Page 63 of The Wrong Fiancée

He chuckled. "Someone like you who works two jobs to help her sister who doesn't treat her with kindness is not someone who steals."

"How do you know about Noe?"

"We're a close family. Dean has told me about you…everythingabout you."

"You seem like a really nice man," I said sadly, wishing things were different. "But I need you to know that Dean and I are not together."

"Of course, not. He just got rid of that fiancée of his a few days ago. My sons do all kinds of stupid shit, but they won't cheat," he said confidently. "Though I thought they wouldn't indulge in locker room talk, and here I find that he mouthed off about you to Dante, and you heard him."

I couldn't believe it. Dean had told his parents about Honolulu.

"Ah…."

"Like I said, we share in our family; unfortunately, sometimes we overshare."

"It must be nice to be amongst people who don't judge you."

Tate guffawed at that. "Oh, we judge. We judged the hell out of Dean for being such a shit. Marcella ripped him a new one. It was a sight to watch. But then she can make grown men quiver in their boots."

I couldn't imagine the woman whose photo I had seen could be as tough as Tate said she was. I was certain he was exaggerating.

"He felt really bad, and that's when we knew that he was head over heels for you."

I slumped. "He's not."

"You've known Dean for five minutes, I've known him for thirty years," he remarked. "I know my kid."

"Youthinkyou know him," I didn't back down. It hurt too much to hear him say something I knew wasn't true. "And in any case, we had a fling for two weeks. No one falls in love in two weeks."

"You did."

That made me shut up.

"So, here is what I was thinking," Tate changed the topic, smooth as a chainsaw, "I want to go to Hanapepe. You should come along and be my guide."

Known as Kauai's Biggest Little Town, Hanapepe was filled with local art galleries and artisan shops.

"I…I…."

"Come on, when was the last time you took a day off and played tourist?" Tate urged.

"I…," I smiled sadly, "it's been…actually,never."

"That's a terrible travesty!" Tate announced. "Come on, Elika, it's the least you can do when I save you from spending a night in custody."

I couldn't believe he said that, attempting to openly and emotionally blackmail me. He gave me a cheeky smile, and he looked so much like Dean that my heart skipped a beat.

"You're right. It's the least I can do," I agreed.

It had been a long time since I’d been to Hanapepe. The last time, I was with a group of guests, tagging along to help the event organizer.

The town had a rustic charm, and whenever I was here, I felt like it had escaped time. It had a vibrant creative energy with colorful galleries lining the narrow streets. Old plantation-style buildings with peeling paint and crooked signs gave it an almost cinematic feel.

Tate, I discovered, was a lot like Dean.

He had a laid-back confidence that I envied. He was completely at ease in his linen shirt and pants, a fedora tilted just right on his head. He had a cigar in his hand, unlit but twirling between his fingers. He didn't seem like the high-powered art dealer I knew he was—more like someone who could blend in with the locals and enjoy the simple pleasures.

"I thought you'd want to go to one of our fancier galleries," I told him as we walked.

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