Oh Damn One Night of Trouble (5 page)

“
I know it isn't,” he said in a soft voice. “I guess that's why I care so much about the animals people throw away. I...I've never been able to connect with anyone, not really, but with the animals...it's easy for me.”

“
You are good at taking care of them,” Kailani said.

“
I found Burt,” he said.

“
You did?”

“
Yes, but I had to send him away too,” he said, leaning back in the sand. “I sent them all to San Diego. Someday, I might visit them.”

“
Did Honey go too?”

“
Yes, you definitely saved her,” Josh said. “She'll be fine.”

“
That's good.” Kailani paused. “Listen, do you want to come to my apartment?”

He smirked. “That will be $1,500.00 for the entire night.”

“
Fifteen hundred?” Kailani exclaimed. “Are you worth that much?”

He laughed but seriousness returned to him. “You know how much I'm worth,” he said. “I just told you.” He sighed. “It was an easy way to raise money to feed the animals, Kailani. Tubbo ate 50 pounds of meat every day and that isn't including what I had to feed the others. I'm not rich. I had to do something.”

It was a lot for Kailani to digest. She was quiet.

“
What's wrong?” he asked.

“
I don't have fifteen hundred dollars,” she said, grinning at him.

He smiled. “How about free to a good home? Only for a few hours, until I get my head on straight. Do you have coffee?”

“
I make the best coffee on the island,” she said, standing up and offering him a hand.

He stood up. “You're kind to take in someone you don't approve of,” he said.

“
I approve of you,” she said. “I didn't understand what you were doing.”

“
I don't think anyone did but I never explained it to anyone before either,” Josh said. He put an arm around her shoulders and they walked along the beach. “I think you're the one who needs rescuing,” he said.

“
Me?”

“
Mmm hmm,” he said.

There was no sense in denying it. He could see the loneliness in her. He recognized it. “If you think I'm in bad shape,” Kailani said, “you should see the plant on my table.”

He laughed.

Chapter 7

When Kailani opened the door to her apartment, she knew something was wrong.

“
Is something burning?” Josh asked.

She turned the light on and went into the kitchen. “I left the coffee maker on.” She held up the glass carafe with the burnt, black sludge in the bottom. “Welcome to my world,” she said with a little smile.

Kailani sighed and ran hot water into it. “This is going to take forever to clean.”

“
Here,” Josh said, taking it from her hand. “Let me do this. Do you have any salt?”

“
Salt?” she asked. “Sure.” She handed him the salt shaker and turned the fans on in the windows. She looked over at the near-dead plant on her table and rolled her eyes. She picked it up and carried it over to show Josh. “You see?”

“
Wow,” he said in a somber tone. He grinned. “No green thumbs, hm?”

Kailani smiled and held it over the garbage can.

“
Don't throw it away,” Josh said. “It's still alive.”

She winced realizing the impact of his words. “Ok. I'm sorry.”

“
I'll take a look at it,” Josh said. “I can only handle one disaster at a time.”

She put the plant on the counter next to him and went into the living room. Kailani turned the lamp on and the light bulb flashed and went out.

“
What was that?” Josh asked, turning around and looking at her. She was turning the switch for the lamp on and off.

“
The light bulb blew out,” she said.

“
Sit down,” he said, encouraging her. He left the carafe on the counter next to the near-dead plant and came over, placing his hands on her shoulders. “Here, sit on your couch and rest. Put your feet up.”

“
I'm not a walking disaster,” Kailani protested. “I handle everything in my life all at one time.”

“
Maybe you're doing too much and no one is taking care of you,” he suggested.

Kailani sighed
, “Maybe.” She put her feet up on the coffee table and leaned back. He went back into the kitchen. “I never burn anything at the diner,” she announced.

“
I know you don't,” he said, smiling at her. “The coffee will be ready in a moment.”

Josh finished cleaning out the carafe, brewed the coffee and carried the plant to the table in the living room. “I think the pot is too small.”

“
Really?” Kailani sat up and looked at it.

“
The roots need more room to grow,” Josh said. “Do you have a larger container?”

“
Sure,” she said. She went into the kitchen, opened the cupboard and four containers fell out, clattering onto the floor.

Josh looked away but she saw his shoulders shaking as he laughed.

She placed a hand on the counter and stood there, looking directly at him.

“
I'm sorry,” he said. “I haven't laughed this hard in days.” He started to get up.

“
I can handle this,” she said.

“
Be careful,” he teased.

Kailani picked up the containers and stacked them on the counter. She picked up the sack of dirt she bought when she purchased the plants and the largest container she'd found. She carried them both into the living room. While she was carrying it, the sack ripped and the dirt spilled onto her
light beige carpet.

Joshua howled with laughter and he couldn't stop. He threw his head back and clapped his hands.

Kailani laughed too, dropped the bag of dirt and sat down on the couch. She handed him the container but he couldn't take it because he was laughing so hard.

“
Does this happen with you every night?” he asked.

“
No.”

“
Are you sure?”

“
A few things maybe but...”

He started laughing again as he scooped up the dirt into the container and put the rest back into the sack.

Kailani watched as he carefully removed the brittle plant with his large hands and in a gentle fashion, he put it into the dirt.

“
There you are,” he said. “Now you have a new home. Plants are like people. They can't be crowded. Everyone needs room to move about so they can relax, don't they?” He picked up a glass of water and poured it slowly into the soil. “I think that might help,” he said, looking at Kailani. “I think that might be what you need,” he observed.

“
What? Water?”

“
No,” he said, with a smile, “room to relax. You work too hard. Do you ever play?”

“
Play?” she asked. “I went swimming.”

“
When?”

“
Two months ago,” she said. “Sometimes I sit over at Kula Lake and relax.”

“
Why there?” he asked. He got up and went into the kitchen to wash his hands, noticing her uncomfortable silence. “It's all right you don't have to tell me.”

“
It reminds me of someone,” Kailani admitted. “I was supposed to get married but he went to the mainland and found someone else.”

“
When was that?”

“
A year and a half ago,” Kailani said. “He asked me to marry him. My family was excited. We had a dream together. We were going to open a restaurant on the beach but...”

“
It fell apart,” Josh said. “Well, I'm familiar with that. So you're doing all of this, working at the diner and taking classes to make your dream happen anyway. You're very determined Kailani. I like that about you.”

“
I think you are too,” she said. “But you have a harder road to travel on, I think.”

“
Always have,” he said. He filled the cups with coffee, placed them on a tray with creamer and sugar, carrying it all into the living room. “Does anyone ever wait on you?” he asked, in a deep, caring voice.

Kailani's heart fluttered. “No,” she whispered, looking up at him.

He knelt down and placed the tray on the coffee table. “Can I get you anything else?” he asked.

Kailani's lips parted and she couldn't speak. His gaze met and held hers. Her heart beat a little faster as she looked at him. He moved closer and she held her breath. His lips touched hers and Kailani closed her eyes. The kiss was wonderful and she didn't want it to stop but it did. She opened her eyes. He was looking around her apartment. “Is something wrong?” she asked.

“
I was waiting to see what kind of disaster that was going to cause,” he said, grinning.

Kailani laughed. She remembered what Lily had said a long time ago and she started laughing so hard, her eyes watered. She couldn't catch her breath.

“
What?” he asked smiling.

“
One day, when Lily was telling me about you, I said, no, no...That man is trouble.”

“
I'm trouble?” he asked, pointing to his chest and grinning. “I am?”

“
Yes, and she said...she wouldn't mind one night of trouble with you.” He wasn't laughing anymore and Kailani was worried that she'd said something wrong.

“
Who is Lily?” he asked.

Kailani roared with laughter, clapping her hands together and she rolled on the couch.

“
This isn't fair,” he added. “What does she look like?”

She laughed so hard she was crying and she couldn't breathe. She finally was able to stop and she attempted to control her outrageous laughter. “Do you even know my name?” she asked.

“
How could anyone forget you?” he asked, grinning at her.

Kailani smiled.

“
Betty, right?”

She threw a pillow at him. “You know my name. You've called me by it many times. I heard you.”

“
Your name is Kailani,” he said. “Kai meaning of the sea and Lani meaning the sky and if your name is any indication of the beauty I see on the beach every day, you are only pretending to be a disaster.”

Chapter 8

“
Do you mind if I get cleaned up?” Joshua asked.

Kailani was mesmerized by his hazel green eyes.

“
Kailani?”

“
Oh sure!” she said, recovering from the trance he'd somehow put her in. “The bathroom is that way, through the hall.”

“
I hate to be a burden,” he said, “but do you have a washer and dryer?”

“
That way,” she said, pointing in the opposite direction. Kailani picked up the remote control and acted as though the furthest thought from her mind was that in a few moments, he was going to be naked in her apartment. She focused her eyes on the TV screen as he disappeared for a few moments and she heard the washer start. He came back through the living room wearing only a towel and winked at her as he passed by.

He was within her view for approximately eight seconds and she wished he had walked by slower. She drank in the sight of his muscled chest, shoulders and six-pack abs. His legs were solid muscle and Kailani caught a glimpse of a very firm butt as the towel flapped open when he walked. He was tan all over. Had he been wearing any clothes on the beach?

The water came on in the shower and Kailani was about to get up to get something to drink when he called her.
Oh come on
, she thought, surely he didn't expect her to come running in there although...

“
Kailani!”

She noticed the fear in his voice and she went to the bathroom door.

“
Kailani!” he yelled again.

“
I'm here beside the door,” she said, “what's the matter?”

“
Are you afraid of spiders?”

“
No, why?”

“
Good,” Josh said. “Come and get this one.”

Kailani smirked and went into the bathroom expecting to see one of the larger, fiercer looking tropical spiders but the one in the shower was no bigger than a penny. “That?” she asked, pointing at it and looking at him. He was pressed against the shower wall, naked, wet and afraid.

“
Yes, could you please..?”

“
You slept with a tiger in your bed and you're afraid of that?”

“
It's not necessary to make fun, dear,” he said.

“
I'm not making fun of you,” she said, grinning. She picked up a cup from the sink and trapped the spider inside of it by laying putting her hand over it and turning it upside down on the sink.