The Look of Love

by Chris Keniston

  “Which reminds me. The furniture store called this morning, and the new sofa bed won’t be delivered until Friday.”

  “Why?” Nick straightened.

  “The man spoke to me for almost twenty minutes, apologizing profusely, but never did get around to giving me an explanation that might stand up in a court of law.”

  “Daddy?” Bradley Harper walked into the guest room. “Is Gramma almost here?”

  “Not quite, sport.” Nick hunched down in front of his son. “She and Grampa and Aunt Maddie aren’t coming until dinnertime.”

  “Can we have dinner early?”

  Nick smothered a laugh at his son’s logic. “That won’t get Gramma and Grampa here any earlier than 6:30.”

  “Oh. Okay.” The curly haired little boy’s face went from resignation to delight in a flash. “Do I still get to share my room with Aunt Maddie?”

  “You sure do,” Kara chimed in, wrapping her arms around the little boy.

  It was hard for Nick to believe that, a couple of years ago, he was a single guy going through the motions of a carefree life. The playboy living over the Surf’s Up Saloon seemed a lifetime ago. After all, what more could a guy ask for in life? A terrific wife, a sweet son, and a best friend for a business partner who he’d trust with his life. His cell phone rang out, and Billy Everrett’s name appeared. Nick had to smile. Sometimes his partner’s timing was almost eerie. If Nick didn’t know better, he’d be willing to bet the guy could read minds. “Hey.”

  “You ready for the deluge of relatives?” Laughter tickled Billy’s words.

  “You bet. Even ordered a new sofa bed for when Kara’s aunt arrives in a couple of weeks.”

  “If she’d prefer, the offer still stands. Anyone who wants to bunk in a real bed can stay in one of our extra rooms.”

  “Appreciate it, man. Will let you know.” Nick followed Kara and Bradley out of the bedroom. “So what’s up?”

  “Just got off the phone with Mom. She’s decided she wants to have your family over for a little get-together before the baby comes.”

  “Uh-oh. How little is she thinking?”

  “Just a few close friends.” Amusement continued to resonate in Billy’s voice.

  “In other words, all of Kona?”

  This time Billy chuckled loudly. “Probably.”

  “At least your mom is the best cook this side of the international date line.”

  “That she is.”

  “I’d better warn my sister to steer clear of any single men at the party in case your mom gets any funny ideas.”

  “It could be worse. You could have a brother for Mom to match up with Sara Alani.”

  “True. Though I don’t understand why Sara can’t seem to find a nice guy on her own.”

  “Might have something to do with the fact that she’s not looking.”

  Nick laughed. “There is that.”

  “Anyhow, keep Saturday afternoon open. Mom insists next weekend is going to be too late.”

  Even though his business partner had no way of seeing him, Nick shook his head at Maile Everrett’s timetable. Kara wasn’t due for another three weeks, and the obstetrician, who to Nick looked older than dirt, insisted first babies are rarely in a hurry to meet the world.

  * * *

  One of the disadvantages of waking up in the middle of the night to catch a plane is that the odds of falling asleep during flight increase exponentially for every predawn hour that someone has been awake. An especially unfortunate result if the person sitting next to you turns out to be both nice and interesting.

  Learning the handsome stranger beside her had recently separated from the navy had certainly explained a lot. From his stoic expression when Maddie had let the luggage plow into him, to his fast reflexes when she’d almost fallen head-over-suitcases. And of course, his chivalrous display when she couldn’t quite manage to get her carry-on over her head without knocking into the backs of a few seats. But she’d wanted to learn more. She hadn’t noticed any jewelry, so he wasn’t a ring knocker. Nothing could separate a military academy graduate from his ring. She couldn’t put her finger on why she knew, but she would bet her next commission check he had most definitely been an officer.

  And a pretty damned good-looking one at that. Maddie had noticed his eyes when he’d stopped her from falling flat on her keister back in the terminal. Shades of river green, with tiny flecks of gold that shimmered when he smiled. If he were a bit younger, she would have asked if he knew her brother. Or any of Nick’s friends. But even if he weren’t at least a few years older than Nick, the fact that there were easily over a quarter of a million active-duty sailors in the US Navy made the odds of her seatmate and her brother knowing each other considerably lower than the chances of her winning the lottery.

  Maddie had hoped to find out more about him, starting with his name, but the wheels of the jetliner had barely left the tarmac when her eyelids grew heavy, and she dozed off. The sound of the captain’s voice announcing the flight’s descent into Honolulu woke her. Mr. Good-Looking Former Navy had his nose in a paperback. She didn’t see that very often anymore. Most everyone she knew read on some sort of electronic device. Not this guy. Apparently a true traditionalist. Probably had the newspaper delivered to his front doorstep and kept a landline in the kitchen.

  “Flight attendants prepare for landing.” The captain’s voice filled the aircraft.

  She hadn’t meant to stare at the man beside her, but she noticed his hands as he slipped a bookmark between the pages, closed the cover and dropped the book into the briefcase at his feet. Long slender fingers stretched out from a solid square palm. Nimble fingers. Maddie wondered if his job had required him using his hands. Her brother had strong hands with long fingers as well. He’d needed plenty of dexterity for what he’d done for Uncle Sam. She didn’t want to even consider how often his fine motor skills might have saved his life.

  “Sleep well?”

  “Oh.” Maddie rolled her neck left then right. “Yeah. I can’t believe I slept for almost six hours.”

  “You must have needed it.”

  Just then the engine made an odd whirring noise as the ground, visible through the window, grew closer to the plane. Her accelerated pulse pounded in her ears. If taking off left her uneasy, landing wasn’t any better.

  “I’m the same way. If a man can sleep in troop seats, he can sleep anywhere.”

  Her fingers curling around the armrests, she blinked, then turned her attention from the window to the man sitting beside it. “I’m sorry. What did you say?”

  The wheels hit the runway, the brakes squealing like a scared pig. Her hold on the armrest tightened.

  “You can relax your grip before you break the chair.” Just like at the terminal when he’d caught her by the arm to steady her, his low, deep voice wrapped her in a soothing sense of calm.

  Easing her grasp, she lifted her hands and wiggled her fingers. If his gentle tone hadn’t already been enough to make her relax, the lopsided grin that met her gaze when she looked up at him would have most definitely done the trick. That smile was incredibly disarming. For a short moment she wondered if the navy had been smart enough to use this man as a secret weapon. Of course that would only work if the enemy were a battalion of women. “I suspect this seat has survived worse.”

  His mouth lifted in a full-impact smile, and she had a sudden vision of this guy wearing dress whites and beating the ladies off with a club. He probably had several women in every port. Not that it was any of her business.

  The plane rolled to a stop, and, like ants whose hill had been kicked over, the passengers stood and busied themselves, opening the overhead bins and gathering their belongings, preparing to escape the moment the single-file line of passengers forming in the aisle advanced.

  “Is this your last stop?” he asked as she pushed to her feet, crouching under the low-hung ceiling.

  “No, just a stopover.” The man beside her stepped into the aisle, and she reached
for the overhead bin.

  “If you’ll wait for me, I’ll be happy to get your bag down for you.”

  Her first instinct was to politely refuse. After all, she’d successfully deplaned from plenty of flights without any help before, but then those emerald-green eyes twinkled at her, and she bobbed her head. “Thank you.”

  “My pleasure.” The heart-stopping smile returned, and Maddie found herself thinking she’d gladly endure another six hours of flight anytime if she’d be confined next to this man.

  Chapter Three

  Delayed. Not the words Maddie had wanted to hear. A scheduled three-hour layover was already too long. According to the flight information board, she and her parents now had five hours to sit and wait for the connecting flight to Kona.

  “We might as well get out and do something. It’s the middle of the afternoon on a beautiful day in paradise.” Yvette Harper rubbed her hands together and, sporting a bright smile, looked from her husband to Maddie. “I vote for Pearl Harbor.”

  Randy Harper nodded at his wife. “I wonder if we could find a Hawaii Five-O tour?”

  “What?” Accompanied by a hand on her hip, Yvette’s smile morphed gave way to buckled brows. This was one of the rare occasions when she didn’t follow her husband’s train of thought.

  “All the places they show in the opening scenes of the TV show. We don’t have to be at the gate for four hours. I bet we could fit both in.”

  “If it includes the new Steve McGarrett, I’m in.” Maddie gave her dad a thumbs-up. She didn’t have to worry about TV hunks turning into assholes. “I’ll phone Nick and give him an update.”

  “Okay then.” Yvette hefted her handbag higher on her shoulder and glanced at the overhead signs.

  Randy held out his free hand to his wife, his fingers curling automatically around hers. “Taxis are that way.”

  Cell phone at her ear, Maddie followed behind her parents. Except for a stretch of time during her teenage years when she was absolutely mortified by her parents’ public displays of affection, she loved how close her mom and dad were. She also found it downright eerie the way they so often spoke without saying a word. Most of the time she doubted anyone else in the world had that kind of relationship. Or that she’d ever find anything even close to it. But then she’d watch her brother and his wife, and, even though they didn’t have the silent communication thing going, they certainly had the loving support down pat.

  “I see you landed on time.” On the other end of her call, Nick hadn’t bothered with hello.

  “For all the good it’s doing us. The connecting flight is delayed.”

  “Why?”

  “According to the gate agent when we landed, wherever the plane is now, it’s having mechanical issues, and they’re waiting for a different airplane.”

  “I suppose this is where ‘better safe than sorry’ fits. What’s the new ETA?”

  “Estimated arrival time is now 8:45 p.m.”

  “Bummer.”

  “Totally. We’re going to do a little sightseeing. This is Mom’s chance to finally see Pearl Harbor. We’ll keep you posted with any updates.”

  “I’ll try to keep Bradley from jumping out of his skin. He’s so ready to see his gramma and grampa he’s practically bursting at the seams. On the bright side he’ll love getting to wait up past his bedtime.”

  “That’s my night owl. Takes after his aunt Maddie. Give him a kiss from all of us, and we’ll see you soon.”

  As Maddie slipped her phone into her purse, her father paused at an information kiosk with pamphlets on Honolulu tourist sights. Her mother quickly perused and sorted through what would be of most interest to everyone. Even though Maddie knew her mom really wanted to see Pearl Harbor, she also knew her mother would make sure that her husband got to see what he wanted as well. The woman was a stickler for having her family’s back. And both Maddie and her dad knew that, if choices had to be made, Yvette Harper would always put her family first.

  Maddie’s mom handed her father two brochures, and, once again, the silent communication was on. Taking hold of them, he glanced at the covers, nodded at his wife then made his way to the cabstand. With their carry-ons safely tucked away in the trunk, her dad in the front seat, and she and her mom in the back, they were on their way to Pearl Harbor.

  Fifteen minutes later the driver pulled up to the memorial park entrance. “Like I said before, at this time of day there won’t be any tickets left for the memorial. Are you sure you don’t want me to wait here for you while you go check?”

  “No thank you.” Randy Harper paid the driver. “Even if we can’t go to the memorial, we can still pay our respects.”

  The guy shrugged and circled the car to unload the bags, then set the two small carry-ons in front of him, and pointed to a building off to his right. “You’ll find where to check these into a locker over there.”

  Maddie scanned the general area where the man had pointed, noticing the well-marked building. “Why don’t you go see about tickets, and I’ll check the bags.”

  With a nod her dad hurried across the way to the ticket booth while she and her mom secured a rented locker for all their bags. By the time they were settled in, her father approached them, shaking his head. “Cab driver was right. Not a chance. The clerk was very apologetic. She explained most tours are sold out by early morning, but we can still see the other museums. She was pretty sure getting into the USS Bowfin and maybe even the USS Missouri on Ford Island wouldn’t be a problem.”

  Yvette Harper smiled at her husband before her gaze settled on the white memorial in the distance. “That will be lovely. Let’s start with the Bowfin.”

  Not far from the locker rental area, the three waited with the other visitors, tickets and headgear in hand to tour the WWII submarine. A handful of people lined up behind them, and then a young man waved them on. From the deck of the submarine Maddie had a clear view of the USS Arizona memorial behind the submarine. “Mom, stand over here with Dad, and I’ll take your picture.”

  Backing up to the metal railing, Randy and Yvette posed, both sporting broad grins.

  “Oh, look.” Yvette pointed over the side of the boat. “The fish are eating the barnacles.”

  Maddie hadn’t cared much about the submarine, but her mother’s love of everything navy thanks to her son and a canceled TV show about the JAG Corps was contagious. Inside the submarine’s cramped quarters her mom smiled and giggled and compared different areas to scenes from her favorite show and seemed unusually concerned with all the brass on the ship. “Who do you think polishes all this?”

  Everything on the sub was so compact, Maddie couldn’t begin to imagine living here for months at a time. On TV and in movies, submarines didn’t seem so small. Suddenly her cramped apartment in San Diego felt like a palace. Her father was especially fascinated with the details of the boat known as the Pearl Harbor Avenger.

  Done with the preprogrammed tour, they hurried off the submarine to purchase tickets for the Missouri. Maddie paused to snap another photo. “Mom, Dad, hang on. Smile.” Backing up, she tried to get her parents and the side of the Bowfin into the frame when she slammed into a warm wall and lost her balance.

  Strong hands circled her arms, steadying her. Teetering in place, she spun about, her nose against rows of ribbons and medals. Crap. “My apologies, sir.”

  “The name’s Daniel, and I thought we agreed you were going to use turn signals from now on?”

  * * *

  When Dan had stopped at his hotel and changed into his uniform in order to join the other symposium members for a barge tour at Pearl Harbor, the last person he’d expected to run into, literally, was the young brunette with a balance problem.

  “I thought you said you’d left the navy.”

  With his fingers still folded around her slender arms, the urge to hang on startled him. “I have.” He loosened his hold on her. “But less than eighty days out, I’m considered on terminal leave and technically still active duty.”r />
  “Oh.” Taking a half step back, she scanned his chest and quickly read his insignia. “Captain?”

  “Daniel O’Neil, at your service.”

  Her fingers lingered on his chest for a few more seconds, and the heat seeping through made him want to reach out and hold her again. And if the dazed gleam in her eye was any indication, she’d felt the sensation too. Having inched away, she stood beside her parents who had come across the walkway to meet them, the corners of her lips turned up in a smile. “Look who I found.”

  The older couple grinned up at him, but the father came closer, extending his hand. “How nice to see you again.”

  “Same here, but didn’t your daughter tell me that you were catching a connecting flight in Honolulu?”

  “We are.” The man smiled. “But there was a delay, so we thought we’d take advantage of the extra time and pop over to Pearl Harbor and the Arizona.”

  Were they insane? People didn’t just pop over to a major world tourist attraction between flights. Especially one known for never-ending lines and hours-long waits.

  The woman beside him looked up at Dan with a toothpaste-commercial-worthy grin in place. “We were just on our way to the Missouri. Would you care to join us?”

  Right about now, spending the remainder of the afternoon with three people whose names he didn’t even know held a great deal more appeal than following his carefully laid-out schedule for the day. Including a two-hour boat tour with a bunch of sailors and bigwigs. Though, if he were honest with himself, the appeal all rested with the pretty brunette. One he had no business paying any attention to. She looked to be close to Carolyn’s age. Which meant he was probably old enough to be her father—or darn close. “Thank you. I wish I could, but I’m expected to join my fellow speakers for a remembrance tour.”

  “Remembrance tour?” the brunette repeated.

  “Afternoon tours offered for active-duty military or veterans and, in this case, for the benefit of those organizing and attending the symposium I’m speaking at tomorrow.”