'Kai…,' she started, about to erupt in anger. Then her voice quieted, which was even worse. 'Kai, I've had to do practically everything to get ready for our house guests. I made our travel arrangements to the north shore this weekend. I got the house cleaned up. I picked them up at the airport. I even made sure there was enough gas in the car that they are going to use. Now I have to do the one thing I asked you to do.'
'I said I'd do it, and I will.'
'That's what you said last week when I asked you to do it.'
'It's just…' He stopped himself. He was going to make an excuse about his job, but he knew that was the wrong way to go.
Taking the post of director at the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center was a great career move for him, but he hadn't counted on how demanding it would be. Including Kai, there were only eight geophysicists on staff, and the PTWC had to be monitored by two of them 24 hours a day. That meant they regularly had to pull 12-hour shifts. It was difficult to recruit geophysicists who were willing to spend that many hours on site, so to sweeten the deal, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration-better known as NOAA, the parent organization of the PTWC-built houses on the Center grounds that some of the staff lived in for free.
Not many people in Hawaii could afford a house three blocks from the beach, but it wasn't that much of a perk. Kai and his family lived in a gated complex next to a run-down, blue-collar neighborhood. The beach nearby wasn't even that good. His job as the director meant that he had to take care of not only his employees' work problems, but their home problems as well. Everything from disputes about late night noise to trouble with the plumbing. And being relatively new didn't help. It was literally a 24-hour job.
As if she could read his mind, Rachel said, 'I know your job is tough, Kai. It's been the same for both of us. I'm getting used to my job at the hotel, too. But it's getting to feel like I'm doing all the work at home, even though you only work 100 feet from our house. And now Lani…' She trailed off.
'What about Lani?'
'She's been here nine months now and hasn't made any friends yet. Have you noticed that?'
'I see her hanging out with her soccer friends all the time.'
'Those are teammates. She has to hang out with them. But in the whole time we've been here, she hasn't once brought somebody back home. Now that she's with Mia, I see how she used to be. And being in that compound hasn't helped.'
'Please don't call it a compound.' Kai hated that word.
'I know this is a great opportunity for you, but…' She didn't finish the sentence.
So there it was. She didn't want to be here any more.
'Rachel, you knew when we agreed to this that we would have to live in the com… — at the center. It comes with the job.'
'I know. But something's got to change.' She paused again, then a beep on the line. 'That's Marian at the hotel. I've got to go.'
'About the luau…'
'Look, I'll talk to Max,' she said, referring to Max Walsh, the hotel's concierge. 'Maybe he can get us in.'
'Rachel, I said I'll take care of it.'
'I know you did. I'll talk to you later.'
Kai didn't want to leave it that way, but he didn't know what else to say, so he said 'Bye' and hung up.
Teresa Gomez, Mia's mother, came out of the guest room eating the last bite of an apple. Like the girls, she was already dressed in a tank top and sarong.
'Dr. Tanaka,' she said.
'Dr. Gomez.' Now that Teresa was an MD, she and Kai batted the honorific back and forth like a badminton birdie.
'I see you found the latte I got for you.'
'Yes, thanks.'
She gave him a quizzical look. 'You all right?'
'Sure,' Kai said. 'Great morning so far.'
She didn't look convinced, but she didn't press the issue. Kai followed her back into the kitchen.
'How was your jog?' Teresa said as she tossed the apple core into the disposal and washed her hands.
'Fantastic! You and the girls are going to have gorgeous weather today.'
'If it's a day off for you, why don't you come with us to the beach?'
'Day off? I wish. I'm on call today. I have to give a tour this morning, and there's a paper I'm submitting to the
Teresa appraised Kai's outfit and began to laugh. 'I forgot. We're in Hawaii.'
He looked down at his clothes and realized why she was laughing. Even though Kai grew up in Hawaii, he had lived in Seattle for more than 15 years. Kai loved the Pacific Northwest, but he never got used to the cold and drizzle. So after returning from a decade and a half of raincoats and flannel, it hadn't taken him long to revert to customary Hawaiian dress. To a Seattleite like Teresa, the flowered shirt, khakis, and tennis shoes he was wearing might seem like a stereotypical joke about island life, but it was perfectly natural for him. Kai laughed, too.
'Believe me, I'd love to join you,' he said. 'Where are you guys boarding?'
'I wanted to go to somewhere quiet, but I got vetoed.' She jabbed a finger at the girls. 'So we're going to Waikiki. At least I'll get to relax with a good book while they're swimming.'
Kai winced. Because of the holiday, Waikiki would be packed not only with tourists, but with locals as well. May was a big month for travelers, and three-day weekends were always popular with American tourists from the mainland. Almost 50,000 visitors stayed in Honolulu at any one time, and Waikiki claimed most of them. Teresa would be hard pressed to find any peace on the beach.
'I think they just want to check out the boys,' she said.
'We do not!' said Lani.
But Mia at the same time said 'Yeah!' and Lani turned red.
Kai tried to help Teresa out.
'Why don't you go to Kahana Valley? There's a great beach there.'
'It's boring,' Lani said. 'If I finally get to go to a beach, I want to go to a good one.
'What do you mean? We go to our beach all the time.'
'Yeah, right. Only when you're with me. What's the use of living three blocks from the beach if I never get to go?'
'Here we go,' Kai said. To Teresa, 'This isn't the best neighborhood. One time, I saw some kids smoking dope down at the little park that leads to the beach. Now she's mad that I won't let her go on her own.'
'If I didn't live in this compound, I might have someone to go with.'
'Why does everyone call it that?' Kai said.
'I'm sure it's not because of the barbed wire and security gate,' Lani said, her sarcasm reaching new heights. 'Come on, Mia. Let's get ready.'
They ran off to Lani's bedroom.
'Teenagers,' Teresa said. 'It's always fun, isn't it?'
'Barrel of laughs.' Kai handed her the keys to his Jeep.
'You don't need your car today?'
'Nope. I usually don't go anywhere during the day. Parking at the Grand Hawaiian?'
'Yes. Rachel got us a voucher.'
'Good. When do you think you'll be back?'
'I'm thinking around five, so that we have plenty of time to get ready for the luau tonight.'
Kai cringed at the mention of the luau.
'Problem?'
He forced a smile. 'Not at all.'
Teresa gave him another puzzled look. She knew that something was wrong, but though she was a good friend, she would never try to pry.
She smiled and said, 'Well, all we need are the boogie boards.'
'They're in the garage,' Kai said.
'We'll get them!' yelled Lani from the other room.
