the violence of the waves crashing against the coral reef, I knew my heart would have shattered had I not come here.
I would have been broken, and I simply could not have that. I wouldn’t let a man do that to me, much less one who didn’t even want me until he knew he couldn’t have me.
The fact that my heart longed for him anyway was the reason I’d needed to see my grandmother’s kind face and hear her wisdom. I was an idiot for ever loving Gavin Fletcher, and I needed peace to heal. To get over him. To pick up the pieces and figure out what I was going to do with myself.
To forget ever loving him in the first place.
Above all else, I couldn’t believe I’d given up a job to go with him on that crazy journey. Now, not only was I here, broke until my salary from the shoot came in, but with nothing to fall back on, without a prospect in sight.
I had Sandra’s phone number in my cell. Maybe she could help connect me with someone… anyone.
I ran my hands over my face, and felt hot tears beneath my palms.
A firm hand touched my shoulder, and I jumped.
“How are you doing, babe?”
I turned to see Grandma’s wrinkled smile. One look at my face and she nodded, her eyes full of knowing.
“That good, huh? Come on back. I’ve got lunch waiting.” She put a hand to my face, cupping my cheek. “Nothing seems so bad with a full stomach.”
I laughed. With the way she cooked, nothing was closer to the truth.
“I made my fried rice, just for you kid,” she said, taking my hand in hers and leading me back.
As we walked, she gave it a squeeze.
“It gets better.”
I looked at her, and wondered for the first time, what her life must have been like when she was my age. Did she have lovers before Grandpa, or was he the first? And did she get lonely now that he was gone? She must have seen her share of heartbreak, but here she was, still as tough as ever.
“You promise?” I laughed a little, and wiped another rogue tear away.
She nodded, looking straight ahead, toward her little yellow house.
“I promise.”
And in that moment, I believed her. There would be life after Gavin Fletcher.
All I needed was time, and everything would work itself out in the end.
But I wondered, as I sat at the bright kitchen table, how long it would take before I stopped feeling like my world was tearing apart at the seams.
***
Gavin
“What do you mean, she’s gone? ” I said. “She can’t be gone!”
“It’s what the note says! I’m not making this up. Here.”
Malcolm handed me the note that had been taped to the suitcase full of Aolani’s new clothes. The clothes I’d made her buy for the journey. It felt like a slap in the face to have them left here—like a box full of my things left for me after a nasty break up. And I supposed that’s what it was.
I snatched the paper from Malcolm’s hands and read it over myself.
I’m sorry to leave so abruptly, but it’s the right thing to do.
It won’t do either of us any good to drag this out longer than we have to.
I’m going home for a while, so I won’t be using the address you have on file.
Please send my last check to the following:
Aolani Kahale
233 Ohana Dr.
Oahu, HI 96706
Thank you for everything. I mean that.
-Aolani Kahale
I flipped the note over, hoping for something, anything , more, but that was it. That was all she’d left behind when she fled from me, out of my life, without a word. After the way I’d behaved, I shouldn’t have been surprised, but I still felt her absence, and her cold note, like a punch in the gut.
She was gone, and all she wanted from me was to wrap up the business affai rs between us. It felt so final for a moment that I almost gave in to despair.
I’d lost her. I’d really lost her.
But then, as I looked into my brother’s worried eyes, I felt something welling up inside of me stronger than my sadness and my fear. Determination. She was the one, and you didn’t
I would have been broken, and I simply could not have that. I wouldn’t let a man do that to me, much less one who didn’t even want me until he knew he couldn’t have me.
The fact that my heart longed for him anyway was the reason I’d needed to see my grandmother’s kind face and hear her wisdom. I was an idiot for ever loving Gavin Fletcher, and I needed peace to heal. To get over him. To pick up the pieces and figure out what I was going to do with myself.
To forget ever loving him in the first place.
Above all else, I couldn’t believe I’d given up a job to go with him on that crazy journey. Now, not only was I here, broke until my salary from the shoot came in, but with nothing to fall back on, without a prospect in sight.
I had Sandra’s phone number in my cell. Maybe she could help connect me with someone… anyone.
I ran my hands over my face, and felt hot tears beneath my palms.
A firm hand touched my shoulder, and I jumped.
“How are you doing, babe?”
I turned to see Grandma’s wrinkled smile. One look at my face and she nodded, her eyes full of knowing.
“That good, huh? Come on back. I’ve got lunch waiting.” She put a hand to my face, cupping my cheek. “Nothing seems so bad with a full stomach.”
I laughed. With the way she cooked, nothing was closer to the truth.
“I made my fried rice, just for you kid,” she said, taking my hand in hers and leading me back.
As we walked, she gave it a squeeze.
“It gets better.”
I looked at her, and wondered for the first time, what her life must have been like when she was my age. Did she have lovers before Grandpa, or was he the first? And did she get lonely now that he was gone? She must have seen her share of heartbreak, but here she was, still as tough as ever.
“You promise?” I laughed a little, and wiped another rogue tear away.
She nodded, looking straight ahead, toward her little yellow house.
“I promise.”
And in that moment, I believed her. There would be life after Gavin Fletcher.
All I needed was time, and everything would work itself out in the end.
But I wondered, as I sat at the bright kitchen table, how long it would take before I stopped feeling like my world was tearing apart at the seams.
***
Gavin
“What do you mean, she’s gone? ” I said. “She can’t be gone!”
“It’s what the note says! I’m not making this up. Here.”
Malcolm handed me the note that had been taped to the suitcase full of Aolani’s new clothes. The clothes I’d made her buy for the journey. It felt like a slap in the face to have them left here—like a box full of my things left for me after a nasty break up. And I supposed that’s what it was.
I snatched the paper from Malcolm’s hands and read it over myself.
I’m sorry to leave so abruptly, but it’s the right thing to do.
It won’t do either of us any good to drag this out longer than we have to.
I’m going home for a while, so I won’t be using the address you have on file.
Please send my last check to the following:
Aolani Kahale
233 Ohana Dr.
Oahu, HI 96706
Thank you for everything. I mean that.
-Aolani Kahale
I flipped the note over, hoping for something, anything , more, but that was it. That was all she’d left behind when she fled from me, out of my life, without a word. After the way I’d behaved, I shouldn’t have been surprised, but I still felt her absence, and her cold note, like a punch in the gut.
She was gone, and all she wanted from me was to wrap up the business affai rs between us. It felt so final for a moment that I almost gave in to despair.
I’d lost her. I’d really lost her.
But then, as I looked into my brother’s worried eyes, I felt something welling up inside of me stronger than my sadness and my fear. Determination. She was the one, and you didn’t
Similar Books
The Fire Artist
Daisy Whitney
Fabulous Five 026 - Laura's Secret
Betsy Haynes
P. O. W.
Donald E. Zlotnik
And Then You Dance (Crested Butte Cowboys Series Book 2)
Heather A Buchman
For a Hero
Sable Hunter, Jess Hunter
All Light Will Fall
Almney King
Christmas Holiday Husband
Kris Pearson
The Stalker Chronicles
Electa Rome Parks