She's All That: Club 3, Book 3 Page 6

  “Um, this… I was kind of attacked,” she mumbled, her gaze skittering away from his. “It wasn’t a boyfriend.”

  He cocked his head to peer into her face. “The police get him?” he asked softly but with an edge to his voice. “You pressed charges?”

  She nodded. “Oh, believe me, he’s in jail. And my, um, friends took good care of me so, you know. Thanks for asking.”

  He nodded and relaxed. “Glad he was taken care of. A woman shouldn’t have to put up with that kine po’ino.”

  “What?” She shook her head.

  “Hawaiian for trash—garbage.”

  “Oh.” She thought about this and nodded. That described Kevin pretty well.

  “Especially a woman like you,” Kai added.

  Sara looked at him, startled, to find him watching her with clear admiration. His eyes widened as she frowned.

  “Oh, wait,” he said. “Shit, I didn’t mean—I’m not hitting on you, when you’re…y’know, banged up. I just meant, you’re an athlete, you have initiative, you get out and do stuff. You should be safe.”

  He braced his elbows on his knees and stared at the grass between his bare feet, his hair falling forward around his face. “You want me to leave you alone, I will,” he said.

  “No,” Sara said instantly. “And, um, thanks. For saying.” Whatever. Geez, she felt as tongue-tied as one of her students. And evidently so did Kai as he lifted his head to give her a bashful look and then took a long drink of beer.

  “So what brought you to Portland?” Sara asked.

  Kai choked on his beer. When he finally was able to stop coughing, he shook his head. “A’ue, that hurt.” He pounded his chest with his fist. “Sorry. I’m here to look up an old…friend.”

  Sara nodded. She would have said more, but from inside the condo, her phone rang. It was Carlie’s ringtone. She stood. “Sorry, I have to get that. It was nice talking with you. And thanks for the beer.”

  He rose with her and nodded, his dark eyes gentle. “Likewise. See you around, yeah?”

  “Yeah, okay.” He was nice, and he was certainly not hard to look at. Reluctantly, Sara turned and went in to answer her phone.

  “Hi,” Carlie said. “Listen, I couldn’t wait any longer. I’m in my car, on my way over. Is that okay?”

  “That is more than okay,” Sara said, her voice wobbling. Strange, her new neighbor had had a calming effect on her, but the prospect of feminine nurturing reduced her to an emotional marshmallow.

  Carlie pulled up in her green Volkswagen Bug a moment later, and soon Sara was enveloped in a soft, perfumed embrace.

  She hugged her tall, curvy friend fiercely. “You have no idea how glad I am to see you,” she said.

  Carlie was her usual classic self in white capris, a navy raglan-sleeve tee and sandals, with a pink slouch bag over one arm.

  “Oh, baby,” Carlie crooned. “Come and sit down and tell me all about it. That’s if you wanna talk about it. If you don’t, we’ll just talk about whatever.”

  Sara did. Ensconced on her sofa, she told Carlie what had happened. Carlie sat, blue eyes wide in her lovely oval face, alternately nodding, frowning and interjecting soft words of encouragement.

  “Oh my God,” she muttered when Sara was done at last. “I just can’t believe all of that happened to you, right under everyone’s noses.”

  Sara wiped her wet face with the cuff of her long-sleeved T-shirt. “And Daisy’s mad at me too,” she said woefully. “I can’t stand that part of it.”

  Carlie shook her head, her long, dark blonde ponytail swishing. “We’re going to fix that, and pronto. That girl has got her cute little pixie-cut blonde head so far up her butt she can’t see daylight.”

  Sara’s eyes widened. Carlie didn’t swear or use foul language, so to hear this meant she was pissed off.

  “Here’s what we’ll do,” Carlie said. “Tomorrow evening, I’ll call her and say I’m coming over. You’ll come with me. The moment she gets the door open, we’ll get you inside. Then she’ll have to listen. And boy, is she going to feel like doo when she hears the truth.”

  She looked at Sara. “Are you in?”

  Sara nodded doubtfully. “What if she locks the door when she sees me coming?”

  Carlie smiled primly. “She won’t. I have a plan for that too. I’m not a businesswoman for nothing.”

  Since she worked in the main office of EbiTeck, a computer software company, Sara wasn’t sure how this was useful, unless Carlie had some kind of new technology with her.

  She didn’t. She had a piece of poster board and a marker.

  Monday was hot. Sincerely relieved that school didn’t start for another three weeks, Sara walked across the boulevard to Big Iron Fitness but left on her baseball cap and sunglasses while she worked out. If Dack could do it, she could too. She also pulled some stretchy cuffs for tennis players over the bruises on her wrists. She’d rather look like a poser than a victim. Kai had noticed her injuries immediately, and she was sure others would too.

  Jake was there, but after greeting her and making sure she felt up to a workout, the burly gym manager left her alone. She took it a little easy but felt better by the time she walked back out into the heat of the day, calmed and refreshed in both mind and body. Endorphins were definitely her friends.

  Back at her condo, Sara showered, changed into a pair of white shorts and a green tank top, thrust her feet into leather flip-flops and finger combed her hair forward around the bruised side of her face again. Carefully settling her sunglasses on her face, she grabbed her keys and headed to FG Meyer, her favorite grocery store, for groceries. Along with fresh fruit and salad makings, she ended up with a half-gallon of Tillamook Chocolate Mudslide ice cream, her favorite comfort food.

  Trace texted her while she was in the kitchen. How R U? and she texted back: I’m fine. U?

  Her phone pinged again. Seen Carlie & Daisy?

  Carlie, she replied. Daisy tonite.

  OK. Call if U want 2 talk.

  Thx. Bye.

  She was smiling as she went back to dishing ice cream.

  When she carried her bowl out onto the patio, Kai sat on his side of the patio. He was shirtless, wearing another pair of long board shorts, these cobalt with yellow stitching, his legs stretched out and crossed, scowling at a tablet computer.

  His eyes lit up when he saw her, as if he was glad to be distracted from whatever he was doing. “Sara, hi. Howzit?”

  Sara dragged her gaze away from his muscular chest and shoulders. He had a native tattoo on one side of his chest, the ebony ink emphasizing the perfection of the smooth golden skin under it. Suddenly the day seemed a lot warmer.

  “Just having some ice cream. You want some?”

  Kai’s new neighbor held up a pottery bowl with a spoon stuck in it. Hell yeah, he loved ice cream. And if he got to eat it looking at her, he didn’t care what flavor it was.

  When she brought back another bowl, he waited only for her to sit with her own bowl before digging in. The rich chocolate flavor coated his tongue, and the chewy nuggets of nut and chocolate added to the treat.

  “Mm-mm,” he groaned. “This is so good.”

  She nodded around her own mouthful. “My favorite comfort food.”

  Kai took another big bite. He could use some comfort, and cold was best on this hot day. His life felt as precarious as if it was in the path of a fresh flow of lava from the volcanoes on his native island.

  The buy offer on his surf shop in Kona-Kailua had fallen through, and although his realtor at Kona WorldWide assured him there was another party interested, they weren’t offering as much money. He’d sunk his inheritance in the shop, and if he didn’t get it out, he’d find himself right back on the Big Island. Not that he didn’t love his native home, but his family was there.

  And his heart was not. It was here, with someone he wasn’t sure was even going to want to see him, much less try for a new, mature relationship. Sitting here eating ice cream with his summer n
eighbor was the first time he’d felt relaxed in weeks.

  He dug in for another bite and eyed the pretty redhead. For the first time, she’d left off her sunglasses. Even with the ugly bruises mottling her eye, cheekbone and wrists and scabs on her knees, she was still hot, from her long hair and soft, pink mouth to her slender, toned limbs.

  Hot enough that if he wasn’t here for the reason he was, he’d be wishing she hadn’t been attacked, not only because he fucking hated that she’d been frightened and hurt, but because he’d make a play for her himself.

  But if she knew who he really was—what he really was—she might be as disgusted as his family.

  Even knowing this, he hated that she’d been hurt, and he liked spending time with her, so he was going to do what he could to chase the shadows from her brown eyes.

  “I rented a mountain bike from a local shop today,” he said. “Where should I ride?”

  Her eyes lit up with enthusiasm. “I can show you some great bike routes. Portland’s pretty bike-friendly. Although we also have crazy drivers, so you need to watch out.”

  He nodded. “I bought a bright jersey, for visibility. And because I couldn’t resist it.”

  He enjoyed clothing, including the latest sportswear. He loved that he got to wear the T-shirts and shorts he carried at Kona Surf as a walking advertisement. Although maybe that was over.

  And if he sold the shop, if things worked out and if he wanted to stay—a lot of “ifs” —he had to decide what to do here to make money. Open up a new shop of some kind, or go to work for someone else. He licked his spoon thoughtfully.

  “Maybe one day next week you could be my tour guide,” he suggested.

  She shrugged, then smiled at him. He liked that. It lit up her face and showed her white teeth, one of which was slightly crooked. “Sure. I don’t start school for a couple of weeks, so we could do that.”

  “You’re a teacher?”

  “PE. How about you?”

  He shrugged. “Not sure. I mean, I own a surf shop on Hawaii, but I’ve been thinking of relocating here. Get away from…y’know, stuff.”

  She looked surprised at this. “I’ve considered relocating there to get away from it all. I never thought of people doing the opposite.”

  “Islands can be pretty small at times,” Kai muttered, scraping his bowl for the last melted chocolate.

  “I guess so. One thing about Portland, it’s connected to a really big chunk of land.” Her eyes twinkled with mischief, and he had to chuckle.

  “You’re right about that, wahine.”

  “That one I know,” she said. “It means woman, right? What’s a guy, like you?”

  “Kane,” he said. He drew out the kah-nay pronunciation for her. “But we say a moke.”

  His cell phone vibrated in his pocket, and he reached for it, checking the display. “Sorry,” he said. “I gotta take this. Thanks for the ice cream.”

  She nodded, accepting his bowl. He thought she looked a little disappointed, but he had no business caring about that. Not now.

  His realtor had an offer for him from the other interested party. It wasn’t a great one.

  “Think it over and call me back tomorrow,” she said. “I understand you don’t want to jump into anything, and I want what’s best for you. If you don’t like this, someone else may come along.”

  “Maybe” he said, dispirited. “But we both know it’s been on the market for nearly a year, with only two offers.”

  “But they both came in the last month,” she pointed out. “That’s a trend in the right direction.”

  He shook his head. Sondra Paleo was nothing if not positive. “If you say so. Call you tomorrow.”

  When he poked his head back outside, Sara was gone. He thought about knocking on her back slider, but he didn’t want her to feel stalked, so he locked up and went to change into his new bike gear. He’d go for a ride, a long one.

  He always did his best thinking when he was moving. Maybe on his ride he would also discover the courage in himself to do what he’d come for.

  When he was on the bike, hair tied back in a short ponytail under his new helmet, new jersey on with bike shorts, gloves and shoes, Kai headed along the boulevard and then up and to the west, through a huge park he’d noted on the city map on his tablet. From there, a bike path took off, paralleling the local river, the W-something.

  He pedaled along, enjoying the sun on his arms and legs, and the sights—the river flowing along, trees, shrubs and grasses along its banks, and the people everywhere using the path and the park benches. After he was nearly mowed down by a pair of cyclists on road bikes, he looked over his shoulder before swerving out around pedestrians.

  Maybe next time he rode he’d have Sara as his guide. But with his GPS, he couldn’t get too lost and he needed this time to think and plan. To strategize.

  How he was going to win back the heart of the man he’d had and thrown away.

  Chapter Six

  Carlie showed up again at eight that evening. She was flushed and rosy in a black-and-white-plaid sundress and black flip-flops, her hair piled on her head in a messy knot that managed to look sexy and chic.

  “We should be at the river,” she moaned as they pulled out onto the street, her air-conditioning blasting them with cool air. “It’s so hot.”

  Sara nodded, holding her ponytail up off her neck. “Ninety-five still.”

  “By the way,” Carlie told her on the drive to Daisy’s apartment. “This is a two-part plan, just so you know. Daisy went postal on poor Dack, so she has some fixing to do there too.”

  “You’ve been busy,” Sara said in awe.

  Carlie chuckled evilly. “Yes, I have. And you’re gonna love this.” She explained the penance she thought Daisy should pay to get Dack to forgive her.

  Sara cracked up. It felt good to laugh, even though it hurt her face. “I love it,” she said. “Wish I could be there to see that—if she goes through with it.”

  “Oh, she will,” Carlie said. “Or I’ll kick her ass. I am not having my girls hurting when they don’t need to be.”

  Sara smiled at her. “You are the nicest person I know, you know that?”

  Carlie waved the compliment away, blinking her long lashes. “Don’t make me cry, I’m driving.”

  “Okay.” Sara shut up, but she did it now looking forward to seeing Daisy instead of dreading it. Because Carlie was right—the three of them should be supporting each other through the crap life threw at them.

  Like when Daisy and Carlie and a few of Sara’s teacher friends had showed up to help Sara move out of the home she’d owned with her soon-to-be ex-husband.

  When Jason had winked at Daisy, the blonde had “accidently” run into him with the wooden dining chair she’d been carrying down the stairs, and he’d been knocked back against the wall, clutching his groin. Bet that bruise hadn’t healed for a while.

  He’d given Daisy a dirty look, but when he muttered something under his breath, Carlie had been there to finish him off.

  “What was that, Jason?” she’d asked in a clear, carrying voice. “Something about a skank? Talking about yourself again, little man?”

  Since she was statuesque and Jason had kind of a thing about being short, his face had turned scarlet, and he’d stomped away, this time with a cutting remark about fat girls.

  Daisy had thrown a sofa cushion at him and nailed him on the back of his head. The teachers from Sara’s school had watched this whole exchange with amazement and then glee.

  Sara’s two friends had achieved a whole new level of awesomeness in her mind that day, and she would do anything necessary to get their threesome back.

  “I love you and I would not cheat on you with your man?” Daisy read aloud, her voice rising with incredulity.

  Sara lowered the poster she and Carlie had made, and peered over it. Daisy looked like hell, her short platinum hair messy and her face pale. Then her green eyes widened in horror, which quickly turned to outrage.
>
  “Sara,” she cried. “Holy crap, what happened to you?”

  And then Sara knew it would all be all right.

  Soon the three of them were ensconced in Daisy’s cute but tiny apartment living room while Carlie poured them all glasses of chardonnay and Sara once again recounted the story of her near rape, rescue by Trace and comforting by Dack.

  Daisy threw her arms around Sara. “Oh, crap, crap, crap. I’m so sorry. I should have been there for you instead of running away.”

  “I understand,” Sara said. “Carlie said—well, I’ll let her tell you.”

  “I said that you weren’t so much doubting Sara as yourself,” Carlie said.

  Daisy nodded miserably. But then she wrinkled her nose at Sara. “I just don’t understand how you ended up with that creep, Kevin.”

  Sara drained her wineglass and held it out to Carlie.

  “Good question. He just seemed like a handsome, fun guy—at first. We danced and had a drink, and meanwhile Trace was glowering at me from the background. So Kevin invited me to go into one of the back rooms with him, and I…I went. I thought, what the heck, this is what I’m here for, isn’t it?”

  “I get that part,” Daisy said. “But, um, I thought you were attracted to Trace. And I’ve seen the two of you talking it up at the gym.”

  With both Daisy and Carlie watching her closely, Sara felt her face grow hot. “I am attracted to him, okay?” she blurted. “But he’s so—so intense. I was scared of him. Scared of the way he made me feel.”

  “But then he took care of Kevin,” Carlie put in. “I’ll bet that boy is hurting. Trace knows some fighting moves—I saw him with a punching bag one day at the gym—and he was still crazy mad when I spoke with him later.”

  Daisy nodded, her gaze still on Sara. “So Dack was at your place because…?”

  “I thought I saw Kevin outside,” Sara admitted. “The guys said it was some kind of post-trauma reaction, but Dack drove over to look around just to reassure me, came in for a little while and then left. Trace was there the whole time.”