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I thought about that as I fidgeted with my coffee cup. Finally, I said, “Okay, fine. For the next four hours, I’ll say yes to whatever you suggest.”
He beamed at me and said, “Excellent.”
“Any clues about what you have up your sleeve?”
“You’re going to want to say no, but just remember one thing. I want to give you the world, and this is how I can make it happen.”
I told him, “I have absolutely no idea what that means.”
“I know.” He winked at me and went back to his pancakes.
After breakfast, he exercised his short-term control over me by refusing to let me help clean the kitchen. Instead, he sent me outside with a book and instructions to relax.
The sun had come out, and I sat on the porch railing and took in the incredible view of Hanalei Bay for a while. It was bracketed by craggy, volcanic mountains which were lush and impossibly green. The water also looked like something out of a dream. It was turquoise closer to shore, and then it gave way to a deep sapphire blue.
I was lost in thought sometime later, when Harper appeared beside me and nuzzled my cheek. “We’re going for a short walk,” he said. “But first, we need that hammock.”
I helped him take down my makeshift bed, and he rolled it up and tucked it under his arm. He was carrying a canvas tote bag, and when I tried to take a peek inside it, he snatched it away and told me, “All will be revealed soon. Patience.”
“Fine. Give me a minute to put on my shoes.”
“You don’t need them.”
“I don’t?”
He shook his head. “I’m going barefoot too, since my sneakers are still muddy from last night. Like I said, it’s a short walk. Grab your guitar case, and let’s get going.”
As I followed instructions, I asked, “Is Loco going to be okay while we’re on our walk?”
“Yup. I put her in the bedroom with food, water, her litterbox, and some toys. She probably won’t even know we’re gone.”
“I’ve never seen her use it, so I’m skeptical that she’s actually litterbox trained.”
“Have you ever seen her crap in the house?”
“No.”
“So, there’s your proof,” he said.
“That’s not proof at all.”
“Sure it is.” Harper smiled at me and added, “Remember how you’re supposed to be agreeing with me?”
“Even about your chicken delusions?”
“Especially about that.”
He led the way down the stairs and across the perfectly manicured lawn. The grass was cool and wet under my bare feet. As it seeped into the hem of my jeans, I said, “I just flashed on a memory of Dallas and me as kids, running around barefoot down by the shore. It looked nothing like this, but somehow it feels the same. The smell is familiar too, between the briny sea air and the lingering scent of the rain-soaked soil.”
“It’s funny, I was just thinking it reminded me of Martha’s Vineyard. I couldn’t figure out why, because it doesn’t look anything like this, either. But now that you mention it, it’s that earthy smell, combined with the sea air.”
When he took my hand, I was surprised at how good it felt. His grip was gentle but firm, and he was so warm. After a minute, the grass ended, and we stepped onto soft, white sand. I started to head to the right, but he gently tugged me in the opposite direction, so I followed his lead. “Do we have an actual destination, or are we just going for a walk on the beach?”
“We have a destination. I went out location scouting this morning, and found a perfect spot.”
“For what?”
“You’ll see.”
I glanced at his profile and said, “You must have been up early.”
He nodded. “I had some stuff to think about.”
“What was on your mind?”
He stopped walking and turned to me. “How to make you a star.”
“Wait, what?”
“You heard me.”
“Yeah, but I don’t understand.”
“You’re the best singer I know, Phee, and working as an assistant is wasting your God-given talent. If you let me help, I know we can launch your musical career into the stratosphere.”
“I don’t know about this.”
“I know you’ve always said you want to do this on your own,” he said, “so I’m not going to overstep and try to manage your career or anything like that. I’m just going to give you a little push in the right direction by helping make one of your songs go viral.”
“How do you suggest we do that?”
“Easy. We film a video of the two of us, which includes you singing one of your songs, and I upload it to my millions of followers on social media.”
I shook my head. “No. Definitely not.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” he said with a smile, as he put down the canvas tote bag and unfurled the hammock, “but you still have well over three hours left to say yes to me.”
