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“I’ll hire you back,” he said.
“You don’t want to hire me,” Jun pointed out as she pulled back her arm. “I’m not going to be a pity case.”
“You’re not going to be. I need your help and you need mine. It’s an equal trade.”
Jun just stared. “You’ll sign the contract? For real?”
He’d almost forgotten about that. In his mind, he groaned. No sex. No alcohol. And no junk food. Well, what was four months, really? He could handle it. It was a small price to pay to make sure she and Po were set. That they didn’t have to worry about money for a little bit. They had enough to worry about—that was plain to see.
“Sure.”
“Promise?”
“It’s a promise,” he said, hoping he could stick to it.
CHAPTER TWELVE
WHEN JUN DROVE to Kai’s house the next morning, down the beautiful shoreline highway, she wondered if she was making a mistake. Po, however, was beyond excited as they pulled up to the curb.
“Kai’s house!” Po exclaimed as Jun helped the little boy out of his car seat. She winced a little about how thrilled he sounded. Po worshipped Kai, and the worship had only grown after yesterday. Jun remembered the seemingly magical touch the man had with her son, calming him down when even she couldn’t. Inside, she felt torn—grateful to Kai for the help but nervous that the gratitude could turn into something like dependence. In her world, when you started depending on people, that was exactly when they disappointed you.
She thought about her mother, about the cold cruelty and anger on her face when she’d told her about her pregnancy. Her mom had always been so strict, so absolute about her rules, and yet part of Jun had hoped in that moment for a little bit of empathy. She wanted unconditional love and support. She’d even thought that after her mother’s temper died down, she would help her with Po. At least help her with the pregnancy and delivery, which had frightened her out of her wits.
You won’t get my pity, her mother had said at the time, and she’d kept that promise. You made your bed. Now you lie in it.
But her mother’s cold shoulder and stubborn refusal to have anything to do with her or her baby after that had taught her that the only person she could rely on was herself. In some ways, she thought, her mother had been right to do it. Jun was a stronger, more independent single mom now.
After her mother’s reaction, she’d vowed never to need anyone again. And she hadn’t.
Except that morning of the tsunami. You needed someone then. You couldn’t be there for Po. You can’t be everywhere all the time.
She pushed the thought from her mind, focusing instead on Kai’s front door. She waited on his porch, holding Po’s hand, telling herself to watch her son. He was already so attached to Kai. He idolized the man. Kai might have saved her son’s life, but she was still going to guard the boy’s heart as best she could. Po had had enough disappointments in his life.
Besides, Kai might have decided he was up for training, but Jun was still skeptical he’d see it through. She feared that he had too much quit in him, making him capitulate when things got too rough. No doubt it was because he was so damn charismatic. Gorgeous men rarely had to work hard for anything, she suspected.
She half expected Kai to answer the door hungover and with a woman hidden in his bedroom. But to her surprise, he opened the door looking bright eyed and awake, wearing gym shorts and a sleeveless cotton workout T-shirt showing off his sculpted tan arms.
“Kai!” Po cried, bursting with excitement. Kai, in a warm show of affection, scooped up the boy without hesitation.
“How’s my big guy?” Kai asked, swinging him up and then putting him back down again. The boy squealed with glee.
“Is Auntie here?”
“In here, Po,” she called. “Want to help me make a special necklace?”
Po shrugged. “Sure,” he said, and bounded into Kai’s house. Aunt Kaimana sat on the edge of the open lanai, a big teak bowl filled with dried macadamia shells in front of her. She was going to show Po how to bead. “Do you know how to count in Hawaiian?” the woman asked, and Po shook his head slowly. “Well, that’s what we’re going to learn today.”
