"You got it," Jamie chirped. She wiggled her fingers at me in a little wave before throwing the Malibu back into drive and speeding down the street.
I made my way up the gravel toward Noa's Jeep. The car still ticked with heat, so I figured it couldn't have been parked there for more than a few minutes. I paused in front of his side view mirror to check my reflection, wiping the smudged mascara from under my brown eyes. The dark brown roots of my hair were beginning to show above my golden highlights. I was either going to have to pop into a salon for a touch-up soon or commit to going back to my natural color. I frowned as my gaze fixed on the large, pink pimple currently taking up residence on my chin. If objects really were larger than they appeared, as the little label on the side view mirror claimed, then the bump could probably be seen from space. Yuck. I rifled through my purse in search of my concealer and quickly covered the blemish. Better, I thought, giving my reflection a satisfied smile. I tossed the makeup back in my bag and hurried toward the house.
When I entered the little beach cottage, I was greeted by the sounds of a gentle ukulele melody accompanied by a rich baritone voice. I followed the music toward the open double doors that led to our small backyard. My Aunt Rikki and her new ukulele instructor, Nani Johnson, were seated in white patio chairs on the lanai. Rikki clumsily strummed her instrument, doing her best to keep up with the tempo. Nani smiled and nodded at her encouragingly with each chord change.
Noa was perched opposite them on a wicker lounger. His eyes were closed, and a lazy smile spread over his face as he crooned the words to "I'll Fly Away."
Though I'd known him almost my entire life, I still got butterflies in my stomach whenever I saw Noa Kahele. We'd been best friends for as long as I could remember, though we'd drifted apart for the five years that I'd been married to Bryan. I had moved to Atlanta, while he had set off for Los Angeles to work for a tech startup. When I'd moved home to Aloha Lagoon at the end of June, I had been more than a little surprised to find Noa living on the island again. For the first time in our adult lives, we'd both been single. The only thing that had stood in the way of our romance had been our own insecurities. Of course, it hadn't taken long for our mutual attraction to overpower the doubt. We'd been casually seeing each other for a few weeks now, and I'd never been happier.
Aunt Rikki was the first to notice me standing in the doorway. She looked up from her ukulele, blowing a few loose strands of her black and electric-blue hair out of her face. Her fingers slipped off the fret, causing dissonance in her next chord. She didn't seem to mind.
"Good evening, ku'uipo," she called brightly, resting her uke in her lap. The word meant "sweetheart," and it had been her pet name for me since I was a small child. "How are things at the shop?"
"Everything's great," I told her, stepping onto the lanai to join the trio. "Hi, Nani." I nodded politely to the pretty brunette ukulele instructor and motioned for her to keep going when she paused midsong. "Don't stop on my account. You play so beautifully."
"Thanks." Nani beamed at me. "But we were just wrapping up, anyway. Rikki was showing off her skills to Noa. Your aunt's quite a fast learner."
I grinned. "Can't say I'm surprised." Ever since I'd come on board as the store manager at Happy Hula, Aunt Rikki had cut down her own work hours in order to pursue her passions. The music lessons were just the beginning of her new hobbies. Only twenty years my senior, my forty-seven-year-old aunt had boundless energy. In addition to learning the ukulele, painting, and making her own candles and soap, she'd also taken up salsa dancing. Rikki had briefly expressed an interest in beekeeping, and I was relieved when she'd changed her mind. Just the thought of thousands of the little bugs swarming in our backyard gave me hives.
Noa rose from the lounger and stretched his arms high above his head, giving me a nice view of his rippling biceps. "Hey, Kales," he said, using the nickname he'd called me since grade school. He came to stand next to me as Rikki and Nani put away their instruments. Noa's dark hair, which was nearly as long as mine, hung loose around his shoulders. He pushed it aside as he leaned down to plant a soft kiss on my lips, which sent a jolt of electric current down to my toes. There went those butterflies again.
"Keep practicing your C, F, and G7 chords," Nani instructed Rikki, gripping the handle of her instrument case as she rose from her chair. She said goodbye to Noa and me before my aunt walked her to the front door.
"I hope you're hungry," Noa said, slipping his arm around my waist and guiding me through the house after them. "I've got a craving for pineapple kabobs at Sir Spamalot's."
"Sounds good to me." I followed him toward the driveway, pausing on the front porch to give my aunt a quick peck on the cheek.
Noa held open the Jeep's passenger door for me before walking around to climb into the driver's seat. "Anything exciting happen at work today?" he asked when we were on the road a few minutes later.
"You could say that." I swiveled in my seat to face him. "My friend Emma called from Atlanta. Not only is she getting married the week after next, but she asked me to be her maid of honor. And she and the other bridesmaids are flying here next Thursday for her last-minute bachelorette party."
"Wow, that's great!" Noa took one hand off the wheel and placed it on my shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. "I guess that means I'll be flying solo next weekend."
"Actually, you'll be flying to Atlanta." I chewed my lip, suddenly feeling shy. "That is, if you'd want to be my date to the wedding. Emma asked for your information so that she could book our tickets on their return flight next Sunday morning. She and Dante insist on paying our airfare."
"Oh. Wow." Noa's forehead wrinkled. He released his grip on my shoulder and returned his hand to the wheel. I watched an uncomfortable look stretch across his face. "They don't have to do that."
I frowned. Was it something I said? "What's wrong?" I asked softly. "I mean. I know it's pretty last-minute. If you don't want to go—"
"It's not that," Noa said quickly, though he avoided my gaze. He pulled the Jeep into the small parking lot for Sir Spamalot's, an open-air eatery located directly on the beach. When he looked up at me, his troubled expression had vanished. "It's nothing," he said, smiling. "Really." He leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. "Come on. Let's get some grub—I'm starving." Without another word, he climbed out of the car and started toward the sand.
A knot formed in the pit of my stomach as I followed him. Things between us had been great for the past few weeks. We never fought, and Noa was always so attentive and kind. Still, though we'd been best pals for years, the whole romance thing was very new. Maybe asking him to be my date to a wedding on the other side of the country was crossing into Serious Relationship territory. Does he think we're moving too fast? Given his reaction to my invitation, I couldn't help but wonder.
Don't be ridiculous, I scolded myself. I removed my sandals and padded barefoot through the warm sand. We've been on vacations before as friends. Just think of this as another fun trip together—maybe with some new, steamy perks.
I shoved my worry aside and focused on the positives. I was on a dinner date in paradise with an amazing guy. In just over a week, one of my dearest pals was coming to visit, and she wanted me to help her celebrate the most important day of her life. I felt a rush of happy anticipation as I caught up to Noa, slipping my hand into his. I squeezed his fingers, and he pulled me closer, smiling down at me. Searching his eyes, I found no trace of the uncertainty I'd seen there before.
I grinned back at him. See? Everything is going to be just fine.
CHAPTER TWO
"What time was their flight supposed to land?" Jamie asked, craning her neck as she surveyed the crowd heading toward us from one of the terminals. It was the following Thursday, and we were seated at a bench in the Lihue Airport baggage claim area, waiting for Emma and her other bridesmaids to arrive.
I checked my watch. "About fifteen minutes ago," I replied. "They should be here any moment now."
With the
help of Jamie and several crafting blogs on the internet, I'd spent the past week planning every last detail of Em's bachelorette weekend. Jamie had offered to take us on a guided snorkeling tour of Coconut Cove free of charge on Friday afternoon, and I'd called in a few favors with a few of the other Aloha Lagoon Resort staff to book some more fun activities. I'd even talked Aunt Rikki into donating some cute accessories for the gift bags we'd made for each of the girls. Jamie and I had also gone to the party supply store in Lihue before work on Wednesday to snag some tropical-themed decorations and favors. I couldn't wait to show Emma all of the goodies.
"What does she look like?" Jamie asked, squinting at a gaggle of college-aged girls who were crowding together to take a picture in front of a "Welcome to Hawaii" sign.
"Emma's about five-foot-four—and skinny, but not too skinny," I replied. "With hazel eyes and dark brown hair. The last time I saw her, she had a pixie cut."
"Got it." Jamie glanced at me, eyebrows raised in question. "What about the other girls?"
I shrugged. "No clue. I still don't know who else she asked to be in the bridal party." I chewed my lip, feeling the nerves bunch together in my stomach. I'd only met a handful of Emma's other friends, mostly sorority sisters from her college days at the University of Georgia. They'd seemed nice enough, but I'd never grown especially close with any of them. In fact, when I'd lived in Atlanta, I had been so consumed with managing a local dress shop and showing my support for my then-husband's football career that I hadn't made too many real friends. Emma was the exception. I'd met her at a spin class that one of the other football wives had dragged me to a couple of years ago. We'd bonded over trading snarky remarks about the instructor and his super tight bike shorts. After bumping into each other at a few more classes, we'd exchanged numbers and had become workout buddies and eventually great friends.
"Kaley!" I heard Emma's excited squeal before I saw her. She shimmied her way past a pair of middle-aged men in aloha shirts and broke through the crowd, practically skipping. Her hair was still cut in the same sleek, short style, and her smile was radiant as she bounded toward me. She emitted another shrill cry as she flung her arms around me and squeezed.
I hugged her back, feeling giddy myself. Though I'd made some incredible friends in Aloha Lagoon, seeing Emma relieved that tiny pang of homesickness I'd been feeling over the past couple of weeks. I didn't really miss Atlanta, per se, but I did miss hanging out with Em.
"I can't believe I'm finally here!" Emma gushed, squeezing me even harder. She released me and stepped back, beaming as she looked me up and down. "Girl, this Hawaiian lifestyle looks good on you—you're totally glowing."
"Thanks." I grinned back at her. "You look amazing, too. I love that outfit," I said, gesturing to her green and white, palm frond-patterned sundress and tan sandals with cork-wedge heels. "You're going to fit right in on the island." I turned and motioned to Jamie, who had risen from the bench to stand beside me. "Emma, this is my friend Jamie Parker."
Both Jamie and Emma were huggers, so it didn't surprise me when they embraced like old pals. My sandy-haired friend was quite a few inches taller than Em, so she had to stoop down to hug her, not that she seemed to mind. "Kaley's told me so much about you," she said cheerily.
"Likewise," Emma replied. "I hope you're planning to join us this weekend. We're going to have so much fun!"
"I wouldn't miss it." Jamie grinned. "We've got a few surprises planned."
Emma arched her eyebrow. "Do tell."
"Nope." I touched a finger to my lips and winked at her. "No spoilers. Now, come on! Show us the ring."
Emma's hazel eyes lit up. She lifted her left hand to show us the beautiful solitaire diamond that sparkled on her ring finger. "Isn't it gorgeous? It's a full carat."
"Wow," Jamie and I breathed in unison. I'd seen several pictures of the gem that she'd posted online, but they didn't do it justice.
"Are you showing off your engagement ring again, Em?" came an airy voice to my right. I glanced up to find a tall woman with mousy brown hair standing next to Emma on her other side. I studied the girl's slightly crooked nose and narrow face dusted with freckles, almost certain that I'd met her before.
As if reading my mind, Emma looked up, her gaze shifting from the newcomer to me. "Kaley, you remember Mia Miller, right? She was my roommate freshman year."
Oh, that's right. She'd joined us at the gym and for happy hour several times the previous summer. "Nice to see you again, Mia," I said to the tall woman.
Mia smiled. "You too," she said brightly. She gave Jamie a polite wave when I introduced her, and then she turned her attention back to Emma. "The girls should be right behind me," she said, glancing over her shoulder. "They stopped to take a few selfies in front of that beach mural outside our gate."
"I've been wondering who your other bridesmaids are all week," I said, raising a curious brow at Emma. "Who else is here?"
To my surprise, Emma avoided my gaze. "I think I see my suitcase," she said quickly, pointing at the baggage carousel. She took a few steps toward it.
Did she just deflect my question? My stomach clenched, and a feeling of foreboding crept over me. "Emma Jane Ross," I called, using her full name to get her attention. "What aren't you telling me?"
Emma stopped and turned around, her shoulders hunched. She and Mia exchanged a glance. Then she met my gaze and grimaced. "Kaley, just remember that I would never do anything to intentionally hurt you, okay?"
My own shoulders stiffened. "Okay," I said warily.
She chewed her lip. "Well, see, Dante asked Bryan to be in the wedding party—"
Oh no. "Please, tell me you didn't," I blurted, cutting her off. I had a sinking feeling I knew exactly who Emma had brought along.
Em's face pinched. "I had to," she said in a small voice. "He begged me to ask Val as a favor to Bryan. And then there's Coco, and she's family, so…" she trailed off. "It was hard to find anyone else who could be a bridesmaid on such short notice."
I opened my mouth to speak but closed it again as a nasal voice cut through the noise in the baggage area.
"Emma! Can you believe no one offered to take our carry-ons? I thought the people in Hawaii were supposed to be hospitable." A slender young woman with bleached blonde hair stalked toward us, her nose lifted high in the air.
I suddenly felt sick. The last time I'd seen Nicole "Coco" Becker, she'd been straddling my then-husband, shaking a pair of pompoms and wearing nothing but stilettos and a smile. She and two other Falcons cheerleader wannabes had been performing a very private routine in the bedroom I'd shared with Bryan for five years. Though we had been having trouble for a while leading up to the incident, it was the nail in the coffin for our marriage.
To add insult to my emotional injury, two of the three girls had actually gone on to make the squad. Coco—Emma's fiancé's Paris Hilton clone of a cousin—was one of them. The other was the tall, dark-haired bombshell walking beside Coco, with caramel skin and hips that would make even Shakira jealous. Her name was Valentina Cruz, and she was a former Puerto Rican swimsuit model—and, from what I'd heard, exotic dancer.
She was also my ex-hubby's new girlfriend.
Coco and Valentina glided to a stop in front of our little group. They were dressed in matching black track pants and red Atlanta Falcons tank tops. The twin smirks that curled their lips at the sight of me set my blood to boiling.
"Hi, Kaley," Valentina said breezily, ignoring what I was sure was a stony expression etched on my face. "Long time, no see."
"Not long enough," I replied through clenched teeth, struggling to control my temper. Wrecked any other marriages, lately? I added silently.
Coco must have read my thoughts. She looked away, shifting her weight from one foot to the other as she nervously twirled a lock of her blonde hair around one finger.
Valentina, on the other hand, seemed to relish the fact that she'd turned my life upside down. She stepped forward, her dark eyes glittering. "Oh, come on.
" Even through her thick accent, I could hear the taunting slant to her words. "Can't we put our differences aside for Emma's sake? This weekend is about her, after all." Val's lips twitched. "Not you."
My nostrils flared. Though I was certain Valentina was trying to provoke me, she did have a point. I shot a glance at Emma, who was grasping Mia's forearm, her eyes darting nervously back and forth between the trampy pep squad and me. As much as I didn't want to, I was going to have to take the high road—for now, at least.
I stifled a sigh and forced my shoulders to relax. "You're right." I pasted a smile on my face, but it must not have been very convincing because I saw Mia cringe. I sucked in a breath and tried again. "Why don't I help you find your luggage?" I offered, looking from Valentina to Coco. I motioned for the two women to follow me to the conveyor belt full of baggage. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Emma sag with relief.
I walked briskly toward the luggage carousel, thinking every foul word in the dictionary and even making up a few new ones. It had been Emma's choice to invite the two horrid women into her bridal party, and I had to respect that. Still, I was hurt that she hadn't warned me. Em knew what the terrible twosome had done to me, and having them show up here in Aloha Lagoon felt like a slap in the face.
Jamie caught up to me and leaned close. "That's your ex's new girlfriend?" she whispered. "What a witch."
I smirked. "That's one of the nicer words I'd use to describe her." We reached the conveyor belt and waited for the rest of the women to catch up. "I'm so glad you're here," I told her quietly. "I'm not sure how I'm going to make it through this weekend with my sanity intact." Until a few minutes ago, I'd been looking forward to the next few days. Now I was dreading them.
"I've got your back." Jamie squeezed my arm. "They're only here until Sunday, anyway. We can just drown ourselves in cocktails and ignore them." She gave me a toothy grin. "And it's not like things can get any worse, right?"
Handbags & Homicide Page 2
