Winter in Waianae (Love in Oahu Book 2) Page 4

  Grady’s ploy to lure her deeper into the warm tropical water was obvious. As a San Diego native, Brittany wasn’t a stranger to surf and sand. A rip current boiled a few feet behind Grady. If she could somehow get him into it, he would be whisked out to sea.

  A devious grin formed on her lips. She wanted to keep a poker face, but the smirk wouldn’t go away. Her scheme was probably just as apparent as his, but she didn’t care. Grady wanted to play, and she was prepared to beat him at his own game.

  She opened her arms for a hug and Grady stepped willingly into her web. He danced her closer to the churning undercurrent. Brittany threw her head back and laughed. They both had the same thing in mind.

  Intent on using her womanly wiles to distract him long enough to take his mind off the game, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled his body against hers. Brittany smiled and looked up into Grady’s laughing, green eyes.

  The tables turned when Brittany felt her body tingle beneath Grady’s touch. Caught up in the sensation, both smiles dropped from their faces. Grady pressed the length of her torso tight against his.

  Brittany’s head tilted and her lips parted. His salty lips touched hers and Brittany was lost. Every fiber of her being wanted to open up to him. Her pelvis ground against his and she felt his growing need. Not giving a thought to the rip tide so close behind them, Brittany jumped up and wrapped her legs around Grady’s waist.

  The young man stepped back to support her added weight. The sand beneath his feet swept away. He lost his balance and the couple fell into the riptide.

  Grady’s limbs began to flail and Brittany quickly realized the error of her ways. Panicked, he climbed on top of her as he struggled to stay above the water. Brittany felt the current pulling them further out to sea. That alone would not have given her cause to worry. Riding the rips had been a favorite pastime, once she learned how to do it properly, but her lungs were burning. She wouldn’t be able to hold her breath much longer. Breaking free from Grady was the only way either of them would survive.

  Brittany dove deep.

  Desperate to remain on the surface and not be pulled under, Grady released his grip and Brittany was able to slip away. The undercurrent grabbed her, whisked her past Grady, and popped her up safely out of his reach, several feet in front of him.

  Oxygen raced into her lungs. After several gulping breaths, she turned her focus back on the boy who almost drowned her. Terror bulged from his eyes and his arms thrashed the water uselessly. “Grady!” she called out. “Calm down. The rip will release us in just a minute.”

  “I can’t be out here!” he wailed. “I can’t do this.”

  A light bulb went off in Brittany’s head. She finally understood. Erika told her how his parents died in a boating accident and that he hadn’t been in the ocean out past his knees since. Grady hadn’t planned on throwing her in the rip. He only wanted to dunk her.

  Grady’s fear was too great. He wasn’t capable of helping himself. It was up to her to get them both out of this mess.

  Lessons from an old lifeguard boyfriend raced through her mind. Not allowing someone else to drown you was lesson number one. Brittany successfully managed that part. Lesson number two was how to rescue said victim, who had just held you under and almost killed you.

  It was a tough one to accomplish. When every fiber of your being wanted to reach out and touch the terrified swimmer, you had to force yourself to stay clear until they were exhausted and no longer posed a threat.

  Brittany looked back at the beach. The undercurrent took them more than a hundred yards off shore, but she could feel its hold easing. Grady was still floundering, but he too was slowing down.

  “Are you feeling better, Grady?” she yelled. “I’ll get you back on solid ground, but I can’t come close until I’m sure you won’t climb on me again.”

  His eyes told her he accepted defeat. He was tiring and decided to let the ocean take him. Grady had given up.

  “Don’t you dare die quietly, GRADY BARLOW!” Brittany swam closer. “We are only about a football field away from the beach. Get a grip.”

  Grady slipped under, but Brittany was ready. She dove after him. The murky water hindered her sight, but she no longer felt the clutch of the churning rip. Luckily, she bashed smack dab into his body and managed to grab hold of his shirt. Once she kicked their way to the surface, she floated him on his back.

  His eyes were closed, but his chest was rising and falling with each breath he took. Grady had simply fainted.

  He was going to survive, but Brittany needed him awake and active. To avoid getting caught back up in the current, they would need to travel parallel to the shore before making their way back to the beach. Brittany was pretty sure she was strong enough to manage them both while they were in the water and buoyant, but she wasn’t sure she’d be able to drag Grady up onto the sand.

  She’d find a way if she had to, but dead weight was much heavier than someone who could move even just a little.

  A shadow passed beneath Grady’s body and bumped against Brittany’s leg as she treaded water. She froze and understood the boy’s panic. There had been two early morning shark attacks off the coast of San Diego this year, and she and Grady entered the water at feeding time. Dawn and dusk were the two most dangerous times to play, surf, and snorkel, but it was also the time of day when the wildlife was most active and the water was at its best. The risk was higher, but the swimmer’s experience was amplified. She had never been frightened in the ocean before. It was her playground, her safe haven, now it was going to be her coffin.

  The shadow cruised by again. Brittany held her breath and waited.

  Grady’s body surged high in the water and was propelled forward. His torso remained intact and there were no blood or guts in sight.

  The curved backs of three gray forms crested the surface around them, their dorsal fins upright and threatening. Brittany envied Grady. In his unconscious state, he didn’t know what was about to hit him. They were in a school of sharks. Brittany wasn’t sure what threats inhabited the waters of the Hawaiian Islands. Back home, over twenty-four hundred great whites prowled the coastal waters. San Diego was not located within the deadly red triangle where most of the state’s great white shark attacks occurred, but sightings of the elusive beast were not unheard of.

  • • •

  Tasting water in his mouth, Grady jerked himself awake. Before panic had a chance to consume him, he saw Brittany. The natural buoyancy of the salt held her head above the water. She was still. Her wide, frightened eyes darted furtively about the sea. Behind her, a small spinner dolphin leaped into the air and spun around before crashing back into the ocean.

  Brittany screamed!

  Grady laughed.

  He swam the short distance back to her. “Britt, don’t worry,” he soothed. “Look at them. They’re beautiful.”

  “They’re going to eat us.”

  Brittany’s arms reached out and grabbed his shoulders and Grady pulled her close. “No,” he cooed, “they’re dolphins. They just want to play.”

  One dolphin poked its head out of the water right beside them and gave Brittany a chance to see what they were up against. She let out a nervous laugh and brushed her hair away from her eyes. “We’re not going to die?”

  The words Brittany hollered at him before he passed out popped into his head. “We’re only about a hundred yards from shore, and we’re swimming with a pod of spinner dolphins. This is a great day, so get a grip.”

  • • •

  For the next hour, the dolphins entertained them with their antics, but in the seventy-five-degree water, their bodies began to chill. Gradually, Brittany and Grady made their way back to the shallows. The spinners followed. If the couple drifted too far apart, they corralled them back together until they were side by side once more. When Brittany’s feet touched the sandy bottom, the spinners disappeared from sight.

  She scanned the open ocean. The encounter had been exhilaratin
g, more than that, it had been fun. Brittany wasn’t ready for the little dolphins to go. “I wonder why they left in such a hurry.”

  Grady was already beating a path to the beach. “Are you going to wait around to find out?”

  Remembering the threat of the shark, Brittany quickly followed.

  She dropped onto the sand beside him. “That was an experience I won’t soon forget.”

  Grady picked up her hand. “Do you realize that’s the first time I’ve swum in the ocean since my parents’ death?”

  “I kind of figured that, Mr. Panic-Man,” she smirked sideways.

  His surfer green eyes turned warm. “Thanks for not letting me drown.”

  Brittany squeezed his hand affectionately. “Thanks for not letting me.” She looked back out at the waves crashing more forcefully against the shoreline. “The tide is coming in. Do you think we were surrounded by dolphins the entire time or do you think they saved us from being shark bait?”

  “Stranger things have happened.”

  Brittany let off a shudder. “I don’t think I’ll be riding the rips for a while.”

  Grady stood and pulled her along with him. “You did that on purpose! Are you nuts?”

  A little giggle slipped out. She’d been called much worse. “Come on,” Brittany said, dragging him back up the path for home. “I’m hungry and today I am no longer a guest. Would you like to help me feed my new family?”

  4

  Lena Javier sat at the kitchen table of her Bed and Breakfast and listened to her niece prattle on about her new young aunt, and of the adventure she shared with Grady earlier that morning. All the guests at the B&B were out for the day, and she didn’t expect to see them again until late in the afternoon. Lena had all the time in the world to sit back and enjoy Erika’s company.

  The girl was supposed to be upstairs changing the linens and tidying up the bathroom for the guests, but it was a slow week. Only two rooms needed attention and neither party messed the bathroom up.

  “So Grady survived an adventure out in the deep blue sea. I was wondering when he would face his fear and get back in the water,” Lena chuckled happily.

  “Auntie Lena, Grady didn’t go in willingly. Brittany pushed him into the rip current,” Erika protested.

  Lena didn’t believe the circumstances mattered. The boy loved the ocean and it was high time he got back on the horse. “Either way, it’s a start.” She pointed out the window towards the dock where Terence kept the Erika Rose. “Business has been down since Grady quit working with your dad. That good looking boy brought in a lot of tourists.”

  “Auntie Lena!” Erika’s cheeks beamed red. “Grady practically lives at my house. He’s more of a brother to me.”

  Lena raised a questioning brow. “Don’t pretend you haven’t noticed. I see how you drool over the kid. Tell the truth, Erika. You like him.”

  “He’s too old for me,” she pouted.

  Lena stopped for a moment. Her young niece said the words she thought her auntie wanted to hear, but that didn’t mean Erika believed them. “He is,” Lena agreed, “but just because it’s true, doesn’t mean you don’t have feelings for him.” She touched Erika’s hand. “I don’t want you to be upset if Grady and Annie’s sister form a relationship.”

  Erika put on a brave face. “I don’t see how it could hurt any worse than seeing one of his many girlfriends coming out of his house almost every morning.”

  “The boy’s a dog, no doubt about that.” Lena got up and pulled a pitcher of lemonade out of the refrigerator. Watching some strange girl dating Grady was one thing, but having her brand new aunt date him was another. “Grady has some maturing to do, but I like the kid. And no matter how much you protest, I know you like him too.” She poured a glass and placed it in front of her niece. This auntie had to set the girl straight. The news would be a lot easier to take coming from her than from Terence, Annie, or heaven forbid, Grady himself. “Erika, baby,” she began gently.

  Erika scooted her chair back and exclaimed dramatically, “Not you, too! I don’t need to be lectured by everyone. I know Grady is too old for me. I already said that. I know he looks at me as a little sister. I know he cares about me, but that it’s not romantic in any way.” She stomped a childlike foot. “I know, I know, I know! How can I make it any clearer?”

  Lena drew in a deep breath. It looked as if she joined the party a little late. “So you’ve been cautioned before.”

  “Over, and over, and over again! From Annie and Daddy. From Eleanor and even Grady. I’ve heard it a million times, but I can’t help it. I love him.” Erika dropped back into the chair and laid her head on the table. “What am I going to do, Auntie?”

  Lena ran her fingers through Erika’s long, ash-colored locks. This new shade of her niece’s ever-changing hair color wasn’t her favorite, but she kept her opinion to herself. Erika was growing up, but in many ways, she was still a baby. Unfortunately, she needed to hear some cold hard facts she wasn’t going to care for. “Sweetie,” she began softly, “you can’t make someone love you. Grady cares about you, but since it’s not in a romantic way, you are going to have to make a concerted effort to let him go.”

  Erika turned her head and glared.

  Compassion for her niece’s plight filled her. There wasn’t a woman on the face of the earth who hadn’t been in her shoes. “It’s tough growing up. And until you find the right person, love can be a wicked bitch.”

  “Is that why you aren’t married?”

  Erika was trying to shift the direction of their conversation, but she was going to be in for a surprise. “I was married,” Lena began. “I married my best friend, but he died.”

  Erika took a sip of her lemonade and cocked her brow. “That’s an old story, Aunt Lena. Tell me something new.”

  The familiar expression made Lena want to laugh. The same look was made by Terence almost daily. Blood or not, Erika was her brother’s daughter through and through. “Okay, did you know Kai was gay and I married him so I could take care of him until he passed? He had AIDS. Do you know what that is?”

  “We have sex education in school. I doubt there is anything you can teach me.” A frown pinched Erika’s brow. “I don’t understand why you felt the need to marry him, though. Is this some sort of life lesson you’re trying to teach me? Was marrying Uncle Kai a mistake?”

  Lena was quite sure she could teach the girl at least a thing or two, but Erika had a point. Had marrying Kai been an error in judgment? Lena never considered that before. If she had to do it over, she would, but would it be the right call? Kai left her a huge insurance policy and the home she turned into a business. Kai took care of her much more than she had for him, and he set her up to succeed. The problem was that the B&B didn’t afford her the opportunity to meet new people who wouldn’t be leaving in a week or so. She isolated herself since Kai’s death, and Lena was growing sick to death of being alone.

  “Marrying Kai wasn’t a mistake,” she continued. “My mistake was deciding that building a successful business was more important than living my life. Thank you for pointing that out to me, little one. I think I’m going to go down to the open air concert at the Art Center tonight. Would you like to come with me? Maybe we’ll both find someone more appropriate if we open ourselves up to the idea.”

  Erika scowled. “I tried that last week and I got busted for it. I’m grounded.”

  Lena patted her hand. “I’m glad you’re keeping your options open. Next time you want to go, call me. I’ll take you and your friends, but no more lying and sneaking out, okay?”

  Erika rubbed her hands on the top of her thighs. “I won’t chance it for a while,” she giggled. “I have to give Larry and Daddy some time to forget about this one.”

  “Oh girl,” Lena chuckled. “Larry might forget, but your dad won’t. And neither will Annie. You’re better off calling me.”

  • • •

  Grady sat on his front step, waiting for Annie’s return. She took the C
offee Cart to the pier with Terence’s truck so she could run some errands afterward. Grady hoped that meant she planned on seeing Larry Wright. Since coming to Oahu, Erika’s biological dad switched specialties. Back in San Diego, his law firm was all about the family, but since the drama over Erika’s custody, familial battles had lost its appeal. Now he focused on business law. He was semi-retired, but he helped out Terence, Annie, and any other Javier family member who needed it. The family was huge and they kept him pretty busy.

  Larry was okay for an older guy, but his girlfriend, Eleanor, was amazing. She encouraged Grady to open up and tell her his dreams. The lady was also instrumental in getting Larry to offer his services free of charge. Eleanor had a way about her. She could get anyone to do almost anything she wanted. The world was lucky she only used her influence for good. With her power of persuasion, she could have been the next Hitler or James Jones.

  Eleanor adjusted to the laid back island style long before her live-in love. The fact that she and Larry weren’t married baffled Grady. To see an older couple shacking up felt unnatural, and it seriously bugged him. Larry proposed about a million times, but Eleanor was having none of it. She liked their life just the way it was.

  Since Larry helped Grady draft the business plan in Annie’s hands, he was fairly certain Annie’s pseudo father would advise her of its value. Grady was so nervous about the outcome of the meeting, he hadn’t given much thought to the morning he spent with Brittany and the dolphins. After they told their story to Mr. Javier, Erika, and little Max, Grady’s mind turned towards business and the potential answer he would receive.

  Brittany opened the front door of the Javiers’ bungalow and hauled Max out with her. The two-year-old didn’t want to be held and was fighting to get down. His chubby little legs kicked a million miles a minute, but Brittany held on tight. Grady watched her bring his face close to hers.