling stars.

They were seated around a grand table, preparing to have what she knew would be a glorious dinner at the hotel's rooftop restaurant. It was all so perfect.

"I don't know what to eat." Lizzie laughed shaking her full head of dark curls which came alive at the movement. She brought her hand to her cheek and sighed as she looked over the menu. "Would it be a bad thing to order everything?"

"I shouldn't eat at all," Mandy stated frowning as she looked down at her already bulging stomach. "Look at me."

Jennifer laughed but covered her mouth quickly when Mandy shot her a crude stare.

"Hey, you drew my attention. Don't hate me because ..." Jennifer stopped herself, realizing that whatever she was going to say would be worse than the laugh.

Trina pursed her lips together to hold back a laugh of her own.

"Not fat?" Mandy filled in with a grimace. Her blue eyes wide with anticipation. "Like me?"

"You are not fat," Lizzie offered.

Trina didn't know how Lizzie could look at Mandy and lie like that. Mandy was one of those yo-yo dieters who couldn't help themselves around food. Especially when it came to those diets that restricted certain food groups.

Trina tried to tell her many times that it was a bad idea to go on a month-long juice fast in an attempt to shed fifteen pounds before coming here, but would she listen? Nope. And she didn't listen to her advice about the other diets that had failed either. Mandy would start with the best intention, but give up two days in, and end the diet with a pizza and burger binge that would pile on the pounds again. This was what happened to the recent attempt, and instead of losing fifteen pounds, she'd gained an extra ten.

Trina was a surgeon, an actual doctor. Over the years she'd tried to give Mandy advice on how to lose weight effectively, the healthy way. But, she’d never, ever listened to her. Right from their days at Stanford when they all met. Eleven years later it was the exact same.

Mandy said a surgeon couldn't possibly know the same as whichever nutritionist she'd chosen to compare Trina to. She also said that she couldn't know what diet worked because Trina had never needed to diet herself.

That wasn't entirely true, as Trina stuck to a healthy diet and did her exercise by jogging. She found that by doing that she could pretty much eat whatever she wanted and still maintain a great shape. It was the way her father brought her up. He hated diets and always maintained that it was the devil's curse to womankind. He thought this belief that they had to be on a diet to look a certain way was evil. She'd grown up on their farm in Iowa where there was always food in abundance, but it was wholesome food that was good for you.

"I'm not going to fit into my dress," Mandy lamented.

Trina cleared her throat drawing their attention to her. "From the looks of this menu none of us will, but the only person who has to worry about their dress fitting is Jennifer." Trina smiled at Jennifer whose cheeks flushed, and eyes sparkled with delight. "Everyone will be too focused on the beautiful bride to give a damn about the bridesmaids."

They were here for Jennifer and Neil's wedding. Aside from Hawaii being the perfect summer getaway, it couldn't have been more perfect for a wedding. Especially for two people who were so deeply in love.

"They certainly will." Lizzie smiled wide raising a glass of champagne.

Trina and Mandy raised their glasses too.

"Thanks girls, and thank you for being here. All of you." Jennifer looked at each of them and joined in the toast.

"Of course we'd be here." Mandy brightened.

Trina nodded in agreement to that. One thing she and Mandy could agree on was the value of their friendship. She knew that no matter where in the world they all were they'd be here to support Jennifer on her big day. Trina saw Jennifer all the time as they both lived in Chicago. However, Lizzie lived in Miami with her husband and two kids, and Mandy moved to LA at the beginning of last year to start her own advertising business.

They all had incredibly busy lives, but they wouldn't be anywhere besides right here.

Jennifer and Neil got together back in college, so they all knew him, and knew that he literally worshiped the ground she walked on. He treated her like a queen, and there was no question in the depth of his love for her.

Trina could only dream of having someone like that.

Or, not.

It was fine. She accepted a long time ago that some people were lucky to find love. Others, like herself, weren't. She thought she had love once, but was severely mistaken.

That was just how life worked sometimes. Sometimes things didn’t go as you expected. It had taken her awhile to accept that, but she had. And, she was fine with it.

She dated when she could, but with her busy schedule at the hospital, there was no way she had time for a relationship.

She'd been working solidly without a break for the last eight months. She was so overworked that her boss, Alicia, gave her a four-week break instead of the three she requested for the wedding. Alicia also forbid her to return any sooner.

Trina didn't know what on earth she was going to do with herself with all that time on her hands, but she figured she could definitely enjoy herself in Hawaii.

"Okay sweepstakes time," Lizzie declared resting her glass on the table. She got out her pocket book from her purse, and so did Jennifer.

Mandy and Trina exchanged withered stares. The sweepstakes was an old running idea of theirs from their college days. They were always betting on the most ridiculous things and losing money in the process. Trina had never won a bet.

"I'm out." Mandy shook her head. She grabbed the menu again.

"No, you wet blanket. We're all in." Jennifer scolded twirling her fingers around the ends of her blonde ponytail.

"Last time you guys bet that I'd gain five pounds before Christmas," Mandy retorted.

This time Trina couldn't hold back on the laughter that escaped her lips. She remembered that bet all too well. It was last Christmas, and Mandy did indeed gain five pounds, plus five.

"It's not funny," Mandy chided.

"I'm sorry," Trina said clutching her hand to her chest to still her laughter.

"This time we have a better idea. It's a wedding. We’re going in big," Lizzie stated.

"Okay let's hear it," Trina said resting her arms before her on the table.

"We," Lizzie motioned at Jennifer then back to herself. "We bet that one of you hooks up with someone while we're here."

Oh Lord. Trina rolled her eyes. See this was what she meant about ridiculous.

"No. That's not fair." Mandy huffed shaking her blonde curly hair. "And why is it Trina and I?"

"Because you guys are single. Come on it's fun." Lizzie giggled.

"So we're targets?"

"Yup." Jennifer giggled.

"I'm telling you now I'm not hooking up with anyone," Trina assured her. She didn't do hookups anymore. That was something she left in her mid-twenties. She turned thirty last month, and she'd decided that life was going to be more focused.

It had to be if she wanted to have her own team at the hospital. She'd done well under Alicia's team, and it was the next logical step for her to have her own. The opportunity would come around in November, so she had five months to prepare. Hookups didn't come with the image she had for herself.

"Why not?" Jennifer asked inclining her head to the side.

"Because they're never a good idea. The standard date is bad enough," Trina shot back.

"Trina you've just had a bad spell this year," Jennifer tried to assure her.

"What happened now?" Lizzie asked with interest.

"I don't want to talk about that again." Trina bit the inside of her lips. She didn't know what the hell was going on, but lately, she seemed to be attracting the weirdest guys. Seriously weird.

"Oh, come on you have to tell us. We don't see you as much as Jennifer." Mandy smiled and nodded.

"Tell them about Captain Chicken Feet," Jennifer laughed.

"Captain Chicken Feet? Are you serious?" Lizzie leaned forward onto the table, her brown eyes boring into her now with interest.

"He was the worst this year," Trina sighed with annoyance and irritation. That guy was a joke.

"Yes, he was," Jennifer nodded giggling.

"I was told his name was Gus by the friend that set us up," Trina began. It was Gertrude at the hospital. She meant well but conveniently forgot to tell her that she'd picked Gus, Captain Chicken Feet, from a free dating site. "I got the complete shock of my life when this guy turned up for our date dressed as a pirate and introduced himself as Captain Chicken Feet."

They all erupted with fits of deep laughter.

"When you say dressed as a pirate, what do you mean?" Lizzie asked.

"I mean, complete Pirates of the Caribbean Jack Sparrow wannabe, with the hat and feathers, eyeliner, gold teeth, full on leather and frills but with his own flair of a necklace which had a massive chicken foot hanging from it." By now they were laughing so much they were in tears. Even Jennifer, who already knew the story.

"A friend did that to you?" Mandy asked when she could breathe again.

"She's an acquaintance now." Trina huffed. She hadn't really spoken to Gertrude since.

"Please tell me you left when you saw him," Lizzie stated with widened eyes.

"From the minute he said oww aarrrrrrghhhh las." She tried her best to do a good impression, remembering how he seemed to put his back into it as he spoke.

More laughter erupted. It was indeed hilarious, but on a serious note, Trina definitely seemed to be attracting the wrong kind of guy. Captain Chicken Feet was a complete blind date, but in general, she never seemed to happen upon anyone who would be remotely good for her. And, they seemed to get worse each year.

Trina tossed her brown locks over her shoulder and rested her hands on the smooth silk of her beige skirt.

"Let's do the bets before the guys get here," Jennifer smiled. Neil and his groomsmen were meeting them for dinner. It was the chance for everyone to meet properly. "Neil's best man is single and a complete hottie," Jennifer giggled.

"Hottie?" Trina asked with narrowed eyes. "Can you even say that anymore?"

"Yes, because my Neil knows I think he's the hottest of them all. Anyway, I've known his friend for years, and I always thought he'd be nice for one of you two. I don't know the other guys that well but this guy has the full package."

Trina rolled her eyes. "Mandy can have him. I bet twenty she'll be the wedding hook up."

"Me?" Mandy pointed to herself. "I bet thirty it's you."

"Okay. I'll go with Mandy,” Lizzie said. “And Jennifer, you can have Trina,"

"I'm going in big for a hundred," Jennifer jumped in.

Trina shook her head. Jennifer always went in big. It was sad that this time she would lose a hundred bucks. That was a decent pair of shoes or a nice top in Nordstrom. It was so silly to waste so much on a bet.

"Oh you would wouldn't you," Lizzie grumbled. "I bet one fifty on Mandy then."

"Oh look. They're here, and there he is." Jennifer beamed. They looked across the restaurant, over the crowded tables to the entrance where more people were coming in to start their evening.

Trina saw Neil first. He'd had his black hair cut into a neat style that allowed him to keep his locks. Dressed in a white cotton button down shirt and dark trousers he looked elegant and carried his tall, muscular stature with grace. Trina thought he moved as if he were floating towards them.

No, Neil wasn’t floating towards them.

He floated towards Jennifer and had the look of love all over him. Jennifer smiled at him and blew a kiss which he made a show of catching and placing on his heart. Mandy and Lizzie both awed and cooed at the action. To Neil’s left were two dark haired guys that Trina didn't recognize. She guessed they must have been from work.

"It's him, the guy coming up behind Neil now. The really tall, gorgeous blonde one with all the muscles." Jennifer giggled. "There." She pointed.

Trina followed Jennifer's gaze and looked behind Neil. When her eyes landed on the man Jennifer was referring to, her whole body froze.

Completely froze. She was sure her heart had stopped too because she couldn't feel it anymore. Trina drew in a sharp breath and choked back a cry as spasms of shock erupted within her.

She felt faint and feverish both at the same time as she continued to look at him in an attempt to work out if her mind was playing tricks on her. Prolonging her stare confirmed it was not.

She'd recognize him anywhere.

Yes, he was tall - six feet four to be exact - and still gorgeous with his Hollywood good looks, muscular physique and shiny blonde hair. But this guy was deadly.

He had the ability to crush your heart and kill everything inside you that had meaning.

Trina had first-hand knowledge of that experience and while she might not have seen him in well over ten years she remembered exactly what it felt like. She recalled in full details the last time she saw him – Brad Henderson – and her blood boiled at the memory.

The shocking truth that Brad was in Hawaii too slammed into her full force, and it became too much for her soul to bear.

Neil said something that made Brad look ahead and that was when he saw Trina too. She watched him stop so abruptly in his tracks that the person behind him bumped into him. Then he stood there and watched her. The shadow of alarm washing over his face.

"Trina, are you okay?" Mandy asked.

Trina opened her mouth to answer, but no words came out. She looked at Mandy, who could now see something was definitely wrong with her.

As far as bad things went, this was terrible, and she couldn't even pretend to be calm. It was impossible to steady or compose herself. When a tear ran down her cheek, she stood up quickly and rushed away in the opposite direction.