“You can’t! Not yet!” She never should have asked him for help. “If you won’t help me help my brother, I’ll take Nani and pull out and you can track down your intruders yourself.” She folded her arms across her chest. “Besides, you have no proof without me. I won’t testify against him. And, if you take out Mano without get ting Nahele, you’ve still got a huge problem on your hands: they’ll just get someone else to do their dirty work!”
He pressed his fingers against the bridge of his nose. “You drive a hard bargain, Kaia.” He sighed. “Okay, we can poke around first and see what we can find out. But this might turn out wrong. He might be more involved than you’d like to believe. What if you end up proving he’s in this up to his neck? He could be charged with terrorism or espionage. He could go to prison.”
Kaia gulped. “All the more reason to save him before he does something truly stupid. He’s already getting kicked out of the navy. When he’s thinking clearly, he’ll be heartbroken. He was always so proud of being a SEAL.”
“You’d better face the possibility. Sometimes we think we know someone and find out we didn’t know them at all.”
His blue eyes looked bleak, and fatigue deepened the lines around his mouth. Kaia wanted to touch his hand, to reassure him, but she dropped her gaze instead. They needed to keep their relationship strictly business. He obviously carried baggage she wasn’t sure she wanted to deal with.
He glanced at his watch. “I can get my equipment and meet you at quitting time. We could have a couple of hours before we hit the patrol duty.”
“What about Heidi?”
“She’s with Faye. I’ll call and let them know I can’t come by tonight.”
“How about if I go get her for a while? I feel bad that I didn’t make breakfast the other day.”
“Have you slept at all today?” His gaze traveled over her face.
“About four hours.”
“I imagine Faye would like a visit. She seems lonely.”
“Maybe I could take them both out for a shave ice to make it up to her. Tutu kane would enjoy having them come to the lu’au on Friday too.”
“I’m sure Heidi would love it, the way she talks about the last one.” His gaze softened. “I appreciate all you’ve done for Heidi, Kaia. She’s crazy about you.”
She wished he wouldn’t look at her like that. It made it hard to concentrate on remembering she wanted to keep her distance. “I’m glad she likes me.”
“What’s not to like?”
The warm smile extended to his blue eyes. She turned to get into her car and pretended not to hear.
Thirteen
Faye wished she could go to her room and shut the door. She’d forgotten how tiring it was to listen to a child’s prattle all day long. And her nails were a mess. They’d made sand castles, and her red polish was worn and chipped. The last thing she had time for right now was to sit for another manicure.
She glanced at her watch. Jesse wouldn’t be here for three hours. Faye didn’t know if she’d make it that long, though she would have some relief for a few blessed minutes. The girl had fallen asleep on the living room floor just a little while ago.
Why had she ever agreed to this job? So far, every attempt to get close to Kaia had failed. It was just one more failure to add to Faye’s collection.
The phone rang, and she saw Curtis’s cell number pop up on the caller ID. He was out running errands. “Can you come rescue me?” she asked, making her voice as pitiful as she could.
Curtis’s booming voice lifted her spirits. “Not going well, huh?” he asked, worry giving his voice a rough edge that she liked.
She hurried to soothe his concern. “It’s nothing. I’m just not used to dealing with a child all day. I’m not sure this was the best approach to take. And I don’t think Kaia likes me.” Admitting her biggest fear brought her near tears.
“I’m sure that’s not true,” Curtis said. “Give it time, Faye. Things will work out.”
“I don’t think so. Do I have to even try? Let’s just pack up and move back to the mainland.” She knew Curtis would never agree to that. Not until he’d reached the goal he’d set for both of them.
“You know better. Try again.”
She sighed. “I will.” The doorbell rang. “I’ve got to go. Someone is at the door.”
“Okay. I’ll see you after work.”
Faye clicked off the phone and hurried to the door. She nearly stumbled when she saw Kaia through the glass panes. She wished she’d had time to clean up a little. Flecks of sand still clung to her shorts and legs.
“Sorry to drop in unannounced,” Kaia said when Faye opened the door. “I’m so sorry about missing breakfast the other day.”
“Oh no, you can come by any time. And Jesse explained about your ankle. Is it better? How are you? Come in and sit down.” Aware she was babbling but unable to stop, Faye stepped aside and closed the door after Kaia.
“My ankle is fine now, thanks.” Kaia looked around. “Where’s Heidi?”
Faye gestured toward the living room. “She’s asleep. We made sand castles. That’s why I’m such a mess.” Faye hid her hands in the pockets of her shorts.
“You don’t look a mess. I’ve never seen someone so perfectly put together all the time.”