Courageous Love: A Christian Romance Novel (The Hawaii Love Series, #1) (8 page)

Daniel wasn’t thinking about gift registries. He wasn’t thinking about invitations, and he certainly wasn’t thinking about the honeymoon. But he didn’t want Kimberly to know that. “Anything you decide will be fine. I trust your judgment.” Daniel encouraged Kimberly to keep up the good work with the plans before he ended their conversation.

“I’m feeling kind of tired today, so I think I’m going to hit the sack soon.”

“Well, you’ll let me know as soon as you have the itinerary, right?” Kimberly wanted an answer.

“Yes, I’ll let you know.” Daniel rolled his eyes, feeling like a child. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight and Daniel,” Kimberly waited.

“Yes?” Daniel asked, too tired to try to read her mind across the Pacific.

“I love you,” Kimberly said in her softest, coyest voice.

Daniel sighed quietly, hoping Kimberly couldn’t hear it through the phone. “I love you too,” he said. “Goodnight.” He hung the phone up and watched as the last of daylight disappeared behind the cloak of night. The stars lit up the island sky, and the silhouette of mountain ranges could be seen across the island. Placing the phone down, Daniel stood up, wrapping his hands on the balcony railing. He leaned over the railing and looked around the concrete wall that separated his balcony from his neighbor’s. Peering across the island to the north, he wondered what awaited him on the North Shore in Haleiwa.

After a few minutes, Daniel grabbed his belongings and went back into his room, leaving the sliding door open. He was on the 6
^th
floor and wasn’t worried about a thief breaking into his room. Besides, he was pretty sure he could handle himself against an island thug.

He set his phone down next to the Big Kahuna’s box on the dresser and quickly changed out of his clothes into a pair of basketball shorts. He grabbed the water and placed it on the nightstand and set the alarm. Daniel switched off the lights, spreading out on his back on the bed. Looking up at the ceiling, he watched the shadows of palm trees dance on the white plaster overhead. He felt his body go slack as fatigue crept over him. Thoughts of the day flashed through his mind, and he remembered his encounter with Michelle.

Michelle, Daniel thought. Michelle Clemens, daughter of one of the most prominent families on the island. Michelle Clemens, the stranger that ran into him or that he ran into. Michelle Clemens, with the most beautiful, captivating eyes. Daniel thought of all these things. He thought of how he felt when he looked into those enormous eyes. He thought about how he was nervous taking this trip to see her again. And he thought about what would happen if they were to have a relationship together. Before the absurdity of it all sank in, Daniel drifted off to sleep.

T
he bus arrived in Haleiwa just as the sun began its descent into the Pacific. The sky was a dazzling orange red, and Michelle knew by the color that she had about an hour and a half left of daylight. She thanked the bus driver and stood at the bus stop trying to shake the sleep from her eyes before heading down the city road to the dirt path that would take her home. After walking a block, nausea overcame her and she stopped, sitting on her bags to rest and regain her composure.

“Michelle? Michelle? Is that you girl?” The voice belonged to Kaiko, one of Michelle’s closest childhood friends. Michelle recognized the voice and began heading toward Kaiko and the other people with her. “Oh my gosh, it is you!” said Kaiko, excited and surprised to see Michelle after all this time. “You look great!”

Michelle released her bags and gave Kaiko a big hug, surprised to see her, as well. “So do you! It has been so long!”

Kaiko and Michelle had been friends in elementary school. They were in the same class and got very close when they realized they both had a crush on the same boy—Brandon Hamilton. He was a Haole, and even though their friends teased them, they couldn’t help but fall head over heels for the blond-haired blue-eyed mainlander. Anyone who wasn’t a native Hawaiian was seen as exotic and different. And in fourth grade, it didn’t take much else to make a young girl’s heart go pitter patter.

Kaiko and Michelle’s backgrounds were only somewhat similar. While Kaiko’s family was fourth generation Polynesian, Michelle’s family was not. They were both from affluent farming families—Kiako’s family farmed fruit while Michelle’s beef. Kids could be cruel. And in elementary school, Michelle and her siblings endured some teasing because of her name. It didn’t matter that her family’s ranch supplied most of the beef for the island or that Lilo’s family was native to Hawaii. All that mattered to other kids was that her last name was anything but Hawaiian. Kaiko was different though. From day one, she never teased Michelle or ridiculed her. Eventually, as they entered junior high, the kids turned their interests away from childish antics and onto more serious issues. Teenagers didn’t have time to be bothered with teasing someone over their name.

It was around that time that Kaiko’s older brother Kana began to take notice of Michelle, too. He had always known her to be Kaiko’s best friend, and since he was two years older, he had never paid her any attention. In fact, he always saw the round-faced girl as more of an annoyance than anything else. Kana was always busy swimming, surfing or helping out on the farm. But as Kaiko and Michelle entered high school, something changed. Kana began to see Michelle as more than just Kaiko’s best friend. He began to see her as a young woman. And a very attractive one at that.

The two families were only social acquaintances. They did not run in the same social circles and only knew each other through the girls. As Michelle progressed through high school, the Clemens family became more and more prestigious and well-known on the islands. The Trinity Ranch label was on most of the beef in the local supermarkets, and everyone knew who they were. The recognition only increased Michelle’s popularity and escalated her to a position of fame within her school.

Kaiko and Kana Palakiko were also known throughout the island. Sadly, it wasn’t for the same reasons. Their father had been a fruit and citrus farmer his whole life. The farm had been in the Palakiko family for generations. The first Palakikos had come to the island when it was first settled. They staked claim on acres of land, and over the generations, the land had been parceled off and sold to developers. Kaiko and Kana’s grandparents were the last to have the land and swore they would not sell any more. They wanted to retain the land for future generations and protect the heritage that the family had. And they had done a great job. They worked hard to rebuild the farm’s reputation and acquired more land to expand farming. By the time they passed the land onto Kaiko and Kana’s father, the farm was more successful than ever.

Kana never told Michelle how he felt about her, but everyone knew he had a crush on her. Larry was well aware of the success of the Palakiko farm and knew the heritage of their family. He had met Kana several times over the years and knew him to be a hardworking, smart Christian boy. When he left to attend the University of Hawaii, Larry was only too happy to send Michelle there to follow him. Larry’s plans were for Michelle to marry Kana. But Michelle met Justin and fell in love. After Michelle and Justin left for California, Kaiko and Kana stopped coming around.

It wasn’t until a year or two later that Larry and Elizabeth heard about their father. Apparently, Padraig Palakiko had squandered the profits from the farm on gambling and drinking. Nobody in town knew anything about it until after Kana graduated college. He had hoped to begin a career as an engineer at the university, but he was behind on his tuition, and the university wouldn’t hire him until he settled up. When he went to his father to find out why the bills hadn’t been paid, he discovered the truth. His father had been hiding his gambling and alcohol addictions for years. Unbeknownst to the rest of the family, he had allowed his debtors to put liens on the Palakiko farm. He was making payments, but barely enough to keep the farm in his name.

Michelle had kept in touch with Kaiko over the years. But as time lingered on, their contact grew more intermittent. At first, it was constant phone calls. Then the occasional email or letter. As Michelle stood and looked at her childhood friend, she couldn’t honestly remember when the last time she spoke to her was.

“Last year, when you went on that trip to the Redwoods! Remember? You sent me a picture of you and Luke driving through that giant tree?” Kaiko’s bubbly personality was infectious.

Michelle thought back to that long weekend, one of many she and Luke had taken. They loved to just get up and escape for a few days. And with her job secure and Luke so successful, it was never a problem. A bittersweet look crossed Michelle’s face.

“Did I say something wrong?” Kaiko asked, still knowing Michelle so well.

Michelle laughed and shook her head. “No, no Kaiko. I was just thinking about how much I missed you, and the island, and home.”

“Well,” Kaiko began, trying to change the subject to something more positive. “The island is just the same. Tons of tourists coming and going. Surfers everywhere, and of course, those pesky farmers.”

The other people with Kaiko held back as Michelle and Kaiko kept talking. They bunched in their own group and held a conversation just out of earshot of Michelle. She looked but didn’t recognize any of them.

Kiako saw Michelle’s glance. “Oh, those are just a few friends from the restaurant.” She stopped and held her hand over her mouth. “Oh my gosh, I have sooooo much to tell you!” Kaiko gushed, wanting to fill Michelle in on everything. “Okay, so let’s see. I was going to college, but my parents couldn’t afford to keep sending me.” She paused, looked awkward and kind of rolled her eyes back and forth. “You know, after all of that with my dad and all.”

She took a deep breath and went on. “So I got a job at the Hula Surf Restaurant.” Kaiko jutted her thumb over her shoulder toward the end of the main street where the restaurant was located. “I’m actually doing okay. Saving some money so I can complete my college and get my business degree.” Kaiko was always so energetic and positive. “What are you up to? It’s been so long since we’ve talked. I mean last I knew, you were with that guy, that realtor guy, right? Are you still with him? Do you still have Menehune? What have you been doing all this time?”

Michelle blushed, unsure where to begin but sure that Kaiko wouldn’t want to hear all of the details of her sordid life. “Well, I’m working for a pharmaceutical company,” Michelle began to tell Kaiko. She stopped short of telling her the company name because she didn’t want to be associated with Abstinze. That was the last thing she needed to deal with in Haleiwa. If her father got wind of that, it would make a reunion nearly impossible. Besides, Michelle wasn’t really sure if she was actually still employed at all.

“That’s so great!” gushed Kaiko, always so bubbly and kind. “I think you were still at the coffee place the last time we actually spoke. So, what brings you back here then?” Kaiko was aware of the circumstances around Michelle’s departure. In fact, just about everyone in Haleiwa was. Like the concierge had said, the Clemens family was well known. Combine notoriety with a small town and nothing remained secret for very long.

And Kaiko had been one of Michelle’s closest friends. She knew about Justin. She knew about Larry’s insistence on Michelle marrying Kana. And she knew that Michelle planned to escape to California with Justin. She just didn’t think it would really happen. Kaiko and Michelle were in different classes at the university, and over the two years they both attended, they grew apart. They still talked, but they only hung out occasionally, each too caught up with their own social circles. When Michelle and Justin became an item, Kaiko and Michelle drifted even further apart as Kaiko hung with a bunch of single girlfriends. It was only when Michelle and Kaiko got together for lunch about a month before Michelle left for California, did Kaiko hear of the news.

Michelle had confided in Kaiko of her plans to move to California. Kaiko had tried to persuade Michelle to stay in Hawaii, at least til she finished college. But it was no use. Michelle had love in her eyes and wanted to move away from her domineering father as quickly as possible.

The two had parted with a teary good-bye and still, Kaiko didn’t believe Michelle would actually do it. She had known Michelle most of her life and also had known Larry. It was out of character for Michelle to rebel so violently against her father. And even more out of character for her to sabotage her dreams of college and move away from her mother, her siblings, and her faith, just to be with Justin. Kaiko didn’t think Michelle would ever leave Hawaii.

When she got the phone call a week later, she was stunned. It was Larry, demanding to know where Michelle was and who she was with. Kaiko said she didn’t know. But Kana, who had overheard Kaiko telling another friend of her lunch with Michelle, immediately went to the farm and told Larry everything. That was what truly endeared Kana to Larry. Larry felt that although Kana’s father was dishonorable, Kana was the complete opposite. Over the next two years, Larry watched Kana very closely, becoming increasingly determined that Michelle marry him if and when she ever returned from California.

Kaiko waited while Michelle looked down at the ground. “Michelle? Are you okay? Why did you come back? You know you can tell me anything.” Kaiko realized how that sounded, knowing full well that she was the reason Larry found out about Michelle and Justin.

“Oh Michelle,” said Kaiko, putting her arm out to her friend’s hand. “I’m sorry, I just ... it’s just that ...” Kaiko stammered, unable to find the words in her heart. “Please forgive me. I never meant to hurt you or get you in any trouble.”

Michelle looked up at Kaiko and saw the tears in her eyes. “Oh, Kaiko, it’s not you. Oh, of course, I forgive you.” Michelle hugged her friend. “I’ve never been upset with you. I knew my father would find out sooner or later. Besides, you weren’t the one that told him. It was—Kana.” Michelle stopped and pulled away from Kaiko as the figure of a man approached.