“I’ll coordinate with the flight crew to be at the airport to pick you up.”
“Thanks. See you this evening. I suspect I’ll be in before dinner.”
I call Jim, we agree on our plan, and I alert the flight crew and still leave myself time to run home and pack my bag before heading into the airport.
Ben arrives in my office as I’m finishing up.
“Has Jim called you?” I ask.
“Yes, sir. He’s sending someone over so I can run home and pack my go bag, and then I’ll join you for the weekend.”
“Great. I’ve alerted the flight crew, and we’ll leave the office at three.”
“I understand. Would you like me to walk across to Starbucks?”
“You’ve read my mind, Ben.”
I bounce from call to call all morning. Shortly after nine, Corrine calls in.
“Good morning. How was your night?” I ask.
“I understand you’ve heard,” she says.
“I have. I’m flying in tonight.”
“That’s fantastic. I’m excited to see you, but I do hope it’s not because of the drone.”
It is entirely because of the drone, but I’m not going to make a big deal of it. “Not completely, I also miss you. I hate this distance between us. Have you given any further thought to moving in?” Because that’s all I think about when I’m not at work.
“No. I’m more focused on getting everything done on time for Memorial Day. I’ll let Amber, the designer, know you’ll be in tonight, and hopefully you can figure out where we’re going with the décor in the island rooms.”
“Remind me which are the island rooms?”
“The Big Island is the second master, and the other seven rooms are all on the other side of the house.”
“Right. Why does she want to meet me?”
“She has design questions.”
“You know I don’t care about that.”
“I do, but I’ve made some changes, and she wants to talk to you specifically about them.”
I groan internally. Amber has worked with Corrine since the beginning. Why she needs me involved is beyond my comprehension.
“Whatever you need. I’m here to support you. Say, do you think we can have dinner out on the cliffs tonight? I think I’ll land by seven, and we can eat when I arrive.”
“Wherever you’d like.”
We talk for a while longer, and I hang up. I’m leaving in six hours and should be with Corrine within ten. Today’s going to be a great day.
Ben is my saving grace. Even though he becomes an overpaid errand runner, I’m grateful he doesn’t mind. He gets our coffee and orders our lunch. When Corrine returns, I’ll hire her an assistant to answer the phones and run errands.
I alert Ben that I’m ready to go, and it isn’t even three. He’s surprised, but I follow him out to the car, and we’re on the plane and airborne before three thirty.
I’m so excited that I can’t work or do much other than will the jet to go faster. When we finally land, I’m thrilled to see Corrine waiting in my favorite dress. I wonder if she has panties on.
I walk down the eight steps to meet her, and I bring her into my arms. It just feels right. I kiss her deeply. “God, I’ve missed you,” I breathe when we break.
“I’ve missed you, too.”
I hand Brian the box of jammers, we climb into the back of the car, and I’m ready to pounce. Corrine, on the other hand, is all business.
“Amber will be by tonight after dinner,” she tells me.
“It can’t wait until tomorrow?”
“No, we need to make some decisions, and things get shipped from the mainland, so we need to order quickly, and I don’t want any delay.”
I nod, a little disappointed.
“Brian will grab you when you’re done to go over the schematics for the drone jammers.”
“Do I at least get to sleep with you?”
She flashes me a smile, gathers the hemline of her dress, and winks. “I’d be disappointed if you didn’t.”
That makes me feel better, but I’d prefer these meetings happen tomorrow morning.
A little while later, we’re settled in for dinner on the cliffs. I love it here. Corrine’s face is lit by tiki torches, and Leilani delivers our excellent dinner. I don’t think I could ever give this place up. I hope Viviana understands.
As we’re finishing up, one of the housemen approaches. “Mr. Graham, a Miss Amber Chin is here for you.”
I look over at Corrine. “Why am I meeting with her?”
“She asked.”
“Are you joining us?”
“Nope. I have a call with Caroline Arnault to go over the menu for Memorial Day weekend to make sure she thinks I’ve got everything covered.”
“Why do I feel like I’m being set up?”
She stands and kisses me. “Just remember, I trust you.”
“What does that mean?”
She’s walking away and smiles. “You’ll see.”
I follow her, and she greets Amber, who is not friendly to her at all. I walk in behind her, and she lights up and gushes all over me. She’s a small woman, and she’s wearing a dress that seems more appropriate for a nightclub.
“Mr. Graham, welcome to Hawaii.” She rushes up to me, teetering on her high-heeled sandals. “May I call you Jack?”
No one calls me Jack. They only do that if they don’t know me. “Mr. Graham is fine.”
I sit down on the couch, still not sure what she needs. She’s between me and enjoying some time with Corrine.
“What’s the problem?” I ask.
Amber shimmys up close to me. “Shall we have a drink?” she says with bedroom eyes.
“No, thanks. Why am I here?”
She seems to think this is some kind of date or something.
“Well, I’ve been having some problems with Corrine. I didn’t want to call her out on
