Sparks Fly

trail.”
    Within a few minutes they had rowed the small boat to shore and were on the trail, laughing and talking. Derek was a great companion, just as Angelina had suspected. He was funny, smart, and athletic. It was too bad Krista was going to miss out on a great guy just because she was too stubborn to open her eyes.
    And if the thought crept into her mind that she herself was being a tad stubborn about a certain client of hers, she steadfastly ignored it.

    * * *
    As Angelina led the way on the trail, Will couldn’t help but notice, yet again, what a beautiful figure she had. He checked to make sure that his friend Derek wasn’t also admiring it—not that he would blame him if he was—but frankly, he was feeling increasingly proprietary about Angelina.
    “Krista is focused on getting attention. Trust me, if you don’t give her any, she’ll be begging for it.”
    Will tuned back in to the conversation Angelina and his friend were having. “What are you two talking about?”
    She turned toward Will with a devilish gleam in her eyes. “We’re working out a plan so that Derek can make Krista crazy for him.”
    Derek looked momentarily uncomfortable before he shrugged and said, “Seems like a good idea to me.”
    Will laughed. “Okay, let’s hear the rest of the plan. First you ignore her until she’s—how did you put it, Angelina? Begging for it?”
    Angelina chuckled. “Exactly. Now don’t get me wrong. I love Krista dearly, but this time, she has definitely gotten in the kayak with the wrong man.”
    “They looked pretty perfect together to me,” muttered Derek.
    Angelina patted his arm. “Appearances can be deceiving. Trust me, they’re all wrong for each other. So like I was saying, all you need to do is make it clear that you’re not interested in her.”
    Derek stopped dead in his tracks and Will slammed into him, which almost knocked the three of them over like dominoes. “But I am interested.”
    “Look, if you just want to sleep with her once and never see her again, then do things your way.” Angelina started hitting the trail with renewed vigor. “But my bets are on her falling madly in love with you if you take my advice. From that point forward, it will be up to you to keep her on her toes.”
    “How’s he supposed to do that?” Will asked.
    “Easy. Make her play by your rules. And then only give in to her in little ways. Women like Krista, who get everything they want all the time, can only fall in love with a man who is difficult to conquer.”
    Derek was nodding his head with new understanding. “How do you know so much about this?”
    Angelina looked wistful. “Human Nature 101. We all want what we can’t have.”
    When they rounded the corner, she was surprised to see the dinghy. Evidently Krista had been waiting for them to come back for some time, because she practically threw herself at them.
    “What are you doing here?” Angelina asked. “I thought you’d still be out in the kayak with James.”
    Krista snorted. “Not a chance. He got an important call right after you guys left.” She nodded back toward James, who was sitting in the boat, cell phone pressed up to his ear. “I’ve been sitting here all by myself.”
    Angelina felt no sympathy for her friend. She simply gave her a look that said, Maybe you should consider my advice next time.
    Derek, Angelina noted, was playing his role to the hilt, seemingly more interested in the rocks on the beach than anything Krista had to say. In fact, after getting only monosyllabic grunts from Derek for several minutes, Krista started to pout.
    Will was pulling the dinghy back out toward the water when a soccer ball knocked against his legs and two little boys came running up to get it.
    “I’ll kick it back to you,” he said, and quickly got roped into an impromptu soccer match on the beach with a whole horde of little boys.
    A few minutes later, slightly out of breath, Will rejoined them. “Sorry about that,” he said with a grin. “Soccer’s always been a weakness.”
    Angelina grinned back, amazed by this new side of him. “You’re great with kids.”
    Abruptly, Will turned back to the dinghy and pushed it. “Not really.”
    Angelina was confused by his behavior. “Those kids loved playing with you.”
    But it was clear that the conversation was over, because when they got back to the boat, Will started the engine and headed straight back for the marina. “Looks like the wind is picking up and I