Kole’s body tensed against mine before we thumped each other’s backs and stepped out of the hug. “Maybe, or maybe not. Just think about it, okay? Promise me.”
“Fine, but that doesn’t mean I’m coming back.”
“I know.” A grin tugged at the corners of his lips. “But it means you might, and that’s enough for me right now.”
Another sigh tore out of me as I ran both hands through my hair and gave him a warning look. “Don’t get your hopes up, bud. I only said I would think about it, but you know it’s not very likely to happen.”
“But it might.” He smirked. “You can’t tell me you don’t miss me.”
“I don’t miss you. I see you all the damn time.”
“But it’s not the same,” he argued. “It could be like old times again, and as an added benefit, it would make us even.”
I snorted, shaking my head at him. “I’m leaving now. We’re already even, and as for old times, now we get to make new times. Better times in a much better location.”
“Yeah, but it would still be great to have the dynamic duo back together again.” I rolled my eyes when he used the nickname we’d earned during our earlier years in the service. “The dynamic duo, dude. That’s who we are and who we’ll always be, but you need to be here for that.”
“Like I said, I’m leaving now.” I gave him a smile, pressed my fingers to my forehead in a salute, and turned on my heel, leaving his office as fast as I could.
Guilt burned in my blood and churned in my stomach. I wondered how dynamic our duo would be if he ever found out how many times I’d been balls deep in his sister. I was also pretty sure he wouldn’t be so eager to say we’d always be that if he knew.
Chapter 26
Elyse
A soft hand closed around my elbow as I was leaving the daycare center. I nearly yelped, but then Alice appeared next to me and shot me a wide grin. “There’s karaoke at ladies’ night tonight. You in?”
“Hell yes.” My lips pulled into a genuine smile. “I don’t sing outside of my shower personally, but there’s always such a good vibe in karaoke places. I didn’t know it was popular around here, though.”
“So popular,” Alice said, then cringed. “The bar we’re going to is always packed with people who are just terrible singers, but it’s fun to watch.”
“Always,” I agreed as we walked into the parking lot. “Do you sing?”
Her eyes opened wide in horror, her head shaking no. “There are terrible singers and then there are people who will cause ears to bleed. I fall into the latter category. Like you, I am exclusively a shower singer.”
“Something else we have in common.” I slid my hand into my satchel and felt around in the smaller pocket inside for my keys, fishing them out. “We should find a locker room sometime and do a duet.”
Alice winced, a giggle escaping her lips. “Trust me, you don’t want to hear me sing under any circumstances. Even my own mother used to be worried the mirror in my bathroom was going to crack every time I sang.”
I laughed, extracting my arm gently from her grasp so I could turn to face her. “Well, if even your mom was worried, maybe I’ll pass. I do like to live life on the edge though, so if you ever decide to change your mind, I’d be willing to risk mirrors cracking or losing an eardrum for that duet.”
“You’re a true friend.” Alice’s hand came up to clutch her heart between giggles. “But I wouldn’t want to cost you an eardrum. Although on the other hand, it would mean that you’d only have one working ear to hear the kids shrieking with. It might be worth it.”
“They’re not that bad.” In fact, the constant noise of children’s voices was really growing on me. Maybe it would get a bit much after a few years, but for now, I liked it. There was never a dull moment at work and I never, ever felt lonely. “I think I want to hang on to both eardrums for now.”
“Wise decision.” Alice winked and tossed her golden hair over her shoulder. “Since it’s ladies’ night at the bar tonight, our drinks will be cheap. We’d better get a move on if we want to find a table, though.”
“I’ll follow you there,” I said, then hopped into my car and stayed on her tail for the few miles between the center and the bar.
Walking up to a hole-in-the-wall kind of bar once we’d parked, I could already hear Alice had been telling the truth about the terrible singing. The sun hadn’t even set yet and voices already drifted out to the street, the current rendition of “I’ve had the time of my life” wobbly and awful.
I didn’t mind it, though. It meant that people were here to have fun and didn’t give a shit what anyone else thought about their singing. My kind of place.
“This was exactly what I needed today,” I said as Alice and I pushed open the door. The scent of stale beer, wood polish, and some kind of incense immediately hit my nose and I inhaled deeply, instantly reminded of a little place Lisa and I used to frequent.
The ceilings were low and the lighting dim. None of the tables and chairs matched, a seemingly haphazard collection of furniture probably picked up from yard and estate sales when they needed to be replaced.
Along one entire wall, a heavily pocked wooden bar was packed two-feet deep with patrons. A couple of bartenders rushed to get orders, one slinging around a cocktail shaker while the other grabbed hands full of beer bottles at a time.
The singer who had been on stage when we entered made her way down the stairs, almost immediately replaced by a tall, skinny Hawaiian dude who bowed deeply when he reached the microphone. People went crazy for him as the opening bars to “Piano Man” began to play.
Alice and I joined in the clapping as we made our way to the bar. Then she leaned over and spoke loudly to be heard above the music. “Why did you need this so much? Haven’t you had a good week so far?”
“The week has been fine, just long. You know how it goes.” There was also the matter of what had happened between Jordan and me on Sunday, of how he’d said he wanted to settle down and have kids in the near future.
Obviously, he wasn’t going to be doing that with me. Even though I’d always known that I could never be his forever, the thought that I was going to have to watch him settle down with the girl that would be bothered me more and more each day.
As determined as Kole was that Jordan and I should be friends, I just knew that at some point I was going to have to watch him falling in love with some other woman. Hell, I might even have to watch her walking down the aisle to him.
Those thoughts had been haunting me all week, stealing my sleep and invading my dreams. I’d tried not to dwell on it, tried to keep my positive attitude about living in the moment and appreciating what we had together right now.
But I just couldn’t shake those haunting images my mind kept conjuring up, and it bugged the hell out me. Since I hadn’t been sleeping very well as a result, it felt like the week had been six days long so far instead of just three.
Concern shadowed Alice’s eyes, a crease appearing between her brows as they tugged together. “Are you okay? You kind of looked like you were about to be sick for a minute there.”
“I’m fine.” I forced a smile and patted my stomach. “Don’t worry. I’m not about to hurl on you. I just had one of those random thought bunnies and it brought up some things I’m trying very hard not to think about.”
“Is it about that guy?” She cocked her head. “It has to be about the guy.”
I sighed but was spared from answering by the bartender tapping on the counter. “What’s it going to be, ladies?”
Alice leaned over my shoulder to call out our order to him. “We’ll have a pitcher of Margaritas, two chicken wing platters, and a large order of fries.”
“You got it.” The guy slammed his fingers on the keys of an old-school register, handed over our receipt, and took the bill Alice was already waving at him without even having to be told the total. “Keep that on your table. The server will want to see it when they bring your food.”
“I’ll get the next round,” I said to Alice while we waited for him to mix our drink. She waved her fingers at me, but I shut her down with a warning look. “I’m getting the next round, or I’m never going to be able to go out with you again.”
“Fair enough.” She smiled at me, batting her eyelashes innocently. “Full disclosure though, the next round might not be tonight. Their pitchers are big, and while they’re not lethal, they’re pretty potent. Since it’s a school night, we’ll have to decide after the first one if it’s a good idea to have another.”
“Okay, but I’m not going to forget that whenever we have another drink together, it’s on me.”
She held out her hand, took mine to shake on it, and then reached for the glass pitcher the bartender held up to hand over. We managed to snag a pretty good table near the center of the room, having left the bar just as a group of young guys got up to leave.
Alice whooped and slid into one of the chairs, ignoring the stink eye being given to her by another woman who’d started moving for the table. “So, tell me what’s going on with the guy.”
“Nothing.” It was true, too. There really was nothing going on with him. Well, nothing more than before. Except that now, for some reason, it bugged me that there was nothing more going on.
Grabbing one of the empty glasses I’d carried over to the table, I filled them both to the brim and took a long sip of the tart liquid. It was ice cold and as potent as promised, but it went down like a dream.
I smacked my lips after I swallowed, catching Alice’s pursed lips and the disbelief shining in her eyes. “Don’t look at me like that. There really is nothing going on with him. He just said some things that I’m having a hard time shaking off.”
“Was he mean to you?” I swore I saw murder flashing in her eyes, and I was once again convinced that I’d found a true friend in Alice.
“No.” I reached across the table and gave her forearm a quick, light squeeze. “Thanks for being willing to stick up for me if he had been mean to me, though.”
“Always,” she said, patting my hand. “You sure you’re okay, though? Do you want to talk about what he said?”
“Not really. It was nothing monumental and not even anything I didn’t already know. He’d just never said any of it in so many words and now I’m a little confused about why what he said hit me so hard.”
“Ah,” she said, understanding softening her eyes. “You need to figure out some stuff for yourself before you want to talk about it. Am I right?”
I nodded and lifted my glass to hers. “Exactly, but I don’t want to figure it out tonight. Tonight, we drink and enjoy some shitty singing. Tomorrow, I’ll go back to trying to figure it out.”
“Sounds like a deal to me.” She clinked her glass against mine and took a sip as the previous song faded and another started.
To my surprise, when I looked over to see who had taken the stage next, I recognized the man standing on it. He was hefty, to say the least. Black curls tumbled to his shoulders and his chocolate-brown eyes were alive with passion. Unfortunately, his voice couldn’t quite carry that passion.
“I know that guy,” I said to Alice. “I met him at a luau with Jordan. They work together.”
Her eyes widened in surprise. “You’ve met Mauli? Although I don’t know why I’m surprised to hear it. That guy knows everyone.”
“He did seem pretty friendly,” I agreed. “So you know him too?”
“Yeah.” She nodded, a smile spreading on her lips. “He’s one of the really good guys on the island. Not his singing though, obviously. But he has a good heart. We’ve been friends for a long time. I adore him to bits.”
“Do those bits include his dangly bits?” I teased and her nose scrunched up as she shook her head hard.
“No, he’s more like a brother to me than anything else. It would be too gross to even think about those particular bits.”
“Too bad, if he really is one of the good ones.”
She sighed wistfully and shrugged her shoulders. “Story of my life. I befriended all the good ones, and now I’m left with no prospects.”
“Come on. You’re gorgeous. You have to have prospects.”
“Nope.” She popped her lips on the “P” and took another sip of her drink. “Not at this minute, anyway. I love love, but I haven’t found it yet.”
“You will,” I said confidently. “Someday.”
“Maybe, but until that day, I just want to have fun and live my life.”
I raised my glass again. “Preach, sister. I’m totally with you on that one.”
Once again, she clinked her glass against mine and both of us took a huge gulp of our drinks. Before we continued talking, Mauli’s song ended, and when he hopped off the stage, he made a beeline for us.
Alice got to her feet when she saw him coming, engulfed in a big hug he tugged her into as soon as he arrived at our table. “How you doing, Alice? It feels like I haven’t seen you in a decade.”
“I’ve been busy, but I’m glad to see you now. You good?”
“Always.” When he released her, he came around to my side to hug me too. “You’re Elyse, right? Jordan’s friend.”
“Guilty as charged.” I hugged him back, in awe of what a tight, comforting hug he gave a virtual stranger, and then stepped back. “Would you like to join us for a drink?”
“Don’t mind if I do.” He lowered his beefy body into the empty chair next to Alice’s, then picked up her drink and took a sip of it. She let out an exasperated sound but didn’t stop him. “Thanks for sharing with me, girl. I’ll go grab my beer in a second, but I was too parched after my incredible performance to wait another second.”
“Yeah, yeah. You always have some excuse.” She grinned playfully at him, bumping his shoulder with hers. “I’m counting the sips though. Remember that. When your beer gets here, I’m going to insist on being reimbursed.”
He inclined his head, eyes sparkling with mischief and laughter. “Maybe I just won’t bring my beer back here, then.”
“I know where you live, dude.” She gave him a mock glare but then relaxed into her seat. “What’s new with you?”
“Absolutely nothing,” he said with a strong undercurrent of pride in his tone. “You know me. I don’t like change and I don’t like drama. You got any news?”
“Nope.” She glanced at me. “I heard you met my girl at a luau. Small world, isn’t it? We’re working together now.”
“Yeah, I heard.” He grinned at me, ignoring the confusion in Alice’s expression. “In fact, I’ve heard a lot about you. I haven’t gone a day without hearing about you since you got here.”
“Seriously?” I frowned, my heart clenching in my chest. “Jordan talks about me at work?”
“All the time.” Mauli tapped his jaw, then shrugged. “Well, I mean, not always willingly. You know the guy. He’s tight-lipped as fuck most of the damn time, but I have my ways.”
“Yeah.” I nodded, but I was so surprised by the tidbit he’d just shared that I didn’t add anything else.
Alice looked from Mauli to me and back again, then started drilling him on Jordan and what kind of guy he was. I chimed in from time to time, but then they started talking about mutual friends I didn’t know.
After a few minutes, Mauli had finished off Alice’s drink and cleared his throat. “We’re being rude. Elyse hasn’t met the whole gang yet.”
“No, but she will,” Alice said, sliding her eyes to meet mine. “Don’t worry. I’ll prepare you thoroughly before you do. You’re sure to get hit on and you’ll need to know who to turn down in advance.”
“Everyone,” Mauli said firmly. “You turn down everyone who isn’t my boy Jordan.”
I laughed, shaking my head at both of them. “I don’t know whether to be scared or excited about meeting this gang of yours now.”
I wanted to deny that there was anything going on between me and Jordan. No one had ever known about us, but it seemed he did.
Sinc
e I had no idea what Jordan had told him, it wouldn’t help to say much of anything anyway. It felt like paying any attention to his comment would only add fuel to the fire, and I didn’t want to do that. No, it was best to just let it slide.
An upbeat drum solo rang through the speakers and Mauli sat up straighter, tilting his head a little. “That’s my next song, so I’ve got to go. Want to get up on stage with me?”
Both Alice and I shook our heads. He shrugged and heaved to his feet, shooting us a wave as he made his way back to the stage.
The song he had chosen made his voice sound even worse than he had the first time around, but Alice and I both listened dutifully, cheering like crazy when he was done. It was weird actually. I didn’t really know these people yet, but it felt like I did.
Hawaii was really starting to feel like home, and I knew that a large part of that was because it felt like I was making real friends. I was being accepted and immersing myself in my new life, and I was loving every second of it.
Chapter 27
Jordan
Mauli’s house was little more than a rundown shack on a quiet street near the beach. I’d asked him once why he insisted on living there when I was pretty sure it would get condemned if it ever got inspected, but he told me he liked it, and we’d left it at that.
There was a tattered umbrella that might have been red at one time in his small front yard, two loungers that had seen better days beneath it. A rickety porch ran around the front of the house, the white shutters and blue paint on his walls cracked and flaking.
I knocked on his front door, half afraid as I always was that if I knocked too hard, the thing would just fall off its rusted hinges. A loud groan from inside told me Mauli was coming.
The door swung open to reveal Mauli in nothing more than his tighty-whities. He scratched his jaw with one hand and his head with the other. “Hey, man. What are you doing here? I’m not late for work, am I?”
Have Your Way With Me Page 17
