Her father’s gaze went to the window. “Perhaps you are about to find out.” He nodded toward the vehicle pulling in front of the house. “Unless I’m mistaken, there is Kaia with Jesse.”
Kaia felt clumsy and awkward as she let Heidi out of the backseat. “I forgot to take the cat food in,” she said when she saw the cans still in the back of the Jeep. It was no wonder. She was so tired it was hard to make her hand obey her brain. She knew Jesse felt the same way. The thought of the soft bed she’d slept in every night of her young life was as tempting as a rainbow shave ice.
“Looks like your grandfather has company.” Jesse nodded toward the Volvo convertible.
“Faye’s here! Yay!” Heidi shouted.
Faye? Kaia was almost too tired to wonder what the older woman was doing here. Maybe Jesse had told her to meet them. Kaia was in no mood to socialize, though they’d bonded. That afternoon seemed very far away now, however, and the thought of smiling and making small talk was overwhelming when all she wanted to do was creep under the quilt her grandmother had made.
Heidi rushed inside the house without knocking. Kaia smiled at how the little girl had become part of the family.
“I’ll get your bag,” Jesse said. His steps were slow as he reached in the back and grabbed Kaia’s suitcase.
“Mahalo.” She waited for him then led the way up the flagstone path to the cottage. How many times had she walked this yard? Thousands. Being here was like entering a cocoon where nothing could hurt her.
She poked her head in the door. “Tutu kane? We’ve come to throw ourselves on your mercy. We need a place to crash.” She forced a smile when she looked at Faye. “Couldn’t stay away, huh? I’ll admit Heidi is a keiki who is hard to resist.”
Faye had risen from her chair and was clasping her hands together as though they might keep her from toppling over. Her mouth trembled in her white face. Red rimmed her eyes.
Heidi went to her and took her hand. “Are you sad, Faye?”
“I’m fine,” Faye said. “Would you like to fix us both a cup of tea?”
“By myself ?”
“You can use the microwave like a big girl, can’t you?”
“Sure.” Heidi gave her a puzzled look then disappeared down the hall.
The pleading expression on Faye’s face puzzled Kaia. Kaia’s gaze traveled to her grandfather. His face was wet, and he looked strange—almost exalted, though that made no sense. “What’s wrong?” she asked. She felt pummeled by the problems of these past weeks and wasn’t sure if she could handle anything more.
No one answered her for a long moment. Faye glanced at Kaia’s grandfather, and he nodded his head.
Faye wet her lips. The expression on her face could only be described as beseeching, Kaia thought. Unease stirred in her gut. She glanced at Jesse, and he raised his eyebrows and shrugged.
Kaia looked back at Faye. “Isn’t anyone going to speak?”
“I—I have something to tell you,” Faye said. Her face grew red, and she looked as though she might burst into tears again.
Kaia froze. “Did Curtis sell the dolphins?” Her voice rose. She hadn’t seen Nani all morning.
Faye raised her hand. “No, no, nothing like that. The dolphins are fine.” She bit her bottom lip and looked down at the wood floor then back up at Kaia again. “Sit down. Please.”
Kaia advanced into the room, and Jesse followed. She perched on the edge of the sofa and folded her hands in her lap. “I’m sitting. Now tell me what’s wrong. You’re scaring me.”
“I’m sorry.” Faye wrung her hands. “I think I told you I lived here when I was younger?”
Kaia nodded.
“I want to tell you a story,” Faye said. She drew in a deep breath then sank back into the chair and leaned forward. “I had an idyllic life here. I grew up along the edge of the sea with loving parents who spoiled me rotten. I thought the world was mine for the asking.” She wet her lips. “When I met a handsome man who adored me like my parents had done, I was sure nothing could ever bring me pain or heartache.” She looked down at the floor. “I was wrong.”
“You’re divorced now?” Kaia had seen the pain divorce had brought to her friends. At least she’d never been torn between two parents.
“Several times. But I was widowed before any of that. I couldn’t cope, couldn’t face life without him. Everywhere I looked was a painful reminder of all I’d lost. When I met a wealthy businessman who promised me the moon, I took it. The fact that he was a slack key guitarist was just icing on the cake. He’d had an offer to make a record in Nashville, so I left with him. I always thought I’d only be gone a little while. I took my daughter with me.”