Chapter 2
Holding up a mango, Derek asked, “How much are the mangos?” He peered over at the shop worker.
The woman rearranged some papaya, making sure the ripest fruit was on top of the fruit stack. Without glancing up, she replied, “Two for a dollar.” A papaya started to roll, and the woman grasped it before it fell to the ground. She slowly moved it to a free spot, securing it in place.
Setting the mango back down, Derek dug into his pocket, pulling out his money clip. “I’ll take four.” He peeled off two dollars, handing it to the woman.
Moving closer to him, the woman took the money from his outstretched hand. Her face brightened. “Wonderful.” After putting the money into the front pocket of her apron, she plucked four mangos from the pile. After she placed them into a paper bag, she held them out to him. “Mahalo. Enjoy,” she said cheerfully.
Shoving his money clip back into his pocket, Derek took the bag from her. “I will. Thank you.” He glanced around the small store one more time. “Do you happen to know Kai? I have a meeting scheduled with him.”
With a hand over her chest, she said, “Kai, is my husband. I’m Alana.” Alana motioned a thumb over her shoulder. “You can make an exit through the back door. Follow the path to the right, following it around until you see a trailer. It doubles as the office. You can’t miss it. Leia will be there too. Leia is Kai’s sister. She takes care of balancing the books for our store.”
Leia? Derek wondered if it was a popular Hawaiian name. The woman who saved him on the beach this morning was also named Leia. Leia. Leia. Leia . He couldn’t get her out of his mind. But then again, if a gorgeous and incredibly strong woman, single-handedly saved your life, you’d remember her too.
“Great. I’ll do precisely that,” said Derek. He shook the bag of fruit. “I look forward to eating these later.”
Alana nodded, stepping away from him toward another customer. “It was nice meeting you.” Alana left him, joining the customer over by the pineapples.
Derek heard Alana ask the customer if they were looking for anything specific before he exited through the back door.
Following Alana’s directions, Derek walked down the dirt path. On one side of the path, it led to a large house with a detached garage. Then several yards behind it were a few bungalows. The other side of the path was covered with wildflowers, plants, and what Derek guessed were banana trees.
After walking for a few minutes, the trailer came into view. Behind the trailer were signs of the beginning of the fruit farm. Acres and acres of rows with what he figured were different varieties of fruit plants and trees. Derek admired the impressive landscape of the farm. From the information he received, Derek didn’t envision the farm to be on this grand a scale. He mostly imagined a mom-and-pop operation, but this farm was awe-inspiring.
With only a few minutes on the property, Derek sensed the pride of ownership and careful design of the farm which appeared to utilize every available square inch. Nothing was overgrown or needed to be trimmed. No wonder the farm had thrived for so many generations. From his understanding, it was only recently, the last year or two where the farm had fallen on challenging times with increased operational costs.
As he approached the trailer, Derek straightened his blue-checkered collared shirt. Though he recently showered, the cotton fabric already stuck to his skin. Los Angeles was hot, but the humidity here was stifling. Glancing down at his blue dress pants, Derek wondered if he had overdressed for a visit to a fruit farm. He opted for the short-sleeve shirt instead of one of his usual long-sleeve dress shirts, but even it suddenly felt too formal.
Before he had a chance to knock on the door, it swung open, revealing a middle-aged Hawaiian man in a t-shirt and flip flops. Derek at once regretted his attire of choice. The man looked comfortable and at ease, while Derek was hot and itchy.
With warmth in his voice, the man greeted him, “Aloha. Derek?” He held the trailer door open partway with his hand.
Derek tugged at the collar of his dress shirt. “I’m Derek.” He studied the man for a moment. “Are you Kai?”
With a wide smile, he replied, “I’m Kai. Welcome to Kama Farm.” Kai pushed the door open wider, motioning with his other arm. “Come on in. I’m glad you found us way back here. My wife texted me and told me to send out a search party if you didn’t show up in the next five minutes.” He paused, and Kai scrutinized Derek’s attire. Kai cleared his throat and continued, “I’m afraid your clothes might get dirty from the tour. I wouldn’t want you to ruin those nice shoes of yours.” Kai’s eyes stared down at Derek’s brown leather loafers.
“Oh, yeah.” Derek ran his free hand through his blond hair, while his other tightened its grip on his bag of mangos. “I can see I overdressed for our meeting.” Shuffling his feet, he peered down at himself. “My apologies.” His neck stiffened, and Derek wondered if he was already off to a bad start with Kai.
“No worries. You are in Hawaii now. It’s much too hot to dress so formally, especially on a farm. You’ll know better for next time.” Kai gave him an encouraging smile, easing the tension between his shoulder blades. “Come on in. The trailer at least has a window AC unit.”
Derek passed through the open door. A blast of cool air hit his skin. “Thanks. I appreciate it.” The door slammed shut behind them.
“You!” said a woman’s voice.
Jolted, he snapped his head in the direction of the voice, Derek’s gaze landed on Leia from this morning, seated behind one of the two desks. Leia shook her head. His jaw dropped.
Swimming in Shark’s Cove early in the morning wasn’t something he was proud of, but Derek blamed it on a temporary lapse in his usually sound judgement. The night before, his girlfriend, Heather, dumped him via text message. Heather hadn’t even dignified him with a phone call. Boy had Derek been off with where their relationship had stood.
Derek tossed and turned most of the night, and since his entire world was crumbling and sleep wasn’t happening, he figured he’d get a jump start on his day. Several people had recommended snorkeling in Shark’s Cove on the North Shore of Oahu while he was here. Without thought or even checking the time, Derek had stumbled out of bed, thrown on his swimsuit and headed out before the sun had even come up.
Forcing a smile, Derek replied, “Leia. What are the odds?” He scratched his chin.
Kai walked to the other desk next to Leia, taking a seat. “Wait, you two know each other?” Kai’s gaze darted between them.
Sighing, Leia rolled her eyes. “Technically, we don’t really know each other.” She waved her hand flippantly toward him. “I pulled this guy out of Shark’s Cove this morning, after he nearly hit me with his car.”
Kai held his hands up. “Whoa, back up.” He then leaned forward, his forearms resting on his desk. “You went swimming in Shark’s Cove? Alone ? Early in the morning?”
Derek tried not to shrink into himself. “It wasn’t my most brilliant move.” Then he motioned toward Leia. “But thanks to your sister and her remarkable strength, I didn’t die.” He set his fruit down on the ground. Shoving his hands into his pockets, Derek lowered himself into the available chair facing the two desks.
Defensively, Leia crossed her arms. “I thought I wasn’t ever going to see you again.” She pushed her chin up. “But here you are, trying to buy Kama Farm.”
“That’s not true.” His hands shook as he removed them from his pockets. Derek pulled back his shoulders and regained a tad of his confidence. “I’m not buying Kama Farm outright. It’ll still very much be your family’s farm. I’m an investor.”
With a heavy sigh, Leia flipped her hair over her shoulder and scooted closer to her desk. “But you’ll own some of it.” She shot him a pointed gaze.
“I wouldn’t think of it that way.” Derek rested one ankle on his opposite knee. “Think of me as an investment partner who’s here to help improve the functionality and profits of the business. I’ve been doing this for years. My goal is always for the businesses that I invest in, for the owner to maintain their control and vision for their business. The goal is for me to eventually disappear, not take over.”
Kai slapped his hand across his desk, glancing toward Leia. “See. I like the sound of that.”
Leia blinked at Kai, then she turned her stone-cold stare to Derek. “I don’t like the sound of that.” Narrowed eyes met his gaze. Leia added, “There’s always a catch, so what is it?”
With a tug at his restrictive collar, Derek tried to calm himself. Finally, he forced himself to pull his hands away and fold them on his lap. “Yes, I’m an investor. I can’t change that. This is what I do for a living, but I want for the farm to be profitable again.” Derek cleared his throat, meeting Leia’s gaze head on. “Your success will be my success.”
Rolling her eyes, Leia peered at Kai. “I’m not buying it.” Leia shifted toward Kai and pointed at Derek. “Kai, you can’t let him do this. Why can’t we take out a simple loan from the bank?”
Without hesitation, Kai said, “Because a bank won’t give us a loan. Trust me, I tried.” Kai pinched the bridge of his nose. “I know this isn’t ideal, but with Dad’s current state we have to do something.” Removing his hand, Kai continued, “Leia, we could lose everything and not only the forty percent Derek’s investment company wants to buy.”
Leia jolted forward, nearly toppling out of her seat. Clutching onto the desk, Leia shrieked, “Forty percent!”
Derek flinched but forced his expression to remain neutral.
Nodding, Kai steepled his hands together. “Forty percent,” repeated Kai calmly.
Glancing between Leia and Kai, Derek said, “Your family will remain the majority shareholder of Kama Farm. This means your family remains in control of the vision you want for this place.”
With an edge, Leia commented, “How very generous of you.” She opened a desk drawer and pulled out a tube of Chapstick, yanking off the cap. After applying it to her lips, Leia threw it back inside and slammed the drawer shut.
His back stiffened. Derek tried his best to keep his emotions from giving away any sort of reaction. Through his years of investing in different companies, Derek knew the initial meeting tended to be the hardest. People approached his investment firm when things weren’t going well for their business. Leia’s family was in a comparable situation, but Derek had an excellent history of turning companies around. As an outsider, without any of the emotional attachment to the business, Derek could pinpoint what needed to change for the businesses he invested in to thrive.
Kai leaned back in his chair, cupping the back of his head with his hands. Speaking directly to Leia, Kai said, “I know he’s here to buy a portion of the farm, but Leia you must know this is our last-ditch effort to keep Kama in the family. We have no other options. The farm has been running in a deficit for the last year or two. None of us predicted how severely Dad’s absence from the farm would affect our bottom-line. But Leia …” shifting toward her, Kai continued, “if we don’t turn things around, we will lose everything.”
Leia’s shoulders slumped.
Silence followed.
Derek knew his presence wasn’t wanted, but if he didn’t think the business could thrive with his investment, he wouldn’t have come to Hawaii. After looking at Kama Farm’s financial records, Derek had already found numerous areas to improve the business; ways to save money, be more efficient, and keep the integrity and heart of the family in the farm. All these things were doable, but the family needed money to do them.
Cradling his propped knee, Derek said, “I know you aren’t happy with me being here.” He motioned toward Leia, “I completely understand. But if you don’t mind, I’d like to explain to you the process I take before we even begin to negotiate me purchasing part of the farm.”
Kai peered over at Leia. With a raised eyebrow, Kai said, “Leia we asked Derek to come all the way here to Hawaii. The least we can do is hear him out.”
Raising both her hands in defeat, Leia replied, “Fine.” Then Leia met Derek’s gaze, crossing her arms against herself. She prodded, “Go on. I’m listening.”
Clearing his throat, Derek dove into his spiel. “So, usually I stay for a week or two. I’ll shadow both of you so I can learn how Kama Farm functions, make notes of ways to become more efficient, point out trouble areas and make suggestions to improve on them. Then at the end of that time, if I find this is a business I want to invest in, I’ll give you an offer. Think of the next few weeks as a trial period.” Gesturing at himself, Derek continued, “You’ll get to know me, and I’ll get to know you. If we gel, and we’re comfortable with one another, we’ll proceed with the negotiations of the investment. Does that sound reasonable to both of you?”
Leia exchanged a look with Kai. “I’m a teacher.” She peered back at Derek and continued, “I’m only here on the weekends and do most of the bookkeeping from my apartment. There won’t be much for you to shadow when it comes to me.”
Slowly, Derek nodded. “You’re correct.” He glanced at Kai. “I’ll mainly be shadowing you, Kai.”
Leia smugly asked, “So, will this be the last time we have to talk for a while?”
Derek scratched his chin. Even though the window AC unit buzzed on the wall, sweat poured down his back. Somehow, he kept his voice even as he replied, “Sure if that’s how you would like it.” He shrugged, though his middle churned. A trickle of sweat ran down his temple, and using a single finger, he swiped at it. “I believe most of our interactions can be done over email. And if you want, you can email my business partner Tyson instead of me.”
Holding up both his hands, Kai interjected, “Leia, if we’re bringing Derek in to invest, I need you to feel comfortable with him too. His business partner isn’t here. This guy is, so…”he shook his head. With a voice colder than before, Kai continued, “I don’t know what happened this morning, but you need to get over it.” Kai shot Leia a pointed look, “Leia …”
Defiantly, Leia crossed her arms and replied, “Okay, Kai. ”
Kai tilted his head toward Derek, staring at him directly. “How about you? Are you embarrassed my sister had to save you this morning?”
Derek shifted, lowering his propped leg back to the ground. “I don’t have a problem with Leia. She saved my life.” Derek met Leia’s gaze and spoke directly toward her, “And I think she’s amazing.”
Leia’s cheeks tinged pink. She flipped her gorgeous long silky black hair over her shoulder.
Clapping his hands together, Kai said, “Perfect. Then we’re in agreement.” He pushed his chair out, standing. Kai continued, “Let’s give Derek a tour of the farm.”
As Leia stumbled to her feet, she said, “Okay then.”
Derek rose to his feet too.
Kai’s gaze ran over Derek’s body. “We need to get you something else to wear. You’re going to ruin your clothes. We just put down new fertilizer.”
Tugging at his shirt collar, Derek’s cheeks warmed as he peered down at himself. “I’m sure I’ll manage.” He shuffled his feet.
“No way.” Kai strode across the trailer toward the door. Over his shoulder, he said, “Let me run and find you a shirt and some flip flops. I’ll be right back.” Kai exited.
The door banged shut behind him, leaving Leia and Derek alone for the first time since the meeting began. Derek rubbed his hands together, before shoving them into his pants pockets. Palpable silence followed, making his skin crawl. Leia reached out and straightened a few piles of papers on her desk. Without glancing at him, Leia moved to tossing a few things from her drawers into the trash.
Derek said the first thing that came to his mind, “I’m really sorry I almost hit you with my car.”
A long pause followed, and Leia shifted toward him. “You need to be more careful when you’re driving early in the morning. I can’t tell you how many close calls I’ve had with reckless drivers like you.” Shaking her head, Leia picked up a pack of post-it notes from the top of her desk and moved them to a drawer. Leia didn’t appear to want to continue the conversation.
“Do you always run so early in the morning?” asked Derek.
Leia glanced quickly toward the door, no doubt wanting Kai to return. Derek tracked her gaze. With Kai nowhere in sight, Leia said, “Yes.” She brushed her hair once more over her shoulder. The long, dark strands glistened from the sunlight peeking through the window next to her. Then to his surprise, Leia added, “I’m a teacher. I’ve gotten used to getting up early to run. Even in the summer, when I don’t have to rush off to work, I still get up early to run. It’s nice to be up before everyone else.”
“I wish I could say I was an early riser,” replied Derek.
“It’s not for everyone.” Picking up another stack of papers, Leia leafed through them.
“Are you training for anything?” Derek stepped closer to her desk. “Or do you run for the joy of it?”
Setting the rearranged papers back down on her desk, Leia said, “I’m training for the Honolulu marathon in December.” Walking around her desk, Leia sat down on the corner of it. She placed her palms flat on both sides of her.
Derek took two steps to Kai’s desk, sitting on the edge of it. Their knees nearly grazed one another’s. “A marathon— wow.” Derek nodded. “I’m impressed.”
Leia kept her gaze on the trailer door, but without prompting, she revealed, “I hope to run every major world marathon someday. The ones they have in London, Tokyo, and Berlin, but on a teacher’s salary …” Leia scoffed, “I don’t know when I’ll manage it. So, when the sign-up rolls around for the Honolulu marathon, I sign up again out of convenience.” Lifting her hand, Leia examined her fingernails.
Derek crossed his ankles in front of himself. “How many marathons have you run?”
Leia’s shoulders relaxed as she crossed her ankles too. “I lost count at twenty,” said Leia with a half-smile.
Nearly choking on his own saliva, Derek exclaimed, “Twenty!” His eyes dilated. “That’s unbelievable.”
Leia shrugged though she appeared pleased with herself. “It’s not a big deal.”
“Umm,” Derek placed a hand over his chest and continued, “It is to me. I only tried to run a marathon once. I did all the training, but the night before I ate some bad seafood. I couldn’t get out of bed to make it to the race. I never tried again.” He sighed. “I still regret it. It’s on my bucket list. But I can’t kick my booty into gear to try and train again.”
A slight shift and Leia finally looked at him. “You need to do it.” Her gaze captivated him. “Life’s too short to live with regrets. You never know what will happen.” Railroad tracks formed on her forehead. With a heavy sigh, she added, “Just look what happened to my dad, Noa.”
After Derek contemplated for a moment, he asked, “What happened to Noa? If you don’t mind me asking.”
Leia bit her bottom lip. “He had …” Then she waved a hand. “The point is, don’t wait, Derek. If it’s something you’ve always wanted to do. Then do it. You could run a marathon. You look like you’re already in decent shape. Just start training and stop waiting.”
Derek started to ask, “Would you ever want to go running—” but was interrupted by the creaking door.
Kai entered, closing the door behind him. Quickly, Derek stood, overly aware of his casual demeanor with Leia.
Proudly, Kai presented a t-shirt and pair of flip flops and said, “I didn’t know your size, but I pegged you for a medium.” He strode the five steps to Derek.
Graciously, Derek took the t-shirt and flip flops from Kai, Derek replied, “Medium works. Where should I change?”
Kai pointed to the only other door in the trailer. “There’s a bathroom in there.”
“Okay, give me a second.” Derek moved toward the bathroom. “I’ll be quick.”
“Take your time.” He smiled brightly, putting Derek at ease. “You’re in Hawaii, you know, island time.”
Without a further word, Derek entered the small bathroom. Taking off his button-down shirt, Derek pulled the tight shirt over his head. Leia remarked earlier that he was a guy who looked like he worked out, a comment he thoroughly wanted to unpack later. But Derek wondered if he had gained weight. This shirt was super snug. Was this really a medium? Derek attempted to reach for the tag behind him to double check the size, but he failed to see what it said. Instead, Derek tugged the ends of his shirt down a few more times, but the cotton material felt like Teflon.
As he stared at his appearance in the tiny mirror over the sink, Derek couldn’t help but laugh. He looked absurd. The shirt looked like it belonged to a toddler and made him look like he was a gym rat trying too hard to show off his physique. But Derek didn’t have another shirt and didn’t want to ask for a different one. Next, he removed his oxford loafers and socks, replacing them with flip flops a good two sizes too big. Dang … he laughed again as he peered down at himself. This certainly was going to raise an eyebrow or two.
With nothing else to do, Derek gathered his items in his arms and exited the bathroom. Without meeting Leia’s gaze, Derek set his shoes and clothing on a chair next to his bag of mangos.
Kai chuckled. “You look … ridiculous.”
Derek shrugged. “It is a bit tight.” He tugged on the bottom of the cotton tee. His glance flickered to Leia, and he caught her smirk. “Are you sure you this is a medium? Unless— I mean, I haven’t worked out for a while, so I might be wearing a large t-shirt these days.”
Leia’s eyes roamed over Derek’s body, making his senses heightened. “I think it looks good on you.” Tilting her head toward Kai, she asked, “Are you sure you gave him a medium? I mean he could pass for a body builder.”
Derek’s ears perked up.
Kai regained his composure and stopped laughing. “It’s a medium,” replied Kai. “I promise.” Then he made a motion of an X over his heart.
Taking a step closer to Leia, Derek asked, “Do you really think I look like a body builder?”
Holding up a hand, Leia shook her head. “Simmer down. It was a joke. You look …” Her voice trailed off. Wiping the back of her forehead with the heel of her hand, Leia remarked, “You look buff .”
For a moment, the air crackled. Both stared at one another. Derek gulped. His insides did a somersault. Was Leia flirting with him? One could certainly dream. For a second, Derek forgot Kai was even in the room, because in this moment the world was only orbiting around him and Leia.
Kai cleared his throat, snapping Derek back to reality. “Are you ready for your tour?” asked Kai.
Throwing his hands down at his side, Derek said, “I guess I am.”
They filed out of the trailer, turning toward the dirt path winding behind the trailer then leading out toward the rows of fruit plants. A few feet onto the path, Kai’s phone rang. They continued walking while Kai answered. Derek tried to listen to one side of the conversation, but he was too distracted by Leia directly in front of him. Her hair swung back and forth, whipping across her shoulder blades. Derek reminded himself mixing business with pleasure never worked. Time to check himself and place his attraction toward Leia into a locked box.
The path became narrower, and Derek remained directly behind Leia. Slowly, Kai trailed a few yards back, talking on his phone. Leia pointed out a few plants, native to Hawaii, while explaining that the narrow path circled the entire farm.
Suddenly, Leia halted. Derek nearly tripped on her heels. Kai came up from behind deep in conversation.
Pointing, Leia said, “If you look past this curve, to the right where it veers off. Do you see where I’m pointing?” She shifted her weight, peering over her shoulder at him.
Quickly, Derek tried to focus on what Leia was asking him. He traced the length of her arm toward the direction she pointed. “Yes, I see it,” said Derek.
“At the end of that path, is the original bungalow where my second great grandparents lived when they started the Kama Farm. Kama Farm was the brainchild of Alelo Kama, my second great grandpa. He needed a way to provide for his large growing family. He and his wife had ten children together.” Leia started walking again. Derek leaned in a bit closer to hear her. Leia continued, “I mean generations of my family have lived on this land for as far back as forever. But Alelo Kama was the first to clear some of the land to grow fruit to sell. Kama Farm was born. Alelo started with a simple roadside stand. Each year more land was cleared, until Alelo felt he had enough produce to sell to support his family. He also wanted to make sure he maintained and sustained the surrounding land. When my great grandparents took over Kama Farm, they opened a full roadside shop. My grandparents further developed Kama Farm by buying better and more efficient equipment. Kama Farm was large enough at that point that they hired workers to help harvest the fruit. So, it was a lengthy process for the farm to be what it is today. This is why this farm is so important to everyone in my family.”
“I can certainly understand the years of hard work and determination.” Derek stared down the path, only a bit of the original home peeked out. “Does anybody live in the home currently?”
Shaking her head, Leia replied, “No. The home is in complete disrepair. Plus, it was very rustic, with no running water or indoor plumbing. Noa, my dad, lived in it until he was six. He had to use the outhouse and everything. Then his parents built the front home you passed by on the way to the trailer. My parents live in that home now.”
“Fascinating.” Derek attempted to wave away the bugs buzzing by his face. “Maybe you and Kai could consider creating a farm tour, including a tour of the original bungalow. People could see and understand a little better what life was like for those who lived here for generations. Tourists love experiences where they feel immersed in the culture. The tour could end at the store. I would even include lunch where the tourists could sample the fresh fruits and anything else you grow here.”
Leia pursed her lips. “I don’t know, maybe.” Gnawing on her bottom lip, she continued, “That would really be up to Kai and Alana. They are the ones who do this full time.” Then she ripped the hairband off her wrist, placing it in between her teeth. Derek tracked her every movement as she gathered up the strands of her hair and pulled it back into a ponytail. Swiping at the sweat on her brow, Leia continued, “I know they threw around the idea a few years back, but it never really came to fruition. Kai might be open to considering it again.”
Shifting, Derek glanced over his shoulder. “Where is Kai?” He peered down the dirt path behind them, seeing no sign of Kai. Derek wondered how long they had been chatting alone.
“I have no clue.” Standing on her tip toes, Leia peered over Derek’s shoulder toward the direction in which they last saw Kai. Lowering her heels back to the ground, Leia shrugged. “He’s probably gone off to solve some problem on the farm. I think Kai left me to play tour guide.” Leia wrinkled her nose at him, staring straight at Derek. “I guess you’re stuck with just me.”
Derek blinked. “I don’t mind,” he said, a tad too eagerly. Recognizing his error, Derek quickly added, “I mean you might mind more than me, but I’m fine continuing on with only you.” Derek tugged at the neck of his shirt, due to its small size, the fabric dug into the skin around his neck.
Leia’s lips twitched into a slow smirk. “I don’t mind.” With a smile, Leia added, “Lucky me.” Then she swiftly pivoted forward, walking again.
Oh, Leia was flirting. With him. And boy did he like it.
Derek jogged awkwardly in his too big sandals to catch up to her. “You don’t mind? You seemed to mind back at the trailer.”
“It’s okay …” Leia ran a hand over her hair. “You’re growing on me.”
Derek straightened his back, pulling back his shoulders. “I am? Why?” replied Derek.
Stopping abruptly on the trail, Leia flipped back around, facing him. Leia motioned a finger up and down his body. “It started when you put on that ridiculously small t-shirt of my ten-year old nephew without complaint. And you put on Kai’s sandals which I know are probably about five sizes too big.” Leia stared down at his sandaled feet. A blister had started to form between his toes the minute he put them on. “You can’t be half bad if you were willing to do that,” remarked Leia.
Derek pinched the restrictive fabric of his t-shirt over his abdomen. “Are you sure this is your nephew’s? Why would Kai give it to me to put on?”
Her eyes twinkled back at him with mischievousness. “Kai was totally messing with you. It was a test, and I believe you passed. But don’t take it personally, I think Kai wanted to see how easily you could go with the flow. His personality would never gel with someone who is overly uptight. He’s messing with me too. I think Kai either thought I had a thing for you, or I was going to scratch your eyes out. Either way, Kai wanted to see it all play out.”
Her words punctured the air.
Rubbing the stubble along his jaw, Derek replied, “Ahh, brothers. You’ve got to love them.”
“Oh, do you have a brother too?” asked Leia.
“No. No,” stammered Derek. “I—” Derek began to explain, but they were interrupted by Kai.
Neither had seen him approach, and Derek flinched when Kai slapped him on the back from behind. “I’m sorry about that. What did I miss?” Kai’s glance skidded between them. “Are you two still trying to maul each other? Or did you work things out in my absence?” asked Kai.
Derek’s gaze darted to Leia. Leia nonchalantly shrugged. Then in unison Derek and Leia burst out laughing because Leia had called it.