"I don't want to go." I sounded like a five-year-old but didn't care. I'd waited twenty-five years for someone to love me. Right now three months away from this man seemed like an eternity.
Keanu shushed me with a kiss. "This is your dream. I want you to go, and deep down, you want it too. Remember that nothing is going to keep us apart for very long. You'll come back to me—I'm sure of that. If I thought there was a chance you wouldn't—" His voice grew tight and hoarse. "Then I'd never let go."
The tears rolled down my cheeks, and Keanu wiped them away with his thumb. "This is the right thing to do," he said. "Remember that line in Little Women that you say to Jo when you know you're dying?"
All too well. "Promise me that you won't be sad," I quoted.
"That's right," he whispered. "I don't want you to ever be sad. This is only for a few months out of the rest of our lives. Then with any luck, we'll be together for a long time after that. Okay?"
I wasn't sure what exactly he was implying, but regardless, it sounded wonderful to my hopeful ears. "Okay. I love you. Bye."
"Don't say goodbye." His eyes brimmed with moisture. "Tell me that you'll see me soon."
His image grew cloudy through my tears, but I managed a smile for him. "See you soon, Watson."
He released my hand, and I presented my ticket to the airport employee. I placed my laptop, purse, and shoes on the conveyer belt to be X-rayed and then walked through the full body scanner. Fortunately, I didn't set it off, since I had cut things close time-wise.
After I made my way through the machine and had placed my sneakers back on, I turned and looked back one last time at Keanu. He smiled and gave me a thumbs-up. Then I rounded the corner, and he disappeared from my sight.
So much for my act of bravery. Tears started to sting the backs of my eyes, and I quickly brushed them away as I boarded the plane and found my assigned seat next to a window. I kept staring at the side of the airport, as if I expected to see him jump out a door at any moment. It was silly, but I couldn't help myself. Then I closed my eyes and reminded myself that I was doing the right thing.
To keep myself occupied, I decided to check out my new laptop. As I waited for the screen to load, I marveled at Keanu's generosity again. He planned to fly out in two weeks, after his parents returned to Kauai. Keanu would also visit a couple of grocery stores along the way. He'd already bought his ticket, so this gave me something to look forward to. I exhaled a long, deep breath. Everything was going to be fine.
The screensaver Keanu had loaded was enough to make the waterworks start again. It was a selfie we'd taken last week of the both of us with Benny in my arms. Benny was staring directly at the camera, his eyes wide with curiosity, and such a comical expression on his face that I laughed every time I saw the picture. Now I knew why Keanu had chosen it.
Don't be sad. It was impossible to feel anything but joy when I looked at this picture.
I owed a lot to that furry feline—my life for one. It had been difficult to leave him this morning, and somehow he must have sensed that I was going away, because he'd acted strange, even hiding under the bed when I'd asked for one last hug. He was in good hands with Tad, and Keanu had promised to stop and see him as well.
"Excuse me."
Startled, I looked up. An elderly woman with short, white curly hair addressed me, a broad smile on her narrow face. She gestured at the laptop bag that I'd placed on the seat next to me. "I believe that's my seat, dear."
"Oh, sorry about that." I removed the bag. "I wasn't thinking."
She sat down and drew the seat belt across her tiny frame. "I'm Leslie." She extended a tiny hand covered in liver spots, with transparent blue veins. "I came to the island to visit my son, but I live in Arizona."
"Carrie. I live in Kauai, but I'm on my way to California. Nice to meet you."
Her eyes traveled to my laptop and suddenly widened. "Likewise. Oh my. Is that your husband?"
My cheeks warmed. "Boyfriend."
She nodded in approval. "He's a hot one. Looks like a keeper to me."
"He is." I bit into my lower lip to keep from laughing.
"How come he's not with you?" Leslie wanted to know.
I didn't find her questions intrusive in the least and welcomed the conversation. I'd never known either one of my grandmothers and had always craved that special bond. "I'm going to Hollywood for a screen test, and he has commitments here. We won't be separated for very long."
She studied me carefully. "Well, you're certainly pretty enough for Hollywood. You remind me of my youngest granddaughter. She's a singer—even cut a record," Leslie said proudly.
"That's fantastic." I stared wistfully at the screen saver, wishing Keanu was sitting here too.
Leslie continued to watch me and must have guessed what was running through my head. "I'll bet he's missing you too. He must really love you if he's willing to let you go like this."
My heart fluttered at the words. "Yes. I'm very lucky."
She rested the back of her head against the seat and closed her eyes. "You'll be back with him before you know it, honey, so make the most of it while you can. Grab that brass ring because there are no guarantees in this life that you'll ever get another one. A man that truly loves you will wait—mark my words. Your relationship will be stronger afterwards too."
"You sound as if you speak from experience."
Leslie opened one eye and winked. "Maybe I do."
I stared out the window at the lush greenery of the island. Once again I thanked my lucky stars that had brought me to tropical paradise. Keanu had once mentioned that fate had brought me here, not Brad, and I didn't doubt it for a second.
The plane started to taxi down the runway, and I recalled how it had felt when I arrived in Hawaii for the first time a few months ago. I'd been nervous but excited and filled with anticipation. The same thing was true now. Leslie was right—I needed to make the most of the experience while it lasted. Keanu had known this from the beginning, as well as the fact that our relationship would make it through just fine.
As the plane gathered height in the air, I glanced down at Kauai—my home—for one last time. "I'll be back soon." I whispered the words softly to the window so that Leslie didn't hear. "Nothing will stop me."
RECIPES
Loco Moco
Ingredients:
Cooking spray
1 pound ground beef chuck
1 cup sliced onion
½ cup water (to enhance the flavor, use chicken broth in place of water)
1 12-ounce jar brown gravy
4 eggs
4 cups cooked rice
Prepare a large skillet with cooking spray, and heat over medium heat. Divide the ground chuck into 4 equal portions and form into patties. Fry the patties in the skillet until they begin to firm and are hot and slightly pink in the center, about 6 minutes per side. Remove patties to a plate, retaining drippings in the skillet. Stir onion and water into the reserved drippings. Reduce heat to low, and cook until the onions are slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Pour gravy over the onion mixture, and stir. Cook until the gravy is hot, about 5 minutes. Gently lay patties in the gravy, then simmer until reheated through. While the patties simmer in gravy, prepare a separate skillet with cooking spray, and heat over medium heat. Fry eggs in the hot skillet until the white is opaque but the yolk remains runny, about 2 to 3 minutes. Divide the rice between 4 plates. Top each rice portion with a beef patty, and top the patties each with an egg. Pour gravy equally over each portion. Makes four servings.
* * *
Aloha Mix-Up Cookies
Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 eggs, room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups (14.4 ounces) all-purpose flour
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp sea salt
Mix-ins (use as much or as little a
s you wish)
¾ cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup macadamia nuts, coarsely chopped
½ cup dried pineapple, chopped
½ cup sweetened flaked coconut
Don't preheat the oven first, as the dough needs to chill for a minimum of 30 minutes.
In a medium bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, salt, and baking soda. Set aside. Using a stand mixer or a large bowl with an electric mixer, cream together the butter with the granulated sugar and brown sugar on medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract. Add the flour all at once, and pulse the mixer to keep flour from flying. Once mostly combined, increase speed, and mix until flour is completely incorporated. Resist the urge to overmix. Note: If using a hand-held electric mixer, you will need to add the flour in increments.
Mix-ins: You can stir the white chocolate chips, macadamia nuts, dried pineapple, and coconut into the dough or mix and match. You can create several combinations of cookies by dividing the dough between four bowls and mixing in some of the white chocolate chips with macadamia nuts into one, pineapple and coconut into another, pineapple and macadamia nuts in the third, and using all four mix-in ingredients in the last portion. Or make up your own combinations.
Place the bowls of dough in the refrigerator, and allow to chill for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 days. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and scoop tablespoon-sized rounds of dough onto the sheet. Bake 10–12 minutes or until the bottom of the cookie starts turning lightly golden. Rotate baking sheet halfway through baking. Allow cookies to rest on the baking sheet for 3 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Cool completely before storing in an airtight container.
Makes 6 dozen cookies, depending on size. Tip: If you refrigerate the dough longer than 30 minutes, allow the dough to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes to making scooping easier.
* * *
Ahi Tuna
Ingredients
1 pound sushi-grade ahi tuna, cubed
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp rice wine vinegar
2 tsp orange juice
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
¼ cup sweet onion, thinly sliced
2 green onions thinly sliced, green parts only
1 tsp sesame seeds (white or black)
½ tsp red pepper flakes, optional for spicy poke
Whisk together soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, orange juice, toasted sesame oil, fresh ginger, and red pepper flakes if using. Place cubed ahi, sweet onion, and green onion in a serving bowl. Drizzle the soy sauce mixture over the ahi and gently toss to coat. If not consuming immediately, refrigerate. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, and stir to mix in just before serving.
Serve the ahi poke with warm steamed rice, fresh mango, avocado, pickled ginger, and seaweed salad, allowing diners to create their own poke bowls. Do not allow leftovers to sit at room temperature. Refrigerate immediately and eat within two days.
Options for serving: steamed white rice, cubed fresh avocado, cubed fresh mango, and pickled ginger seaweed salad.
* * *
Pineapple Cookies
Ingredients
1 ½ cup of sugar
2 eggs
2 cups crushed pineapple, fresh or canned, strained (reserve 3 tbsp. of the juice for glaze)
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
Pinch of salt
1 to 1 ½ cup confectioner's sugar (for glaze)
½ cup butter
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cream together sugar, eggs, butter, and vanilla. Add pineapple and stir well. Add flour, baking soda, and salt, stir well again. Drop cookies by spoonful onto waxed paper. Cool for ten minutes. If glaze for cookies is desired, combine the reserved pineapple juice and confectioner's sugar to a consistency. Drizzle over cooled cookies. Makes about three dozen.
* * * * *
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
USA Today bestselling author Catherine Bruns lives in Upstate New York with a male dominated household that consists of her very patient husband, three sons, and assorted cats and dogs. She has wanted to be a writer since the age of eight when she wrote her own version of Cinderella (fortunately Disney never sued). Catherine holds a B.A. in English and is a member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime.
To learn more about Catherine Bruns, visit her online at: http://www.catherinebruns.net
* * * * *
BOOKS BY CATHERINE BRUNS
Aloha Lagoon Mysteries:
Death of the Big Kahuna
Death of the Kona Man
Cookies & Chance Mysteries:
Tastes Like Murder
Baked to Death
Burned to a Crisp
Frosted with Revenge
Silenced by Sugar
Crumbled to Pieces
A Spot of Murder (short story in the Killer Beach Reads collection)
A Drizzle Before Dying (short story in the Pushing Up Daisies collection)
Cindy York Mysteries:
Killer Transaction
Priced to Kill
For Sale by Killer
* * * * *
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ALOHA LAGOON BOOKS
Ukulele Murder
Murder on the Aloha Express
Deadly Wipeout
Deadly Bubbles in the Wine
Mele Kalikimaka Murder
Death of the Big Kahuna
Ukulele Deadly
Bikinis and Bloodshed
Death of the Kona Man
Lethal Tide
Beachboy Murder
Handbags & Homicide
Tiaras & Terror
SNEAK PEEK
of the next Aloha Lagoon Mystery
LETHAL TIDE
by
BETH PRENTICE
CHAPTER ONE
"Who's ready for the next question?" our MC for the night boomed into the microphone.
A cheer went up around the Aloha Lagoon Resort's packed tiki bar.
I groaned. I wasn't ready at all. In fact, this evening had turned out to be nothing but embarrassing for me. I looked at my mum, Rita, and gave an involuntary scowl. It was her fault I was here. She was the one who had asked me to join her team and take part in the trivia night to raise money for the local dog rescue. I'd thought what a great idea! I loved dogs, and I'd be happy to assist them any way I could. It didn't help that my boyfriend, Casey, head barman at The Lava Pot, was busy at work mixing drinks, witnessing every humiliation that came my way.
Alright, the humiliation was all self-inflicted. It appeared that trivia was not my strong point—but really. How was I to know Mars had two moons, let alone name them?
The microphone came to life as Edward Fathersham called, "Vodka, orange juice, and Galliano are used to make which classic cocktail?" Mr. Fathersham's day job was the town's estate lawyer. We'd met a little while back when my mum and my twin brother, Luke, had both been the recipients of an inheritance. Every time I'd met Mr. Fathersham, he'd been wearing a cream-colored suit. Tonight he wore a very bright Hawaiian shirt and shorts. I preferred the suit. It covered his knobby knees.
I thought about the question he'd just asked and looked at Casey, who in return smiled at me across the crowded bar and then turned, making some lucky lady a cocktail. Two seconds later my cell phone vibrated on my lap. I looked down at the message, saw it was from Casey, and then hit the buzzer that was sitting on the table in front of Mum.
"Yes, Samantha?" asked Mr. Fa
thersham, his grin frozen in place, seemingly holding his breath waiting for my response.
"The Harvey Wallbanger," I answered, smiling. I looked to Casey, and he winked.
Was I cheating? Sure, but it was for the dogs, so that made it okay, right?
"Well done!" called Mr. Fathersham, pushing his tortoiseshell-framed glasses up his hawklike nose. "Very well done indeed. That's the first correct answer you've had tonight." He beamed and seemed to be genuinely happy for me. Mum put her hand on my arm and smiled encouragingly.
I blushed and made a mental note to never ever enter another trivia night in my life.
"Next question, and it's our last one for the night!" continued Mr. Fathersham.
I heard the disappointment travel around the room that was filled with some locals and some holidaymakers staying at the resort. Maybe everyone wouldn't have been so sad if they'd been the ones participating.
"What is geocaching?"
I had no idea. I'd never heard of it.
I looked towards the red team on my right. They all worked at the Aloha Lagoon Resort. I too worked at the resort, but I hadn't been asked to be on their team. Maybe they'd seen me play trivia before.
Gabby Le Clair twisted in her seat, her eyes sparkling. As the owner of Gabby's Island Adventures, she was super organized as well as slim, blonde, and gorgeous. She was also really sweet. She moved towards her buzzer but was beaten by my immediate boss, Juls Kekoa, the resort's director of activities. If I was being completely honest, I was slightly intimidated by Juls. Not because she wasn't lovely or because she was indeed my boss, but she was very athletic, speed-walked everywhere, and always seemed in complete control of every situation.
Aloha Lagoon Mysteries Boxed Set Volume III (Books 7-9) Page 59