Remembering the weeks that followed their deaths, Jackson’s hands tightened on the steering wheel. Deep loss and sadness mixed with anger and betrayal to form a volatile riptide of emotions that threatened to pull him under. Taking a deep breath, he held the car steady with his knee and released his hold with deliberate slowness.
The rare tension in his body was a reminder that nothing good ever came from dwelling on the bad. He contemplated the surfboard riding snug on the top of his Jeep and wished he could head back to the beach to let the waves pound his muscles and memories back into submission. But his usual therapy would have to wait.
Navigating the winding road down the coast, he focused on the warm, salty air whipping around him, letting it center him as the natural elements of the island always did.
A few minutes later he pulled into the elaborate drive of the Mau Loa. Towering palm trees of identical height alternated with elegant streetlamps along the sides of the semicircular road that arced around a massive five-tiered fountain. After parking in the guest lot, Jax headed for the lobby to make sure everything was in order and wait for Vanessa’s arrival.
Behind the front desk, a young woman issued keys to a couple and instructed a porter where to deliver their luggage before sending them off with a smile and customary “Aloha.”
When she caught sight of Jackson, her smile transformed from the customer-service kind to one of pure joy. She was beautiful and petite with the bronze skin of the natives and dark chocolate eyes that danced over his body. A blue hibiscus flower peeked from the long, black curtain of hair behind her left ear. She whispered something to the other girl working, then came out from behind the counter to greet him.
“Hey, Jilli.”
With a lighthearted laugh, she stepped in to him and wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed him tightly. He returned her affection with a hug around her slim waist. After a few moments, she pulled back on a contented sigh.
“Aloha, Jackie. It’s good to see you.”
He screwed up his face at the nickname she used specifically because he hated it. Or at least pretended to hate it. “It’s good to see you, too, gorgeous. How’ve you been?”
Jilli laid her best puppy-dog eyes on him. “How’ve I been since you broke my heart, you mean?”
The woman was so full of it. She was a newlywed and madly in love with her husband, a fighter from another camp on the island. Jax respected him as a fighter and as someone who did right by Jilli. The man treated her like royalty.
“Something tells me your hubby would take personal offense to that, and I happen to like my teeth the way they are.”
Chuckling, she gave up the pretense. “Yeah, I suppose you’re right. So where’s your guest of honor?”
“Thanks again for doing this, Jilli. And assuming she doesn’t stop off to hire some thug to take me out, she’ll be here soon.”
Jilli crossed her arms. “You just met the girl. What could you possibly have done to upset her already?”
“I think the question is what didn’t I do.”
A devious grin spread over her face. “Ooh, this sounds good. Come on,” she said, slipping out of his embrace to grab his hand and drag him away from the counter. When they were far enough away from possible eavesdroppers, she stopped him. “Okay, tell me what happened.”
Jackson barely suppressed a groan as he told her the story of how he started with the minor infraction of arriving late, moved on to the misdemeanor of being pushy, and ended with the moral felony of lying his ass off for his own selfish reasons.
When he finished, Jilli’s expression of pure shock was as effective as a mother’s scolding. He crossed his arms over his chest defensively. “I know. I fucked up. I’ll apologize and tell her the truth when she gets here, okay?”
“I think that’s a very good idea. Just take it easy on her, Champ. She’s probably exhausted from the trip.” Lighting up, she added, “Hey, you still have some clothes in your locker in the break room. Why don’t you change into something a little less surfer boy? It might help her take you more seriously. You know, like the rest of us adults.”
“Very funny. Fine, I suppose it won’t kill me to play grownup for a while.”
Jackson kissed her on the cheek and thanked her yet again for helping him with getting Vanessa past the strict policies that would normally have prevented her from checking in.
“You know I’d do anything for you, Jackie. Now get going,” she said, patting his cheek before returning to the lobby.
Grabbing some clothes out of the employee locker he sometimes used, Jax crossed to the small private bathroom. He’d just changed into a pair of cargo shorts when his cell vibrated on the sink. Not even bothering to check caller ID, he shoved the phone between his ear and shoulder as he picked up the white linen shirt.
“Yeah,” he barked into the receiver.
“Jax.”
“Reid, my man, how’s my baby sis? Any better?”