Chapter 7
Way
“You seem distracted,” Kaeo says.
I nod but don’t really respond.
He laughs.
“Sorry. I am distracted.”
“You have been for the last few weeks,” he tells me.
I blow out a breath. “Nothing’s suffering too badly.”
“That’s because I’m really good at my job. I really only need you to handle the bridezillas, and we don’t have many of those, so,” he shrugs.
I laugh. “So what you’re saying is you don’t need me here.”
“We all like having you around, but lately, your mind is somewhere else. Or with someone else.” Kaeo bobs his eyebrows. “How’s college life?”
“Shut up. It’s not like I’m in college.”
“What’s really bothering you?” Kaeo asks.
“I’m going to have to tell her dad.”
Kaeo sucks air in through his teeth. “Yeah, that seems…like an uncomfortable conversation.”
“It also seems like a conversation to be had in person. That way, if he wants to throw a punch, he doesn’t build up steam on the flight over here before he does it.”
“Or maybe he’ll cool off on the flight.”
I nod because that could happen.
“He’s texted me a few times over the last month. I think he wants to tell me that Nita’s here. Which means she hasn’t told me that she’s already seen me.”
Kaeo snorts. “In the biblical sense.”
“Shut up.”
And then my phone rings. When I see Drew’s name on the screen, my stomach fills with dread. I can’t lie to him. He’s one of my oldest friends. That also means that I know him well enough to know he’ll be pissed. I’m not what he wants for his daughter.
“Drew,” I say as I answer the phone, giving Kaeo a hand signal telling him I need a little privacy for this conversation. With a wave and a smirk, he leaves my office.
“You’re a hard man to get a hold of,” he says.
“Life is busy.”
“I thought you moved to Hawai’i to slow down.”
“That’s the eventual goal. And I do get to surf every morning. Speaking of which, you didn’t tell me Nita was moving here.”
Drew laughs. “I should have known she’d beat me to it. I didn’t even tell her where you were and she found you?”
“It was a coincidence. She had a friend who booked a wedding at my hotel. She was here, and we bumped into each other. I almost didn’t recognize her.”
“She’s all grown up, or so she tells me,” Drew jokes.
“So this call was to tell me she’s here for college?”
“It was more to tell you that we’ll be coming over more to see her, and I wanted to see you too.”
I’m not sure that will still be true once I come clean.
“You still living at Tutu’s place and living the life of a surf bum?”
“I am. In fact, I’ve been teaching Nita how to surf.”
“Shit,” Drew groans. “Don’t tell her mother that. Carrie will blame me for getting her into that by taking her to the beach when she was a kid.”
“I have a feeling Nita might tell her. She’s pretty good. And she’s proud of herself. She doesn’t go out alone, though.”
Drew sighs. “She’s good, huh?”
“Yeah,” I say with a smile, but it doesn’t last. Now that I have Drew on the phone, I have to tell him. Kaeo is right. “And you were right about her growing up.”
Drew doesn’t answer. Maybe he heard something in my voice.
“We’ve been seeing a lot of each other with me teaching her how to surf.”
“Why do I get the feeling I’m missing something here?” Drew asks.
“Because I’m trying to figure out the best way to tell you that I’m dating your daughter.”
“Dating? Nita and you? Way, fuck, you’re twice her age.”
I rub my hands over my face. “I know. Believe me. I know. I tried to keep away.” I didn’t even last twenty-four hours after seeing her again, but Drew doesn’t need to know that. “She’s pretty great.”
“I know that. Don’t you think I know that? Fuck….” he says again. “I don’t know what to do with this. I want to punch you in the face. She’s a sweet girl. A little quiet and shy.”
“I’m not taking advantage of her sweet nature. I want to protect it.”
“You should have protected her by keeping all the other assholes away, not because you wanted to be that asshole who got her.”
Direct hit.
“We’ll be there this weekend. That’s why I was calling you. I wanted to see my old friend. Now I think I want to break your face.”
“I’ll give you one free punch. I probably deserve it, so I’ll take it, but it won’t keep me from Nita. She’s mine.”
The only answer is a dead phone line. Drew just hung up on me. Shit. I need to warn Nita.