Page 26 of Fast Fury

In the kitchen, his grandma stood holding out a large plate to Abby, a proud smile on her kind face. “We’ll do a big cookout with a kalua pig another time, but for now…enjoy.”

There was so much food Abby might have been astounded if she wasn’t used to the size of Kai’s appetite. He explained what every dish was, and she tried some of everything. Lomi-lomi salmon, ahi poke, steamed mahi mahi fish wrapped in banana leaves. Laulau, little bundles of pulled pork wrapped and steamed inside taro leaves. Spam musubi—a kind of sushi made out ofactualSpam, from a can and everything—fried rice, assorted Hawaiian fruits, and…poi.

“Always wanted to try this,” Abby said, spooning some of the purple paste onto her plate.

“Eat it with a bite of something, not on its own. Otherwise it’s like wallpaper paste,” Kai said.

She laughed and continued filling her plate. He had a mound of food already piled on his. “What’s your favorite?” she asked grandma.

“Themahi mahi,” she answered. “I got it from the market this morning. They catch it fresh every day. You’ll never taste anything better.”

Abby believed it. “And what about you?” she asked Kai.

“Kaluapork,” he answered without missing a beat. “You’ll probably have it at the windup luau at the resort at the end of the conference, but if not, I’ll make sure you get some before you leave the island.”

Sounded like a plan to her.

All three of them sat at the table outside on the deck overlooking the magical oasis grandma had created. Abby didn’t love the poi, but everything else was incredible. “Oh, I’m so full, but I can’t stop eating.”

Grandma smiled, delighted. “I’m glad you like our food.”

“I love it.” She eyed Kai, who was halfway through his second plate. “And here I was made to believe you could only cook steak and salad.”

He shrugged, one side of his mouth tipping upward. “Can’t give away all my secrets at once, can I?” The way he looked at her, the unmistakable male hunger for something other than food in his eyes, had her whole body buzzing with arousal.

Abby grabbed her tea and swallowed a few mouthfuls to cool herself off. It would be way too easy to give into the need he created in her. She had to keep her head on straight, have that talk with him before they were past the point of no return.

After dinner Abby insisted on helping clean up, asking grandma countless questions about the recipes and cooking methods. Once everything was put away, grandma told her stories about Kai and even pulled out old photo albums for them to look through.

“This is Kai and…Hani,” grandma said, faltering slightly on the mention of the second name as she stopped at a picture of the two bare-chested boys with fishing rods over their shoulders. “Kai was around twelve or so here, and Hani ten or eleven. They were on their way down to the beach to catch something for dinner.”

Abby glanced at Kai, next to her on the couch. His expression was unreadable, a slight tension in his square jaw that hinted at inner turmoil.

“They were like brothers and best friends all in one,” the old woman continued, a wistfulness in her voice that tugged at Abby. “He promised to come by and see you while you’re here,” she said to Kai.

The hand on Abby’s shoulder tightened slightly. “Tutu…”

She shrugged, her expression and posture becoming defensive. “I asked him to. You’reohana, Kai. Andohanais the most important thing.”

Kai didn’t respond, and Abby didn’t dare ask any questions, instead pointing to the next picture to change the subject. “How old was Kai here?” He was in his high school football uniform, already head and shoulders taller than most of his teammates, the proud expression on his face and confident posture hinting at the strength that would make him into the man he was today.

“Fifteen,” grandma said, her face softening into a fond smile. “Look how handsome he was, even back then.”

A little under an hour later, Abby bit back another yawn and blinked to clear her blurred vision. She was so damn tired, but didn’t want the night to end.

“I think the time change is catching up with Abby,” Kai said, the hand cupping her shoulder rubbing gently. “I’d better get her back to her hotel. Conference starts early in the morning.”

Abby didn’t argue. At the door she slipped on her shoes, thanked her hostess for a wonderful evening, and reached out a hand.

Kai’s grandma looked down at it, snorted and held out her arms instead. Abby’s heart melted. She stepped into the embrace, the feel of those thin but loving arms around her making her throat tighten. She was such a sweet lady. “Thank you for having me.”

“No, thankyou,” grandma said, squeezing her tight. “I hope you’ll come back again before you leave.” Then, in a whisper, “You’re good for my boy.”

Abby hoped so.But were they good for each other?She’d gotten that wrong before, with disastrous results.

It stayed on her mind the entire drive back to Wailea. She and Kai got along well, but so had she and Roger, at least in the beginning. Did she and Kai have enough in common to have something that would last? She wanted to believe they did.

They were quiet at first, but then the questions in her mind became so loud she couldn’t contain them any longer. “Can we talk about us?” she asked him.

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