“I don’t have to listen to this.” Presley walked into her office, and Kai took a breath, only to have the woman return for another jab. “Mark my words. You’ll get tired of her ridiculous rambling. She wants a dozen kids, and after the first few, she’s going to gain so much weight you won’t be able to roll her away from the table. Then her curves won’t look so good. A man like you won’t want someone like that on your arm. That light you’re so fond of will fade when you no longer find her cute.”
“Ms. Pierson?” a woman’s voice said from behind Kai. Presley’s face paled, but being the professional bitch she was, she put on what Kai imagined was her shark face. The one that got her through her days in court.
“Hello, Mrs. Cooley. Can I get you something to drink? Coffee or tea? Maybe some water?”
“No, I don’t think so. Where’s Josie?” Kai stepped back, giving the older woman room to speak with Presley.
“She’s in a meeting with Mr. Pierson. Why don’t I take you to the conference room and get you settled?”
“That won’t be necessary. I’ll wait right here for Josie.” Mrs. Cooley went to sit down in one of the plush chairs in the lobby, but Presley intercepted her. Or she tried to. Josie came around the corner, and her face lit up when she saw the older woman.
“Hey there, Mrs. Cooley. How are you?” Josie walked right up to the lady and hugged her like they were good friends.
Mrs. Cooley’s smile was just as warm when she returned the embrace. The lady leaned closer to Josie’s ear and whispered, “Is that your man?”
Josie cut her eyes to Kai, smiling. “Yes, ma’am. Can I introduce you?”
“Please do.”
“Joselynn, I’m sure Mrs. Cooley is in a hurry,” Presley said. Preston came around the corner but stopped when he saw they had a client.
Mrs. Cooley’s smile faded when she spoke to Presley. “Actually, I have all the time in the world.” She placed a wrinkled hand on Josie’s bicep and tugged her toward Kai.
“Mrs. Cooley, this is my fiancé, Malakai Palamo. Kai, this is my dear friend Edwina.”
Kai took Mrs. Cooley’s free hand in his and kissed the back of her knuckles. “It’s a pleasure, ma’am.” The blush on Edwina’s cheeks warmed Kai’s heart.
“Oh, Josie. Handsome and manners? He’s a keeper. But you did say he’s your fiancé, now didn’t you?” Mrs. Cooley patted her white hair while looking up at Kai. “The pleasure is all mine, Malakai. Wait, did you say Palamo?”
Kai nodded. “Yes ma’am, I did.”
“If you don’t mind me asking, where are you from originally?”
“Samoa. The island of Manono, to be exact.”
The woman’s eyes lit up. “Are you Ariki and Lani’s child, per chance?”
Kai’s eyebrows narrowed. “Winnie?”
Edwina threw her head back and laughed, her eyes filling with happy tears. “Oh, my dear child. I haven’t seen you in… a really long time. How in the world did you manage to catch someone as perfect as our Josie here?” Winnie knew exactly how Kai caught Josie. Her family was one who worked for Kai’s family over the last few centuries. They both knew how it would sound if she admitted it had been over fifty years since they’d seen one another.
“By the grace of the gods. Now, if I might ask you a question. What are you doing here? Are you in some kind of trouble?”
“Oh, heaven’s no. Nothing like that.”
Preston must have decided he’d given them enough time to chat when he strolled up and placed a hand on Winnie’s shoulder. “Mrs. Cooley, if you’d be so kind as to walk with me, we can get started.”
“Oh, I no longer require your services. When I walked in, your daughter” — she pointed to Presley — “was saying some of the most hateful words I’ve heard in my seventy years. She might get away with that in the courtroom, but I want no part of it. I don’t know how one daughter turned out like her and the other, well, Josie, you must take after your mother.”
Malakai bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. Edwina Cooley had been a spitfire when she was younger, and it seemed she still was. “Winnie, Josie and I are headed to lunch soon. Would you care to join us?”
“Now, wait just a minute,” Preston huffed.
“Oh, that would be wonderful, Dear. I would love to catch up. Josie, is it all right with you if I encroach on your time with Malakai?”
Kai hadn’t missed Josie’s mood when she left her father’s office. She was lighter than she’d been since he’d met her on the side of the road. He’d listened in on her conversation with Preston while he had been dealing with her sister. Josie bounced on her toes, and said, “It’s more than all right. I’d love it if you joined us. I just need a few minutes to grab my things, then we can be on our way.”
“Mrs. Cooley, please reconsider,” Preston said.
“Begging isn’t a good look on you, Preston. Josie, dear, are you packing your desk?”
