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“Thanks, but sometimes it’s not enough to be good. It’s hard to keep up with the bigger companies. We’re just a mom-and-pop business. We don’t have the marketing budget that the big boys have.”
I nodded slowly as I let Kai’s words and the heart behind them settle in. This wasn’t just a job for him. This family business was a part of who he was. The crushing weight of what Chuck wanted me to do pressed in on me. Those problems I’d left so far below me on the ground had found their wings and were right there in front of my face again, staring me down.
“That’s why this partnership with Blue Pacific is so important. It’s going to all but guarantee that we stay afloat.”
I gulped and turned my gaze to shore. What could I say to that? I couldn’t feed his hope and agree to what he was saying. But I couldn’t very well tell him I disagreed without blowing my secret.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I broke the rules for the day and started talking shop. I just wanted you to know how much my family appreciates you—how much I appreciate you.”
The boat Uncle Leo was zooming around in might have looked like a toy from where I was perched, but I felt even smaller—just about an inch tall, to be exact.
How could I have ever considered betraying an entire family and driving them out of business? I didn’t even recognize myself anymore.
The little girl I used to be would have never agreed to something like this. The woman I wanted to be wouldn’t either. Sure, I was trying to think of a third option—one that didn’t include duking it out with Kai’s family business—but what if that option didn’t exist?
What then?
Was my need to prove my stepmom wrong so precious that the casualties left in my wake would be worth it?
“No more talk about work. Promise.” Kai’s voice broke in on my thoughts. “Hey, look over there.” He pointed down at the ocean. “There are some of your sharp-toothed friends.”
I gasped and drew my feet closer to my body even though they were hundreds of feet away and looked more like minnows than sharks. A serious case of the creepy crawlies ran the length of my body as I recognized how foolish I’d been to want to fit in with that bunch. Maybe being a shark in business came naturally to Chuck, but it didn't to me.
Always on the prowl. Sniffing. Hunting. Lurking. That wasn’t a life I wanted to live.
I shuddered. “I knew they were here!”
“I never said they weren’t. I just said they’re not out to get you.”
If he only knew just how many sharks were out to get him. They were counting on me to leave the first drops of blood in the water. Chuck, Blue Pacific, and the investors my report was supposed to impress. They were all sharks of the worst kind.
Kai pointed at my feet that were still tucked under my body. “You scared they’re going to leap eight hundred feet in the air and nibble your toes?” He bit back a teasing smile, flashing his dimple.
Suddenly, I was more than happy to be so far removed from the water. I was safe up here, but I couldn't help but wonder just how far sharks of the human variety could reach and how much damage they could do.
While I was thinking about how much I wanted to keep my toes and my morals intact, a gust of wind caught the brim of my hat and blew it off my head. “No!” I looked over my shoulder and watched it fall to the water like an autumn leaf.
“It’s all right. You can get another.”
My heart sank. I didn’t want another hat. I wanted that one—the one Kai had given me.
Even if I didn’t end up following through with the job Chuck wanted me to do, Kai might never speak to me again if he ever found out I’d considered submarining his family.
Now I’d lost the only keepsake from a beautiful relationship that never was.
The drama welled up inside me.
“Hey, don’t be sad," Kai said. "For real, they sell those hats all over the island.”
“Yes, but that hat was special. You gave it to me—” Eeks! That was starting to sound a little too much like clingy girlfriend talk. I had to cover my tracks, and fast. “I mean, I don’t want to waste your money.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll get you another.”
Was that a halo I saw hovering over Kai's head or just a trick of the light? I wasn’t sure, but I was going to have to investigate. If I were lucky, it would take a long time for me to discover the truth.
At least a third, fourth—or maybe even a fifth date. Now, that was research I could get behind! And I'd be more than happy to write up a report about my findings… in my diary.
And you could bet your sweet hula skirt I wouldn't be sharing that report with Chuck Peters!
But there was no escaping the fact that I did have a report to write. And I had no earthly idea what I was going to put in it.
