Gina shrugged. “I’ve got that much. My career, my son. What more could I want?”
Mano thought she sounded a little wistful in spite of her assertion. “Inner peace no matter what comes is something you can’t get on your own. Only God gives it.” He should take his own advice. He’d been railing against God because of his diabetes instead of thanking him for his providence. It could have been worse. He could have died on the beach six months ago. He still had a hope and a future. So what if he had to take insulin? At least his condition could be managed. He should thank the Lord for that.
And maybe God had a plan for his future career. Mano hadn’t asked. He’d just been miffed about having to give up his own plans, his own determination. He’d always heard it said that when God closed a door, he opened a window somewhere else. While Mano hadn’t seen so much as a glimmer of light under a cracked pane, he knew his God wouldn’t fail to provide. He had to be patient.
Annie gave him a glass of orange juice. He hesitated before he took it. It was too much sugar with the poi as well. Maybe they wouldn’t remark on it if he just left it on the table.
Jason wandered in. His hair was rumpled, and he was dressed in jersey shorts and a white T-shirt. The unappetizing aroma of sweat and beer rolled off him. Mano saw Annie turn her head, her nose wrinkling.
Gina appeared not to notice. “Your breakfast is on the stove.”
He grunted and shuffled to the other side of the kitchen. “I hate poi hashbrowns,” he grumbled.
“So don’t eat them.” His mother’s tone was sharp.
Gina saw more than she let on, Mano decided. He finished the last bite of his breakfast. “I’ve got to go meet Evan Chun.”
Gina’s head jerked up. “Now?”
He nodded. “At the gate to the Shores. I’m looking at a property with him.”
“You don’t seem the type to catch rainwater and do without electricity.”
“I can always get a generator like you have,” he said. Though she wasn’t actually in the Aloha Shores subdivision, she was in the same boat with utilities.
She made a face. “It’s expensive. Not everyone is happy out here. But once you get used to it, you might like it I guess.”
Mano wondered if she knew about Chun’s plans. If she did, she didn’t act like it. He couldn’t imagine she would welcome that kind of change to her world. Though the property values would skyrocket, all the residents out here would have to give up their privacy and anonymity. It wasn’t his place to tell her, though. If Annie wanted to mention it, she could, but he wasn’t sticking his nose into that mess. He had enough on his plate without worrying about real estate.
He rose. “Mahalo for breakfast. I’d better move along.” His gaze lingered on Annie. The sunlight illuminated her face. Her eyes were brilliant this morning. Fringed with thick black lashes, they shone with inner light. He wished he knew what she was thinking, what she really thought of him now.
Annie walked him to the door. “Be careful,” she said.
“No one’s after me. Keep the door locked. Call me on my cell phone if anything happens. If Tomi calls.”
Her brilliant eyes clouded. “I don’t know what to think about Tomi. I’m beginning to wonder if I’ve ever really known my own brother. I would never have imagined he could get involved with something like this.”
“We all mess up,” Mano said. He opened the door, stepped outside, and inhaled the scent of plumeria. He jogged to his car then walked down the lane. Chun’s sleek black Cadillac was already parked at the gate. The hum of the car’s engine was barely discernable over the sound of the flock of spotted doves that took flight and scolded him.
Chun ran his window down. “I was beginning to wonder if you were going to show. Hop in.” His gaze went to Mano’s car. “Looks like you’ve got some vandalism.”
“Yeah, I’ll get it fixed later today.” Mano went around to the passenger side and got in the car. The plush leather seat enveloped him. It smelled new and expensive.
A diamond ring winked on Chun’s pinkie finger as he wrenched the steering wheel around and turned into the gate. “This first property is a beauty. It’s on a cliff overlooking the water.” He drove along the rutted lane, through a stand of coconut palms, and past several cabins. “Here we are.”
Mano got out and walked to the edge of the cliff. It was a beautiful spot. For a moment, he wished he really was in the market for property. He could envision the house of his dreams sitting on this lot and looking out over the rolling waves.
Chun let him look in silence at first, then joined him at the cliff ’s edge. “What do you think?”
“Great view.” Mano hated to take up the man’s time just to gain information and access to the Shores. He pushed the guilt away. He’d come this far, though, so he might as well go through with the plan. “How long have you owned property here?”