The words cut into Lena like a knife in her heart. She interrupted. “We’re trying to get him to stay for turkey and all the trimmings on Friday, and I think his good sense and appetite might make the decision for him.”
Jamey looked between them, wondering about the relationship between the two. Lena could feel the question as if he’d spoken out loud even though his expression didn’t show curiosity. But Lena’s sixth sense had taken over again, offering a glimpse into Jamey’s mind. Like a string between her and Jamey had been pulled tight, Lena felt something else. It wasn’t attraction, although he was movie star attractive, but she’d felt a kinship, like she’d met him before this week. When the conversation between Kalani and Tina was going full force, Lena asked Jamey.
“Do I know you from somewhere?”
“Not that I’m aware of.” He laughed. “I had déjà vu there for a second. Did you notice my puzzled expression?”
That’s what it was. She’d had déjà vu, as well. Did that ever happen to two people at the same time? She didn’t think so but then, her sixth sense capabilities were always presenting her with new possibilities in the paranormal. Like feeling the turtle’s fear on the dive with Pepper. Or feeling that Kalani was interested in pursuing something with her. That might have been wishful thinking, though. And now that she knew about Christmas flings, Lena wondered if she shouldn’t be more careful around Kalani. Did she want to have a brief love affair with someone who lived and worked near her place of residence?
Soon, the party was in full swing and Lena found herself not able to take her eyes off Kalani who seemed to be one of the most sociable people at the soiree. His laugh was infectious, his stature was regal, and he looked to be made for party chit chat. Pepper was now seated at the piano singing Christmas songs to the delight of the crowd when Kalani pulled her aside and asked if she’d like to take the dogs down to the beach.
“Give your puppy a chance to drain his bladder and dig a few holes.”
Lena laughed and looked around. “I’ll have to leash him to walk through this crowd or he might jump up on everyone.”
“There’s a path at the side of the house we can take to avoid the party.” There was a twinkle of mischief in his eyes. “Let’s sneak off with our dogs.”
Lena traded heels for flip flops in her room and met Kalani at a side door off the laundry room. They walked the dogs along the side of the house in silence but soon saw that getting from the edge of the path to the beach below would be tricky. It was a seven-foot drop. The dogs jumped easily and Kalani followed. He was in bare feet and shorts, but Lena wore a loose halter top that could shift if she fell over. She wasn’t wearing a bra and the tape she’d used to anchor the fabric to her chest might come loose.
“If you jump, I can try to catch you,” he joked, with his arms out.
“Stand back, big guy.” Two glasses of wine gave her more bravery than brains and she stepped from the edge and fell to the sand. Kalani reached to steady her and smiled into her face, which was now only inches away from his.
“Easy, right?”
Lena had to admit, it was easier than it looked and when Kalani leaned in to kiss her lips lightly, she wasn’t ready. Her mouth was slightly open, her lips a little dry, but it couldn’t have been a bad kiss because Kalani went in for another, this time not so lightly. He smelled like manly soap and Lena tried to not let his scent dictate her participation. She kissed him back. No tongue, just a kiss, but a very nice kiss. His hand had moved to her arm and when they broke apart, Kalani sighed against her cheek.
“You are lovely.”
Lena wondered if she tasted like the wine she’d been drinking.
Kalani took her hand and they followed the dogs who’d run to the rock on the south side, away from the house.
The waves rolled in gently and drifted out, a contrasting sound to the conversational noise of the party in the distance. “I hope I didn’t overstep a boundary.” Kalani’s voice was husky, full of want.
“You didn’t. I wanted to kiss you too.” She smiled at him. “Fun fact. That was the first time I’ve kissed anyone in a long time and the first non-husband kiss in a decade.” She chuckled to see the surprise on his face. “And this will be the second.” She closed the distance between them, took his face in her hands and kissed him on the mouth. Feeling his readiness, her tongue sought his. Kalani’s hands moved up her back to her hair and they kissed passionately, the intensity escalating until finally Kalani pulled back.
He spoke against her lips. “Unless you want me to undress you right here on the beach, we might want to cool it.”
Lena took a deep breath. “Probably a good idea. I think I got carried away.”
He hugged her to his warm chest.
“Sorry if I’m a little needy.” She didn’t want him to comment.
Kalani kissed the top of her head. “I’m all for needy,” he was smiling. “I think we might be well matched.”
Had Kalani not kissed anyone lately? That was hard to imagine. “I’m remembering that I have a Skype call soon.”
Kalani checked his watch. “How soon? Cause if your hair is all messed up and your lipstick is smeared, that might be a good visual for Tammy.” He squeezed her hand and they walked back to the rock wall.
When Lena’s phone buzzed, she pulled it out of her shorts pocket to see a text from Tammy.
“No call tonight. The girls are busy doing Christmas crafts, apparently something their mother thinks is too messy to attempt at their house.”
Lena’s heart fell. No call? Should she text Billy, ask him if the girls could come to the phone at least? She held up the phone for Kalani. “I do crafts with them at the house. I’m sure that neither of my children would say that to Tammy.”
“She’s a piece of work,” Kalani shook his head.
“That she is.” Lena texted Charlotte’s burner phone.
“No call tonight, Tammy says. We can talk tomorrow. Have fun doing crafts. I love you. Mommy.”
Next, Lena texted Billy.
“Apparently the girls can’t Skype call tonight?”
It was only seconds until she got a reply.
“Stop trying to go over my head to Billy. I told you we’re busy tonight. Tammy.”
Lena knew when to stop. “Tammy has Billy’s phone,” she said.
“She’s baiting you.” Kalani studied her face. “Do you usually reply?”
“Not unless it helps the girls.” They’d reached the wall where the path met the rocks.
Kalani lifted both dogs up to the top. Then, he scaled the wall himself with handholds and footholds in the cemented rocks, hoisting himself up on the grass above Lena. He turned around, lay on his front and reached down for Lena. “Take my hands and walk up the wall.”
Her hands in Kalani’s, she reached the top and fell on her rescuer, laughing. “If someone shone a light on us right now…”
“I can’t imagine what this looks like,” he chuckled.
Lena rolled away. “Shhh. We don’t want to draw attention to ourselves.”
Olaf had joined in the fun by moving in to lick their faces.
“I hadn’t really thought how we’d get back up, but we’d make good cat burglars.” He looked over to his dog. “Sorry for the cat reference, Latte.”
Lena leashed her dog. “And you aren’t even drinking.” Lena bit her tongue as soon as she said that.
“I’ve learned to be crazy without it. Just not dangerously crazy.” He held the door open to Lena and Olaf, then followed them inside. They could hear the party chit chat in the next room. Pepper was singing “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” and people were singing along.
“Did you talk to your father this morning?” Her question was out before she thought about it.
He shook his head. “He wouldn’t come to the door. I saw my brother and his kids though. In the driveway.
Lena nodded sympathetically. She couldn’t imagine if either of her wonderful parents decided to disow
n her.
“Let’s not talk about that, OK?”
She stopped. “Thanks for making me feel special. I’m sure you could have your pick of women anywhere and I’m not so delusional to think that I’m all that amazing, but I want you to know that this means something to me.”
Kalani grabbed her hand, pulled her into an embrace and shook his head. “Are you kidding me? I’m aiming high, Lena.”
He looked so sincere and she wanted to kiss him again. Instead, she tried to get a feeling for this coffee farmer from Kona. “Who are you, Kalani?”
He kissed her lips. “I’m the guy who’s very interested in you.” He leaned back against the wall, pulling her with him. She landed against his firm body and he kissed her lips softly, slowly. When he drew back to ask if she was interested in him, Lena didn’t hesitate.
“I am.”
Chapter 7
KALANI
Lena and Kalani drove north in the Escalade, Lena at the wheel. Kalani was texting Jake to say they’d taken the car, just in case his friend thought someone had stolen it during the party.
“I’m trying to guess where you’re taking me.” Kalani didn’t sound worried.
Lena’s smile was visible from the dashboard. “Just away from fifty noisy people who are getting drunker by the hour. I want to be alone with you.” She pulled the car in to a small lot, by the Kapalua Golf Course where a Hawaiian burial ground had been fenced off after discovery only decades earlier. They got out and started walking.
“This is a burial ground. You know I’m part Hawaiian, right? I might channel an ancient ancestor and start dancing the hula.” Little did Lena know that he believed in all that.
“We’re headed the other way.” Lena pointed to the far side of the golf course to a patch of trees and lawn that overlooked Ironwood Beach below. “I came here with Pepper once and thought this little pocket of heaven was so romantic,” she sighed and took his hand.
The night was warm, the moon was at quarter full, and the beach below was illuminated by the condo lights on the hill behind it. Lena had brought a blanket which they spread on the grass.
“I like it here,” Kalani said pulling Lena to sit with him. “I remember this area before the golf course went in. My friends and I used to run around here with sticks while the mothers sat on the beach.”
“Your mother sounds wonderful. I bet you miss her.”
He wanted to tell her that he missed his mom every day, that she was the glue that held their family together, that she died so suddenly from cancer that no one had time to prepare for the loss of the most amazing person in their lives. “I do. She was the best mother a child could have.” Silence stretched between them. “I bet you’re a good mom.”
Lena smiled. “I try.”
“Do you want more children or is two enough?” Her answer mattered to him.
“I’ve always wanted a house full of kids, but I’d need a partner who co-parented. Billy drifted in and out of our lives like a roommate, most months. He had nice moments with the girls, but he never changed a diaper, never took them on his own unless I forced the issue. If I had more children, I’d need a husband who was more present.”
Kalani thought about a man who didn’t change diapers. Hell, he’d been changing diapers all year for one of the toddlers on his street whose mother had three under the age of six. “This seems like a good time to warn you that I’m a recovering alcoholic. And that means I haven’t been ready for a relationship, not since I got sober. Is that scary to a woman with everything going for her, including small children?” He’d voiced his biggest fear.
“I’m not scared of you, if that’s what you’re asking, Kalani. I have two children with a man who still makes me miserable with his actions. Someone who has a girlfriend who makes me crazy, as much as I want to ignore her. I’m not perfect either. I didn’t give my marriage my all, I let motherhood stand in the way of being a wife. And I’ve been told I snore.”
Kalani smiled. “I bet it’s a cute little snore.”
“What if it’s not? What if it’s a loud, pig snort?” Lena grinned.
He kissed her lips and she snuggled back under his arm. “They have chin straps for that sort of thing,” he joked.
“And ear plugs,” she added. “Tell me about getting sober.”
And he did.
They talked about his struggle with alcohol, telling her things he hadn’t voiced to anyone. When Lena admitted she’d heard he hit a car with his motorcycle and caused an accident, he felt the need to be honest even though he’d kept this secret for two years. “I was drunk that night and although it wasn’t my fault that the mother swerved and hit the tree, I took the blame because she was crying and said she couldn’t lose her license. She had three kids to drive everywhere as a single mom. I told the police I’d hit her.”
“And your father was angry?”
“Furious.” Remembering those days was difficult. “He talked to the police chief, got me off with community service once my broken back healed. But he disowned me.” Kalani recalled how hard it was to keep the secret that the accident hadn’t been his fault, especially when his father told him he was dead to him. “I moved to the Big Island with the idea of turning my life around. And the rest you know.”
Lena asked if he knew anything about the burial ground on the other side of the golf course and he said he did. After divulging his knowledge and interest in the ancient Hawaiian stories, he told her how he’d prayed to Pele to save their houses this week. “And she did,” he said knowing that to mainlanders, it sounded crazy.
Later, when Kalani eased her down on the blanket and made love to her, Lena was the loveliest Christmas surprise Kalani could ever imagine.
How could he ever leave her this week?
LENA
Waking to Olaf kissing her face at seven, Lena pushed the dog away and remembered last night. She and Kalani had made love on a blanket above Ironwood Beach and she’d never felt so close to someone in her entire life. Her intuition told her that this man was someone she could trust, even if their union might not last past Christmas. He’d been hers last night, she’d felt that, and had gone from talking about their most intimate subjects, to giving themselves to each other. She’d asked him to make love to her.
“Are you sure, Lena?”
“I am more than sure,” she’d said, hoping he wouldn’t turn her down.
No words were exchanged after that. Not until they lay together afterwards, the blanket now wrapped around them.
When they got back to the house at two a.m., happy from afterglow, they kissed at the front door. Long and deep. Then, Kalani asked if they should sleep in her room or his. She’d panicked and suggested they sleep apart.
“It’s the snoring, isn’t it?” Kalani teased as they walked through a now-empty house filled with after-party mess.
“Waking up with someone takes bravery and I’m not sure I’m ready for that.” She wasn’t sure if Kalani was still considering the Big Island for Christmas day and feared that if she didn’t hold back a part of herself, she’d be crushed if the relationship didn’t continue past this week.
Outside her bedroom door, Kalani took her in his arms and pressed her into him. “Don’t wake up with regrets, Lena.”
She wouldn’t regret their intimacy, but she might be embarrassed it happened after only knowing him for a few days. Regardless of their hours together, Lena was sure she knew what Kalani stood for. “No regrets,” she’d whispered.
Lying in her bed she remembered how Kalani slid on top of her, took her breasts in his warm hands, pressed his erection into her thighs. He’d been careful and gentlemanly, and it was over sooner than she’d have liked. Afterwards, they laughed about how ready they’d been for one another. And about the uncomfortable hard ground.
“Let’s get to a soft bed and do this again,” he’d said.
At the time, she’d thought it was a good idea but once they entered the house she reconsidered. They’d gone their
separate ways.
Slipping from the bed, she put on her hoodie that still carried Kalani’s scent and took Olaf outside. From the pool’s grassy area, she saw Kalani on the other side of the house, walking around the kitchen. Her heart leapt at the sight of her lover as she remembered things they did to each other at Ironwoods. Her insides tingled, and she wanted to go to him, kiss him, make love again. Stay in bed all day. She shivered at the sight of this man who looked like a pirate and made love like a poet.
When Olaf was finished his business, Lena herded him to the kitchen only to find that Kalani had made coffee, but was no longer in the room. There was no sign of him. Should she go to his bedroom to find him, or wait? Pouring a cup of coffee into a mug that said Maui is for Lovers, Lena fed Olaf and kept one eye on the staircase. She gathered the ingredients to make blueberry scones and set to work.
But by the time the scones were in the oven, there was still no sign of Kalani. Thinking the worst, she mounted the stairs and tapped gently at his bedroom door. She heard nothing inside. No dog sounds, no rustling of sheets. It was still early. With her ear to the door, Lena felt invasive and when Jake came around the corner, she quickly stepped back.
“I’m looking for Kalani.”
Jake’s expression was unreadable. “I just took him to the airport.” He pointed downstairs.
What? Lena’s heart dropped but she tried to sound cheerful and casual. “I just saw him making coffee.”
“He’s having Christmas with his neighbors, remember?” Jake looked at the coffee mug she’d brought for Kalani. “Is that up for grabs?” he asked, taking the mug. He smiled and disappeared inside the master bedroom.
He’d left with no word. What had he said last night about Christmas? She tried to remember. Nothing to indicate he was leaving in the morning. The last she remembered, he was considering staying but had said his friends would be terribly disappointed.
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