Read Online I'm Kona Love You Forever (Islands of Aloha Mystery Series Book 6) by JoAnn Bassett - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: JoAnn Bassett
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this is a ‘for life’ commitment.” I’d dealt with at least a couple of brides with hideous tattoos in prominent places, but now wasn’t the time for horror stories. Besides, it might give her ideas.
“ How about a little dolphin this big? I could put it right here.” She held her thumb and finger a few inches apart and tapped her shoulder.
“Or maybe on your upper thigh.”
“Yeah , I guess that’d be okay,” she said. “I want it where people will see it when I’m in my bikini.”
“Tell you what ,” I said. “I’d like to pay you for working with me this week.”
“ Oh, thanks. But Uncle Doug already told me I’d be working for free,” she said. “I don’t mind.”
“No, I want to. You were a big help with cleaning this place up and getting my files in order. You can use the money to start your tattoo fund.”
I pulled out my checkbook and wrote her a check for twenty hours of work at minimum wage. It wasn’t much, but hopefully it’d give her a nudge toward saving up for something she wanted.
“ But let’s agree on three things,” I said. “First, you’ll get your mom’s permission; second, it will be small, two inches or less; and three, you’ll put it where no one will see it when you’re wearing school clothes.”
She s tuck out her hand. “You got it. Mahalo !”
We shook and I handed her the check.
“ But what if my mom won’t let me?” she said.
“Never hurts to ask.”
At two o’clock Doug’s wife, Lani, came to get Kaili. I thanked her for the pretty sun-catcher and she hugged me.
“You have no idea how much we appreciate what you’ve done for our ‘ohana ,” she whispered.
After t hey left I leaned back in my chair feeling quite pleased with myself. Maybe I should consider having a kid. From the looks of things, I had the ‘mom thing’ pretty much figured out.
CHAPTER 11
Since Hatch and I were only going to be gone for the weekend I packed light. A couple pairs of cropped pants, two shirts, the requisite undies, and a filmy short sky-blue nightie I thought looked sexier than nothing at all. Like everyone else I pretty much wear rubba slippas no matter what the occasion, so there was no need for extra shoes. I threw in a tiny bottle of shampoo I’d gotten at a hotel somewhere and my toothbrush and toothpaste. It all fit in my trusty black roll-aboard bag with the gimpy wheel.
I’d inherited a bunch of money right after my birthday last year but I hadn’t kept it long. I paid off my house and bought a new car but the rest went into trust funds for my family members. I guess I could’ve kept it for myself and gone all “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous,” but having glimpsed the work required to maintain that level of pretention I realized I wasn’t up to the task. I gave away the money and went back to being me. The gimpy-wheel suitcase had been a graduation present from Auntie Mana. She was gone now, so even if I’d kept every dime of my jaw-dropping windfall there was no way I would’ve parted with my bag.
I ate dinner with Steve and headed down to Hatch’s place. He wouldn’t be home from work until eight-thirty the next morning, but I have a key to his cottage. Wahine likes the company and I like being there to greet Hatch when he gets home. And besides, he’s only five minutes from the airport.
I read for a while and went to bed early. When Hatch isn’t around I usually get up at sunrise and walk the beach park before the weekend crowds show up. The first throng is usually surfers and kite-boarders. They leave and the joggers show up, along with groups of old people doing their open air tai chi . When the fitness freaks head home for their kale and brewer’s yeast smoothies, local families begin arriving in their banged-up minivans and pick-up trucks. From that point on the noise level rises as toddlers and elderly tutus are herded to the covered picnic tables. By lunchtime the parking lot is full and the grassy areas
“ How about a little dolphin this big? I could put it right here.” She held her thumb and finger a few inches apart and tapped her shoulder.
“Or maybe on your upper thigh.”
“Yeah , I guess that’d be okay,” she said. “I want it where people will see it when I’m in my bikini.”
“Tell you what ,” I said. “I’d like to pay you for working with me this week.”
“ Oh, thanks. But Uncle Doug already told me I’d be working for free,” she said. “I don’t mind.”
“No, I want to. You were a big help with cleaning this place up and getting my files in order. You can use the money to start your tattoo fund.”
I pulled out my checkbook and wrote her a check for twenty hours of work at minimum wage. It wasn’t much, but hopefully it’d give her a nudge toward saving up for something she wanted.
“ But let’s agree on three things,” I said. “First, you’ll get your mom’s permission; second, it will be small, two inches or less; and three, you’ll put it where no one will see it when you’re wearing school clothes.”
She s tuck out her hand. “You got it. Mahalo !”
We shook and I handed her the check.
“ But what if my mom won’t let me?” she said.
“Never hurts to ask.”
At two o’clock Doug’s wife, Lani, came to get Kaili. I thanked her for the pretty sun-catcher and she hugged me.
“You have no idea how much we appreciate what you’ve done for our ‘ohana ,” she whispered.
After t hey left I leaned back in my chair feeling quite pleased with myself. Maybe I should consider having a kid. From the looks of things, I had the ‘mom thing’ pretty much figured out.
CHAPTER 11
Since Hatch and I were only going to be gone for the weekend I packed light. A couple pairs of cropped pants, two shirts, the requisite undies, and a filmy short sky-blue nightie I thought looked sexier than nothing at all. Like everyone else I pretty much wear rubba slippas no matter what the occasion, so there was no need for extra shoes. I threw in a tiny bottle of shampoo I’d gotten at a hotel somewhere and my toothbrush and toothpaste. It all fit in my trusty black roll-aboard bag with the gimpy wheel.
I’d inherited a bunch of money right after my birthday last year but I hadn’t kept it long. I paid off my house and bought a new car but the rest went into trust funds for my family members. I guess I could’ve kept it for myself and gone all “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous,” but having glimpsed the work required to maintain that level of pretention I realized I wasn’t up to the task. I gave away the money and went back to being me. The gimpy-wheel suitcase had been a graduation present from Auntie Mana. She was gone now, so even if I’d kept every dime of my jaw-dropping windfall there was no way I would’ve parted with my bag.
I ate dinner with Steve and headed down to Hatch’s place. He wouldn’t be home from work until eight-thirty the next morning, but I have a key to his cottage. Wahine likes the company and I like being there to greet Hatch when he gets home. And besides, he’s only five minutes from the airport.
I read for a while and went to bed early. When Hatch isn’t around I usually get up at sunrise and walk the beach park before the weekend crowds show up. The first throng is usually surfers and kite-boarders. They leave and the joggers show up, along with groups of old people doing their open air tai chi . When the fitness freaks head home for their kale and brewer’s yeast smoothies, local families begin arriving in their banged-up minivans and pick-up trucks. From that point on the noise level rises as toddlers and elderly tutus are herded to the covered picnic tables. By lunchtime the parking lot is full and the grassy areas
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