As they leaned over the edge of the rail, Lexi gasped in wonder. Derek smiled and took out his camera.
“This is amazing!” Gracie said. “How is it that I’ve never heard of this before?” She stretched out her arms and looked up at the sun. “I’m going to need a lot of pictures to remember this.”
Derek focused his camera and pressed the rapid-fire setting. Gracie was beautiful with dark, wavy hair cascading down her back. Lexi had mentioned that she was a dancer, and he could see that in the long, slender lines of her body. He pressed the shutter button again as she turned to him and smiled. He appreciated her beauty, but he didn’t see her the way he saw Lexi. Swiveling right, he captured Lexi as she took in the moment. Before she could move, he’d taken five shots.
“Both of you lean against the rail,” he said. He hopped onto a bench behind them and focused in on the panoramic view spreading out past the two friends. Angling the camera, he caught the breadth of the canyon spread beyond them, with varying shades of red cascading down the deep gorge dotted by verdant green trees and shrubs. “Now Gracie, you move to the left and Lexi to the right. Look toward each other, then turn slightly to view the canyon.” He motioned to them until they found the stance he was hoping for, and then he continued clicking.
Turning to the right again, he zoomed in on Lexi. She smiled, and he captured the color rising in her cheeks. Lexi was gorgeous. Her jade eyes stood out against the backdrop of bright blue and red behind her, her creamy skin and blond hair a striking contrast to the setting. This was the moment he’d been imagining since the first day they’d met. The contour of her cheekbones paralleling the exotic slant to her eyes held perfect symmetry. Derek knew these photos would be stunning, and a thrill zinged up his spine when Lexi turned to him and lifted her chin slightly, as if she knew he had forgotten about Waimea Canyon and was focused only on her.
He hopped down from the bench and crouched low to the ground, shooting upwards toward the brilliant sun lighting up the planes of Lexi’s face. The gauzy white blouse she wore over a green tank top accented her eyes. She looked down and he closed the shutter on her dark lashes, nearly brushing her sculpted cheekbones. “Just one more, Lexi, if you don’t mind.”
She looked up. “I don’t mind, but would you trust Gracie to take one of us?” The way her cheeks turned pink at the request shot tendrils of electricity through his arms.
He lowered the camera and motioned to Gracie. “You ever shot with a DSLR?”
“My dad has one, maybe not that fancy, but yeah.” She approached Derek, but he moved the camera back into shooting position.
“Did Lexi tell you how we met?” he asked. “How she rescued that little girl?”
Lexi glanced at Gracie, smiled, and turned back to Derek. Her face softened as the memory hit them both. It was exactly what Derek had been hoping for. As her eyes fell into that faraway look of reminiscing, he clicked, moving slightly to capture ten, twenty, and nearly thirty photos. Pika came with him on a shoot once and made fun of him for taking so many pictures. “You’re like a little boy playin’ shoot-’em-up with the camera.” Maybe the tease was warranted since he’d been taking pictures of flowers and lizards, but it took more strength than he would admit to lower the camera and hand it over to Gracie.
He gave her a few pointers and then went to stand next to Lexi. He tucked her close to his side. It was only a millisecond, but she turned to him, a look of appreciation and something more in her eyes. Then she smiled for the camera. Something was happening to Derek’s heartbeat—erratic, uncontrolled, and yet totally in sync with Lexi’s every move.
“Thanks for showing us the canyon. This is extraordinary,” Lexi said.
Derek kept his arm around her shoulder and turned slightly. “I agree.” He forced himself to look out at the vista, even though he wasn’t talking about red canyons and lush landscapes.
16
After they walked around the Waimea Canyon overlook and hiked around the red-stained dirt for another hour, Lexi followed Derek back to his car. This time, she waited for him to open her door. She noted that he opened Gracie’s, too. Lexi caught Gracie’s wink as Derek shut her door. Gracie seemed to be enjoying herself as the third wheel, and Lexi appreciated that her friend was willing to come along. It was probably a good thing, because the way Lexi’s heart raced with every look from Derek made her want to tell him all of her secrets. Instead, she remembered Gracie’s warning and Mango the orange cat. With a smile, Lexi tucked her secrets away for another day. Today was too beautiful to risk spoiling.
“The sunset from up here is pretty amazing, but it’s great in Hanapepe, too, and we don’t want to be late for the fish fry,” Derek said.
Lexi nodded. “I can’t get used to how early the sun sets in paradise.” It wasn’t even five o’clock, and the sky was already glowing as the clouds gathered near the horizon ready to enrobe the sun for the night.
“It’s definitely a change that took me a while, but I enjoy getting up early now. The morning is when I do my best work.” Derek rolled down his window as they coasted down the mountainside.
“There’s something to be said about getting up before the world,” Gracie added from the back seat.
“Maybe not as early as that, but Gracie is definitely the expert on mornings,” Lexi said.
“How early?” Derek asked.
“Usually five o’clock, but that changes depending on my performance schedule.”
“You know who else is an early riser?” He glanced at her in the mirror. “My friend Pika.”
Lexi laughed. She couldn’t picture the laid-back Hawaiian as a morning person.
Derek laughed with her. “I know, totally doesn’t fit, right? Anyway, he loves to go deep-sea fishing, and you have to start early for that.”
“Wow, that would be so cool!” Gracie said.
Derek glanced back at Gracie. “I’m sure he’d take you if you’re here for a few days.”
Gracie tilted her head to make eye contact with Lexi. “We’re kind of living day to day so I don’t know what our plans are, but I’ll be here until Wednesday night.”
“I’d better introduce you, then.”
Lexi caught Gracie’s eye, worried that she might not like the idea of the setup with Derek’s friend, but she seemed excited. Maybe the change of scenery was helping Gracie more than Lexi understood.
Lexi put her hand out the window, letting the air caress her forearm. She kept thinking of how Derek had taken dozens of photos of her, and she wondered what he was thinking. When she turned to him, he looked back at the road as if he’d been staring at her. Lexi smiled and relaxed back in her seat. She wasn’t worried about Derek trying to take advantage of her or having ulterior motives; the sweetness of innocence hung between them. There would be time to uncover the layers that made up Derek, and in time, she would share her own truths.
When they arrived at Pika’s mother’s house, the party looked like it had already begun. “Are we late?” Lexi asked.
“Wherever Pika is, there’s a party. So the big guy must be here.” Derek hopped out and helped the two friends from his car. He offered one arm to Lexi and the other to Gracie.
Lexi leaned forward and whispered, “Don’t worry. There will be more guys than just Pika here. Just relax.”
Gracie blew out a breath. “Okay. You remember the sign, Lex, right?”
Lexi snorted and then covered her mouth as they both started laughing.
Derek stopped and looked from one woman to the other. “Did I miss something?”
“No, but if Gracie starts braiding her hair, will you let me know?”
Derek arched an eyebrow. “Sure.” He led them around the back of a house with a sagging porch and across the patches of grass and weeds that grew in place of a lawn.
They were greeted by about a dozen friends and neighbors. Derek made his way around the group, giving introductions. When they reached Pika, Lexi watched Gracie out of the corner of her eye.
�
��Pika, this is Gracie Cardulo. She’s Lexi’s friend.”
Gracie held out her hand, and Pika shook it softly, engulfing her slender fingers with his large hand. “Aloha ahiahi,” he said.
“It’s nice to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you,” Gracie said.
Pika narrowed his eyes at Derek. “Don’t believe everything he says.”
“Okay, but he told me that you don’t look anything like a sea turtle, and I was about to agree.”
Pika’s dark skin flushed, and everyone burst out laughing. Lexi loved the lightness of the moment—Gracie was the only one who could get away with saying something like that to the Polynesian man, who probably weighed a hundred and fifty pounds more than her.
Gracie smiled at Pika. “I’m a ballerina from New York, and I’m here to learn about adventure. Derek said that you like to go deep-sea fishing. Will you tell me about it?”
“Fo’ sure,” Pika replied. “My boat is over here.”
As they walked to the other side of the house, Lexi shook her head. “I don’t know how she does it, but Gracie can make instant friends with anyone. I hope she doesn’t break Pika’s heart.”
“It’d be good for him,” Derek said. “He’s been a heartbreaker for too long now, but I think he’s slowly changing. It looks like the fish is about ready. You hungry?”
Lexi caught a whiff of the sweet and tangy barbeque aroma. “Fo’ sure.”
Derek laughed and guided her to the grill, where he served her a large helping of seared mahi-mahi. They sat around a fire on rickety lawn chairs and ate while the sun set. Pika and Gracie joined them, and Lexi waited for a sign that she was okay with the evening. Gracie nodded and smiled. Lexi breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn’t like she was trying to set Gracie up with Pika, but it would be nice for her friend to have someone divert her attention from her rigorous ballet schedule.
“So, better day for coconuts today?” Derek said.
“I guess.” Pika shrugged.
Lexi turned to Derek with eyebrows raised.
Derek put down his fork. “It’s so weird. Jefe came early today and tried to take Pika’s spot. And yesterday after I left, he undercut him by lowering his prices to four dollars. He was charging six.” Derek scratched a mosquito bite on the back of his arm. “I would’ve been upset.”
“I wonder if something happened to Jefe’s family and he needs more money,” Lexi mused.
“Yeah, bro. My makuahine said their water heater went out,” Pika said. “His grandkids are living with them. Cold showers are no fun, right?” He shook his head. “I told him to show up early tomorrow. I’ll take the day off.”
Lexi caught a glimpse of Gracie’s face, the soft smile of admiration toward Pika. His words cast him in a new light.
“That’s good, bro.” Derek reached out and fist-bumped Pika. “Wouldn’t it be great to have enough to just loan someone money when they’re in a tight spot like that?” Derek shook his head. “Sometimes this world doesn’t make sense to me.”
Lexi’s throat clenched and she ducked her head before the flush of guilt showed up on her face. It was a perfect opening. She could tell Derek that she had enough money to give Jefe a new water heater. She had enough money to buy him an entire house . . .
But she hesitated, watching Derek’s emotions flicker across his face. He threw a stick into the fire, and she noticed how the flames hungrily licked at the dry wood, already working to consume it. Soon there would be nothing more than ash. Lexi stretched out her fingers, her mind running through scenarios where she confided her financial status to Derek. Unfortunately, every scenario left her with visions of smoke rising from her heart.
Maybe there was something she could do to help Jefe without Derek finding out. That’s what Burke’s Higher Steps was all about. She wanted to unobtrusively set up a chapter on Kauai. Jefe’s experience was exactly what Derek had indicated when he talked about living the real island life. The fact was that poverty was everywhere; it lined every golden archway and rimmed the glittering diamonds in crowded cities.
Those plans continued to simmer, but the marketing side of her brain had already thought of a solution when she first saw the coconut trucks lined up at Ke’e Beach. She turned to Derek and touched his knee. “You know, I think you two could make a lot more money if you charged four dollars for each coconut water.”
Derek nodded toward Pika. “He wants to charge five, but the competition is tough. There’s a guy who sells his for that, so Pika plays around with his prices to sell more.”
“But if you charged four dollars, I bet that most people would tell you to keep the change when they handed over a five-dollar bill, or a ten for two coconuts.”
Derek ran his tongue over his teeth. “You really think so?”
“Don’t some people give him a tip?”
“Here and there.”
“That’s an easy, built-in way to give him a tip that doesn’t stretch the purse strings too much. You should try it next Saturday and see what happens.”
“She’s a smart one,” Pika said. “Where you come from, haole?”
“Chicago. Worked in buildings higher than your mountain.” Lexi raised her hand over her head, then let it drop to her lap.
Pika shook his head. “This mountain will never crumble.” He looked at Derek, and Lexi wondered if they were talking about buildings or men. “C’mon. I’ll show you my makuahine’s plumeria tree.”
Pika guided Gracie around the fire pit, his large hand spanning her tiny waist. She looked back at Lexi and smiled. Then she tripped over something in the darkness. Before Lexi had time to react, Pika had scooped up Gracie, holding her near his chest. She heard his voice rumbling as he asked her if she was okay; then Gracie’s slender arm reached around his neck. Pika carried her into the darkness toward the crashing shore.
“See, I told you he was smooth,” Derek said.
Lexi chuckled. “You, too.”
“Nah, not me, but you—that idea would’ve landed flat in the fire if I’d been the one to bring it up to Pika. But he listened to you, and he’ll probably make more money because of it. That’s smooth.” He interlaced his fingers with hers.
“What’s a haole?”
“Used to mean a non-native person, but it’s more for white people or tourists now. Sorry about the Hawaiian slang. He doesn’t mean anything by it.”
Lexi shrugged. “I wasn’t offended, just curious.”
“Just so you know, I don’t think of you as haole. I think you’re my golden girl,” Derek murmured, pulling her closer.
The fire crackled and popped, sending dark orange sparks into the air that Lexi was sure matched the sparks flying between her and Derek. Laughter echoed around them, reminding her of all the people on the outskirts of the fire and under the patio lights.
Derek’s eyes dropped to her mouth, and she could almost taste his kiss as he leaned toward her. He lifted his hand, cupping her cheek, his thumb tracing her jawline. “This has been an almost perfect day.”
Lexi nodded, her insides screaming for the moment when his lips would caress hers.
Derek studied her face and leaned back slightly. “But I think we can top it. How about you?”
“Uh, yeah. Maybe?”
He looked over Lexi’s shoulder. “Aloha, mama Kima. Don’t worry, I’m behaving myself.”
Lexi straightened and saw Pika’s mother step out from the darkness and skirt around them, gathering up garbage and dishes. Her tsking sent Lexi right back to seventh grade when she’d watched her friends sneak behind the bleachers to steal kisses. She’d never been that adventurous, but right about now she wished for courage.
“She likes to keep everything on the up and up,” Derek whispered. “Plus, she gets mad at me when I encourage Pika to hang out with someone besides the island girl she wants him to marry.”
“Oh, that explains the look.” Lexi leaned her head on his shoulder, grateful for his warmth as the night cooled around them.
Derek move
d his arm around her shoulders and held her close. Lexi appreciated the respect that he’d shown to Pika’s mother and to her. He really was a gentleman—and because of that, Lexi didn’t mind waiting for a kiss that promised to be as spectacular as the paradise that surrounded her.
17
There wasn’t time for kissing over the next few days as Gracie and Lexi toured Kauai and spent time laughing like only best friends do. Derek had to work a lot of extra hours chopping coconuts and prepping photos for the next street fair, as well as helping Pika and Kima repair her leaky roof. The following Wednesday, Lexi helped Gracie check her luggage at Lihue Airport. “I wish you could stay longer,” Lexi said as she hugged Gracie again. The airport was balmy, and fragrant perfume filled the air as if trying to coax travelers to stay on the island for one more day. The past week with her best friend had gone by too fast.
“Me, too, but at the same time I’m excited to get back and finish figuring out my life.” Gracie tugged on her luggage strap.
“Sorry to complicate things by bringing Pika into the picture.”
Gracie had gone deep-sea fishing with Pika all day Monday and returned with a sunburn and an inner glow that looked good on her. Derek had confided in Lexi that Pika was smitten with the Italian ballerina.
Gracie smiled wistfully. “I like Pika, and fishing was fun, but he has to figure out his life, too. I told him he has a big head and a big heart, and the only reason he liked me is because of my big mouth.”
Lexi laughed. “You always speak the truth.”
“I try. I just need to get the guts to speak it to myself.”
“You already have it, but it’s okay to be patient with yourself.”
“Thanks, Lex, for everything. I’ll come visit again.”
“And once you figure out where you’re headed, I’ll come visit you.”
“I hope things work out for you and Derek,” Gracie said, brightening. “He has my stamp of approval.”
“Thanks. He invited me to go on a photo shoot with him later this week.”
Hawaiian Masquerade (Destination Billionaire Romance) Page 9