“I could stay at her house and sleep when she did.”
“She’d never get any rest with you around. Besides, it’s too dangerous now. I never would have let you go out there in the first place if I’d thought a diver might try to hurt you.”
“I could protect Nani.”
“Leave it, Heidi. This is the way it has to be.” He was sorry for his tone when he saw big tears roll down her cheeks. He steeled his heart and clenched his teeth together. There was nothing to say. Things were what they were. He knew she was missing her mom, but he couldn’t help that. He opened his door and stepped out of the Jeep.
He glanced at Curtis. It was easy to see he and Duncan were brothers, even though Curtis was much older. Jesse had never met him when they were kids. Duncan had been born to their father’s second, and much younger, wife. They both had their father’s pale blue eyes and soft chin.
His gaze skipped over Curtis’s head and lingered on the woman. Faye. About fifty or fifty-five, she oozed a cool sophistication that startled him. He’d expected a motherly type. This woman was slim to the point of emaciation. Her glossy black hair was cut short and stylish with a youthful flip to the ends. Her skin was flawless, and her features were classical Hawaiian. Jesse could imagine her in a hula lineup in her younger days. How old was Curtis—forty, forty-five? She was a little older, though she hid it well.
Crisp linen trousers and a silk blouse completed the perfect picture. How would she be able to play with Heidi in a getup like that? She looked more like an accountant than a nanny. Misgivings furled his brow.
He saw Faye’s eyes widen, and her smile faltered at his delay in greeting them. Quickly forcing a smile, he stepped forward with his hand outstretched. “You must be Curtis. You look a lot like Duncan. Thanks again for your help in getting Kaia and the dolphin assigned to me.”
“My pleasure.” Curtis shook his hand then pulled his wife forward. “This is Faye.” He bestowed a doting look on the woman that said he thought she was perfect and everyone else had better agree.
Duncan said they had been married only a year, and Jesse wondered how they had gotten together. Curtis was a genial man but the type who might wear plaid with stripes. His hair looked like it could use a trim, and Jesse doubted he’d shaved today. Faye looked like she could spend the house payment on her clothing budget. If she even agreed to a budget.
Jesse dragged his attention back to what Curtis was saying. “I’m sorry. I was woolgathering.”
“My wife has that effect on men.” Curtis smiled and nodded toward a picnic table along the beach area. “Let’s have a seat and talk about this.”
Jesse called for Heidi, who came out of the Jeep reluctantly. He took her hand and squeezed it. They gathered around the picnic table. The heat of the weathered wood baked through his trousers, and he shifted restlessly. This wasn’t a social event. He wanted to get things settled and get back to work.
“I really appreciate your interest in caring for Heidi. Have you done this type of thing before?” Was it his imagination or did her bright smile lose a watt or two?
She wet her lips. “Curtis is gone so much, and I love children. If I weren’t so old, I’d think of having a child with Curtis.” She sent her husband a loving look, which he returned. “Heidi is an age I enjoy, and I have some fun things planned to do this summer, but Curtis is going to be really busy working at the lab and it would be fun to see the island again through young eyes. Though I’ve never been a nanny, I think Heidi and I could have fun together.” She leaned forward and directed her attention to Heidi. “I thought we might go to Waimea Canyon one day, go kayaking and snorkeling on other days. Do you like that idea?”
Heidi’s look of reserve gave way to interest. “I love to snorkel. Did you know that a third of Hawai’i’s 480 species of fish are en—endemic to Hawai’i?” She stuttered slightly over the unusual word. “And we have forty species of sharks. One almost ate me when I was a little girl.”
Jesse grinned. He’d forgotten that story. Faye looked uncertainly from Heidi to him as though she didn’t know what to believe. “Heidi is a fish,” Jesse said. “She knows everything there is to know about the ocean around here. Or almost. She was swimming with her dad when she was four. A tiger shark nudged her leg but left her alone.”
“He could tell I wasn’t a fish,” Heidi said.
“Of course not,” Faye agreed. The corners of her mouth twitched.
Faye seemed nice enough. “It’s only for a month,” Jesse said. “Maybe not even that long if I can get things squared away on base so I can take leave.”
Faye nodded. “Sounds perfect. We can have fun and get to be friends. Neither of us will be likely to get bored.”