Page 14 of On The Rocks

I fisted my hands in my pockets. Jacky N’ai did a number on both of us. Me, with absolute disdain, and Kain with the weight of his legacy—but on Jack’s terms.

“I’m aware.”

“Fuck,” Kain muttered as he bowed his head.

I knew Kain was warm and welcoming to his small circle. I hoped maybe I’d make it to the outer ring, but I was beginning to wonder. “Ever think maybe it’s not just about you? Maybe walking on this land felt more like home than anywhere I’ve been. And let me tell you, I’ve been every-fucking-where.”

“Hawaii doesn’t?”

“I couldn’t get gone fast enough.”

“And your mother?”

“Not very motherly.” She’d come from nothing and thought Jack N’ai had been her way out of the grind. Being white in Hawaii wasn’t always welcoming. Add in the struggle of always being short on money, no matter how many hours she worked, had created a desperation to dig her way out.

Having Jack’s kid didn’t turn out to be the golden ticket she’d hoped for.

Kain grunted. “At least she stuck around.”

“Ever live in a hotel?”

He frowned. “Can’t say I have.”

“I did. The stench of bleach and sickeningly sweet air freshener sticks in your nostrils. Even in the high-end hotels, it never quite seems different. Your father gave her a better job in one of the N’ai hotels on Honolulu. Still smelled the damn same, just a different fake floral scent.”

And with the upgrade in position, he got a free pass to come to our rooms whenever he had an itch.

I gritted my teeth at the memory. I hadn’t gone down that road in a damn long time.

“And what were the strings?” Kain rocked back on his heels. “There’s always a quid pro quo when it came to Jacky.”

“Hope. Every time he came by, she lost more of it. By the time I was ten, it was gone and he’d moved on to another woman who worked at the hotel. Making sure she knew it.”

His jaw worked, but he didn’t say anything.

For not wanting his pity, my story seemed to be begging for it. It was just the facts, but damn, if it wasn’t bleak. As Jack’s attention waned toward her, I got the same in return.

At the time, I didn’t understand what was going on. Or why she’d gone from disinterested to mean. When I was older, I figured out that having to see her replacement daily had been a crap mix of fear and jealousy.

Fear that her job could disappear, and jealousy that she could be replaced with a younger model.

And that fear had turned her bitter against me.

So, yeah, the Navy had looked damn fine. And she’d been more than willing to sign the paperwork for me to enlist early.

The only thing she’d cared about was me sending money to her.

Showed me exactly how important I was to her.

Her disinterest was so complete that she hadn’t noticed I had definitely climbed a few rungs in tax brackets.

Both of us must have been in our heads because we both stood in silence for a damn long time.

“I play guitar.” Kain finally spoke.

“Is that right?” I glanced at him. “Me too.”

“What’s the band?”

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