• • •
The next morning, I ask Kane to take me to a used car lot in Kahului, because I can’t keep asking him, Adele, Kayla, and even Pancho to drive me around. They have lives and responsibilities, and I need to stand on my own two feet. Besides, I wanted a car in time for Jamie’s visit, who called me at the last minute to let me know she was on her way. She’s arriving from San Francisco tomorrow morning and I can’t wait to see her.
I find a used Honda Coupe that’s about ten years old but in excellent condition, decorated in the most beautiful, shimmery, metallic-gray color. The mileage on it is pretty high but it’s all that I can afford without taking out a loan, which I don’t want to do until the business starts making consistent money. Kane knows the owner of the dealership, of course, so he gives me a great “locals only” deal. I’m beaming with pride as I follow him home in my new ride. Pride because it’s mine—all mine—and one of the first tangible things to anchor me in my new life here.
• • •
It’s raining when I arrive at the airport to pick up Jamie, and it’s not the indecisive San Francisco mist that I’m mostly used to either, but a torrential downpour of tropical warmth. Big fat drops of it roll down my cheeks, making it look like I’m weeping tears of joy—and I might as well be. It’s been over a month since I last saw my best friend, and her coming all this way to spend time with me means more than she’ll ever know.
I realize that waiting outside for her probably wasn’t the best decision. My sundress is now drenched through, but there’s something so undeniably sexy and earthy about the rain that I don’t even mind. Pancho once told me that Hawaiians have over two hundred words for rain, plus different descriptors for it based on the colors, intensity, angles, and time of day. There are even words for rain that are tied to emotions such as the death of a loved one. I wonder absently if there’s a “rain word” for the death of a relationship and then quickly shut out the thought as I run inside the terminal, shaking out my hair as I go. She’s the last one to emerge, which is no surprise, and I’m not shocked to see her hauling three enormous hard-sided suitcases. She drops all three bags to the floor and throws herself into my arms.
“Ash!” She screams in my face, her arms tightening around me like a locket. It occurs to me then that no one here calls me that. The nickname is a remnant from the old life in San Francisco that I’d almost forgotten, but hearing it escape from my best friend’s mouth gives me a familiar feeling of warmth.
“I’ve missed you!” She squeals, jumping up and down in a characteristic “Jamie” fashion.
Naturally, I squeal right back. “I’ve missed you too!”
“It’s been a long month without you,” she says, exhaling in a big gust. I give her one final squeeze before bending down to help her out with the bags.
“Jesus, Jamie, what’s in these? You know you’re only staying for a week, right?”
“I brought goodies from home.” She wiggles her eyebrows. “And lots of different outfits. I didn’t know what the nightlife was like around here and I wanted to be fully prepared.”
I don’t have the heart to tell her that Maui’s pretty sleepy when it comes to nightlife, but if I know Jamie, she’ll find a party somewhere. We climb into my new-slash-used car, and I beam when she compliments the dark gray interior and freshly Windexed sunroof.
“A car and everything? Wow, you really are serious about staying here?”
She asks the question, but I can’t read the tone in her voice. I find my way out of the parking lot and back onto the highway. “I really am.”
We drop her bags off at my place and then head straight to Salty’s—at her insistence. I haven’t told her much about the Kane situation, but she’s smart enough to know that something is going on.
“I’m looking forward to meeting this prickly and terrifying yet somehow delicious landlord/boss of yours.”
I roll my eyes skyward and huff out a breath. “Please behave?”
“No promises.” She smirks.
We find Kane in the back kitchen, and the two of them give each other the onceover before my friend sticks out her hand. “Jamie Chen.”
He stares at her fingers for a beat before clasping them in his. “Kane Keo. Ashley’s… friend.”
Her eyebrows hit the roof at the explanation. “Interesting.” She turns to me. “When were you going to tell me that you guys have already smashed? I mean, it’s so obvious.”
I can literally feel my face turning red. “I wanted to tell you in person. It’s complicated.”
“It always is.” Her eyes find Kane again and she gives him a shrewd look. “Are you the source of the complication? Because if you are, I feel like Ash has had enough of that to fill a lifetime.”
He clears his throat in preparation to speak, but I soon interrupt. “I’m right here, Jamie. Please don’t talk about me like I’m not in the room.”
“I’m not going to speak for Ashley. What’s between her and I is between her and I,” Kane adds.
“You think you’re too good for her? Is that it?” She says snidely.
I see the pain reflected in his eyes when they find mine. “That’s not true at all. Ashley is way out of my league.”
I swallow hard at the stare he gives me, forging forwards with his speech. “Ashley is smart and so strong. The way she’s survived through all of this…I’m in awe of her.”
It’s the most he’s ever said about me in one sentence; I can’t help but be a little speechless. He gives Jamie a hard look before finishing his thought. “You may think that I’m just some big, dumb ape looking to take advantage of your friend, but I’m not.” He looks at me again, and I feel like he can see right to the bottom of my soul with his gaze. “I care about Ashley more than you can understand; everything beyond that is none of your business.”
Jamie tilts her head, as if considering the repercussions of this new character in my life. “Okay.” She turns to me. “Now, what do you have to eat around here? I’m starving.”
I lead her out to the bar with an uncomfortable looking Kane, scrounging together a late lunch for her in the back. The rain has subsided and a rainbow breaks across the sky, visible above the metal awning of the bar. The colors of it are so bright that it almost hurts my eyes to look straight into the glare.
“It’s so beautiful here,” Jamie says, exhaling. “I can definitely see the appeal.” I serve her a plate of Kalua pork tacos with a side of pineapple coleslaw and she eats them both without coming up for air.
“More?” I ask. She crooks an eyebrow, as if to say: What do you think? It never ceases to amaze me how much she can fit into that tiny little body of hers.
“Do you want to try some Huli Huli chicken?”
“You already know the answer to that question, Ash.”
Luckily, I have some warming on the stovetop already, so I load up another plateful and head out front to give it to Jamie. She immediately inhales the entire helping. “Yum…I miss your cooking. Dale is such a superb dick for ruining things with a kick-ass woman like you.”
I laugh shortly. “Thanks, but I’m sure he doesn’t miss my cooking, since he rarely ate any of it. I’m sure he doesn’t think about it at all.”
“Well, he’s definitely thinking about you.”
I don’t miss how Kane’s spine stiffens as he moves closer to eavesdrop.
“What do you mean?”
She just shakes her head. “It could be nothing. I just assumed he’d be all over town, man-whoring like the useless man-whore that he’s always been, but it’s weird.”
“What’s weird? Spill it, Jamie,” I say, teetering on the brink of frustration.
“I ran into your old assistant, Terry.”
“And?”
“And he said Dale is now trying to play it off like you’re away at some rehab or something, which is obvs so dumb, I mean, people know what’s up. When someone updates her Facebook status to single, deletes all of her Dale pics, quits her job, and move
s to an island, it sends a pretty clear message to the general public.”
“Rehab? He’s out of hand,” I mutter. “I don’t get what his problem is. We sold our place, we have a separation agreement, and we’re getting divorced as soon as the State of California permits it. What is he even thinking? Especially when he didn’t even fight over any of it. Our relationship was over a long time ago. I think he was just as relieved as I was after all the dust settled, but you know Dale.”
She snorts. “Yeah, I know Dale.”
“What about him?” Kane rumbles from beside her stool.
She answers him through a mouthful of chicken. “He’s a prick.”
“You let your friend marry a prick?”
“I didn’t let her do anything.” She checks my gaze before continuing. “We met him when we were all freshmen. I knew he was a prick the moment I laid eyes on him in the auditorium of Psychology 101, but it was too late—she was already half-smitten.”
I avert my eyes from Kane, trying to explain. “He was my first real boyfriend.”
“In college?” Kane’s eye travel over my face. “How is that even fucking possible?”
“I was a late bloomer,” I mumble.
“Apparently,” Jamie snickers, shifting her eyes between Kane and me. I feel my face heat up like a campfire.
“Jamie and Dale could barely stand to be in the same room as each other.”
“Hate to say I told you so,” she says with a shrug.
“Then don’t.”
“Hey, I’m sorry, Ash. You’re right.” She holds up her hands in a gesture of surrender. “Who am I to say anything? It’s not like I make the best choices when it comes to men, and things weren’t all bad between you guys. He really did love you—at least in the beginning.”
Kane’s mouth thins into a line, and I decide right and then there to change the subject. “So what do you want to do while you’re here?” I ask Jamie.
“Don’t you mean who do I want to do?” She answers, and I groan.
“It might be difficult to find you the scene you’re looking for here, since there aren’t any nightclubs in Paia,” I explain.
“What about Kihei?” She asks, clearly having done some research, but I shake my head no.
“Oahu it is then. It’s a short flight,” she says, at the same time that Kane barks out a firm no.
She turns to face off with him. “Yes.”
“No,” he repeats. “You are not taking Ashley to Honolulu.”
“Yes, I am.”
“You’re not.” He leans forward and braces his big hands on the bar.
“Ooh, what are we fighting about?” Kayla arrives just in time to interrupt their stare down, and I shoot her a smile of relief.
“I’m taking my best friend Ashley to Honolulu tonight for a good time, and this big meathead seems to have a problem with it,” Jamie explains.
Kayla shrugs. “Tell him that it’s none of his business.”
“I was in the middle of doing that when you interrupted. Who are you by the way?” Jamie shifts her attention to Kayla, momentarily forgetting Kane.
“Kayla. I’m Ashley’s Hawaiian best friend.”
Jamie’s eyes narrow and sweep over her. “She already has a best friend.”
“I reckon not as cool as this one though,” Kayla retorts, pointing at herself.
“Oh, there’s no chance that a skinny bitch like you has anything on me.”
“Who are you calling a skinny bitch, munchkin? You have all the stature of a garden gnome.”
They lock into a stare down so epic that I almost intervene, until Jamie finally breaks into a smile. “I think I’m going to like you, Kayla.”
With the two of them distracted, Kane heads to my side of the bar and slips his arms around my waist. “You can’t go to Honolulu.”
“Why not?”
“Because I can’t.”
I sigh. “You don’t need to follow me everywhere. I’m quite capable of fending for myself.”
He hisses through his teeth. “You’re not going.”
I cock my head at him. “We’ll see.”
“Ashley,” he grinds out, but I choose to ignore his protests and rebelliously wander over to join the girls in conversation.
Three hours later, Jamie, Kayla, and I are in the air on route to Oahu. As soon as we land at Honolulu International, Jamie informs us that she already booked us a place. It ends up being a hip boutique hotel with stunning views of Waikiki Beach. We drop our overnight bags in the room and make our way down to the funky outdoor pool area, which is surrounded by a large wooden deck and framed by blooming tropical trees.
The rectangular pool itself is lit from underneath, making it glow against the backdrop of fading light. We take a seat at one of the teak wood umbrella tables, and I sigh out happily as I relax into the padded chair.
“This was a great idea,” I say.
“Hells yeah it was,” Kayla agrees.
“Absolutely.” Jamie nods. “But now that it’s just us girls and Drogo is nowhere to be seen, I want answers.” Jamie leans forward to spread her hands against the table.
“Really? Again with the Game of Thrones references?” I shake my head. “He doesn’t look THAT much like that character.”
“Changing the subject as always,” Jamie says, and Kayla snorts out a laugh.
“She’s good at that.”
“No more stalling. What’s going on with you and Kane?”
I shrug. “Nothing’s going on; we’re just having fun.”
“You don’t do fun.”
“Thanks,” I say, dryly.
“Not what I mean, and you know it. I guess I’m just surprised—it’s only been a few months since everything with Dale and you’ve already jumped into bed with someone else?” Jamie tilts her head, and I don’t miss the concern etched into her delicate features.
“You’re going to lecture me on sex?” I laugh as she shakes out her dark mane.
“I would never lecture someone on sex. Fuck whoever you want—I certainly do, but you’re my best friend and not the type to do casual.”
“How do you know I’m not?”
“I know.” She huffs out a breath and collapses against her chair. “If you truly were just getting your rocks off, I’d buy a bottle of Veuve and pop the cork, but I’m not about to do that. I’m worried about you.”
“You shouldn’t be.”
“But I am. I’m worried that you’re going to get hurt. What do you even really know about Kane?” She asks, glancing from me to Kayla.
“He’s a good man,” I argue, taking a peek at Kayla.
“Sure, he’s a solid guy.” She shrugs. “But in terms of relationships, I think he probably invented the term emotionally unavailable.”
Jamie groans so loud that I jump up, right at the same time that a waiter in pressed white pants and a Hawaiian shirt rolls up to us.
“Is everything alright ladies?”
“It’s fine.” I smile at him, as Jamie grumbles incoherently under her breath.
“I apologize for the wait. What can I get you?”
We all order the signature cocktail and a tray of them arrive minutes later, each one complete with a skewer of tropical fruit and one of those cute little drink umbrellas.
I take a long, dragging sip as my eyes skim over the appetizer menu. “Macadamia crusted shrimp with guava glaze sounds good.”
“There she goes again, changing the subject,” Kayla says, right before she removes a strawberry from her glass and throws it at my face. It disappears down the front of my tank top and I gasp from the cold.
“What’d you do that for?” I shout, but she’s laughing so hard that there are actual tears in her eyes. I glare at my so-called Hawaiian best friend until Jamie interjects.
“As amusing as this all is, we need to get back to the matter at hand. You, Kane Keo, and whether that’s a disaster waiting to happen.”
“You know what, Jamie?” I exhale a small hurri
cane of breath this time. “Maybe it is, but it’s my disaster. I’m a big girl and I can handle my own life.”
“Famous last words,” Kayla grumbles, seeming to sober.
“That’s exactly what you said about Dale when you knew that things were going off the rocks. I swear, from the way you used to talk about your marriage, you knew it was over years ago but didn’t want to face it.”
“We were knee-deep in twenty-five thousand dollars worth of baby-making treatments, so can you blame me?” I bite back.
“Dale was just another poster boy for emotionally unavailable,” she argues. “Sure, he knew how to talk and said all the right things, but that guy was married to himself more than to you.”
“Jesus, Jamie, I get it! I made a shitty choice in marrying the first man I loved, and then it all fell apart. It’s not the first time in history that such a thing has happened to a woman, and I can guarantee it won’t be the last, so please stop trying to draw parallels between Kane and Dale. They are nothing alike and frankly it’s insulting.”
I finish my tirade and Kayla clears her throat. “I think you should lay off her, old best friend.”
I’m shocked into silence by her words; Kayla never defends anyone. Jamie seems to sense this because she backs right off.
“As long as you know what you’re doing.”
“I do,” I say, firmly. At least I think I do, but I don’t share the afterthought. As I throw back the rest of my blended drink, my phone chimes with a text from Kane.
Are you ok?
Followed by another.
I miss you.
Followed by one more.
Call me. Soon.
Hmm. He doesn’t seem so emotionally unavailable to me, despite what both of my friends think. The lanterns around the pool flicker to life just as the sounds of Hawaiian guitar music float out from the hotel lobby. Jamie looks right at me, her shoulders slumping in defeat.
“I didn’t fly you here to argue with you.”
“Are you sure about that?” I tease, reaching across the table to grab her hand, ensuring that she knows I’m not serious.
“I want tonight to be fun. I want it to be about the three of us: young and free and in Hawaii for fuck’s sake,” she pontificates, and I decide to cut her some slack, since we came all this way.
Aloha in Love Page 16
