Chapter 16 #3
“You paid for nothing, and you know it. You get what you get, and you don’t throw a fit. Isn’t that what we say, Ms. Goodman?” Preston asked Mia.
Mia grinned and shrugged at Koa before yelling up to Preston, “That’s what we say.”
Preston’s smile was wide enough that it was easy to see even from his profile.
“And did I mention the fight was between two wahine?” Preston added.
“Did I mention that someone, instead of jumping in to help the way any hero would, stood by recording me trying to break up a fight between the two women?” Koa snapped.
Mia bit back her laughter.
“I’ll show you the video one day,” Preston said with a wink to Mia.
“Preston!” Koa yelled.
“Yeah?” Preston’s response was quick.
“Shut up.”
The man chuckled as he turned the helicopter, taking them east.
“We’re coming to the white sandy shores of Lahaina and Kaanapali,” Preston said, and suddenly all signs of levity disappeared.
There were homes and businesses in all stages of repair, but the devastation of the fire from a few years before still left its mark.
“Were you working that day?” Mia asked in a soft voice as she took Koa’s hand.
“We all were,” was Koa’s stoic reply.
Preston cleared his throat, his attention on what they were passing below.
“That day changed the whole island, for worse and better,” Preston said over the headset.
Mia nodded. She couldn’t imagine.
She’d of course heard about the fires, it had been worldwide news. But now that she knew what Maui was like? The closeknit community must have been shattered.
“My uncle didn’t make it out,” Koa said, squeezing Mia’s hand. “I tried to find him, but there was no way of communicating.” Koa shook his head.
“I’m so sorry,” Mia said as she returned the squeeze.
“We all knew someone. And we all knew many people who lost everything.”
They flew in silence for the next few minutes, Mia let the men feel what they needed to feel.
“Our job is to protect from this. Fire. Yet on that day, fire won. Lahaina is a reminder to me that we are one moment, one action away from everything falling into chaos. I know we didn’t fail, I know we did our best, but some days,” Koa shook his head as if trying to forget things imprinted on his mind.
“Should I try to land on one of the hotel roofs?” Preston joked over the comm, evidently he was over being in his feels.
“Nah. Not really feeling like trying to evade arrest today. Especially not with Mia here,” Koa responded immediately, telling Mia Koa was ready to move on as well.
Preston shook his head. “I just feel like I need to redeem myself after last time.”
“And you can. When you have the right paperwork and as long as you choose to land on a hotel that actually has a helipad.”
Preston laughed as he continued to fly them further east, rounding the island and coming back to the main populace of Wailuku and Kahului.
“Isn’t that the roof you fell through?” Preston pointed to a building near the ocean.
“Shouldn’t you be concentrating on flying?”
“What can I say? I’m talented enough to be able to do both.”
The airfield came back into view, and the helicopter began to descend. “Next time, we’ll take you around Paia to Hana,” Preston promised.
Mia’s heart warmed at his acceptance of her into their lives. Next time sounded good to Mia.
They landed, and Mia brushed her fingers through her hair, feeling a bit frazzled after all the wind they’d encountered.
“Thanks, man,” Koa said, giving Preston a bro hug.
“It was nice to meet you,” Mia said opening her arms for a hug.
“Oh, so you’ve already been initiated to the island way,” Preston said as he returned her hug and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.
“I’m learning. Sometimes I forget though.”
“She’s quickly becoming an island girl,” Koa said proudly.
Mia hoped so. Especially now that she couldn’t imagine calling anywhere else home.
Preston went back to the helicopter to do who knew what, and Koa led Mia to his truck.
“So what did you think? Not too scary?” Koa asked as he opened her door.
“Um, it was life-changing. I think I’m now spoiled to every other mode of transportation. A truck ride? No thank you. I’d like a helicopter please,” Mia answered when Koa joined her in the cab of his truck.
Koa laughed as he took her hand in his as if it was the most natural thing to do. It wasn’t quite natural for Mia yet, evidenced by the fireworks set off within her each time he touched her.
“Well, with that kind of taste, you’re better off dating Preston. But I’m too selfish to let you go.”
Mia’s heart stuttered before she swallowed hard. “I guess I’ll have to settle for mundane forms of transportation then,” she managed even as she knew she was falling harder.
Koa laughed again, but Mia realized he’d made clear a few times how he felt, and she hadn’t given him much.
“In all honesty, Preston isn’t really my type,” Mia said.
“He isn’t? You into guys like Paka, then?” Koa laughed.
Mia’s mouth dropped open. “How did you know about that?”
“It’s a small island. And I work with Paka. The guys have been giving him a hard time about your rejection and loving every minute of it.”
“I didn’t mean to make him the brunt of jokes.”
“Nah, he’ll be fine. I’m pretty sure he already asked out someone else,” Koa said with a wave of his hand.
Oh, good. For a minute there, Mia really felt bad, but now it was time to get back to the task she’d failed so far.
“Paka isn’t my type either.”
“What is your type then?” Koa said as he stopped at a red light. He turned his head to her, his beautiful eyes waiting.
“Um, about six-two?” Mia began. “Bronze complexion, wavy black hair, haunting hazel eyes…”
“Haunting, huh? Sounds gothic…and specific.”
“Yes, specific, but not gothic. Haunting because I can’t get them out of my head.”
Koa smiled as he turned his attention back to driving.
“He helps everyone around him, even taking over his Tutu’s mortgage so she wouldn’t lose her house. He cares about people, especially his people.”
“You make him sound like a saint.”
“Oh, he isn’t. He also makes fun of helpless tourists.”
Koa laughed. “It was one time.”
“But, yeah, that’s my type.”
“I think I might know someone,” Koa said.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. And good news for both of you? His type is an elementary school teacher who is brave enough to leave everything she knew behind to start a new life. It helps that her hair makes a man want to run his hands through it, her eyes are the purest green, and everything about her is haunting.”
Mia’s chest was so hot she worried it would explode.
“So things are looking pretty fantastic for my type and your type?” Mia didn’t know how she was thinking, much less speaking, but she would thank God for that miracle in her nightly prayers.
“I think they are,” Koa said as he lifted her hand he still held and brought it to his lips, the gentle press of his lips to the back of her hand changing her life forever.
From that moment forward, never would Mia consider a kiss that wasn’t between two pairs of lips, lesser than.
This kiss had her soaring, wondering if she tried to walk whether her feet could even touch the ground.
“Oh, shoot,” Koa said turning his eyes back to the road. “You left your car at Nat’s didn’t you?”
Mia nodded and then looked at the road ahead. She loved that they were both so enveloped in their date that they didn’t notice they’d gone the wrong way.
“Do you mind if we go home and then grab your car in the morning?” Koa asked, since they were already almost there.
“Of course, not. It’ll be nice to sleep in my own bed. I love Nat, but she’s a sleep talker.”
Koa smiled, her hand still intertwined with his.
The cab of the truck fell into silence, the evening shadows growing thick around them. And Mia realized that though she’d found home on Maui, she’d also found home with Koa. It brought a sense of peace she hadn’t felt in years.
He was her person. She knew it was too soon to admit as much out loud, so she’d keep that sacred truth hidden in her heart until the time was right.