“Shelby, let’s take this outside where we won’t cause a scene,” he said through gritted teeth.
“My pleasure,” Shelby retorted. She was angry. First at herself for saying something—she had almost made it the whole way through without uttering a word of Kaley’s potentially vile motives—and secondly, she was angry that Daniel was so defensive.
As they walked down the sidewalks of Hawthorne, Daniel and Shelby didn’t say a word to each other. The tension between them was thick as Shelby cursed herself and his reaction, while Daniel’s mind spun. Why was Shelby acting so crazy? There was no chance Kaley was interested in anything more than his book Shannon Town. What was going on?
When they finally arrived at the car, Daniel spoke, turning to face Shelby.
“I’m sorry you don’t trust Kaley Hamilton. But I do ask that you trust me. I know what I’m doing here, okay?”
# # #
As Daniel boarded Hawaiian Air flight 11, he wasn’t sure if he knew anything. When he allowed himself to reflect on the possibilities for his book Shannon Town, as well as the opportunity to spend two weeks in Maui, he was thrilled. But, that’s where the joy stopped. The rest of it felt heavy. His argument with Shelby kept replaying in his mind. How could she act like that? How could she insinuate that this wasn’t a huge opportunity for him? And why did he keep feeling what he could only describe as a nudge to have Shelby with him in Maui, even though he wasn’t sure how that would go—especially since their fro-yo blow-up?
When he dropped Shelby off, they had kissed briefly, although Shelby was barely able to make eye contact with him. He didn’t feel good about how things ended before he left, but he had been so frustrated that he couldn’t summon the energy to make things better. As Daniel buckled into his coach seat for the five-hour flight ahead, he couldn’t help but imagine what his life might be like when he was flying back home. And what would come of he and Shelby? He honestly wasn’t sure.
Daniel put on his headphones to distract himself from the heavy feeling in his body. Radiohead’s “Everything In Its Right Place” came on and Daniel let his mind drift to Maui, to Shannon Town, Shelby, Kaley Hamilton, and all that lay before him.
The next thing he knew, a woman was shaking him.
“Sir, sir—we’ve landed in Maui. It’s time to get off the plane.”
Daniel rubbed his eyes, coming back to his reality with a start. He looked up at the woman and around him—the plane was empty. Somehow he had slept through the entire flight and missed the landing. All he could remember were brief visions of his dreams—it was like someone had drugged him. There were visions of his mother’s face looking down sweetly at him, he and Shelby dancing in white on a beach and, for some odd reason, a wispy outline of a woman dancing around with them. Daniel rubbed his eyes again, trying to wake himself more fully. He felt as though he had completely left his body and traveled somewhere else.
“I’m so sorry, for some reason I completely conked out. Thank you for waking me.”
“No problem, sir,” the young Hawaiian stewardess replied. “Sometimes coming to the islands puts you in touch with a different reality. Happens all the time.”
Daniel looked up at her curiously. She simply smiled, turned and headed to the back of the plane. He thought her remark quite odd, but couldn’t give it much thought. He had a meeting with Kaley Hamilton after he checked in. And he wanted to make sure he wasn’t drooling with sleep in his eyes. He had to make every moment of the trip count if he wanted his career to be anything like Steinbeck’s.
# # #
Daniel had never been to Maui before and found himself utterly intoxicated with the palm trees, the sultry warmth, and the smell of hibiscus flowers everywhere. He felt so in love with the area that he upgraded to a Chevrolet Camaro convertible, so he could fully enjoy the energy and scenery of Maui. Kaley Hamilton and friends were staying in a small condominium complex in Kihei about a half hour from the airport. The plan was that Daniel would get settled in (the group was at the Grand Wailea spa for most of the day), and they would all meet up in the courtyard for beverages and appetizers in the early evening.
It was only 2 p.m., so Daniel had a few hours before he had to be “on” to see Kaley and company (which is what he decided he would now call the crew that Kaley had only vaguely referred to). They had exchanged a few emails to set up the schedule and travel arrangements, but Kaley had not been very forthcoming about what type of meetings he should prepare for.
“Don’t worry about preparing anything Daniel. We’ll keep it all very organic—it is Hawaii after all. We’ll see how it unfolds and if Shannon Town might be a fit for any of my publisher friends.” Was all she had said via email.
The use of the words “very organic” made Daniel uncomfortable. Whenever people wanted to keep things organic, it usually meant there was zero plan. But, he couldn’t imagine that Kaley Hamilton became an agent of such notoriety without planning these types of occasions. Although…with Shelby’s allegations about Kaley’s motives hanging in the air, Daniel wasn’t sure what to believe. But, his mind argued, the fact that she felt his manuscript was quality enough to even be present at this gathering with publishers was a huge compliment to him.
He had been dreaming about this moment for quite some time. And he hoped that if things were too “organic” he could nudge them back into line, a line that included him signing on the dotted line to have his novel published for the entire world to see. He had worked hard to get to this point, and he would be damned if he frittered it away with an “organic” two weeks of being in front of major players in the publishing industry, including Kaley Hamilton.
As he pulled up to the complex he would be staying at for the next two weeks, Daniel was impressed. It appeared to be about 12 units, two levels, formed in a “U” shape with a beautiful courtyard in the middle. The complex was light yellow in color and the grounds were beautifully landscaped with palm, mango, and avocado trees, along with brightly colored flowers of every shape and size. Hibiscus flowers in yellow, purple, and white lined the entire courtyard. In the middle sat a sparkling swimming pool (that looked so good, Daniel wanted to dive right in), two picnic tables, and a large barbeque. In the far corner between two palm trees was a green-and-white hammock.
“They thought of everything,” Daniel mumbled under his breath. He looked over at his empty passenger seat and couldn’t help but imagine Shelby sitting there, taking all of this in with him. Just thinking of her made him want to connect with her in some way, but he didn’t know what to say or do since their last exchange. He decided to send her a quick, generic text: Just got 2 Maui—it’s gorgeous. Will call soon. XO
Daniel grabbed his bags and headed up to the complex. Kaley had FedEx-ed the key for his room, so all he had to do was unpack his stuff and relax before everyone showed up. He opened the door to room 11 and stood in awe. It was a simple studio, but it had such a luscious Hawaiian feel with an authentic island theme that it took Daniel everything he had not jump up and down on the bed like a little boy. Spending two weeks in paradise was a complete gift from the gods to Daniel. Since his trip to London right before his mother passed on 11 years ago, Daniel had not traveled. It was as though the guilt of leaving when she needed him the most paralyzed him from ever leaving again. Only the prospect of finally doing something his mother would be proud of—to be a published author—could motivate him to travel yet again. And that’s why it was so important to him to have an agent and publisher choose him, rather than self-publish. He needed the validation, not just for himself, but for all the years he spent beating himself up about not doing right by his mother.
Standing in the middle of what would be his home for the next two weeks, Daniel took a good look around, grinning from ear to ear. He had done it. This trip was going to change his life—he could feel it. There was a small sitting area with a white, purple and green floral couch with wicker accents, a coffee table, a queen-sized bed with a beautiful floral bedspread, a small tik
i brown desk, and a kitchenette with breakfast bar and two wicker stools. The studio was decorated with all purple, green and white, and soft brown wicker accents throughout. It was then that Daniel noticed a large bouquet of flowers and a floral lei on the breakfast bar. He set down his bags and walked over to the card sitting in front of the bouquet.
Welcome to Maui Daniel! I’m so excited you could be here to share in the Aloha spirit. Love, Kaley
Love? Aloha spirit? Odd. Daniel tried not to overthink it. She was a professional, and maybe being in Hawaii just made her more relaxed. Maybe she didn’t want to be overly focused on business. Except that’s why I’m here, he thought. He had tried and had been successful to not put too much pressure on this trip (and the time with Shelby certainly made things much easier, until the fro-yo incident), but now that he was here, simmering in the loveliness of Hawaii, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of urgency. A sense of, c’mon let’s do this. It was like his adrenaline and testosterone were combining into a crazy-motivated cocktail. He was going to have to find a way to take the edge off. He was in Maui, he needed to relax.
Daniel walked into the bathroom, noting that yet again purple, green and white dominated the color scheme. He smiled when he saw the deep bathtub. Shelby would love to soak in this, he thought. He imagined her, her hair piled high on top of her head, relaxing in the tub, while Daniel brought her a glass of wine with “Sea and Cake” playing in the background. He would love to sit there with her and talk about anything at all, laugh with her and then, of course, help her get out of the tub and into something more comfortable…
Right then a text came through his phone. It was Shelby.
So glad u made it! Text pics whenever u can. Thinking of u! Xo
Daniel immediately took a photo of the room and the bathtub and texted them to Shelby, with a few x’s and o’s.
It was after hitting “send” that Daniel felt a pain in his chest. He breathed into it, noticing that it felt like regret. I shouldn’t have let our last time together be an argument. Maybe her intentions were solely out of concern and not jealously. I should have tried harder to make it better or understand her point of view. And I should have asked her to come here with me. But, the fact of the matter was that all the shoulds in the world weren’t going to change anything. What was done, was done. If Daniel had any chance of pulling off a successful first meeting with Kaley and company, he was going to have to focus on the task at hand. He sat down at the breakfast bar, pulled his manuscript out of his suitcase and started thumbing through it. It was a good book. It would be published. He could feel it.
A slight breeze drifted in through the window and the smell of the islands made him relax. He had to trust that everything was happening as it was meant to. What transpired over the next two weeks could set his career on fire and bring even more meaning to his life. He needed to keep his focus positive, so that what he wanted—Kaley Hamilton to represent his work, securing him a lucrative book deal and for his work to reach mainstream America—could take place. Then, he could see where things with Shelby would go next.
He was a man with a plan.
Daniel checked the time, noting he had about an hour-and-a-half before he needed to be clean-shaven and ready to meet Kaley. He thought about lying down for a nap, but he wasn’t tired. He had slept the entire five hour flight and felt energized. He decided to go for a short walk down to the beach to experience the island manna for the first time himself. He also wanted to take some photos to send to Shelby.
As he walked down to the beach, he was overcome with a strong sense of gratitude and joy. It was true that this past year hadn’t gone the way he would have liked. But, it had allowed him to finish his novel, and it had led him to the Willamette Writers Conference where he met Shelby—and meeting her had inspired him so much creatively and personally that he had nailed the pitch with Kaley. Because of that, he was here, at one of the most beautiful places on earth to meet publishers and discuss his book. He had spent the past week with one of the most beautiful, smart, amazing and sexy women he had ever met. When Shelby touched him, his whole body melted.
He flashed back to their last night before the lunch time fro-yo incident. Shelby had been wearing a sexy turquoise-blue halter dress that was slightly formfitting. With a glass of wine in hand, she had walked over to him as he was sitting on the couch, a look of intensity in her eyes. He could see it so clearly even now—it was like he was experiencing the moment all over again. She set her wine down and sat on top of him, her legs straddling his body. He had put his hands on her thighs, gripping them firmly as she leaned down to kiss him, her tongue tempting him. As his hands dug into her thighs, she let her hands linger all over his body, his face, his neck, stopping to kiss his ears, her tongue gently licking him as her hot breath sent chills up his spine. She sat up at that moment, her hands on his face looking at him and said, “You’re amazing. Don’t ever forget that. I am so blessed to be sharing this moment with you.”
Daniel was so overcome with emotion that he grabbed her, pulling her into him, kissing her so powerfully it took his breath away. His hands covered every inch of her body; he had to feel her in every way he could. Then, she pulled away again, kneeling down in front of him. Her eyes looked up into his as she slowing began to unbutton his pants, taking her time, never breaking their gaze. Daniel’s heart rate increased and his breath turned heavy. He wanted her, all of her and he could feel she wanted him.
“Sync your breath up with mine,” she said softly as she began stroking him. Daniel did as she asked without question. She was a goddess to him and in this moment he would follow whatever she asked. As they kept their gazes fixed on one another, breathing in unison, Daniel felt energy swirling in his root chakra at the base of his spine. He could feel it growing larger as it swirled, the intensity of his pleasure rising beyond anything he had ever experienced before.
“Hey! Watch out idiot!” a driver yelled at Daniel, blaring his horn.
Daniel was so enmeshed in remembering that night with Shelby that he had almost walked right into oncoming traffic. The connection between he and Shelby was so overpowering, it was even affecting his ability to function when she wasn’t around. Daniel had to remind himself why he was in Maui in the first place. This was his big break, one that he wanted to be fully present for. Day-dreaming about his time with Shelby would have to be reserved for a later date.
# # #
“And yee-ah, and yee-ah!”
Shelby yelled along with the other women in the StudioNia classroom, following the petite instructor Trixie’s every move. Trixie was Shelby’s favorite instructor—with short auburn brown locks, dazzling green eyes and the best taste in workout fashion Shelby had ever seen. Shelby had been practicing Nia for several years, being particularly drawn to it because she both loved dance and being able to get her anger out with a yell every now and again.
Nia was a dance class that combined elements of martial, dance, and healing arts all together. It was also the only workout class where she could get dressed up and sweat. Today, she was wearing a short, multicolored tank dress over capri leggings, earrings, and her heart charm necklace. She tried to get Kathryn’s attention to see how she was doing (she had only been to Nia a couple of times prior). But Kathryn—who had been overtaken by a Nia clothing sale and was now covered in head-to-toe purple lycra—didn’t notice, she was so intently following Trixie. Kathryn had actually been the one to convince Shelby that what she needed was a good sweat session at Nia after the argument with Daniel, balancing her masculine and feminine aspects to make her forget about what might potentially happen now that he was in Maui with Kaley Hamilton. Shelby had agreed only because she had spent the past day since he left feeling very uneasy.
Why hadn’t she said she was sorry? She didn’t know Kaley Hamilton. Everything she had heard through Hello Portland about Kaley were simply rumors. And even if it were true, it wasn’t her place to tell Daniel about it. He needed to figure things out for himself
. Shelby wanted to go to Daniel, wrap her arms around him and tell him how sorry she was. But now he was in Maui, and there was nothing more that could be done.
“You’re not in control. Whatever is meant to happen, will happen,” Kathryn had reminded her. And she knew that, but it didn’t stop the gnawing in her gut.
When Daniel sent the text that he had arrived and the place was gorgeous, she couldn’t help but feel a bit melancholy. She wanted to be there with him.
As Celine Dion belted out:
“There were nights when the wind was so cold
That my body froze in bed
If I just listened to it
Right outside the window”
Shelby found herself getting lost in the music, her body somehow effortlessly following Trixie’s.
“But when you touch me like this
And you hold me like that
I just have to admit
That it's all coming back to me”
Her body shivered as she flashed back briefly to her last full night with Daniel before their argument. The heat of his breath on her neck, the way his hands knew exactly how to touch her, the smell of him on top of her—it was as if the Universe had created him just for her. She felt the stirring in her yoni, and she tried to refocus her attention on her dancing.
They hadn’t had sex—although Shelby felt they had definitely made love—because they both agreed 1) they had plenty of time for that, and 2) they wanted to be wholly and fully committed to one another before they took that step. Shelby had stopped having sex without a deep and meaningful connection after her early twenties. She noticed that when she had sex without a meaningful connection, it felt like a violation to her body in some way. That somehow her body knew that no man should enter her unless their connection was fully in alignment as spiritual and physical beings. It was something she simply knew. It felt wrong to have a man inside of her when it wasn’t the man she felt she was absolutely meant to be with in that moment. Daniel seemed to understand—sharing that he too was done with careless sex and was seeking a more meaningful connection on all levels before moving into anything more.
Following Bliss (The Quest series) Page 8