Free Her Hawaiian Homecoming (Mills & Boon Superromance) by Cara Lockwood Page A

for condos?
    Not your problem , Allie thought. Your problem is Dallas McCormick and that smug smile he wears on his face.
    “You said someone else gave you coffee?” Kai asked. “Where did you get it? Please don’t tell me it was you-know-what down the street. Please don’t!”
    “Kai won’t even say their name, it’s that personal,” Jesse said.
    “Don’t get me started on why ,” he said. “Big corporate lattes! Wouldn’t know good coffee if it bit them in the...”
    “Oh, no, don’t worry,” Allie said. “I haven’t been to any competitors. Your aunt gave me coffee grounds, actually.”
    Kai immediately relaxed. “You saw Auntie K? She’s always had a soft spot for you. Did she make you a lei?”
    “Uh, yes, actually. Gorgeous.” Allie cleared her throat. “I wanted to talk to you about her, actually. Grandma Misu wanted me to talk to her about the estate if I was going to sell, so...”
    “She did?”
    “Yeah, and I didn’t have much luck. She, uh...she...pretended not to know English.”
    Kai and Jesse exchanged a meaningful glance. “ That wasn’t very nice. Let me go talk to her,” Kai pronounced, like a big brother ready to go to bat for a little sister.
    “No, that’s okay. I mean, I know she probably didn’t want to talk to me about selling Grandma Misu’s land, so I get it. But now she won’t answer the door, and...”
    “That’s none of her business whether you sell or not,” Kai muttered. “That’s your choice, not hers. You should be able to sell if that’s what you want to do.”
    Jesse didn’t say a word. Allie could tell she didn’t approve of selling, but she was grateful Kai didn’t judge her. “I just feel kind of stupid. I fell for it. I really thought she didn’t know English.”
    “Aw, she does that to everyone,” Kai said. “Hell, the postal carrier didn’t know for years , and I don’t think the tax assessor still does.”
    They all laughed, and Allie felt an easy kinship between them that she hadn’t felt in...years. She liked Jesse and Kai a lot. They felt like long-lost family.
    “Hey, want to come to dinner tomorrow? We could help you talk to Aunt Kaimana. Maybe get this all sorted out.”
    “Oh, I don’t want to put you out.”
    “You won’t,” Kai assured her. “I’m barbecuing, and we’re having a few friends over anyway, at Aunt Kaimana’s house. One more is no big deal!”
    For the first time since Chicago, Allie actually did feel like getting out. She ignored the little voice of warning at the back of her head. She was on a mission: sell the land and get out.
    But, what would one little barbecue hurt? Besides, if she could convince Kaimana to sign her paper at the party, all the better.
    “Sure,” she said. “I’d love to.”

CHAPTER FIVE
    A   F EW PEOPLE turned into more like a hundred. By the looks of Kai’s crowded backyard, he’d invited every local on the island for his little barbecue. Allie stood awkwardly near a banana tree, clutching a frosty mai tai, wondering whether or not she should leave. It had been so long since she’d actually been at a party that wasn’t a bridal shower, she wasn’t sure she remembered how to mingle. Kai was busy manning the grill, and Jesse had her hands full with mixing drinks, and she’d not even seen a trace of Kaimana. She glanced down at her white striped maxi dress and high-heeled wedge sandals and suddenly felt overdressed. Everyone else wore colorful board shorts, tank tops and flip-flops. Allie was the only woman not in an above-the-knee sundress. But she had her reasons. Her legs were bright lobster red after she’d forgotten to apply sunscreen before she’d fallen asleep lying on her stomach on her grandmother’s reclining lawn chair in the backyard.
    Her shoulders still radiated heat. They were so burned that even the thought of putting a strap or sleeve on them made her want to cry. The dress was the only sleeveless one she had, so she’d gone with it. Luckily, her