He walked into Dupree’s and found his sister manning the booth.
“Hey, bra, what’s up?”
“Bad weather rolling in. I cancelled the afternoon outings.”
She nodded. “I have a feeling we’re going to either be so busy we won’t get breaks or we’re going to be dead. Not sure which one I’m wanting.”
He smiled. “Since I did your little errand yesterday, I think I deserve a free lunch.”
“Moocher.” But it was said with an affection that he was used to with May. Less than two years apart in age, they had always been close and even more so after their mother had died when May was twelve and he fourteen. When most brothers and sisters were growing apart, their mother’s death had brought them closer together. And while there were times he’d hated it in high school, he now counted himself lucky.
“How about a plate of Kalua pig?”
She nodded. “Come on. I’ll take my break with you.”
After she grabbed them both a plate, they settled in the back booth by the kitchen. “So, you didn’t have a problem getting in Cynthia’s house?”
He shook his head and finished the bite. “No. Jocelyn was there.”
She’d been raising her fork to her mouth, but stopped and looked at him. “Jocelyn didn’t have a problem with letting you in the house?”
“A little at first.” He jerked his shoulder, trying to forget the way she had treated him. “But she seemed to feel a little better when I mentioned your name.”
“Oh.” She didn’t resume eating.
He stopped and looked at her. When she didn’t say anything else, he asked, “What?”
She sighed. “It’s just that she has been through a bad time.”
“Yeah, she told me.”
“She told you about Greg? I’m not sure how much she told the boss.”
He shrugged again. “So, she had a bad breakup.”
“No. She wasn’t dating the man. He was her boss at one time. I’m not sure what happened, but in the end, she was in the hospital.”
That had him setting his fork down. “Really?”
She rolled her eyes. “Remember when I was in the hospital, after the whole crazy bitch Lee thing?”
Of course he did. It was hard to forget the crazy woman who had tried to kill his sister. And how like his sister to mention it like she talked about a common event.
“Chris was in Atlanta, remember? He had to go back there for her.”
“She had a breakdown?” Which he couldn’t see. She might have been uncomfortable with him the night before, but she didn’t seem like the type to fall apart.
“No. She was attacked.”
Anger churned his gut. “Attacked. By the guy?”
She nodded. “I’m not sure exactly what went on, but I’m still amazed she let you in.”
He sighed then dug back into his food. “Well, shit. I wasn’t sure what it was. It didn’t make sense, but I thought it was because of being Hawaiian.”
She rolled her eyes. “Really, can you imagine Chris having a sister who was prejudiced? No, she is just a little skittish around men. I thought for sure they would be out for dinner.”
After swallowing a fork full of food, he said, “Oh, well, she seemed okay with it.”
“Either way, just be sure to be nice to her.”
He rolled his eyes. The woman would always think she could tell him what to do. “It isn’t like I was an ass to her. And it isn’t like we are going to spend a lot of time together.”
“She’s coming over tomorrow night for the cookout. Dad’s making some Huhi Huhi chicken. I thought it would be easier for her to meet everyone that way.”
His heart did a little jerk as his body warmed. Just the thought of seeing her again was getting a reaction out of him, which was not a good thing in his humble opinion. He’d been steering clear of women for a month or two now, for good reason. He definitely didn’t need a woman with so much baggage.
“I was planning a poker night with the guys tomorrow night.”
May paused in lifting the fork to her mouth again. She narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips. Shit.
“No, you don’t and you are not missing my party.”
Kai knew it was a lost argument, but he couldn’t keep himself from doing it just the same. Old habits with siblings die hard. “It’s not your party. It’s at our house.”
She sighed. “It isn’t like I’m trying to fix you up. And if you want to, make sure to invite your crew.”
Just thinking of his crew intermingling with the group caused his lips to twitch.
“I mean, if you want to avoid her, I am sure one of them would be happy to spend time with her.”