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Something in her tone made Angel study her closer. “Why recently?”
She continued to stare at the men horsing around in the water, though her gaze didn’t appear to be focused on them. “The fires changed everything.”
He’d heard about the Maui fires on the news, even from where they’d been in Africa. “Were you in one of the affected areas?”
She nodded. “Lahaina.”
From what he’d read, Lahaina had been destroyed and was still closed to the public. “I’m sorry,” he said.
“Thank you.” She closed her eyes for a moment and drew in a deep breath. “Those of us who lost everything are still homeless and trying to find our way.” She gave him a tight smile. “Work helps, mentally and financially. Many of our tour guides left Maui to live with relatives on other islands. I fill in where needed. Today was the waterfall tour; tomorrow, I’ll work as a deckhand on a boat tour.”
“Before the fire, what did you do? You said you went to college. I assume you worked in whatever field in which you majored?”
Her lips twisted. “I owned an art gallery in Lahaina’s old town.”
Angel frowned. “Was the land where the gallery had been what Brentwood was trying to get you to sell?”
Leilani sighed. “Ever since Lahaina was leveled, opportunists have swooped in, hoping to buy up the land. With no one living there, it’s a blank slate that could be developed into huge resorts that could accommodate so many more visitors than previously imagined. They don’t have to worry about moving people out of existing homes because there are none. All they need is to buy the land, and they can get started.”
“What about the people who lived there? The businesses that were destroyed? Are they coming back?”
Leilani shrugged. “Most can’t afford to rebuild. Not at current construction costs. Land and homes that had been in the same families for generations are gone. The people who lived there could barely afford to pay utilities and feed their families before the fires and probably didn’t have enough insurance to cover replacement of those homes and businesses.”
“I can’t imagine the resorts and hotels continuing to house the displaced persons indefinitely,” Angel said softly. “What then?”
Leilani shook her head. “I don’t know. I’m taking it one day at a time. But I will find a way to rebuild on the land passed down to me from my grandfather. I refuse to sell to big business. If native Hawaiians sell out, we lose our heritage and our culture. I can’t let that happen.”
For a long moment, Angel stood with Leilani in silence.
“Is there a way to get to the top of the falls?” he asked.
She nodded. “I’ll show you. People like to jump off. Today would be a good day to do that. We’ve had sufficient rain to make the pool deep enough.”
Leilani led Angel around the plunge pool to a trail climbing up the side of the hill.
Angel followed, intrigued by this beautiful, petite woman who was knowledgeable about the island's history, flora and fauna. Her love and passion for her home were evident in the care she took to relate its beauty and stories to visitors.
The ground was moist from either a recent rain or heavy morning dew. At several points along the trail, Angel’s feet slipped on damp stones.
A few feet ahead of him, Leilani placed her foot on a moss-covered rock. As she lifted her other foot, the one on the mossy rock slipped out from under her.
She teetered for a moment, then pitched backward.
Angel barely had time to react before she slammed into him, knocking him backward.
CHAPTER3
It happened sofast Angel only had a split second to react. He caught Leilani in his arms, crushing her back to his chest as he lost his own balance and sat down hard on the trail, teetering precariously close to the edge. After a few scary moments, he was able to steady himself in time to keep them both from tumbling down the hillside.
Leilani lay sprawled across his lap, her head resting against his shoulder, the fragrant scent of her hair wafting up to his nostrils.
He held her around the waist, afraid that if he let go, she’d tumble down the hill, or worse, over the ledge to fall among the rocks and boulders below.
For a long moment, they sat still. The longer he held her, the more he liked how her body felt against his.
“Are you okay?” Leilani asked softly.
“I am,” he said, loosening his hold only slightly around her waist. “You?”
