Kate woke at seven the following morning with a pounding headache and a sour stomach that got worse the moment she walked into the kitchen. She ignored the softly buzzing phone as she headed for the bathroom off her bedroom. When she returned to the kitchen dressed in a vibrant purple robe, her hair wrapped in a bright orange towel, she saw the note and cringed but followed the instructions. She gagged twice, but the juice stayed down. She felt a little better an hour after she took the aspirins. She cleaned up the kitchen and the mess she’d left by the bathroom door, swearing at the same time never, ever, to drink wine again. She curled up on the couch and slept the better part of the day. When she woke at six o’clock, she played the messages on the machine. Eleven were from Gus, three from Ellie. The tape was full.
Kate made tea and called Gus at the office. Her voice sounded nasally and scratchy when she identified herself.
“What the hell happened?” he said. “I’ve been calling you all day and all last night. I thought something happened to you. I called Ellie and the police. Don’t ever do that again, Kate. I tried calling you back the other night when I got in. Jesus, Kate, I’ve been sick with worry.”
Kate smiled. “I’m sorry, Gus,” she said happily. That meant there was no Gennifer with a G. “I don’t know what got into me.” Her headache was less intense, almost gone—in fact, she felt light-headed.
“I can’t tell you the kinds of things I was thinking. God, an imagination, especially one like mine, is a killer.”
“I know what you mean. Sometimes mine gets away from me, too,” Kate said lightly.
They talked for an hour, then: “Listen, Kate, I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”
“Sure. I’m going to make some spaghetti now.”
Instead of making spaghetti, Kate stretched out on the couch, the portable phone at her elbow, closed her eyes and daydreamed. Her name was Cate with a C and she was forty-six years old....
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Kate looked up at the garish sign over the shop in Tijuana, Mexico. Jesus Tobacco Shop. She stepped carefully on the rotted, wooden step. The shop seemed to sell everything. She’d expected displays of cigarettes and cigars but didn’t see any. She did see a telephone. So this was where Della came to make the few calls she’d placed over the past year. “Señor,” she said slowly, distinctly, “can you send someone to fetch Senora Della Rafella?”
“Sí, but it will do you no good. Señora Della has gone to help her niece. It is miles. One day if you go in a car, two days if you are walking. Then two days coming back. She will stay one week to help. New babies take much care. Many pesos, señora.”
“Oh no!” Damn, she hadn’t counted on this. So much for the surprise element. Four days. Her plane left for Hawaii tomorrow evening. She shook her head. “If I leave a note, will you see that Senora Della gets it when she returns?”
“Sí, señora.”
Kate ripped a blank page from her address book. Thank God she didn’t know anyone whose name started with an O. She handed the shopkeeper a ten-dollar bill along with the note.
“She is your friend?” the man said curiously.
“The best friend I ever had. I miss her very much. Do you know her well?”
“She does much good for her family, and for others, too. She is an American citizen,” he said proudly, “and still she stays here with her people. She comes in often. Much sad eyes,” he said, shaking his head. “Much like yours, señora.”
“You won’t forget to give her my note?” Kate said.
“No, señora, I will not forget. I do not get many American ladies here who want to leave notes. Is there anything you wish to buy?”
“Oh, yes, yes, there is. Cigarettes and ... a lighter and these two key chains. I’ll take that Bic pen and that notebook. This shoe polish and these mints and two boxes of that cherry Jell-O.”
Thirty dollars changed hands. Kate knew she was being ripped off, but she didn’t care. She accepted the greasy bag and left. Later she left the bag in a store she browsed through, buried beneath a pile of garish-looking shawls.
Back in her hotel in Chula Vista, Kate showered and watched television the rest of the day. She went to bed early and slept late, rising to order room service, shower, and go to church. She walked around town, had lunch, and returned to the hotel. She repacked her overnight bag, checked out, and arrived at the airport three hours ahead of schedule. She ate again and read several magazines as she waited for the tour director to arrive.
“I’m going to strangle you, Ellie,” she muttered when the tour director, a giddy young girl of nineteen or so, arrived, her charges trailing behind her. All of them, Kate noticed, were retirees with white hair. At a glance she knew there wasn’t one of them under seventy years of age. She would just have to make the best of it.
An hour later, when the director herded them onto the plane, Kate drew her aside and said, “Why are you patronizing these people? And do you have to yell at the top of your lungs? I’m not deaf, and neither is anyone else. I don’t see any reason for you to hold up those ridiculous signs, either. I’m embarrassed for them. Think about that, Miss Tour Director. I won’t be joining you once I get to Hawaii. The agency that booked me on this tour obviously didn’t have my best interests at heart. Was it really necessary to have each of us stand and expound on our backgrounds? We aren’t children, and I resent it. I have half a mind to cancel this tour and go off on my own right now.”
“Are you saying I’m overdoing it? You have to be careful with older people. They want things explained, they wear hearing aids and bifocals.”
“Which makes them see and hear better, so you don’t need the signs and don’t need to shout. You embarrassed all of us.”
“All right,” the director said stiffly. “What are you, some kind of mentor, watchdog or something? Company spy?”
Kate just smiled. “Or something,” she said, thinking of Della and Donald. “Just because you’re old doesn’t mean you’re a fool, and it doesn’t give you the right to humiliate people.”
Taking her seat in the smoking section at the back of the plane, Kate wondered what had gotten into her to make her speak up that way. In twenty years I’ll have white hair like them and I’ll be taking a trip like this, that’s why, she answered herself. When she was seventy Gus would be fifty-six. She’d be doddering and he’d be pushing her along with a spring in his step. She shuddered. God, why had she allowed Ellie to talk her into this? Christmas should be spent at home with loved ones. But the few loved ones she did have had other plans. No one wanted to spend Christmas with her. She’d be with strangers who had no one, either.
At the small airport in Kona, Kate parted company with the tour. She collected her bags, rented a car, and received a map showing her the way to Kona Village. “Just watch for the little hut on the side of the road,” the rental agent said. “Make a left and it will take you to the village.”
Kate missed the hut and had to drive five miles before she could turn around and make her way back. “She should have told me it was set back in from the road,” she muttered as she whipped the open Jeep around the corner. For miles all she could see was black lava. Where was all the greenery and bright flowers? The word devastation came to her mind as she drove the rutted dusty road. “I am going to kill you, Ellie, with my bare hands, when I get hold of you.” Where in the damn hell was civilization?
Finally a speck of green caught her eye. A palm tree. Thank God. And water; she could smell the ocean. Kate continued to drive. At last she came to the village. She sucked in her breath: here there were flowers and greenery. People. A slice of paradise. She looked back over her shoulder but couldn’t see the fields of black lava.
Kate smiled when a woman dressed in native costume came out to the car to place a fragrant lei around her neck. “Welcome to Kona Village. And you are ... ?”
“Kate Starr. I was with the Cromwell tour, but I won’t be staying with them. I understand I have my own quarters. I’d also like to make my own
eating arrangements.”
“There won’t be a problem, Mrs. Starr. Come with me, please.” The woman smiled and led the way to the office, settling Kate behind a tiny teakwood desk. “It will be just a moment until I get registration forms. In the meantime, enjoy this fresh pineapple juice,” she said, offering Kate a small, frosted glass before leaving her alone.
Kate settled back and looked at the brochure on the desk. The world’s most prized hideaway ... 125 thatched hales. She flipped over the brochure. Happy Hour at the Bora Bora Bar from five to six P.M. On Tuesday there would be a General Manager’s Cocktail and Pupu Party, whatever that was. Sailing and snorkeling. Tennis. Sport fishing. Helicopter flightseeing. Therapeutic body massage. “Ah,” Kate said, sipping the pineapple juice. Shiatsu, Swedish Massage. Reflexology, hand and foot massage. Hawaiian lomi lomi, electric methods of massage, local style. She made a note to sign up for one of each. Two dining rooms. Hale Moana for breakfast, lunch or dinner, and the Hale Somoa for dinner, no ties and jackets. Thong sandles were acceptable. Make dinner reservations at breakfast time. No phones, no radios, no televisions, no air-conditioning. Do not feed the wildlife. Kate closed the brochure packet.
“Did you like what you read?” the smiling woman asked, returning.
“Very much. It seems so quiet and restful here. I was surprised, though, that guests aren’t given keys.”
“I’m sure we can find a key if it would make you feel better.”
“No, it’s all right.”
“I hope you brought a lot of reading material. We have a gift store with a nice selection of paperback books, and the newspapers are flown in every day. There is a phone around the corner from where we’re sitting. Each hale has a mailbox. Should you receive messages, they will be placed there. Sign here, Mrs. Starr. Your bags have been taken to your hale and your car parked in the lot behind the swimming pool. Come with me now and I’ll take you to your quarters.”
The hales were thatched huts. Everything was magnificent. The lagoon was peaceful. “Is that a black swan?” Kate asked in amazement.
“Yes, there are several. As you can see, you have neighbors, but not too close. This is your hale, Mrs. Starr. If you need anything, come up to the office. There is a small map inside for walking about. Enjoy your stay with us.”
“I’m sure I will,” Kate said, in awe as she took in her new home.
The room was parrot bright, with a colorful spread over the bed. Two rattan chairs and a table completed the front room. A desk and a second bed/couch made up the second room. The bathroom vanity held a coffeepot with attached grinder along with a container of Kona coffee. A small refrigerator held soft drinks. Other than the shower and toilet, there was nothing else to see. She had a front porch with two chairs, the thatched fronds hanging down the sides to ward off the sun.
So far Kate hadn’t heard a sound. Kona Village was certainly peaceful and quiet, but she’d have to work on the deluxe part. She bounced on the bed, checked the sliding glass door, and was relieved to see that it could lock from the inside. She turned on the paddle fan overhead. It whirred softly to life.
“I think I could get real depressed here,” Kate muttered as she turned on a low-wattage lamp that did little to lighten the dim, cool room. “I do not like this!” she said aloud. “In fact, I think I hate it! I am not a sun person, I am not a beach person. I do not like living in dim, dark rooms.” She kicked out at her suitcase and then yelped in pain.
“Is that a damsel-in-despair cry I just heard?” a voice called from the porch.
“Gus? ... Gus! My God, Gus, it can’t be you! I’m dreaming. I have dreams like this all the time. I cannot believe that you would show up and be staying in a grass hut the way I am. I hate this place. Do you hate it? Don’t answer that. You aren’t supposed to talk in dreams.”
“Pinch me,” Gus said, opening the screen door. Kate pinched his bare arm. He said, “Ouch. See? It’s not a dream.”
“But how, you said ... When did you get here? Do you like this place?”
“I got here yesterday. It’s great, Kate. The food is out of this world. I look at it and gain weight. I had banana pecan pancakes for breakfast. I ordered seconds. The coffee is the best I’ve ever tasted. Both pools are super. It’s a great place. For lovers,” he said, winking at her. “It gets a little rowdy toward morning with different birds scratching on the roof. I got up early and had coffee on the porch. You should have seen the guests who came to call. There were twenty different birds out there, but I had nothing to feed them, and we aren’t supposed to feed them anyway. God, Kate, it’s good to see you. What say we shuck this place and you move in with me?”
Kate sucked in her breath. Was she ready for that? Damn right she was, she thought smartly. Well, almost ready. Sort of ready. Absolutely not. “Yes,” she said.
“You mean it!”
“Gus, I’m forty-six years old. You’re fourteen years younger than me. You’re more suitable for Ellie. When I’m seventy you’ll only be fifty-six.”
“I want to marry you, Kate. I can make you happy. I’ll love you forever. I can’t picture my life without you in it.”
“That’s how I feel, but I don’t know ... marriage is ... There’s Patrick. . . .”
“There is no Patrick, Kate. You buried him, remember?”
“His things, Gus. Not his body.”
“Do you love me?” He held his breath waiting for her reply. When it came, it swooshed out of him like a pricked balloon.
“Yes,” she said without a moment’s hesitation.
“Jesus. I never thought I’d hear you say that.”
“Do you love me?”
“Do birds fly? Of course I love you. Why do you think I’m here? I cooked this up with Ellie. I want us to start the new year together. Guess that makes me one of those hopeless romantics. Ellie approves of me. She’ll give us her blessing. My mother will like you.”
“Your brothers and sisters?”
“Hey, they’re coming around, just like you said. One of my sisters cashed her check. She has two kids in college. She’s talking to me. It’s a start.”
“Are you going to kiss me?” Kate asked breathlessly.
“D’ya think I’m easy?” Gus grinned. “Not till I carry you over the threshold. We’re moving in together, Kate. Grab one of those bags and let’s get a move on.”
He carried her over the threshold. Nothing in her life prepared Kate for the depth of emotion that swept through her. She loved this man, truly loved him, with every breath in her body. She said so.
“My God, I feel giddy,” Gus said.
“I do, too,” Kate said.
“We’re going to do this right,” Gus said nervously.
“Yes. If it isn’t right, it won’t work,” Kate said. “What’s right?”
“Jesus, I don’t know, I had this all planned, I was going to ... ravage you, have my way with you, make you want me, make you want me so bad you’d kill for me.”
Kate laughed shakily. “It sounds good.”
“Which part?” Gus asked hoarsely.
“All of it.”
His voice came out in a squeak. “All of it?”
“Uh-huh.”
“I had this plan, you see.... What it was . . . is ... was, I was going ... how many ‘was’ was that? Whatever, I was going to kiss you, get you all fired up, and then I was going to cool it and say, ‘Let’s go for a walk so I can show you this place.’ We need to get that out of the way. Then I thought we’d come back here, mess around a little, clean up, maybe shower together, drive us both to the brink, and then we’d go to dinner. I signed you up this morning for six o’clock. We’d eat, drink a little, come back here and ... and do it. What’ya think?”
“I think it all sounds like a wonderful plan. So, kiss me and let’s get started.”
It wasn’t just a kiss, it was an event, Kate thought wildly as Gus’s lips devoured hers. She moaned softly, opening her lips, felt his tongue spear into the silky recesses of he
r mouth and was rewarded with a deep animal sound that ground through her being. Their tongues meshed, wrapped around each other, until Kate drew away, gasping for breath. They gazed into each other’s eyes. The only sound in the quiet hut was their breathing. Kate felt something primal about the way they were staring at one another. She wanted more, said so brazenly.
“About that walk and the rest of the plan . . .”
Kate’s breath sighed in his ears when she said, “My feet hurt. Plans are meant to be broken. You’re all the food I need.”
“Brazen hussy,” Gus said, ripping at his clothes. She ripped at hers.
Gus pulled down the parrot-colored spread that was identical to the one in Kate’s hut. The sheets were crisp and white, unwrinkled. Pristine. Just the way I feel, Kate thought. The instant her head met the pillow, his body covered hers. There was a wild mating possessiveness to his embrace when he gathered her in his arms.
She felt a head rush, and then a small speck of alarm riveted through her, as if she were about to sail across an uncharted sea. She loosed a long, shuddering sigh as Gus’s lips found and licked at the pulse in her neck. She curled into him so his lips could trail down to her breasts. She snuggled deeper, her fingers curling in the wiry furring on his chest, felt his involuntary tremor. She shivered in ecstasy when his tongue slid into the warm nectar of her mouth.
“Let go all the way, Kate,” Gus whispered as his fingers skated up and down her spine, searching for the secret place between her thighs.
She could feel her body jerk to total awareness. She wanted more, much more, and said so. She was in a place now she’d never visited before, a place where she wanted to be, needed to be. She moved then, her hands cupping his face, smothering his mouth and chin with kisses before she explored his mouth with her hungry tongue.
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