Not to mention, I’d been a practicing virgin since my divorce, so I almost qualified for a sacrificial role!
Kimo moved his muscular tush in a mesmerizing circular motion to demonstrate how to shake my booty. While I had more than enough booty to shake, I couldn’t figure out how to do it without looking like a total dweeb. I glanced at the audience awash in a sea of video cameras and phones.
OMG. My inept hips were going viral. I would never get laid again, and I wasn’t talking about the floral version.
Two capable hands suddenly grabbed my waist and spun me around.
The gods finally smiled down on me as Steve traded places with Kimo. The ship captain’s broad shoulders and back blocked the audience’s view of my clumsy gyrations. He gently placed his hands on each side of my waist and before you could say “Liliuokalani,” my hips swayed as if they were born to hula.
The last note of the song ended before I was ready to quit our Hawaiian foreplay. The amateurs were ushered off the stage to another round of applause and catcalls. Instead of returning to our seats, I asked Steve to wait with me so I could speak with Walea after the show ended.
Keiki’s stepsister, the last woman to exit the stage, stopped to talk to a musician. He placed his ukulele inside a soft-sided case and together they strolled away from the stage, headed in our direction. Our shadowed enclave made Steve and me practically invisible and the couple passed by without a glance at us. I tapped Walea on her shoulder. She spun around, her black eyes fearful.
“Sorry to frighten you,” I said. “I wanted to offer you and your family my condolences for your loss. It must be such a trying time for everyone.”
A flash of anger replaced the fear in her eyes as she recognized me. “It was your brother who caused my sister to die. I curse the day I introduced him to Keiki.”
“I’m certain Dave had nothing to do with her death,” I said. “But why do you think she was in the restaurant so late? Was Keiki meeting someone?”
The man standing beside Walea shoved his face so close to mine I could count the pockmarks on his cheeks. “Tell your brother we know what he did. Our Hawaiian gods will not let his actions go unpunished.”
Steve inserted himself between the man and me. “Now, listen here––”
An angry rumbling from above interrupted his sentence.
The gods had spoken.
Chapter 11
Those Hawaiian gods are one heck of a responsive bunch. Seconds after Walea’s enraged friend threatened us, thunder rumbled across the sky, followed by a huge downpour. Steve grabbed my hand and we ran. Our group was already gathering belongings, ready to dash to shelter.
Heaven forbid a sudden tropical shower disturb Mother’s perfect coiffure. She whipped a tiny satchel out of her purse and transformed it into a lightweight slicker. With a matching rain hat.
We hustled across the expanse of lawn that felt like it had grown to the size of a football field. By the time we reached the lobby everyone except my mother was soaked. Steve’s wet polo shirt molded nicely to his chest, displaying an impressive six-pack. My soggy sundress clung to my derriere, emphasizing my need to enroll in a Polynesian dance class.
“Thanks for the dance lesson,” I said to Steve. I grabbed a towel from the stack the hotel staff dispersed to their drenched luau guests. “Do all ship captains have to learn how to hula?”
He threw his head back and laughed. “It’s not a requirement for our license, but I was lucky to get lessons with…” He paused and a pensive expression crossed his face.
I ventured a guess. “Did Keiki teach you?”
Steve nodded. “Keiki occasionally substituted for the Sea Jinx’s principal dancer. I managed to pick up a few moves from her.”
My nosy self was curious what “moves” Keiki and Steve had shared, but I decided to focus on Keiki’s movements with my brother instead.
“I guess you could tell from Regan’s outburst that she thinks Dave and Keiki were having an affair,” I said. “Did Dave ever confide in you about Keiki?”
Steve’s eyes flicked toward Dave, who was leaning against a pillar. “Your brother and I are tight, but we don’t pry into each other’s personal stuff. Don’t you think that’s a good policy to maintain?”
Not prying into a pal’s love life? As far as I was concerned, true friendship means being there to support a friend’s decisions. Also being there to tell them when they are about to screw up.
I sighed. Men seem to have different codes about stuff like this. No wonder they’re so clueless when it comes to communicating with the opposite sex.
I glanced at Dave. His eyes were fixed on his wife who conversed with our mother. I wondered what the couple’s plans were, or if they were even going home together. This might be my only opportunity to get him alone. I said good-bye to Steve and joined my brother.