“I thought you said that things move more slowly down here,” he said as the sugar cane became a blur.
“Time,” she corrected. “I don’t remember discussing driving.”
“Do you think we could take this tour at a pace somewhat less than the speed of sound?”
She looked somewhat surprised by his ironic tone, but eased up on the accelerator. “That’s the Sleeping Lady.” She pointed toward a rock formation that did indeed resemble a reclining woman. “Kekepania was a giant akua , or goddess, who befriended the Menehune.
“Little people,” she explained at his questioning look. “They were here even before the first Polynesians arrived. They were two feet tall and did all their work at night. They also had magical powers.”
“I suppose you believe in them,” Donovan responded, venturing a guess.
Lani turned her head to give him a knowing grin. “I like to,” she admitted, “although there are those horribly unromantic souls who persist in believing that the Menehune were actually a class of pygmy laborers from Tahiti.”
“You have to admit it makes more sense than the idea of pixies.”
Apparently Lani was not prepared to concede any such point. “To some. Those with limited imaginations. However, while historians and anthropologists continue to argue about the Menehune, no one has come up with a logical explanation for all the stone water projects that were supposedly built by them in a single night.
“Anyway,” she continued, “one night Kekepania was asleep when enemy canoes were threatening to beach on the shoreline. The Menehune threw boulders onto her to wake her up so she could come and protect them, but she was snoring and swallowed some of the boulders and died.”
“That’s too bad.”
“Isn’t it?” she agreed on a sigh. “Still, a few rocks ricocheted off her breasts and sank the invaders’ canoes, so it all worked out in the end, I suppose.”
She belonged here, Donovan determined. In fact, he had never met an individual more suited to her environment. Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, King Arthur, all would feel at home in this fantasy land of nature and legend. Donovan was having difficulty picturing Lani living anywhere else.
“That’s Moon Cove Beach,” she said, waving her right hand in the direction of a quiet stretch of sand they were passing. “The water’s calm there; it’s ideal for swimming.”
She downshifted, slowing the Jeep to allow Donovan a leisurely look at the glistening beach. “Because it’s so old, Mother Nature has more time to create our gorgeous beaches.
“Shipwreck Beach is great for windsurfing, Nalu Beach and Makani Beach are good for bodysurfing, windsurfing, and catamaran rides. Makalapua Beach is also where you’ll find a lot of swimmers, Crescent Beach is good for surfing—”
“I get the point,” he broke in. “And it’s nice of you to play tour guide, Lani, but I don’t really think I’ll have time for surfing and catamaran rides. I do have—”
“Work to do,” she said, cutting him off, just as he had interrupted her.
Donovan thought he detected the hint of an accusation in her dry tone. “Studying,” he corrected. “I have an exam coming up when I get back that scores twenty-five percent on the written, and seventy-five percent for the interview.”
“Both of which I have no doubt you’ll ace,” she assured him.
“That’s probably what most of the would-be agents who made it through the first part of the acceptance process thought, despite knowing the odds. Which can be as low as one percent of the applicants.”
“If you’re serious about becoming a special agent, you’ll make the grade.”
“I appreciate your confidence, but I need to study. I bought these guides.” All, on their online sales pages, promising success in winning one of the toughest, most prestigious jobs in the world.
“If all you plan to do is keep your nose stuck in a book, why did you come down here?” she asked, genuinely curious. “Surely you could have studied in Portland.”
“Of course I could have. But Nate and Tess convinced me a change would be helpful.”
“A change of location? Or pace?”
“Is there a difference?”
As they continued down the highway, the scenic bay curved out toward the backdrop of mountains. Rainwater scored the lush green mountain face in rivulets of molten silver. Donovan tried to remember when he had seen anything so magnificent.
“It depends,” Lani answered at length. “If you lock yourself away in Nate’s beach house and do nothing but pore over those study guides, you might as well have stayed home. A change in location isn’t going to make any difference.
“However, if you forget about work for a while and open yourself up to everything the island has to offer, then I’d say you did the right thing coming here. Because even if you do go through with the test, you’ll undoubtedly score better if you’re not so tense.”
“I’m not that tense.”