Danielle got very little sleep that night but not because she had taken Shane up on his offer. She truly was dying for a repeat performance of the other day, especially after consuming so much sumptuous wine with him but his so-called business proposal had promptly sobered her right out of the mood.

Dani told him she’d get her own ride home from Kihie which she could see clearly bothered him. Despite her overwhelming desire for another spin in his super-sexy silver Aston Martin she just didn’t feel it was worth subjecting herself to anymore of his crazy talk. However in the spirit of open-mindedness, she had decided to at least run Shane’s plan past three people she trusted before she dismissed it completely.

Shane had refused to drive away until he was sure Dani had confirmation of a ride home. She called Paolo and he was more than happy to oblige, pulling up in his flaming red BMW less than ten minutes later. Danielle slid into the passenger seat and kissed her reliable friend on the cheek.

“Thanks so much Paolo. I really appreciate this. I hope Max isn’t mad at me for calling you away like this on your Saturday?”

“Max? No never. My Max is a pussycat. But where’s your car sweetie? How did you get down here in Kihei anyway? My woman’s intuition tells me Shane Tanner is involved in this somehow.”

“Well he did drive me down here,” Dani admitted sheepishly.

“I knew it. And he left you stranded? What is going on with you two anyway? Are you or are you not having wild sex with that gorgeous hunk of a man? Enquiring minds wanna know…..”

During the ride to Danielle’s house, she proceeded to fill Paolo in on all the details that had transpired since Shane’s arrival including his phony marriage proposal.

“Shut the front door! Are you kidding me Dani? A million dollars? Holy shit! And a Tanner heir? Does he seriously think people do this kind of thing?”

“Can you believe it? Have you ever heard of anything so insane in your life Paolo?”

“I have actually. One time my Aunt Sophia tried to fix me up with a woman. That was pretty preposterous.”

“I’m serious you goofball. What is wrong with that man?”

“Danielle, nothing is wrong with that man. I think he’s quite brilliant actually. It’s a great plan and I think you should go for it.”

“Are you really serious? You think I should marry Shane and have his baby?”

“Hey I’d do it myself if I could. But I don’t think marrying a short bald man from Colombia would give him the credibility he’s looking for. Besides Dani, wasn’t it only like six months ago that you were talking about how your biological clock was ticking? I remember you talking about looking for alternatives. Well….here’s an alternative.”

After Paolo dropped her off at home, Danielle called her friend Allyssa in the hopes of hearing a more sensible opinion from a logical woman of science, but she got neither. In fact Allyssa shrieked into the phone so loudly that Dani had to switch ears.

“Sorry to disappoint you Dani, but I vote for marrying the dreamy handsome billionaire and becoming his baby mama. Isn’t this the kind of thing every girl is waiting for?”

“I don’t remember the bedtime story where Prince Charming rides in on a white horse and makes his bride-to-be sign a baby making contract.”

“Well maybe they should update those stories for the 21^st century! I would jump on that opportunity……right after I jumped his bones. ”

“But how can I justify turning a blind a eye toward Tanner’s disregard for the environment? This business arrangement might cause long-term harm to these islands.”

“I have to compliment you on your noble concerns, I really do. But you can save plenty of plants and dolphins with a million freaking dollars. The Hawaiian Conservation Alliance could benefit from the sizeable donations you’d be able to make. That’s nothing to sneeze at.”

“I hadn’t thought of that,” Danielle admitted.

“Plus do I even have to remind you about how much you’ve been talking about your biological clock lately?”

Dani actually hadn’t realized how much she’d been talking about her ticking biological clock until her two friends had told her.

After dinner, Dani decided she would make one final phone call to the only person she knew who had insight into Shane’s unconventional thought processes; Marguarite Grummond.

“Margie I need your advice and I was wondering if I could tell you something in the strictest confidence?”

“You mean you wanna talk about the business proposal Shane made to you this afternoon?”

“You know about it? He told you?” Dani was more than a little surprised by her answer.

“Yes of course Danielle. Shane has a habit of thinking out loud and then before you know it he’s bouncing ideas all over the place. It’s like a massive brainstorm. Or shitstorm, depending on how you look at it.”

“So what’s your opinion of the proposal Margie? Does this seem normal to you?”

“Well no, of course not. It’s not your ordinary business deal at all. But then Shane Tanner is not your ordinary man. In fact he’s twice as much. Twice as intelligent, shrewd, passionate, ambitious…...the list is too long but there’s probably nothing on it you can’t handle. I’m guessing you’re struggling with your conscience.”

“You know me a little too well Margie. Plus you’ve known Shane a long time. That’s why I called you. So how can I possibly I go along with a deal like that?”

“What is your biggest fear, regarding the agreement Danielle?”

Dani had to stop and think about that question. The deal was so unorthodox, everything about it was unsettling. Finally she whittled it down.

“I’m afraid the money involved will change who I am. I guess that scares me the most. And I’m also afraid that if I don’t take the phony marriage deal he’ll just offer it to someone else who will. He can easily find a woman who’s more Hawaiian than I am. And what woman want to have HIS baby?”

Margie couldn’t help but snicker at Dani’s fear of replacement.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t laugh but please take my word for it, Shane has no intentions of making that offer to anybody other than you. If you don’t take it that’s all there is. There is no deal without you.”

“What makes you so sure? Did he say that Margie?”

“Not in so many words. Shane likes to talk tough but make no mistake about it Danielle, when it comes to you he has way more than business on his mind and it’s not phony. Unfortunately, in order to maintain his confidence that’s all that I can say about that. But you should feel secure in knowing you are not replaceable in this proposal. It’s you or no one. You’re the only one he trusts to help him.”

“Wow. That’s a lot for me to process at the moment. I guess you know what you’re talking about. What about my other fear though? The fear of Shane’s money influencing and changing who I am?”

“Well I’d say you have that wrong as well. You’re looking at it from the totally wrong perspective. Don’t you think it’s possible that the opposite could be true? That you would be the one influencing him and changing him? You would be in the perfect position do exactly that. If you ask me Danielle, these beautiful islands will do nothing but reap the benefits of your influence over Shane Tanner.”

Danielle sat in stunned silence. None of what Margie said had occurred to her. She hadn’t looked at it from that angle at all. Before ending the call they both agreed that their conversation should remain a secret between just the two of them. Dani thanked her older friend for the profound words of wisdom and then got ready for bed.

The advice she had gleaned from her three helpful buddies had certainly shed new light on the situation. Their words played over and over in her head forcing her to reconsider the unusual arrangement and causing her to toss and turn for much of the night. Could she actually agree to Shane’s outlandish proposal? She would be Mrs. Shane Tanner. Dani thought of all the ways she could influence him and help the islands. Was it really possible? And what about having a child? Was she really ready to be a mother?

Eventually she dozed off and dreamed that Shane had chained her to his desk and forced her to lie to everyone while her nose grew as long as Pinocchio’s. But then the scene switched to Shane being chained to her desk while colorful coral sprouted wildly from out of his suit jacket. The dream ended with Auntie May coming in dressed as a nurse and holding their baby, which was actually just a giant bag of cash swaddled in a blanket.

Upon awakening, Danielle remained in bed for a few minutes trying to recall the details of the silliness her brain had conjured up during her slumber. In the end it really wasn’t important. She had already made up her mind. The answer was suddenly crystal clear. Despite it being only four o’clock in the morning, she decided to give Shane Tanner an early wake-up call.