Chief Distraction (25 page)

As
days passed, Blythe’s depression over losing Big Lou and then losing Mak
deepened. She took a few days off work to mull over what she’d truly gone
through on that island – hell on earth, that’s what. No one in their
right mind could possibly jump back into the daily grind like nothing had
happened, even a type-A workaholic. Burying herself in interviews and article
writing wouldn’t bring Lou back. She had to take some needed time to reflect,
take time to think about her next move. Was returning to Chicago a logical
step? She certainly wasn’t feeling the love here. Then again, Maui had touched
her in a way nowhere else had. The island had stirred something dormant beneath
the surface. Mak had been the one responsible for bringing that passion out of
her. The thought of closing those feelings off forever filled her with an
intense grief. Her heart was ready for love. It was bursting for it.

“Do
you want me to fly there? I can probably catch a flight tonight if I explain that
it’s a family emergency, get a couple of days off,” Rachel offered through the
phone.

“No, don’t do that. You were just here. Don’t
use your time off to come and babysit me. I’ll be fine.”

“Doesn’t sound like it to me, Blythe. You fell
for this guy really hard. You can always come to me, you know.”

“I’m sure Jarrod doesn’t want me in the way.”

Rachel paused. “Does he have a choice?”

Blythe laughed. “I guess not. But the answer’s
still no. I have to stay and work things out here.”

“You know what you have to do, Blythe.”

“Call him. I know.”

Rachel sighed. “No. That won’t get you anywhere.
He’s already closed himself off to you. You betrayed him remember? It’s going
to be difficult to get back into his heart. It may never happen, honey.”

Blythe couldn’t fight back her tears. “I know.
I’ve really screwed it up this time.”

“You can make things better, though.”

“But how?”

“You have to speak to the Kahuna and ask
forgiveness.”

Blythe blinked back her tears. “Ask forgiveness
for Mak?”

“Yep. Even if he never knows you did it, it’s
the best thing you can do for him. It’s the right thing to do.’

Lying
across her bed and feeling a little better after talking things over with
Rachel, Blythe reached out a hand and felt the other side – the side Mak
had slept on not long ago. The thought of her younger self, writing the article
so flippantly and without considering the fallout, made her shake with fury. If
she could take it all back, she would. How could she have been so insensitive,
so callous? This man, so sexy and capable, deserved so much better than to live
in the shadow of something from his past; something he had no way of
preventing. He deserved some happiness once and for all and she was going to
get it for him whether she ended up with him or not. Rachel was right.

Blythe swiveled her legs around and hung them
over the edge of the bed. Where to begin? She strode into her office, looking
up at the now vacant spot where the framed article had once hung. There was no
way she would ever replace it. She was no longer that reporter, that person.
Picking up the phone, she dialed a reliable source she’d used a thousand times
before.

“Hi, Steve? It’s Blythe Davenport calling from
MCS News. I need an address for an unlisted number. It’s for a Reverend Halia
Okelani. Thanks.”

Chapter
Twenty-Four

Blythe drove down Maui’s windward coast toward
Hana in search of Reverend Halia Okelani’s house. The heady aroma of guava and
white ginger mingled in the air. This really was paradise on earth and Blythe
felt lucky to be alive. Still, her joy had an undertone of sadness for what had
happened between her and Mak. Sadness paired with deep seeded regret. After
all, she’d made this bed she now lay in, some eight years ago to be exact.
Little did she know then that she was directly sabotaging her future happiness
with the man of her dreams?

She shook off her misgivings and slowed the
sports car down at the first house, craning to see the address. Almost there.
The Kahuna lived only a few houses away. No turning back now.

Pulling into the gravel driveway strewn with
tropical wildflowers along its perimeter, Blythe picked up the bundle of torch
ginger flowers from the passenger seat and took a deep breath. “I can do this.
For Mak,” she whispered. It was all for Mak.

Walking up the winding pebble path leading to a
quaint cottage with green wooden siding and a grey tiled roof, Blythe got the
feeling she was entering magical territory. There was something mystical about
the place, straight out of a fairytale. She climbed the few stone steps and
knocked. Waiting, she knocked again until she heard the latch unlock. The door
finally swung open to reveal a short, round woman with grey hair and an open
face.

“Yes?”

“Aloha, are you Reverend Halia Okelani, the
spiritual elder?”

The woman nodded, looking apprehensive.

“Good morning. I’m Blythe Davenport. These are
for you,” Blythe brought the flowers forward, holding them for what seemed like
eternity until the elderly Kahuna finally reached out and took them.

“Who are they from?”

“Well, Reverend, they’re a peace offering…from
me. May I come in?”

With
some hesitation, the Kahuna had opened her home to Blythe who was now on the
back lanai, sitting poker-straight in an outdoor wicker chair and holding a
cold glass of pineapple iced-tea. Blythe sipped the drink slowly as she gawked
around, taking in the nick-knacks that surrounded her. The place was brimming
with carved sculptures, island-themed paintings, and plastic flowers in
handmade vases.

“Your place is charming,” she complimented as
the Kahuna came back to the lanai carrying yet another homemade vase filled
with the flowers Blythe had brought.

“Thank you. And thank you for the flowers, they
are lovely.” Reverend Okelani placed the vase on a mosaic table in the
sunshine.

Blythe nodded and smiled as the Kahuna took a
seat opposite her.

“Now, you sit there and I begin. I do the Pule
Ho’omaka for you.”

“The…pardon me?” Blythe asked.

“It is a prayer, the beginning prayer. I think
you need one since you are confused, troubled by something that you keep from
someone. You must release your burden and open your heart.”

“My heart is open, that’s the problem. Reverend
Okelani, that’s why I’m here to see you today. I am here seeking forgiveness
for Makaio Kalani, the Fire Chief.”

Reverend Okelani stared, staying mute.

“I realize this is difficult for you, but Makaio
has been suffering from the curse you placed on him for far too long. He has
paid greatly for the accident involving your granddaughter Melini.”

Reverend Okelani sat back in her chair, sullen.
She shook her head and appeared to be pondering Blythe’s request. Blythe stayed
quiet, taking little sips of her iced-tea, mentally preparing herself for the
Kahuna’s rejection. Had she upset her with the request to pardon Mak? Maybe the
Kahuna would place a curse on her for coming all the way out here and bothering
her? The thought made her gulp back some anxiety. “Reverend Okelani, I mean no
disrespect. I just, well, I care for Makaio very much and only want what is
best for him. He is deeply sorry for Melini’s death and trust me, he has
grieved her loss tremendously. I think he has grown as a man, as a person, and
he should be able to find love now. He’s ready.”

Reverend Okelani rose from her chair. “You are
right.” She paced around the lanai. “It is time. It is cruel of me to prevent
him from le’a.”

“From joy,” Blythe repeated.

“Yes. Makaio will have to perform the Ho’opono
pono to rise to the next step of his journey. It is a cleansing forgiveness
prayer. It will make him right and good again.”

“Okay, do I have to learn it and teach it to him
or can you write it down for me?”

“I’ll write it down. Don’t want to get any of it
wrong or it won’t work. Back in a second.”

Reverend Okelani left, returning a few moments
later with a piece of paper that she handed to Blythe.

“That’s it?” Blythe took the paper, scanning the
legible words. “If he says this he’ll be free of his curse?”

“Yes. I agree he has been trapped by the curse long
enough. I was angry and wanted to punish him for taking my lovely Melini away.
She was my sunshine, my light. He threw me into darkness, but I’m ready to have
the light back now. I am ready to set him free from his Aka cord.” The Reverend
sat across from her again, her face filled with acceptance.

“Is that the name of his curse?”

“It’s the emotional cord that binds someone. If
he removes his Aka cord, the curse will be broken. Once he removes this, you’ll
see his transformation. His body will be less heavy, less burdened and he may
call upon what is good and true and of the highest over heaven and earth.”

“Mahalo nui loa, Reverend,” Blythe said and
reached out to grab the Kahuna’s hand.

“You’re welcome,” Reverend Okelani patted
Blythe’s hand tenderly. “I can see this means a great deal to you. You will
stay in Maui then?”

“I think so,” Blythe couldn’t say for sure.

“Our Maui is a very powerful place. It is filled
with
mana
or
spiritual power.”

“I’ve heard it said that Hawaii is the center of
the earth,” Blythe said as she sat back.

“Yes, Hawaii is the piko,” Reverend Okelani
pointed to her navel. “Just like the center of the body. It is where the soul
lives.”

“So, you have the power to place curses on
people and freely remove them on a whim?” Blythe tried to sound sincere.

“I utilize the gifts Akua the God in Spirit has
given me. I belong here on the moku of Maui. If I ever left, my powers would be
lost forever.”

“And is the same true for Makaio? If he were to
leave the island, the moku, would his curse be lifted?”

“Yes. But he will suffer in other ways. You can
remove the man from the island, but the island will forever live in his heart.
He will never be happy because the moku will call for him to return.”

“It looks like the only way out for Mak is through
this cleansing forgiveness prayer then.”

“I see that you have deep love for Makaio. I see
it is real love.”

“Me? Well, I like him very much. But love
– I hardly know him.” Though deep down, Blythe couldn’t deny it. She was
madly in love with him.

“Are you hiding it from yourself?” the Kahuna
asked. “It is clear to see.”

Blythe bit her bottom lip. “Yes, it’s true. I
love him more than anything. I only want forgiveness for him so he can be free
to love whomever he wants, whether it’s me or not.”

“That is very selfless.” Reverend Okelani gave
Blythe a sly smile. “You are the one he is meant to be with. My granddaughter
Melini, she was never meant to be his. I see now that it was her place to leave
us, the will of the Akua. Her death was no one’s fault.”

Hallelujah, Blythe thought. If only this woman
had realized that years ago, Mak could have been free. But then, he probably
would have settled down with someone else. She selfishly thanked her lucky
stars for the curse. It was as if the curse had guaranteed his freedom for her
heart alone, as if the article had kept all other women at bay so she could
sweep in and take her rightful place. Fate had planned it all along – a
cruel, twisted, sweet and lovely joke on the both of them.

Chapter
Twenty-Five

Blythe drove directly from the Kahuna’s house to
the fire station. She knew going to see Mak was risky, but she was willing to
face the embarrassment of him turning her away in front of his men. She had
nothing to lose.

Parking beside one of the fire trucks, she
jumped out and said hello to a few of the men who were washing the large
vehicle in the sunshine.

“Aloha,” called one of the men. She recognized
him from the Coast Guard boat. “Chief, someone here to see you!” he hollered
toward the open garage door.

Blythe nodded a thank you and waited beside her
car. She felt the men’s eyes on her, their curiosity overt. She was sure they
all knew the sorted story of the reporter who had ruined their beloved Chief’s
life. And here she was, front and center.

A moment later Mak walked out of the open garage
door. Seeing her at a distance, he hesitated. Blythe’s heart sank to her toes,
but slowly picked up as he sauntered over. He was so handsome and rugged. He
stood a few feet away, leaving a safe distance between them just as she had
with him on the island. It hurt.