Faye wished she could go to her room and shut the door. She’d forgotten how tiring it was to listen to a child’s prattle all day long. And her nails were a mess. They’d made sand castles, and her red polish was worn and chipped. The last thing she had time for right now was to sit for another manicure.
She glanced at her watch. Jesse wouldn’t be here for three hours. Faye didn’t know if she’d make it that long, though she would have some relief for a few blessed minutes. The girl had fallen asleep on the living room floor just a little while ago.
Why had she ever agreed to this job? So far, every attempt to get close to Kaia had failed. It was just one more failure to add to Faye’s collection.
The phone rang, and she saw Curtis’s cell number pop up on the caller ID. He was out running errands. “Can you come rescue me?” she asked, making her voice as pitiful as she could.
Curtis’s booming voice lifted her spirits. “Not going well, huh?” he asked, worry giving his voice a rough edge that she liked.
She hurried to soothe his concern. “It’s nothing. I’m just not used to dealing with a child all day. I’m not sure this was the best approach to take. And I don’t think Kaia likes me.” Admitting her biggest fear brought her near tears.
“I’m sure that’s not true,” Curtis said. “Give it time, Faye. Things will work out.”
“I don’t think so. Do I have to even try? Let’s just pack up and move back to the mainland.” She knew Curtis would never agree to that. Not until he’d reached the goal he’d set for both of them.
“You know better. Try again.”
She sighed. “I will.” The doorbell rang. “I’ve got to go. Someone is at the door.”
“Okay. I’ll see you after work.”
Faye clicked off the phone and hurried to the door. She nearly stumbled when she saw Kaia through the glass panes. She wished she’d had time to clean up a little. Flecks of sand still clung to her shorts and legs.
“Sorry to drop in unannounced,” Kaia said when Faye opened the door. “I’m so sorry about missing breakfast the other day.”
“Oh no, you can come by any time. And Jesse explained about your ankle. Is it better? How are you? Come in and sit down.” Aware she was babbling but unable to stop, Faye stepped aside and closed the door after Kaia.
“My ankle is fine now, thanks.” Kaia looked around. “Where’s Heidi?”
Faye gestured toward the living room. “She’s asleep. We made sand castles. That’s why I’m such a mess.” Faye hid her hands in the pockets of her shorts.
“You don’t look a mess. I’ve never seen someone so perfectly put together all the time.”
The way Kaia said it, it didn’t seem like a compliment. Faye’s smile felt false. “Have a seat and I’ll get you something to drink. How about a fruit smoothie?”
“Actually, I came to take you out for a shave ice.”
The way Kaia smiled made Faye’s spirits rise. Her gaze lingered on the younger woman. Kaia’s large, dark eyes dominated her face. Intense and intelligent, they were a window to the inner woman Faye wanted to get to know better.
“A shave ice sounds wonderful! But Heidi is asleep.”
“There’s no hurry. We can sit and get to know one another for awhile.” Kaia sat on the sofa and curled one leg under her in a relaxed position. “I’m pooped anyway. A rest sounds nice.”
Faye watched Kaia lean back against the cushions. She looked quite at home. Maybe it was a good omen. Faye would like to see Kaia in this room all the time. “Tell me about your research.”
“I would think you would be tired of hearing about it.”
“Oh, Curtis doesn’t bring his work home. Getting him to talk about it is harder than prying open a clam.” Kaia’s dark eyes lit with enthusiasm as Faye listened. Kaia’s animation was mesmerizing, and Faye couldn’t take her eyes off her.
“We’re working on interacting with the dolphins with language,” Kaia said. “They talk to one another in clicks and whistles. We’re trying to establish a defined set of clicks and whistles that mean something to both of us so we can actually communicate with each other.”
“How exciting!” Faye didn’t care what Kaia said; she just wanted to keep her talking, keep her in the house. All her earlier plans to get Kaia to open up about important things went out of her head.
“Yes, it is. Although so far I’ve had more setbacks than anything. But I’m optimistic.”
“Curtis says if the dolphins don’t figure things out soon, he’s going to have to train them for the sea park.” Kaia’s eyes narrowed, and Faye knew she’d said the wrong thing.
“He can’t capture them. They’re wild dolphins who choose to come in to interact with us. I won’t let him betray their trust.” Kaia clenched her hands into fists.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything.”
“No, I’m glad you did. I’m going to have to talk to Curtis about this again.” Kaia began shifting in her seat, agitated now.
“Oh dear.” Faye wanted to wring her hands. Now Curtis would be mad that she’d gotten the whole staff up in arms.
“Don’t worry; I’m not going to blab that we’ve talked. But I am going to stop him,” Kaia said fiercely.
Faye chewed on her lip, tasting the lipstick she thought had worn off long ago. She’d have to confess to Curtis herself. If she let him be blindsided by Kaia’s plans, he’d never forgive her.
Kaia made an obvious effort to control her anger. “Tell me about yourself. Where are you from? You look Hawaiian.”
Treacherous territory. But maybe this would be the opportunity Faye had been looking for. “I am Hawaiian. I left Kaua’i a long time ago though and went to the mainland. I’ve been gone from the islands for twenty-two years.”
“I can’t imagine leaving here for so long! Didn’t you miss the sound of the sea and the scent of the orchids?”
If Kaia only knew. “Once upon a time I thought I wanted excitement and fulfillment I couldn’t find here.” She folded her hands in her lap. “After tasting everything the world had to offer, I found it wasn’t as thrilling as I thought it would be. I was empty when I met Curtis. He changed things for me, and I realized all I’d missed here. When he suggested moving back, I jumped at the chance. Things have changed though. I can’t believe how busy Honolulu has gotten.”
Kaia nodded. “Kaua’i has stayed much the same though.”
“Yes, it has.” Faye needed to tread carefully. “What about you and your family?”
“It’s just me and my two brothers. Our grandfather raised us. Our father died when I was two.”
Faye’s eyes stung. “What about your mother?”
Kaia’s mouth grew pinched. “I’d rather not talk about her. She left me with strangers when I was four and never looked back. I’ve never gotten so much as a card or a phone call from her.”
“You poor child.” Faye just barely managed to get the words out. “She must have been a terrible person.”
Kaia shrugged. “I don’t remember much about her, except that she sang when she combed her hair. She took me with her when she left, at least for a little while. Until she dumped me with a friend who called my grandfather to come get me a year later. Bane remembers her better than I do.”
“What does he say?”
“He’s been thinking about trying to find her. I told him not to bother. She wouldn’t thank us for interrupting the perfect life she’s found without us.” She sighed. “But our grandfather agrees with Bane.” She gave a slight smile. “I don’t know why I’m telling you all this. It must be boring.”
“Not at all. You still sound so hurt.” Faye wanted to embrace Kaia and tell her it would be all right.
Kaia’s smile was sad. “Tûtû kâne says I was in rags when he found me and brought me home. I imagine the abandonment affected me in ways I can’t remember. And I’ve lived with the whispers all my life. My mother’s departure was big news on the island.”
“Why did people talk about it so much? It happens every day, sad to say.”
“My mother was someone special. Paie Oana grew up the darling of the island. A Hawaiian princess that everyone recognized. She was the best hula performer in the islands, I’m told. I’m surprised she was able to vanish without a trace, to tell you the truth.”
Faye hesitated. She didn’t want to upset Kaia even more. “Could she be dead?”
“I doubt it. I think she just got fed up with raising three kids on her own. She was used to acclaim and honor and the drudgery got her down. When a rich man appeared, she was more than ready to be spoiled again.”
“I see. Maybe she’s changed.”
Kaia must have heard the note of disapproval in her voice, because she looked up. “The guy she ran off with owned a bunch of companies. He had a private jet and a house in Paris as well as two on the mainland.”
“Where did you hear all this?” Faye shook her head. “Sounds like a lot of gossip to me. If you were left with a friend, maybe your mother was abandoned too and didn’t have the money to feed you or something.”
Kaia’s cheeks reddened, though from anger or embarrassment Faye couldn’t say. “I shouldn’t be talking like this. I’m sorry. You’re right; it’s gossip. I didn’t come here to air my past anyway, but you’re a good listener.” She glanced at Heidi. “Maybe we should wake her.”
Kaia’s words warmed Faye. The walls between them were starting to come down. She glanced at the sleeping child. “She’s so tired I hate to do that.”
Kaia rolled her wrist to look at her watch. “I’ve only got another hour before I have to meet Jesse.”
“Oh? Jesse is supposed to come get Heidi at five.”
Kaia gasped. “Oh, didn’t he call you? He wanted to ask you to keep Heidi this evening. I wanted to give you a break from her for a few hours and instead I’ve yakked my head off. I’m sorry.”
Faye’s initial dismay faded. After talking with Kaia, she realized she’d been going about this the wrong way. It was time she put her own selfishness behind her and focus on Heidi’s needs. She’d fallen too quickly into the old patterns of pursuing her own ends no matter what the cost to others. She wouldn’t hurt Heidi the way Kaia had been hurt.
THE RED DIRT ROAD HELD MORE DIPS THAN WAIMEA CANYON. The wind whipped her hair in the exposed Jeep. Kaia was beginning to think the shave ice she’d gulped down with Heidi and Faye had been a bad idea. She’d enjoyed the time with Faye. Though the older woman had seemed cold and polished on the outside, the genuine caring in her manner had cut through Kaia’s usual defenses. Strange that Faye had done it so easily.
Jesse turned into a pull-off to a canyon and killed the engine. “This seems pretty remote.”
Taro fields spread mauka, and the flooded fields glistening in the sunshine. “The place where they meet is just down that hill,” Kaia said, pointing to the sloping hillside opposite the taro fields. “They use the old rice mill.” She started off in the general direction of the mill.
“This is probably a bad idea,” Jesse grumbled. “Your ankle is still too weak to be climbing rough ground.”
Her ankle throbbed at the reminder, but Kaia wasn’t about to say so. “I’ll rest it up on the boat later. And a swim will fix everything.” He helped her down the steep incline. Thin soil slid from under her hiking boots. Stones rattled down the hill. “We’re sure not sneaking up on anyone,” she told him.
He grinned, and she found herself smiling back. Suddenly the fading afternoon sun seemed brighter. His quiet strength made her feel secure. It was such a direct contrast to the way she’d felt when she first met him. They’d sure gotten off on the wrong foot.
They reached the bottom of the slope. The mill crouched over a dry spring about a hundred yards away. A slight breeze shifted a dangling piece of metal sheeting on the roof, and it gave an eerie creak that startled them both. Kaia clutched Jesse’s hand.
“I don’t think anyone is here,” Jesse whispered.
“Oh yes there is.” Kaia pointed at a black sedan sitting under a palm tree. Red dust dulled the shine, but she didn’t think it had been out of the showroom more than a few weeks.
He nodded and held his finger to his lips. Crouching low, they stepped to a window along the back of the building. It was too high to see in, but Jesse stepped onto a large boulder. A gecko scurried away at their approach.
“See anything?” she whispered.
“I think I hear voices.” He hopped down beside her. “We need to get closer.”
“We used to play out here when we were kids. There’s a side door, if it’s unlocked. It opens into a small room.” She led him to the west side. He peered around the corner then motioned for her to join him in the enclosure that jutted from the side of the building.
Out of reach of the trade winds, the air here seemed still and oppressive. Jesse tried the door. “It’s unlocked,” he mouthed.
He turned the knob in small increments, and Kaia waited for the door to creak as it opened, but it made no sound. He opened it just far enough to get his head in. “No one’s in there.” He stepped through first and held it open for her.
She joined him in the ten-foot-square room. The door into the milling room was partially ajar. One loud noise, and they’d be discovered. Jesse tiptoed to the door and peered out. Kaia looked around his shoulder.
Two women stood near some machinery. Kaia leaned forward to hear, and her weak ankle gave way. She tumbled into a group of boxes.
The women looked around at the clatter. They rushed toward the door, and Kaia scrambled to her feet and moved to intercept them. “Stay hidden,” she mouthed urgently to Jesse.
The women paused when they saw her. “We’re just looking around,” the oldest woman said. About fifty, she wore alohawear shorts and a matching top. Her short black hair held a trace of gray at the temples. She was Hawaiian. The other woman hung behind. She looked like a younger version of the older woman.
Kaia thought they’d be more inclined to talk to her than a navy officer. “Aloha,” she said, smiling. “I was just looking around myself. Are you members of Pele Hawai´i?”
“I know you,” the woman said. “You’re Kaia Oana. I’m Lei Kanahele. I was a friend of your mother’s once upon a time. You look just like her.”
Kaia had heard that before, and though it was intended as a compliment, it never failed to irritate her. “Thanks,” she said shortly. “What are you doing here?”
“I forgot my picnic basket the other day. What are you doing here?” The woman’s sharp look of suspicion increased.
“I came to a meeting here with my brother recently. I was hoping to ask someone a few more questions. It was very interesting.”
Lei’s frown eased a bit. “Isn’t Nahele amazing?”
“He’s a riveting speaker,” Kaia agreed. She decided to take a wild stab in the dark. “I was wondering how quickly Nahele thinks we’ll be able to get rid of the navy. They’ve been interrupting my research.”
Lei’s expression softened. “You won’t have long to wait. Hasn’t Mano told you about the plan?”
“What plan? We haven’t had a chance to talk lately.”
“I probably shouldn’t say anything then,” Lei said. “I’m sure Mano will tell you what he wants you to do.” She tugged on her daughter’s arm. “We’d better go.”
“Does it have anything to do with my dolphins?” Kaia asked.
“I’ve said too much already. Talk to your brother.” Lei edged past Kaia, and the women rushed for the door.