Free O'ahu Lonesome Tonight? (Islands of Aloha Mystery Series #5) by JoAnn Bassett Page A

options.”
    “Yeah,” I said.
“I hate to think we’ll be reduced to going to the movies or shopping, but that
may be the best we can do.”
    We both looked
outside. The rain was still coming down hard.
    “I thought you
said the Channel Five weatherman predicted perfect weather,” said Jeff.
    “He did. They
all did. I don’t know where this came from.”
    “I guess your friend,
Ono, was right in not heading out today,” he said. “You thought he was wrong
but he wasn’t.”
    “Are you still
mad about having to come get me at the Moana ?”
    “No, I’m just
pointing out the obvious,” he said. “You think you’re always right, but you’re
not. And whether you’ll admit it or not, you’re not always a hundred percent in
control.”
    I shot him a
little stink eye but didn’t argue. After
a few beats of both of us staring at our plates, I said, “You should probably
ask the waitress for a box.”
    “I’m gonna pass on that,” he said. “My girlfriend’s a nurse. She
told me I should only eat red meat once a week.”
    “Your girlfriend? We’ve been together three days and you’re
just now getting around to mentioning her?”
    “It’s nothing
serious.”
    I grabbed his
arm.
    “No, really,”
he said. “It’s more of a ‘friends with benefits’ thing.”
    “I don’t
believe you.”
    “Well, let me
put it this way. If Melissa and I ever need a wedding planner I’ll give you a
call. But don’t sit by the phone. We’re talking decades, if ever.”
    We paid our
check and made our way back to the penthouse. When we got inside, Steve was
stretched out on the sofa.
    “How’d you get
in here?” I said.
    “Oh, ye of
little faith,” said Jeff. “I left a key for him at the front desk when I went
to rescue you from your ‘tea date’.”
    “How’d your
interview go?”
    “It went great.
In fact, they made me a job offer right on the spot.”
    “A good one?”
said Jeff.
    “A fabulous one.” Steve looked at me and winked.
    “Just how ‘fabulous’ is ‘fabulous’?” I said.
    “Fabulous
enough to live quite comfortably in a downtown high rise with an ocean view.”
    “Huh,” said
Jeff. “That must be a pretty good offer.”
    I stared at
Steve. “Are you telling me I need to look for a new roommate?”
    “I’m not
committing to anything. But I’ve got to give it some thought. In fact, if it’s
okay with you two I think I’ll stick around until Wednesday. I’d like to check
out some apartments. Maybe look up some people the Go Hawaii people
suggested I talk to.”
    “It’s okay with
me if you stay here if it’s okay with Pali ,” said
Jeff.
    I nodded. I
felt as if I’d been dumped by a boyfriend who wanted to ‘still be friends.’ But
that was irrational. Right?
    ***
     
    The next
morning was September 11th. Every American knows the date and what happened on that
day. But in Hawaii it was already an infamous day nine years before 2001. On
September 11, 1992, Hurricane Iniki slammed into Kaua'i’s south shore wreaking havoc of biblical
proportions. Trees were completely stripped of leaves and the storm surge sucked
tons of sand from the beaches, making old maps of the area obsolete. The 145
mile-an-hour winds caused almost two billion dollars in damage. For days,
people on Kaua'i were left glassy-eyed and speechless with shock.  
    Originally the
storm was headed for O’ahu but at the last minute it
veered north. Kaua'i’s loss was O’ahu’s gain as the amount of damage a big storm like that would’ve caused in a city
the size of Honolulu is beyond comprehension.
    So it seemed
almost fitting that on this September 11 it was still raining. The sky was
thick with clouds and raindrops trailed down the window panes like tears.
    We sat at the
table hunched over our Hilo Hattie coffee cups like old men at a country store.
Finally Jeff spoke. “You decide yet if you’re going to take the job?”
    “Still not
sure,” said Steve. “I’m weighing the pros and cons.”