Aiden finished filling out the incident report for yesterday’s successful search and rescue of two lost hikers when they went off trail near Haleakala National Park. One of the things he’d never expected when he was promoted to captain here at Maui Emergency Services was how much paperwork the job required.
He signed his name on the designated line and placed the report on top of the stack of papers on his desk. A quick glance at the wall clock reminded him why his stomach was growling. He’d neglected to eat lunch and it was nearly time for dinner.
He grabbed his jacket off the back of his office chair. The rest of the paperwork would wait until tomorrow.
On his way out, he passed the door to his former office where he worked prior to his promotion. He peeked inside to find Meghan sitting with her feet up on the desk. She was eating a microwaved slice of frozen pizza.
“Mmm…another gourmet dinner, I see.” Aiden grinned at her as he slipped his arms inside his jacket.
She smiled back. “Heading out early again, I see,” she teased. “Where do I find one of those cushy management jobs.”
They both knew the two of them were perhaps the hardest working individuals on the team. Rarely did either of them only put in an eight-hour day. More like twelve to fourteen.
Meghan held up her mostly-eaten slice of pizza. “Want some?”
Aiden shook his head. “Nah. As tempting as it is to eat your left-overs, I’m meeting my brother and Ori Kané for dinner.
“Ah, a social life. I remember that.” Meghan shoved the remaining slice into her mouth leaving sauce clinging to her lips.
Aiden stared. How could a girl as beautiful as Meghan act so much like one of the guys? Okay, yeah. He was in management now and shouldn’t notice what she looked like. Even so, he was human. Off the record, he knew her to be tough as nails. She was also incredibly attractive.
He was a little surprised that Shane agreed to meet at the restaurant where he’d met Aimee. Surely, the wounds of her leaving him remained fresh. Especially since he was the one left pulling baby duty. Aiden had to say, his younger brother had really stepped up to the plate there. He worked and took care of Carson declining help from their mom and sisters. Who would have guessed he had it in him?
Charley’s was located in Pa‘ia a short distance from their favorite ball field and was a popular bar and restaurant named after a Great Dane dog and where gray-bearded bikers and young surfers both lined up for the best food and fun around. Willie Nelson claimed Charley’s was his kind of place and often played impromptu concerts on the tiny stage anytime he visited the island.
Ori and Shane were already seated at a corner booth at the rear of the bustling establishment. Baby Carson was asleep in a carry-all, his little thumb tucked inside his tiny lips.
“Hey, guys.” Aiden slipped onto the vinyl seat next to Ori. “Sorry I’m late.”
“You’re right on time,” Shane reported. “We know you’ll be late so we always tell you to be here fifteen minutes before the real time we want to meet.”
Ori elbowed Shane. “Shh…don’t tell our secret. Now he’ll show up late for real.”
A middle-aged waitress appeared with an order pad and pen. “Hey, what can I get for you, boys?” She turned her eyes on Shane, then at the sleeping baby, and smiled.
She took their orders: beers and hamburgers with all the fixings, including extra onions on Shane’s.
“What?” he said when Aiden stared at him. “That’s what they make breath mints for.”
After catching up for a few minutes, Ori leaned back in his seat. “So, as great as it is to get all the updates, I asked you guys out to lunch for a reason.”
Aiden took a drink from his frosted mug. “Yeah? What’s that?”
“As you know, the center is bulging at the seams, in terms of people showing up for help.”
Right out of college, Ori helped start Ka Hale a Ke Ola Resource Center, an outreach that served hundreds of meals to elderly and needy individuals each week. In recent years, the center had expanded and now was also known for finding housing, used cars, and jobs, as well as providing employment training. If someone needed it, Ori worked to make it happen.
Aiden leaned and reached in his back pocket for his wallet.
Ori quickly waved him off. “I’ll never turn down donations, but I’m not talking about money.”
Shane looked over at Carson, checking on him. “What are you talking?”
Ori gave them both a wide smile. “I’ve got some kids, mainly boys, who desperately need some mentoring. But not in the typical sense. I’m thinking of starting up a baseball team. Many of these kids don’t have dads to teach them to field a ball, to pitch, or even what teamwork really means.” He looked across the table at his buddies. “That’s where you come in.”
Shane lifted a brow. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, I want you guys to coach. We had far more kids interested than I can fit on one team. I want you two to coach a second team.”
Aiden lifted a hundred dollar bill and slid it across at Ori who tucked it in his pocket and thanked him for the donation.
“So, what do you say? Are you guys in?” Ori waited for their response.
Shane and Aiden exchanged glances. “I dunno,” Aiden said. “Shane’s got a kid.”
“He can bring the baby to the games,” Ori assured. “There’ll always be someone who can keep an eye on him. Likely, he’ll be fawned all over and spoiled rotten.”
“I’m in,” Shane announced, not giving the notion a second thought.
Aiden raised his eyebrows. “That was fast.”
“It’s for a good cause,” his brother quickly noted.
On second thought, coaching might provide a much-needed distraction for Shane. He shrugged. “Okay, I guess you can include me as well.”
Ori’s expression brightened. “Great. I knew you guys would help out!”
Suddenly, Shane’s attention was diverted.
Aiden looked to see a tall girl with long brown hair pulled into a ponytail. She wore a sheer swim cover-up that barely hid the bikini underneath.
Shane caught Aiden watching. “What? I got dumped. I’m not dead.”