The Sugar Shack was old, but Koa had put in a ton of work. He’d filled in rotting wood and sanded and scraped. Stripped old wallpaper and refurbished wooden floors.
While Koa’s parents’ place looked as pretty as it probably had when his grandparents bought it in the fifties, the décor was all Koa now. He was a fan of nature, animal photographs, handmade toys, and well-made furniture. Even the colors—deep greens and dark blues—fed Theo’s spirit.
Precious little fired Theo’s childhood memories better than the little sleep porch they’d shared at the Sugar Shack in summer. Now, made over for love and play, it was his favorite place in the world.
“Maybe I don’t need you, exactly,” he admitted the whole truth. “But I love you. And I will want you in my life. Always.”
“Me too, Theo. You’re my heart.” Koa’s smile seemed boyishly full of straight white teeth. He nipped Theo’s ear. “Are you happy?”
Theo pressed their foreheads together. Shared breath with him. “More than ever.”
“I never believed I could feel this way,” Koa said. “I’m so alive.”
“Well.” Theo flushed. “I am all that.”
Koa gave him a shove. “Like it’s all about you.”
“The Gao thing was a rush too, you’ve gotta admit. I walked right in there—”
“I was talking about meditation.” Koa gave a jaw-cracking yawn. “Ego much? If you hadn’t given me that book, I’d probably still spend all my time worrying about the future or living in the past.”
“Okay. Yeah.” Theo’s cheeks heated. He’d gotten ahead of himself, hadn’t he? Maybe that was a good reminder.
Then he caught the scent of his mother’s fragrant garden on the breeze, spicy and sweet.
He knew exactly how long it would take him to get to the school he planned on attending from Koa’s place at that time of day. But there was a time for planning his future. A time for lessons. For fixing the past with his mom and making a future with new family and Koa.
He had time for everything, but especially, he had time to appreciate the right now.
He set his phone alarm for ten more minutes. Plenty of time to enjoy Koa’s genuine new smile. “Meditation’s cool too.”
More from Z.A. Maxfield
A Plummet to Soar Story
Feckless, luckless, and charming, Mackenzie Detweiller is the author of a self-help book one reviewer calls “the most misbegotten motivational tool since Mein Kampf.” He’s maneuvered himself into a career as a life coach, but more often than not, his advice is bad. Really bad.
It’s even getting people hurt… and Mackenzie sued.
It falls to Mackenzie’s long-suffering acquisitions editor, JD Chambers, to deliver the bad news. He chooses to do so face-to-face—to see if the spark he senses between them is real when they’re together in the flesh. Unfortunately, a snowstorm, a case of nerves, a case of mistaken identity, and finally a murder get in the way of a potential enemies-to-lovers romance.
There are many, many people who have good reason to want Mackenzie dead. JD must find out which one is acting on it before it’s too late for both of them.
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“…an entertaining read that is funny, full of surprises, and filled with revealing observations about human behavior….”
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“I recommend this book; it’s a funny, dynamic and refreshing read.”
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Z.A. MAXFIELD started writing in 2007 on a dare from her children and never looked back. Pathologically disorganized and perennially optimistic, she writes as much as she can, reads as much as she dares, and enjoys her time with family and friends. Three things reverberate throughout all her stories—unconditional love, redemption, and the belief that miracles happen when we least expect them.
If anyone asks her how a wife and mother of four can find time for a writing career, she’ll answer, “It’s amazing what you can accomplish if you give up housework.”
Z.A. Maxfield loves to hear from readers. You have advance permission to drop her a line.
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By Z.A. Maxfield
PLUMMET TO SOAR
Plummet to Soar
Hawaii Five Uh-Oh
Published by DREAMSPINNER PRESS
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
Published by
DREAMSPINNER PRESS
5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886 USA
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of author imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Hawaii Five Uh-Oh
© 2018 Z.A. Maxfield.
Cover Art
© 2018 L.C. Chase.
http://www.lcchase.com
Cover content is for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted on the cover is a model.
All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of international copyright law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines, and/or imprisonment. Any eBook format cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press, 5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886, USA, or www.dreamspinnerpress.com.
Digital ISBN: 978-1-64080-820-1
Trade Paperback ISBN: 978-1-64080-821-8
Library of Congress Control Number: 2018940824
Digital published November 2018
v. 1.0
Printed in the United States of America
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