Courageous Love: A Christian Romance Novel (The Hawaii Love Series, #1) by Kelsey MacBride Page A

of her.
    Daniel looked at the jet-way, anxious to get on his flight. “Oh,” said the attendant. “Well, it seems you’re not booked on this flight.”
    Daniel’s head snapped back toward the attendant. His face said everything, but the words came anyhow. “What? Of course I’m booked on this flight. It’s a return ticket.” He watched as the older woman dropped the corners of her lips and tilted her head slightly.
    “No, this is a one-way ticket to Honolulu for a flight that landed 35 minutes ago ...” the attendant said. “Ms. Michelle Clemens,” she finished, making sure Daniel understood that he had the wrong ticket.
    That woman, thought Daniel. That very pretty, captivating woman that he had bumped into. Daniel must have accidentally mixed up their boarding passes when he handed her back her tickets. Daniel paused, unsure what to do. He looked one more time at the jet-way. He wanted to make that flight. He wanted to get back to California. Didn’t he? He knew what was waiting there for him: Kimberly, the wedding and a life of boredom.
    Well, no matter how he felt about California or what was waiting there for him, Daniel wouldn’t be going anywhere until he got his ticket back. He snatched the boarding pass from the attendant, flashed her a movie star smile and ran back down the corridor toward the shuttle counters, hoping he would be able to find out where that woman ... Michelle Clemens, had taken his ticket. He found the shuttle counter, and even though the clerk couldn’t share any passenger information, he informed Daniel that the bus to Haleiwa would leave within thirty minutes from Honolulu. And that by the time Daniel took the shuttle from the airport to downtown Honolulu first, the bus would already be gone. There was nothing Daniel could do but wait till the next morning.
    “Tomorrow morning?” Daniel asked, shocked that he wouldn’t be able to get his return flight home that evening. “Are there only two buses to Haleiwa a day?” His eyes grew wide.
    “Haleiwa is a small rural town. It is on the north shore of the island, which is usually pretty packed with tourists. But,” the clerk went on, “last week was the biggest surfing tournament of the year.”
    Daniel stood, unsure why the clerk was explaining all of this to him. What did surfing have to do with buses?
    The clerk apparently saw the confused look on Daniel’s face. “You see,” he continued, trying to clarify things for Daniel. “When the tourists leave, the locals take a break. Now that there aren’t that many people visiting the north shore, the drivers have cut the buses back. So, you have to wait until the morning ... unless you want to rent a car.”
    Daniel stood still, contemplating his choices. A rental car would cost him three times more than the bus. But if he stayed at the airport and tried to catch another flight to California, he would have to pay for it out of his own pocket, even if he could get a flight out today. Or, he could stay in Honolulu and take the bus to Haleiwa in the morning and go reclaim his ticket tomorrow.
    He thought about Kimberly and how she would react to him staying in Hawaii another day. He laughed to himself. She would be just as mad if he spent the extra money to head home today. “Darned if I do, darned if I don’t,” said Daniel.
    “What?” the clerk asked. Daniel shook his head, smiling. He thanked the clerk for his help and made his way through the streets of Honolulu to find the hotel the counter clerk had recommended. As he walked the few blocks, he looked up at the palm trees and crystal clear sky. Well, he thought, Fred did tell him to spend more time on the island and see the sights.
    Daniel thought about the girl, Michelle, and what a sight she was. He cursed himself for even entertaining thoughts about another woman, but there was something about this girl. He couldn’t shake her pretty face and mystical smile. He felt drawn to her in a way he hadn’t to anyone else