Page 10 of Keeping Kama

Her words punctured the air.

Rubbing the stubble along his jaw, Derek replied, “Ahh, brothers. You’ve got to love them.”

“Oh, do you have a brother too?” asked Leia.

“No. No,” stammered Derek. “I—” Derek began to explain, but they were interrupted by Kai.

Neither had seen him approach, and Derek flinched when Kai slapped him on the back from behind. “I’m sorry about that. What did I miss?” Kai’s glance skidded between them. “Are you two still trying to maul each other? Or did you work things out in my absence?” asked Kai.

Derek’s gaze darted to Leia. Leia nonchalantly shrugged. Then in unison Derek and Leia burst out laughing because Leia had called it.

Chapter3

With the tour of Kama Farm completed, Leia walked back down the path leading to the trailer. Derek and Kai were directly behind her, chatting. She had stopped following the conversation a few minutes back when they had started discussing college football teams. As much as Leia wanted to hate Derek, she couldn’t. After spending the entire morning taking him on a tour of the farm, Derek proved to be kind and thoughtful. Leia wasn’t thrilled the farm needed an investor, but if it had to be someone, Derek seemed like he might be the right fit. Leia always trusted her gut, and her gut told her Derek was a decent guy.

As they arrived back at the trailer, Leia lingered in front of the door and waited for Derek and Kai to join her. Once they halted, Leia said, “I think that concludes the tour …” her voice trailed off.

Kai slapped Derek on the back again, then held out a hand to shake Derek’s hand. “It was great meeting you.”

Derek shook his hand. “Likewise.”

“Okay, Derek. You saw the farm. What happens next?” asked Leia.

Before Derek responded, Kai said, “First things first, Derek is coming to dinner tonight at Mom and Dad’s. We need to teach Derek about how welcoming Hawaiians can be, especially those you might potentially be going into business with.”

Derek shoved his hands into the pockets of his slacks and smiled. “Kai said your mom is an excellent cook.”

“Dad was the cook,” remarked Leia as her throat grew tight. So much had changed since her dad’s brain aneurysm. Her family’s prior life was hazy. But one had to move forward and not linger on what was lost. If you didn’t, you might forever be stuck in the past. “I mean Mom does okay, but …” Leia glanced between Kai and Derek. “But what about the next steps for the business.”

Kai wrapped his arm around Leia’s shoulders, giving them a squeeze. “You don’t need to worry about it, little sis. Derek and I will work it out. He’ll be here over the next several days to do some more job shadowing. You can email him the financials, or we can set up a time for you to meet too. We won’t decide anything until this trial period is up.”

Leia gnawed on a fingernail. “I see,” replied Leia.

Kama was slipping away from her. It was her own fault; Leia had opted to go to college to become a teacher. Her family had taken it okay, because the farm had been passed through the sons for so many generations. Since Kai was a child, he had shadowed Noa, walking the tight lines of fruit plants, learning the process of farming. When Leia went off to college, a few of her cousins stepped in to share the workload she should’ve taken on.

With Leia away, Kai thrived with the responsibilities he had on the farm. Leia’s role shrank and shrank, which is what she wanted, but she didn’t know it would make her feel so irrelevant. Like maybe she didn’t belong at all.

For years Dad and Kai worked side by side in the business, and they seemed fine without her. They each had their roles. Eventually, Leia told Dad and Kai she wanted to stay connected to the farm too. Even if she didn’t want to do it full-time, Leia wanted to contribute in some way, so she offered to help with the bookkeeping. But maybe Derek would suggest they hire a real accountant, not someone who took a few accounting classes in college. Her mood soured. Maybe Derek would buy his forty percent and push her out completely.

As Leia took a few steps away from them, she continued, “Okay then, I’ll see you at dinner.” Her eyes roamed over Derek’s ridiculous appearance, though it only accentuated his nice physique. “It’ll give you time to change.”

Derek laughed, glancing down at himself. “What? Are you saying you don’t want me coming in this?”

“Only if you feel comfortable, but you look …” Tilting her head to the side, Leia tried to think of the best word to describe Derek’s state. “Hot.”

Smugly, Derek cocked an eyebrow and said, “I’m hot?” He locked eyes with Leia.

Leia gulped. “You look hot …” she stammered, “as in warm.” With a shaky hand, she swiped away a trickle of sweat rolling down her temple.Stop talking. Stop.

Derek grinned. “Since you pay such close attention to my appearance, I’ll change just for you.”

This guy was smooth … too smooth.

Acting nonchalantly, Leia tossed a hand up into the air. “Whatever, wear whatever you want.” Leia stepped away from Kai and Derek, desperately needing to make an exit before she further dug herself into a hole.

Leia knew Kai would tease her about this entire interaction later. It didn’t take a genius to pick up on Leia’s attraction to Derek. Yes, Leia totally thought Derek was hot and not in the temperature way. But it was harmless. In a small amount of time Derek would leave, and Leia would stay in Hawaii where she belonged.

“Thanks, I will,” replied Derek.

---