Impulsive (13 page)

K
atie had lived in Hawaii her entire life, seen the ocean from every angle and every beach, but she had never been to this place. She had no idea where she'd expected Eric to go when he left his office Tuesday afternoon, but this wasn't it.

As the sun warmed her cheeks, she stood back and watched people file into an ornate red temple at the base of the Ko'olau Mountains in Valley of the Temples Memorial Park. Clouds swept low over the towering banks, alternatively blocking the sun and highlighting it.

She knew where she was because the sign out front told her. It was something called the Byodo-In Temple. Steps led up to a large square structure with wings off to each side. The area was breathtakingly beautiful, like something out of a book or built for a movie.

Wild peacocks and black swans roamed the grounds. There were ponds and small waterfalls everywhere. Lush greenery surrounded the building on all sides.

Not that the people piling inside noticed. Mostly Japanese and all with a quiet reverence, they filed through the doors and disappeared.

Eric had gone in more than twenty minutes before.

And the curiosity was killing her.

She didn't want to intrude on what was clearly a private moment, but she couldn't walk away. Something about the mumbled male voices and overwhelming peace of the scene spoke to her.

As quietly as possible, she walked up the steps and peered inside. The scent of incense greeted her immediately. She covered her nose as she glanced around. A golden altar sat at the front of the open room. On one side was a large photo of an older Asian woman. Flowers lined the area.

While she watched, the crowd stood and lined up to approach the front of the room. In turn, each person stepped up to the altar and lit a stick of incense, offering what appeared to be a prayer of some sort. The fourth person up was Eric. He showed great deference to the display before him. From the practiced movements of his hands to the bowing of his head, it appeared he knew the ceremony by heart.

He turned back from the altar with his arm wrapped around the older woman next to him. So careful and respectful, he guided her back to their seats. She only reached his shoulder, but Katie immediately knew she was his mother. They possessed the same walk and similar bone structure, but it was his protective hold that gave it away.

Katie was so busy studying him, admiring the tranquility of the moment and the way Eric's bright blue tie highlighted the rich tone of his skin, she almost missed the shiver that moved through him. It was a sense of awareness mirrored in the tilt of his head, the roll of his shoulders. She wasn't prepared for him to look up or for his gaze to search the room, but that's what happened. Heat burned in her cheeks as his dark eyes centered on her.

Part of her wanted to run. She could turn around and get out of there and pretend this moment had never happened. But her feet were rooted to the floor. Pinned by his gaze, she could not move.

After helping his mother into her seat, Eric kept walking. He stalked down the aisle, causing several heads to turn in his wake. He didn't stop until he stood in front of her.

“Hi.” She had no idea what else to say. So she went with that bit of brilliance.

“Just happen to be here today, did you?”

“Hardly.” She peeked over his shoulder and saw his mother looking back at them. “You should go sit down.”

“In a second.” With a hand on Katie's elbow, Eric guided her back down the stairs and out into the sunshine.

She didn't wait for the yelling to start. This called for an offensive strike. “I can explain.”

“You know what I think?”

“Not really.”

“You have trust issues.” The words were accusatory but his tone sounded more amused than anything.

“I know this looks bad.”

“It sure doesn't look good.

“This is hard to say in a way that makes any sense.”

“Then maybe we should table it for another time and deal with the ceremony instead.”

She was so tempted to take the way out he offered. “Time isn't going to help this one.”

“I get that, but I have a responsibility here.” He touched his hand against her lower back. “Come inside.”

“I'm going to skip, but thanks.”

“It's a memorial service, not a human sacrifice.”

“I picked up that much.” Her mind went back to the photo of the woman with the sweet smile. “Who…who died?”

“My grandmother.”

A mix of sorrow and remorse filled Katie until she thought she'd drown in it. Here she was stomping around him like an out-of-control idiot, yelling about Deana and keys, and he was in mourning. “Oh, Eric. I am so sorry.”

“It's okay.”

She grabbed the sleeve of his suit jacket. “It's not. I know how devastating it is to lose someone.”

“You've had more than your share of loss.”

But they weren't talking about her. They were talking about the strong man in front of her. Without a word or request for support, he was trying to work his way through a death in the family.

She'd examine how she felt about not being clued in later. The one thing that nagged at her was the timing. It didn't make sense. Either she'd met him right after the death, or he could so compartmentalize his life as to block out all the sadness he must be feeling whenever he was with her.

The latter option clashed with everything she thought she knew about him. Eric was not cold and heartless, but he had kept his loss to himself for some reason. She wondered what he could say that would make that realization bearable because right now it wasn't. It sunk inside her, hard and heavy.

But she would worry about how this made her feel later. Eric's grief was the issue now, and from what she could tell he was burying it. “I had no idea.”

“About what?”

“Your grandmother's death.” She smoothed her hand up and down his arm. “When did it happen?”

“Twenty-three years ago.”

Katie had never experienced the sensation of having ice water dumped on her but she guessed it felt a bit like this. “Come again?”

“This is a Buddhist ceremony. Well, there's Buddhist and Shinto. It's hard to explain.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Under the tradition, we have memorial services two years, seven years, seventeen years…well, let's just say there's a whole calendar of events set aside for both mourning and celebrating life. This is an important one.”

“You're Buddhist?”

For some reason, he smiled. “That's really all you got out of that entire spiel?”

“Frankly, I barely understood a word. I thought I'd go with the most obvious part I didn't know about you.”

“This is one of those things that you do out of obligation and tradition. It means something to my parents, so I'm here for them.”

All those words and she still didn't get it. “You should go back inside before they worry.”

“They're fine. You, however, look ready to bolt.”

“In the span of ten minutes I found out you're Buddhist, have a dead grandmother, and celebrate these services I've never heard of in what has to be the most spectacular part of the island I've ever seen. I can't believe I missed it.”

Eric glanced around. “I've been coming here since I was a kid.”

“For church?”

“It's a temple.”

Clearly he thought the distinction was important. “Is that a yes?”

“My mother believes in the relationship between man and nature. She brought me here so I would respect our culture. She also came here to meditate.”

The image played in Katie's mind, making her smile. “I'm trying to imagine a small version of you running through the trees.”

“I've been told I liked to chase the birds. There are even embarrassing photos somewhere to prove it.”

“Bet your mom loved the attack on nature.”

“Not even a little bit.” He folded her hand in his and pressed it against his chest. “And, for the record, Baptist.”

“Excuse me?”

“I was raised Baptist.”

The volleys went by her so quickly that she was having a hard time dodging them. “I thought you were Buddhist.”

“My grandmother was. I understand some of the rituals but it was not a daily part of my life.”

His deep commitment to family made him even more attractive. She'd walked away after the death of her parents thinking it was safer not to have those tight connections. But when she'd needed Cara, her sister had come without question. The ties between them stopped stretching and began to repair that day. Ever since, Katie viewed Cara and Ashleigh as the most important people in her world.

“I learn something new about you every single day,” Katie said.

“I like to keep it interesting.” He kissed her hand. “Come inside.”

“I'd rather crawl home and hide under my bed.”

He wiggled his eyebrows. “I'd prefer to be in your bed, too.”

“That's not what I said.”

“Clearly you have something on your mind. At least stay around here so we can talk after.”

She was afraid he'd say something like that. “How long are you thinking?”

“Another few minutes.”

A low rumble sounded behind him. She glanced up and saw people coming out of the temple. “No need. I think it's over.”

“Then your wait will be even shorter.” He lowered their hands but did not let go. Together they stood and watched everyone break into smaller groups on the lawn.

“I'm sorry if I made you miss it.”

“No one forced me to come out here, Katie. I take responsibility for the things I do.”

He didn't need to explain. Most of the things he'd said about temples and ceremonies soared over her head, but she understood. It felt like he was trying to tell her something secret but important, but she wasn't sure what.

“Your very adult behavior in spite of your maleness is one of the things I admire about you.”

He scoffed. “I'm not touching that statement.”

When she saw the couple headed straight for them, Katie tensed. This was beyond mortifying. She tried to shake off Eric's hand but his hold didn't lessen. If anything, he grew calmer.

“Eric?” The older woman's eyes narrowed as she glanced down at Eric's hand and the closeness of his position to Katie.

“Mom, Dad, there's someone I want you to meet.”

“Oh, man,” Katie mumbled the terror-filled response under her breath to keep from screaming for him to stop.

“My parents, Miyoko and Yukio Kimura, this is my friend Katie Long.”

They just stared at her. Katie returned the favor. She figured they could be anywhere from fifty to seventy. Their smooth skin showed very few lines despite the deep tans they sported. They were shorter and smaller in stature than Eric, but the resemblance was unmistakable.

He was the perfect mix of both parents, with his father's trim build and his mother's bone structure. But if his mother were any smaller, she'd fit in Eric's pocket.

Katie tried to force out some sort of welcome but only one word popped out. “Hello.”

“We're happy you could come today.” Miyoko shook Katie's free hand.

Since the bones in the woman's hand were so tiny, and she looked so fragile, Katie tried not to hold on too tight. Then Eric's father took his turn. His hand was warm and firm just like his son's.

Katie had never felt so out of place in her life. Her head spun and her knees wobbled. It was quite possible she'd start throwing up soon. “I'm so sorry for intruding.”

Yukio's eyebrow lifted. “Were you?”

If possible, Eric pulled her even closer to him as if trying to feed warmth into her body through his own. “She isn't familiar with the ceremony.”

Eric's dad smiled. “No one would expect you to be.”

His mother clapped her hands. “Now that you're here, you should join us for a late lunch. We're going to my sister's house.”

There was a nightmare scenario, one Katie knew she wouldn't survive. “Oh, no. I couldn't.”

“But—”

“We can't, Mom,” Eric agreed.

Miyoko nodded with a bit of sadness in her dark brown eyes. “Work, I assume?”

“Yes.”

Lie or not, Eric was going to get so lucky. Katie vowed right then to let him do anything he wanted as a thank-you for the save. No way could she eat. She wasn't even sure she could stand up without Eric's help. Another hour of this sort of thing and her head would explode from the force of staying quiet. The chance of saying or doing the wrong thing was far too great for her to risk opening her mouth.

“At least you made time this afternoon.” Miyoko kissed her son on the cheek. “It was nice to meet you, Ms. Long.”

The older couple walked back to a small group that had been intently watching the scene. Women whispered and one lady even pointed.

“Well, that was awkward,” Katie said.

“I thought it went well.”

She tested his grip on her hand but he still held on. “I just met your parents.”

“I know. I was standing right here.”

She faced him. “Do you know what that means?”

“Apparently not.”

“Everyone will know now.”

He leaned in as if they were sharing a big secret. “Know what?”

“About us.”

He lowered his head and his voice as another couple walked past. “You think my parents are going to run around telling people?”

“I'm serious.” She wanted him to prove he wasn't ashamed of her, but this was making a statement. A big, answer-a-lot-of-questions statement.

“I can see that.”

She just wanted to get out of the spotlight. If one more person she didn't know stared at her and then started whispering, she was going to get violent. “Forget it. It doesn't matter.”

“I agree.”

Before she ran off, she needed to talk with Eric. If he was going to go around introducing her to people and holding her hand in public, he needed all of the facts. “Do you really have to go back to work?”