“I like it there,” she shot back.
“Can we go diving?” Eva asked. “You promised to take me to see the honu.” She grabbed her sketch pad from the floor. “I drew a picture of one. See?” She thrust the picture under Bane’s nose.
Bane studied the sea turtle picture. “You’re really talented, Eva. You should go to art school.”
The sea turtle looked exactly like the one Eva had been imitating on shore. Eva had a rare talent that often awed Leia. “Great job, Eva. But Bane is too busy to take you diving.”
“He said he’s never too busy for me!” Eva protested.
“I did, didn’t I?” Bane aimed a challenging look at Leia. “When we go diving is up to your sister, Eva. She could have called me months ago and hasn’t.”
“And I wasn’t going to,” she muttered.
“Afraid?”
She met his gaze. “You can take her diving any time you like. Just name the day.” The last thing she wanted to do was chart the dangerous depths with Bane again, but no one dared call her a coward.
“When are you free?”
Bane knew how much she loved diving—they’d spent years exploring the underwater world. Their love of the wonders in the sea had been their first bond. “Who said anything about me? She’s the one who wants to go.” She knew he wouldn’t be taken in by her bluff. She watched out for Eva in all circumstances.
His smile faded, and he examined her face. He let out a huff, and his lips tightened. “How about tomorrow evening, Eva?”
His gaze told Leia she’d won this round, but the war wasn’t over. She felt a tingle down to her toe ring. She had to stay out of his way. He’d forget about her soon enough. Sooner than she’d for-get him, unfortunately. She loved him enough to make sure she didn’t give in to his charms.
His gaze wandered to the dive boat in the distance moving toward shore, and his gaze sharpened. “Hey, I should go see Tony.”
“That’s not his boat, but I’ll take you to Kaunakakai,” she blurted before she thought.
Amusement lifted his lips. “I’m game. I can call Kaia from the shop.”
She was always a sucker for Bane’s smile.
Two
The appearance of the Aloha Dive Shop didn’t live up to its welcoming name. The salt-weathered clapboard structure squatted against the spray of wind and surf at the curl of beach on the south shore of Moloka’i just outside Kaunakakai. Kaunakakai Harbor was the only really safe anchorage on Moloka’i, and nearly all the dive operations were located along the quiet little quay. Hawai’i’s barrier reef made the waters calm most seasons and was the perfect haven for marine vessels. Bane Oana was already smiling in anticipation as he strode toward Tony Romero’s building.
The thought of seeing Tony helped get his mind off Leia’s cool reaction to his appearance. He’d anticipated and dreaded the moment when he’d see her again, and the experience had lived up to all his trepidation. He wanted to be able to greet her as an old friend and not have his heart kick like a whale’s fluke, but he wasn’t that lucky. One look into her blue eyes, and he was even more determined to find out why she’d broken their engagement. He should have come back sooner, but she’d gone to San Francisco and he’d been on assignment and couldn’t get away. This time he wasn’t leaving until he knew what had changed her.
He glanced at Leia out of the corner of his eye. Her tanned legs stretched out of her white shorts and had no trouble matching his long stride as they walked from the parking lot to the building. Nearly six feet tall, she could almost look him in the eye. She walked with her shoulders back and her head high, her gaze straight ahead. She’d always been oblivious of her beauty. A thick brown braid hung over one shoulder, a rope he’d often hefted in his hand and entwined around his arm. He loved the touch of it, the smell of it—a mixture of Hawaiian flowers and herbs. Being around her again made him feel as if he were balancing on the edge of his surfboard with a monster wave at his back. He might surf on to glory or wipe out and have to slink away in humiliation.
Eva clung to his hand, and Bane squeezed her fingers before releasing her in front of the dive shop. He ignored the way the cat kept putting her paw on his arm.
“I’m going to go look for another honu,” Eva told him.