Somewhere on Maui (an Accidental Matchmaker Novel) Page 11

  That done, she was ready to set up another date for herself. One more would round out the anecdotal stories. Typing her password in to the site, she felt an undeniable sense of anticipation—maybe Adam had replied to her message.

  Her dating site in-box had more messages than it ever had. Apparently her “real self” was more attractive than the persona she’d been hiding behind! Not only that, but as she read through her messages, delaying opening the one from Adam, she found that many of them were happy to be interviewed for the article.

  It appeared being truthful really was a better thing.

  Done stalling, she clicked on Adam’s message, surprised to see a lot of text in the box.

  Dear Zoe,

  I’m so glad you are open to getting together again. It actually works out great that you don’t want to date “for real” right now, and I’m flattered that is what you would want to do with me. I feel the same. I am hesitant to admit this, but I haven’t been this attracted to a woman since high school. There, I said it. You aren’t the only one going out on a limb here, and I’m sorry if I hurt you with my overreaction at Charley’s and then the misunderstanding with my sister.

  It’s not a good time for me to start a relationship either. My mom gets home from a heart operation on Saturday, and my ex dropped off our children yesterday. Yes, I’m the stepfather to two amazing kids, Diego, age seven, and Serena, age six. You aren’t the only one with “heart scars!” My ex drinks, and she took the kids and left me when I confronted her one too many times about it. Then today she dropped them off, left them at my house like unwanted kittens. I am thrilled to have them back. I had been trying to see them since she left six months ago, and now I’m going to try to get guardianship.

  So as far as “being true,” I need to tell you that my life is very full and complicated: I am the main caregiver for my mother. I’m a contractor with a full-time, very challenging job, and I’m the loving father of two kids who need me. That sure as hell doesn’t seem like it would be very attractive to someone like you, with so much freedom in her life. But if you aren’t scared off, I would very much like to see you again whenever you’re ready.

  You don’t have to answer right away. Take all the time you need. I’ll be up to my eyeballs juggling life in any case. And by the way, this Internet dating thing is just not for me. The computer matched me with my cousin as my top compatible choice, so I know the stupid thing doesn’t work. (Other than meeting you, which I will never forget.)

  Here’s my number and e-mail if you want to contact me. Neither are bogus. *grin* Tomorrow I’m deleting this account. Aloha, Adam.

  “Oh.” Zoe found her hand covering her mouth, blinking back both moisture and a smile at the heartfelt rush of words before her. She took her phone out and programmed in his number and e-mail.

  Adam had batted the ball squarely back into her court. It was a good thing she’d even gone into the site at all today, or she might have missed this message. She knew she’d have always wondered about him if he’d disappeared.

  What burdens had landed on those shoulders! She loved the pride and forthrightness with which he stated his responsibilities, while finding herself shying away from how overwhelming they were.

  She went back to her other messages and set up a cocktail date for tomorrow with someone calling himself World Traveler, hoping that would be a nice final date experience for the article, and she could wrap up the project.

  She logged back into Adam’s message and reread it. He’d said he would be deleting the account tomorrow, so he’d probably get a reply she posted here.

  Those poor kids. Not even his biological children. Children who were bound to have issues and emotional damage, bounced around by an alcoholic mother. And his own mother, frail and recovering from a heart attack. As if that weren’t enough, his job sounded stressful. It was no wonder he was pulling off the dating site.

  She brushed her cheek with a bit of hair as she thought, then typed her reply.

  Chapter 14

  Adam paddled into the gentle two-foot Hookipa surf on his longboard. Serena lay on the board in front of him, churning her little arms. The surfboard was so wide, she could hardly get her hands in the water, but she was going for it. Adam felt the unmistakable shift that happens as the board catches momentum and the wave takes over propulsion. He gave one last heave.

  “Now!” he cried, jumping to his feet. He was a regular-foot surfer, which meant he led with his left foot, turning the front of his body toward the curling face of the wave. Serena jumped to her feet too, with her right foot forward. The opposing positions created a tension that made the board hard to turn, so they straightened off, catching the whitewater until the wave passed them by.

  “We have to work on that.” Adam sat back down on the board and turned it to paddle back out. “We need to be facing the same way so we can lean in the direction of the wave.”

  “I know, Dad, but when I stand up, it’s always this leg that wants to go in front. I’m just a goofy-foot.”

  “You’re goofy, all right.” He tweaked her ear. It was such a delight to see his daughter smiling, her brown eyes sparkling, cute in her tankini bathing suit that was a little pilly and rump-sprung. He needed to get her a new one—maybe that would be a good outing for Serena and his mother when she recovered. “Let’s try real tandem on the next wave. I’ll pick you up, put you on my shoulders.”

  “Okay.” She grinned and pointed. “Look at Diego!”

  Diego went by on a wave as they paddled back out, pumping his board like a pro to get more speed through a flat section. Adam had bought him a nice Kazuma shortboard on his last birthday, and he’d stored it in the garage with the rest of his stuff from their old house. Adam whistled and Serena hooted, and the other surfers gave supportive shouts. He knew a lot of surfers out at this break, and everyone was happy to see Adam back in the water with his kids.

  Adam and Serena waited a little outside for a bigger wave, though there wasn’t much of any size today.

  “This is it.” Adam spotted the dark blue swelling in the horizon marking an approaching wave. “Let’s just straighten off so I can lift you.”

  He and Serena paddled hard, and as the board caught the wave, she popped up to stand facing straight forward, her arms out to the side in a T shape.

  He stood up behind her, inched up until he was closer to the middle of the board, and lifted her all the way onto his shoulders in one smooth movement.

  She clung to his head, shrieking with glee, and they rode the wave until it petered out. He leaned to the side, and they both flew splashing into the water and came up laughing.

  “Let’s do it again!” she cried.

  “Slave driver,” he mock grumbled, pulling on his rubber leash to retrieve his board, which had shot away as they fell off.

  They surfed until even the kids wanted to go in.

  By then the wind had picked up, and the three of them paddled to shore and rinsed off in the beach shower.

  “I’m super hungry,” Diego complained.

  “Good thing I put some stuff from the fridge in the car.” Adam unlocked the truck and took a cooler out of the extended cab. “Grind ’em.”

  The kids dove into the cooler, draining cans of guava juice and opening another Tupperware filled with musubi and hard-boiled eggs from Aunty June’s chickens. Another Tupperware was full of fudgy brownies. Made these myself! Tami said a note stuck inside the lid.

  Once again, Adam wished he could feel something more for Tami. She really would be perfect for him in so many ways.

  Back at the house, he put the showered, freshly clothed kids in front of cartoons with a couple of ice pops and headed into his room to catch up on e-mails and phone calls. He’d called in to Teddy that morning, and he was sure Boss Lady had picked up on his sick day and was giving his foreman hell, but when he checked his phone, there were no messages.

  Teddy would have called him if there were problems on the site.

  He got
on the phone to his sisters next, starting with Charl. He caught her up on the situation with the kids and his plans to try to keep them.

  “But how are you going to do all that with Mama out of it healthwise?” Charlotte asked.

  “I don’t know. I’ll have them for sure through the weekend; then they might go back to their Lahaina grandparents for a few days. We’re working it out. But I want them back. Period.” Adam felt stubbornness kicking in. “I’ve got my lawyer working on an emergency guardianship petition, and the Vierras are going to back me up.”

  “I’m happy for you, Adam. I know how much you missed them—but are you sure this is the right time?”

  “I have to do this now, while I have a chance to. I’m hoping having the kids around will give Mama some energy rather than taking it away. She always loved them, and they’re well behaved. Not hell on wheels like your little guy.”

  He knew Charl heard the smile in his voice as he spoke of her active toddler. “Well, okay. The hospital says Mama will be able to come home tomorrow. How about Ben and I get her through discharge and bring her home? You’ll have your hands full with the kids.”

  “I was hoping you’d say that.”

  They coordinated plans through the weekend. Then Charl said, “You’re a good man, bro. I wish you had someone. You deserve someone special.”

  “I’ve got my hands so full, I don’t have time for one more thing. But thanks for the thought, sis.” When he hung up, he closed his eyes, and the ones he saw in his mind’s eye were green.

  That reminded him he needed to delete his account on the dating site. He hadn’t seen any texts on his phone, and there was no e-mail from her, so maybe Zoe had replied to him there.

  He logged in and read her message:

  Hi, Adam. Wow, you really do have a lot going on. How about this? Here’s my number and my e-mail. Let’s keep in touch. I should let you know I’m in therapy; I am working on those “heart scars” I told you about. Funny you should mention children. I can’t have any. They don’t really know why; my body seems to reject the baby at the zygote stage. Anyway, I did in vitro and lost the babies, and ever since, I’ve been trying to make peace with the fact that I probably won’t have children of my own. My husband, while we were going through all that, got another woman pregnant and left me for her. So you can see why I have a little hot button about cheaters and pregnant women. Anyway, since you seem to love kids, I thought that might be a deal breaker. God, is there anything more awkward than this Internet thing? Anyway, best to you in everything. Aloha, Zoe.

  Adam sat back, considering.

  Kids were important to him. Was it a given that any woman he had a relationship with had to have the potential to be a mother? Weird to have to even consider it.

  He had Diego and Serena. He hoped he’d have them always. While not his biological children, they were more than enough to fill his arms and his heart. Maybe he’d never have his own children either, and right now, that felt okay.

  He deleted his dating profile, opened his e-mail, and composed a message to Zoe.

  Zoe swam through the water of Paia Bay the next day, her arms slicing smoothly through the crystalline water. The sky arched above her, a deep blue bowl filled with whipped-cream clouds. She glimpsed it through her swim goggles, alternating with the yellow-sand bottom and the tanned, toned body moving beside her. Brad Osborn’s overhand crawl was so smooth he hardly raised a splash, his arms and legs machinelike as he pulled ahead of her.

  She decided not to pay attention to that, difficult as it was. She’d just focus on keeping her stroke regular and straight and enjoy the exertion and the beautiful setting. With the few brain cells not occupied with the swim, she reflected on what she’d done—changing her life. Living her dream. Moving her workouts from a stuffy gym and chlorine-smelling pool to this exquisite setting. A profound happiness suffused her.

  She was swimming in the ocean with a handsome man beside her. She didn’t have to know where anything was going. Now was enough.

  Suddenly, a big, hairy four-legged shadow passed Zoe, and she popped up, spitting water at the sight of Shamu chasing Brad, paws churning hard enough to raise a splash. She laughed as Brad realized the Lab had somehow pulled her leash and caught up with him.

  “Shamu! Back to shore! Go!” he hollered, pointing. The dog was having none of it, swimming circles around her master, clearly eager to play.

  Zoe turned and swam back in the direction they’d come as she heard Sylvester barking and crying, abandoned by his mistress and new best friend. The black Lab caught up with her, and Brad called, “Hop aboard the Labrador express!” He was holding on to the dog’s tail as she towed him, obviously a game they’d played before.

  Zoe laughed again but wasn’t sure what he meant until he put a hand out, grabbing hers. “She loves towing me. Grab on to my neck. We’ll float behind her.”

  Zoe felt self-conscious but slid her hands over his shoulders and locked them around the front of his chest, her legs and body trailing out behind as the Lab churned through the water like a motorboat, making both of them laugh. Her breast brushed Brad’s back, then her thigh and her side, each touch a little electric zing. The dog made it into shallow water, and Brad let go of her tail and turned so smoothly, Zoe didn’t have time to let go, rotating so he held her in his arms.

  His eyes seemed aqua today, matching the water around them, and intent. Her heart thundered as he moved in to kiss her.

  Zoe’s lashes fluttered shut as she tasted the salt on his lips, the firm contours of his mouth. She floated in the water, touching but not touching, the kiss beginning a slow burn that heated up the water all around her. Their slick bodies moved in, fitting together perfectly. The sensation of their touch and his hungry mouth on hers was intense, a heated invasion that thrilled and frightened her.

  Zoe broke the kiss, glanced at him with a tremulous smile. “You move a little fast for me. This is only our first dog tow.”

  He laughed, an attractive flash of white teeth. Shamu splashed back to insert her sleek black head between them.

  “She’s a little jealous.”

  Zoe used that moment to stand up in the shallow water, getting some distance. She walked out of the water, feeling his eyes on her body and hoping her backside passed muster in her sleek blue bikini. Getting a little angry with herself that she cared if it did. Feeling anxious because she was attracted to two men—what did that mean? Lecturing herself that nothing meant anything. It was too soon to know anything, and who cared if she had a kiss at the beach at the same time as she was hoping Adam would e-mail her.

  She was overanalyzing, as she always did.

  She untied Sylvester’s leash from the tree, and Sylvester tangled his leash around her legs, yipping as he tried to reach Shamu. She got him sorted out and wrapped her towel around herself as Brad dealt with Shamu’s playfulness as well. They walked up to the shower, and Brad turned it on, putting the Lab under the water as Zoe rinsed off under the other showerhead. She tried to calm her racing heart, wondering what she felt about him. She was attracted, certainly. She liked his dog. He drove a Z4 and had really nice eyes…

  “Can I see you again? Like, a real date?” Brad smiled up from where he was rubbing the Lab down with his towel.

  She sighed, a shaky breath. “It’s nice you asked, Brad. I’m just not sure I’m ready for another relationship yet. I told you why I was doing this Internet dating thing. It’s for the story.”

  She saw a flash of anger in his narrowed eyes. “That’s not really fair to those of us who really are looking for someone special.”

  “I know. That’s why I tried to be as honest as I could with you. So, let me finish the story and get it out of my hair. I need to let the dust settle, okay? I’ll let you know.”

  “Fair enough.” He’d injected his voice with heartiness. “I’m an entrepreneur. I’ve learned to listen to my gut and go for things I want. I hope that doesn’t seem too aggressive to you.”

  “
Well, thanks.” Zoe was flattered. She also felt a little overwhelmed. “It was great meeting you. I’ll be in touch.”

  “No, I’ll be in touch.” Brad spoke with gentle emphasis. “You just carry on with your work, and you can decide when you hear from me what you want to do.”

  He gave a little wave as he walked away, and her eyes followed him and the dog, wandering over that near-perfect build. Yes, he did have a lot worth exploring. She wished she didn’t feel some sort of shyness with him. What was that about? Maybe Dr. Suzuki could help her figure it out at her next appointment.

  Lost in thought, she drove home on autopilot.

  She worked on the article all day, taking her rice sock on and off her neck and pulling in her research information and phone calls to the administrators of the different dating sites, all eager to talk to her once they heard the article was for LHJ. Time flew until it was time for her drink with who she hoped would be her last date for the piece. Before she got ready, she logged into her e-mail.

  The first thing she saw was a message from Adam.

  Hi, Zoe. I deleted my account on the dating site. I had a great day today, just playing in the ocean with Serena and Diego, thinking about what really matters in life. Thank you for telling me why you got so upset when you thought I was cheating—that’s really personal, and I can tell it still hurts. You’re right. This whole Internet thing is bizarre. It seems to force you to keep examining yourself, both in what you want for yourself and how you present yourself to others. Your words made me think about children and the assumptions I’ve always made about them. It’s true that I love kids and always thought I’d have my own—but it wasn’t something I examined deeply. It was more an assumption that this was how life worked and a matter of course. But so much in both our lives has not been what we assumed it would be, and I find, in thinking about it, that Diego and Serena and being their dad is more than enough for me (at least for the foreseeable future).