Page 62 of Try Easy

A Night Without Scars

Lou

Lou and Keoniwere quiet on the drive from Sunset Beach to Hale’iwa.

Lou tried not to think about the future or all the reasons she shouldn’t be with Keoni, but it was proving impossible.

She barely knew him.

She was leaving the next day.

One night with him was never going to be enough.

Then there was the biggest reason, the one that had loomed over her attraction to Keoni the entire trip: Paul.

Keoni reached over and took her hand, lacing their fingers together. When they touched, the reasons she shouldn’t be with Keoni were hard to remember. When they touched, everything was perfect.

Lou squeezed Keoni’s fingers, and he took his eyes off the road for a second to look at her. His glance was scorching hot, promising more of the passion that threatened to explode between them.

The road stretched on for miles, weaving between the tall cliffs of the mountains and the cascading waves of the Pacific Ocean. Finally, they came upon a sleepy town with one stoplight and a gas station. Keoni turned onto a street lined with tiny colorful houses. Surfboards, boats, and canoes lay strewn across the small front yards.

Keoni pulled to a stop in the driveway of a green cottage with a wide front porch. He stopped the car and turned to Lou.

“This is it,” he said, suddenly sounding shy.

Lou’s heart twisted as she looked at Keoni. He was pure and unspoiled, like the rugged Hawaiian landscape.

His lips touched her cheek, and his hand cupped her neck, pulling her closer. Lou shivered with anticipation. Suddenly the car felt too small and warm.

“Keoni?”

“Yeah?”

“I have a whole list of reasons why I can’t be with you,” Lou confessed.

“K’den,” Keoni said, looking down at gear shift between them.

“The problem is: when I’m with you, I can’t remember any of them.”

Lou reached up and cupped his jaw in her hand. His beard was soft under her fingers.

He raised his eyes to look at her. His mouth was stern, almost frowning, and his eyes were hard.

“What is it?” she asked, suddenly scared he’d changed his mind.

His dark eyes pierced hers, and he lifted his hand to cup her cheek, drawing her closer.

“I don’t want you to think this is something I do regular, eh?” he said.

“It’s okay. I have no right to judge,” Lou said.

“Try listen,” he said. He blinked and looked down, and Lou knew he was gathering his courage. “I don’t do this,” he said. “I don’t bring girls here. Ever.”

Lou’s eyebrows lifted, and she stared at Keoni. She hadn’t given much consideration to Keoni’s past lovers. She had assumed from his popularity that he had a lot them, but now she was considering otherwise.

The seriousness of their situation wasn’t lost on Lou. Keoni was inviting her into his house, and letting her know exactly what that meant. Keoni was letting Lou see a side of him he didn’t often share.

She drew in a deep breath and looked away from Keoni, letting her gaze drift over the house. The porch was broad and welcoming, stretching all the way across the front of the house. The wood was painted a cheerful white that contrasted with the deep green of the front door. Flowers burst from baskets hanging from the porch railings and bloomed in the bushes. The man who lived there had painted the wood and planted the flowers. He was a family man, a local celebrity, and a hero. He was a complex man with more sides to his personality than Lou could ever know in a short trip.

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