Chapter 16 #2
“My kind of girl. Okay, we’ll take one of the Kalua Pig pizzas and the pepperoni and…do you want something to drink?” Koa asked Mia.
“Water,” Mia said. It had always been her drink of choice, but it became especially so since moving to Maui. Hawaii water was in a league of its own.
“And two waters,” Koa finished.
The waiter nodded before jotting down a few notes and leaving the table.
“So besides working three jobs and cheering for the wrong team, what do you do you in your free time?” Mia asked.
Koa grinned as he pushed his lush black hair out of his hazel eyes. “Surfing, building things, playing football. I’ve coached a couple of K.J.’s teams.”
Of course, he had. Mia’s teacher heart swelled to twice its size imagining Koa coaching her cute kiddos.
“What about you?”
“Reading…”
“As every good teacher should.”
“Running, and you have to promise not to laugh at this one,” Mia said, because Nat had laughed when Mia told her about her new hobby.
Koa chuckled once.
“Nope, not telling you.” Mia shook her head, her brown curls bouncing.
“Oh, come on,” Koa said, putting both hands palm up on the table. “I was just getting that last one out before you told me.”
Mia tilted her head, taking in Koa’s stoic look. It also gave her time to notice how his eyes danced in the firelight and his hair had the slightest tint of gold to it in just the right light.
“Needlepoint,” Mia finally said.
Koa cleared his throat.
“Stop it,” Mia could see that restrained laughter was practically choking Koa. “It’s totally making a comeback.”
Koa shook his head before clearing his throat once more. “Right. I hear it’s all the rage in the sixty-five plus circles.”
Mia giggled. “No. Like people our age are doing it.”
“You’re talking about sewing that makes a pretty picture instead of clothes, yeah?”
“You make it sound so ridiculous. But it’s fun. And relaxing.”
“I could see that,” Koa said, the laughter in his voice belying his statement.
Mia huffed, pretending she was upset, but they both knew she wasn’t.
They both looked up as their waiter returned.
“One pep and one kalua pig,” the waiter said as he set each pizza on a wire rack on the table.
“It smells divine,” Mia said. This island really did have the best food in the world.
“Tastes even better. After you,” Koa waved in front of the pizzas, and Mia took a slice of each.
She dug into the kalua pig one first. “Oh, my goodness,” she spoke too soon while her mouth was still working on the pizza, but it was gut reaction.
“Right?” Koa smiled before loading slices onto his plate.
They both ate a few bites before Koa spoke once more. “So needlepoint and the Seahawks. Anything else I should know about you?”
“I mean I kind of already overwhelmed you with my trauma and drama before we even went on a first date.”
Koa shook his head. “Not overwhelmed. You trusted me with that. And if I remember that conversation correctly, I had my own trauma and drama.”
“I guess we all do,” Mia said.
Koa grunted his agreement.
“So any deal breakers you have thanks to that trauma and drama?” Koa asked.
Mia bit her lip as her eyebrows knit. Did she have any deal breakers thanks to her ex or her parents passing?
“No lying,” Mia said immediately. That was something she’d thought had already been a deal-breaker written in stone, but she realized she’d been willing to overlook some kinds of lying when it came to her ex. Never again.
“Agreed,” Koa said with a nod.
“I can’t be with someone who puts me down just for the heck of it or who makes me feel unsafe in our relationship,” Mia said. Memories of her ex teasing her about putting on a few pounds and then calling it a joke had been pushed to the back recesses of her mind, but they’d always be there.
Koa’s jaw ticked.
“And no drinking and driving.” Mia moved onto the one thing her parent’s death taught her. There was absolutely no excuse in her mind. Especially in this day and age of ride shares and the like.
“I agree with all of those. And I’d add no drugs. For any reason.”
Mia nodded her agreement. She hadn’t any personal experience to make her feel so strongly but could see why Koa did.
“Well, that was fun,” Koa said as he lifted a couple more pieces of pizza onto his plate. “Now let’s move onto our biggest fears. I’m just kidding…” he said before Mia could react. “It’s my way of saying I’m sorry for bringing down the conversation.”
“No, I think we have to talk about the hard stuff. Maybe not all in one date, but I’m glad we aren’t hiding behind fluff. I love how real you are,” Mia said and then realized she used the L-word on a first date and her cheeks immediately went hot.
“I love how real you are too,” Koa said, reaching across the table to squeeze her hand.
She also loved how much he liked to touch her. Mia realized the laundry list of things she loved about Koa was growing by the minute. And though that should scare her, it probably would later that night when she was alone. But while she was still with Koa?
It only thrilled her.
“Aloha,” a man who looked vaguely familiar to Mia said as he waited by the helicopter for them.
The man wore a gaudy aloha shirt, a plastic flower lei that had seen better days, and a wilting plumeria behind his ear.
“You’re an idiot,” Koa said to his friend before turning to Mia. “I promise he’s a competent pilot. In every other part of his life…”
“I’m trying to keep the Hawaiian skies alive,” the man defended himself, but Koa ignored him.
“The last real Hawaiian airline was sold to a major mainland carrier recently. I think this is Preston’s way of protesting,” Koa said shaking his head.
Preston grinned. “I’m not protesting. I’m merely trying to start my own Hawaiian Air. Hawaiian-by-Blood Airlines. Has a nice to ring to it don’t you think?”
“Again, I’m sorry he’s an idiot,” Koa said, but Mia was smiling widely. She loved seeing Koa interact with his friend.
Wait…now Mia knew why Preston was familiar.
“You are one of the firefighters that came to the school,” Mia said. But she felt like there was still something she was missing.
Preston nodded.
He was a fire-fighting helicopter pilot? Was this helicopter his?
“And I want to apologize,” Preston said to Mia with an outstretched hand. “I shouldn’t have taken part in making fun of you.”
Mia’s face flamed. That’s what she’d been missing. Preston had been one of Koa’s companions at Puka’s. But Mia had only had eyes for Koa and hadn’t even really remembered who else had been around.
“We’re good,” Mia said shaking Preston’s hand and hoping it was the last they ever had to speak about it.
Yes, it wasn’t kind of Preston and especially Koa to speak about her the way they had, but she’d forgiven Koa, so in her mind, she’d already forgiven Preston.
What she didn’t know if she could forgive was her own idiocy that day.
“So you ready to head up?” Preston asked, gesturing toward the open door.
Was she? Mia hadn’t ever been afraid of flying, but then again she’d never been in a helicopter. The small space was different from any other aircraft, and Mia wasn’t sure she’d be safe.
Then again, was this something she wanted to miss out on?
And though she didn’t know Preston, she did know Koa. And she trusted that he’d keep her safe.
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Mia answered honestly before Koa helped her into the fuselage.
Koa winked as he held her hand, and Mia knew all would be well.
Once they were settled in their seats, Preston in the pilot’s chair, they all put on headsets to be able to communicate with one another once the whirring of the propeller started.
“We’ll be taking a tour of the most beautiful island in the world, our home of Maui,” Preston said, over-exaggerating the way a pilot would speak.
“How long has he been flying?” Mia asked, covering the microphone part of her headset.
Koa burst into laughter. “I know it seems like his first day in the air, but he’s been flying practically his whole life.
His dad is a pilot and so are his brothers and sister.
They own a helicopter tour company that gives tours on all of the major islands.
This is one of their choppers. Preston became the black sheep of the family by becoming a firefighter.
So even though he sounds like an idiot, when it comes to this and firefighting? I promise he’s the best there is.”
Preston didn’t pay attention to them as he readied the controls in front of him for flight.
“Oh no, I didn’t mean it like that. I just wondered…”
Koa laughed. “I get it. I’d wonder about him too.”
Mia felt badly that Koa thought she was disparaging his friend. Especially one who was doing a favor for them. “No, it’s just that he seems so at ease. I figured he must have been doing this a long time.”
“Right,” Koa replied, Koa’s eyes wide with mirth.
He was teasing her.
Mia stuck out her tongue, causing Koa to laugh harder.
“What are you laughing about back there?” Preston said, turning back to them.
“Just excited for the tour, Captain,” Koa said with a salute.
“Captain. I like it.” Preston’s attention went back to his controls, and soon the propeller started.
“And you can say whatever you want over your headset. We aren’t connected to Preston’s. We can hear him but he can’t hear us,” Koa said.
Mia tried not to smile too wide at Koa making sure they had their privacy.
Soon they were flying over sights that were both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time—the Iao Valley that Mia had first flown over when she’d come to Maui as well as the white windmills on the lush green hillsides of central Maui.
“We’re now flying over Kihei. Known for its lovely beaches and the time Koa tried to stop a bar fight and ended up with a black eye,” Preston said over their headsets.
“Eh,” Koa yelled over the sounds of the helicopter. “Enough with the personal commentary. I paid for the professional tour.”