She sprinted back to her bag and rummaged for her cell phone. She couldn’t find it. Biting back a groan, she upended the bag onto the sand. Her cell phone went skittering across the beach. She grabbed for it and fell as it slipped past her. The sand scraped the skin from her knees, but she hardly noticed the sting.
She picked up the phone and dialed Curtis at the office. When she told him what had happened, he promised to call Jesse and have him come right away. Faye dropped her phone onto the sand and ran back to the pier. She couldn’t see the boat any longer. Sobbing, she sank to her knees and prayed like she’d never prayed before.
Kaia rubbed her eyes. She was never going to get used to this night work. Her body clock needed sunshine glinting off the surf and the sound of terns cawing overhead. She got dressed, brushed her teeth, then looked around for her keys. They weren’t on her bedside table where she thought she’d left them.
Hiwa meowed as she scooped her up and carried her through the house. She went through the pockets of the clothes she’d left on the kitchen floor by the washer last night but didn’t find them. She glanced on the counter. No keys. It was already nearly five, and she wanted to stop to see her grandfather before she had to report for work.
She set Hiwa on the floor and threw last night’s pizza into the trash. This kitchen was a pit. She’d punched the snooze button on her alarm too many times. Her goal for the afternoon had been to clean house, but it wasn’t going to happen today. Three days’ worth of dirty glasses sat on the counter as well as the dirty pots from making a week’s worth of granola. She was a health nut about her food, and she wished that care extended to housekeeping.
She took ten minutes to set the kitchen to rights, but she still couldn’t find her keys. What a scatterbrain she was. Where had she left them? This morning she’d gotten home at six, gulped down a bowl of granola with flaxseed, and headed for bed. No, wait, she’d thrown a load of clothes in the washer first. Maybe they were in the laundry room.
The phone rang and she grabbed it.
“Kaia, can you meet me at the pier below you? I’m about to pass it right now. Heidi took a kayak out by herself.” Jesse’s voice held a touch of panic.
Kaia didn’t ask questions. “I’ll be right there.” She clicked off the phone, grabbed her jacket, and ran out the door.
Hadn’t that woman he hired been watching Heidi? Kaia’s anger and fear grew as she reached the top of the cliff and saw the size of the swells from the storm blowing in. Easily twenty feet, they could swamp an inexperienced kayaker in minutes. Heidi was resourceful, but she was just a child, and Kaia doubted she had the expertise to manage these waves.
The navy boat was just pulling up to the dock when she arrived. Jesse’s face was grim and strained. Kaia wondered how much sleep he’d had over the past few days. She’d half expected him to accompany her on the patrol at night, but another sailor had joined her.
She hopped aboard the boat without waiting for it to dock and dropped the backpack containing her diving gear onto the deck. Jesse grabbed her hand to steady her against the rolling of the vessel, and she dropped into a seat beside him. “Any sign of her yet?”
He shook his head. “Can Nani help us?”
“I’ll call her.” She opened her backpack and pulled out the equipment she’d been carrying with her on the patrols. Leaning over the side of the boat, she put DALE into the water and turned it on. The clicks and whistles it emitted couldn’t be heard above the sound of the surf. White spray struck her in the face as the boat headed out to sea, and she licked the salt from her lips. It was hard to hang on to DALE with the bounce of the vessel.
She was beginning to think Nani wouldn’t respond when she finally recognized the dolphin’s dorsal fin running along the side of the boat. “There she is!”
Nani leaped into the air and splashed down then raced alongside the boat. Jesse told the pilot to head along Polihale Beach just north of Barking Sands. Kaia spotted a figure waving from a dilapidated pier along a piece of land that jutted into the sea. “Who is that?” she asked, pointing.
Jesse squinted. “I think it’s Faye, Heidi’s nanny.” He directed the boat to veer over to pick her up.
The woman’s eyes were red, and her mascara had left tracks of black under her eyes. She clambered aboard. “Oh, Jesse, I’m so sorry. I don’t know how she managed to slip away from me like that. A mother had lost her child, and I was trying to help find him. I was only distracted for a few minutes.”
Jesse pressed his lips together. “How long has she been gone?”
Faye glanced at her watch. “Maybe an hour?”
Kaia checked the other woman out. She recognized Faye’s bathing suit as one that had cost the earth, and she smelled like she’d bathed in expensive French perfume. The Kate Spade sandals she wore would have cost Kaia’s wages for the week. She looked Hawaiian, but Kaia had never seen her before.
She frowned. Why would a woman of such wealth be babysitting? Kaia hadn’t had a chance to ask Jesse much about the new nanny. But the woman was obviously distraught, and Kaia knew how quickly a child could slip away. She’d had a hula student wander off once, and it was something she never forgot.
“She could be far out to sea by now.” Jesse turned and looked out over the water. He ordered the pilot to head back out.
Kaia leaned over the side of the boat. She’d tried to teach Nani the series of clicks and whistles that she’d assigned to Heidi’s name the first week they’d been out together. She could only pray the dolphin remembered and had figured it out. The device emitted the sound of Heidi’s name, and Nani leaped in the water then zipped ahead of the boat.
“Follow the dolphin!” Jesse shouted over the noisy surf.
Nani had made the connection. Kaia could hardly believe it. Now if only the dolphin could find the little girl. The skipper revved up the engine, and the boat’s bow slammed against every wave. The repeated jarring would have knocked Kaia to the deck, but she held on to the railing and strained to see through the spray. As Nani swam toward the Na Pali mountain chain, Kaia looked ahead then turned to look behind her. She saw something bobbing in the water.
“Is that a kayak?” Kaia pointed toward the shore. The upended kayak dipped and rolled with the waves tumbling it toward shore.
“It is!” Jesse leaned into the wind, his gaze on the boat.
Faye started to sob. Kaia jumped to the railing and cupped her hands to her mouth. “Heidi!” she shouted. Please, Lord, let her be alive. Her eyes burned. She knew Jesse was just as aware as she was that the little girl was unlikely to survive for long in seas like these.
Nani paused then turned back. Kaia felt a stab of disappointment in the dolphin. She hadn’t been leading them to Heidi. The clicks and whistles hadn’t represented anything meaningful to her. So much for their breakthrough.
Kaia squinted in the sunshine and continued to scan the waves and shout Heidi’s name. Nani sped by the boat and veered toward shore. In that moment, Kaia spotted Heidi in the water. “There she is!” She shucked her jacket, kicked off her slippers, and dove overboard.
The swells hampered her vision, but she struck out with adrenaline-driven strength in the direction she’d seen Heidi. She glimpsed Jesse off to her right in the water as well. She rode a swell to the top and saw the little girl clinging to Nani’s dorsal fin. The dolphin was pulling Heidi toward the boat.
Kaia shouted and pointed. Jesse heard her and shook the water out of his eyes. He waved that he’d seen them too, and they turned around and swam to intercept Nani and Heidi. They reached the boat the same time as the dolphin with her precious cargo.
Heidi let go of Nani and grabbed for her uncle’s hand. Kaia came alongside and together they hoisted Heidi to the waiting men, who lifted her to safety. A wave grabbed Kaia and flung her away from the boat.
She went under, gulping water. An undertow caught her, and she instinctively fought it for a moment. Heidi needed her, and she wanted to get to the boat, but the current w
as too strong. She let herself go limp and went with the riptide until it released its grip. Her head broke the surface. The boat was even farther away. Then Nani came to her, and she grabbed for the dolphin. Nani towed her back to the boat.
Jesse was at the ladder, spitting water. “I thought you were a goner,” he sputtered.
Kaia grabbed the ladder and hauled herself up. Jesse followed, and they both collapsed onto the deck.
Kaia lay gasping then rolled to all fours and looked for the child. “How’s Heidi?” She felt strung as tightly as a ukulele until she saw the keiki. Heidi lay in Faye’s arms. They were both crying. Faye was smoothing the child’s wet hair out of her face.
Too tired to stand, Kaia collapsed back onto the deck. Jesse grabbed her arm and helped her to a seat then went to his niece. Heidi turned and buried her face against her uncle.
“I’m sorry,” she gulped. “Are you mad at me?”
He embraced her with one arm and held on to the rail with the other. Then he sat down and pulled her onto his lap. “You could have been killed, Heidi. You almost were.”
She burst into fresh sobs. “The waves were so big. I kept swallowing water. Every time I got to the top of a wave, it sucked me under again. I asked God to send Nani, and he did. I was drowning when she came. She saved me.”
“Don’t ever scare me like that again.” Jesse tucked her against his chest and propped his chin on her wet hair. “I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to you.”
“What were you thinking to go off by yourself?” Kaia asked. “We’re lucky to have spotted you in the waves. Nani was just wandering aimlessly until I saw your kayak.”
“We couldn’t find the little boy, and I saw the kayak. I thought I could save him.”
“That’s a job for grownups,” Jesse said.
“The waves got really big, and I got scared. I yelled, but no one could hear me.” Heidi’s tears began to taper off.
“How long were you in the water?” A real understanding of the close call was beginning to set in, and Kaia’s limbs trembled.
“A long time. I tried to swim to shore, but the undertow wouldn’t let me.” She looked up at Jesse. “At first I forgot what Daddy told me about how to swim if I got caught in one. I kept getting farther and farther from the shore. Then I remembered how Daddy said I was supposed to swim with the current. I tried, but it kept pulling me under. I thought I was going to drown.” Fresh tears sparkled in her eyes.
“It was strong.” Kaia wasn’t sure she could have overcome the undertow, and she was a strong swimmer. Thank the Lord Nani had been there, even if the dolphin had reacted to instinct rather than communication.
Heidi leaned over and vomited seawater on her uncle’s feet. He didn’t react much, just grabbed a towel Ensign Masters handed him and wiped his niece’s face. The ensign upended a bucket of water onto Jesse’s feet and the surrounding deck.
“Your mother is going to have to know about this escapade,” he said sternly.
Heidi nodded. “She’s going to be mad.”
“We’re just glad you’re okay,” Faye said. She seemed to be recovering some of her color. “Here, let me clean that up.” She knelt and began to swab ineffectually at the mess. She finally gave up and let the ensign use his mop.
The wind blew Faye’s black hair around her head and whipped it into her face. She brushed it out of her eyes. “Jesse, I hope you won’t hold this against me. I don’t want to give up my friendship with Heidi.”
Heidi’s eyes grew wide. “Does this mean I get to go back with Kaia?”
Faye flinched and covered her mouth with her hands. “She’s not been very happy,” she admitted. “I think she misses her mother.”
“I realize that,” Jesse said. He patted her shoulder. “If you’re still willing to keep Heidi, I think we’ll keep to our arrangement.”
Faye’s shoulders sagged. “Mahalo, Jesse. It won’t happen again.” Her dark eyes blinked rapidly, then she turned and gazed at Kaia. “I’ve been wanting to meet you, Kaia. Curtis has said such great things about you.”
Kaia frowned. “Curtis has?” She couldn’t imagine what her boss could have said. They’d butted heads right from the start.
“Curtis says you’re brilliant.” The boat lurched in the waves, and Faye almost tumbled to the deck. She caught herself against the back of Jesse’s seat.
Kaia hadn’t put the two together. In fact, she found it hard to imagine the pragmatic Curtis with Faye. But maybe she was judging the woman unfairly. Just because she wore nice clothes and shoes didn’t mean she was shallow. Kaia had to admit her twinge of envy might have affected her first impression of the woman.
In fact, maybe Faye could be her ally to help Curtis understand the importance of her dolphin research. “Make sure you tell him about how Nani saved Heidi today,” she said. If only Nani had found Heidi because she’d understood the language. Still, Heidi was safe, thanks to Nani.
“Oh, I will,” Faye assured her. She hesitated for a second. “Why don’t you meet me and Heidi for breakfast when you get off work tomorrow?”
Faye could be the help Kaia had been looking for. She had to convince Curtis that the real future of Seaworthy Labs lay with research into dolphin communication, even though Nani had failed her again.
“I just might do that.”
Eight
Jesse parked in front of Kaia’s charming cottage. “Cute place,” he said. He grabbed Kaia’s knapsack. “I’ll carry this for you. Heidi’s sleeping anyway.”
Kaia yawned and nodded. She stepped over a hose and pushed open the door.
“Holy cow,” Jesse muttered. He realized he’d said it out loud when he saw Kaia’s cheeks go red. “Sorry, but—wow.” He dropped the knapsack and picked up a discarded T-shirt.
Kaia grabbed it from his hand. “It’s not like I haven’t been busy,” she snapped.
“Yeah, sorry.” He’d never pegged her for the messy sort. It was a good thing they weren’t in a relationship. A mess like this would drive him crazy.
He stepped over a catnip mouse and looked around then realized he hadn’t thanked Kaia properly when they’d docked. “I really appreciate all you did today. You saved Heidi’s life, you and Nani.”
She didn’t meet his gaze. “That’s okay. I’m glad we were there. I was surprised you decided to let Heidi stay with Faye when she obviously wasn’t watching her closely enough.”
“I almost didn’t. But I looked at Heidi and realized she was hoping to get Faye in trouble. It could have happened to anyone. I wandered off from my mother often enough. Especially when another child was in trouble. Faye has a good heart.”
Maybe he was right. Kaia was beginning to realize Jesse had good judgment about people. She glanced out the window. “Here comes Bane.”
“I’d better go. Heidi needs to get to bed.” He exited the house, waving at Bane as he got in the Jeep. At his place, he parked and carried Heidi inside before wandering into the living room. The room felt even more sterile than usual. Beige paint, carpet, and furniture. No pictures on the walls. He’d been back on the island for three months and hadn’t bothered to unpack so much as a picture of his family. But when had there been time?
Even though Kaia’s place had been messy, it was homey and cheerful. It had character, whereas this place could have been anyone’s home. Christy had never been much for decorating either. He sighed and went to the phone. Jillian’s hotel number was right on top of the stand. The ringing went on for what seemed like forever on the other end of the line before she finally answered.
“Hello?” Jillian’s voice echoed across the line.
He glanced at his watch. The time difference was twelve hours. “Hey, Jillian, I was about to give up.”
“Is something wrong? Is Heidi okay?” Her voice rose and held a tinge of panic.
“She’s fine. But we had a scare.” He told her what had happened.
“She’s always been one for getting into scrapes. She forgets she?
??s only eight.” Jillian sounded worried. “I should be there.”
“You can’t; you’d lose your job,” he reminded her. “I’ve got everything under control here. I just wanted to keep you up-to-date on things.”
“I want to be with Heidi.” Her gulp echoed over the phone. “I miss her. Are you sure she’s okay?”
“She’s fine. I think she’ll listen to Faye now.”
Jillian began to cry softly. “I should just quit, find another job. This separation is too hard. How is Heidi doing?”
“She’s fine.”
“Does she ask about me?” Jillian’s voice sounded wistful.
“She talks about you.” Jesse didn’t dare tell her Heidi had been acting out some. “Don’t do anything foolish, Jillian. You worked your whole life for this job. What kind of position could you get if you quit? This time will pass sooner than you think. You can’t afford to let emotion overrule your common sense.”
“I know you’re right, but it’s so hard.” Her voice broke again.
He hated to hear either of his sisters cry. His father had always expected him to take care of them. Sometimes, though, he couldn’t. And this was one of those times. Jillian needed to do this project.
Jillian gulped again. “Who is this woman you’ve got watching her? Why isn’t Kaia keeping her?”
“That was only temporary. Kaia is helping with base security at night. She sleeps during the day. This is an older woman—in her fifties I’d guess. She’s Duncan’s sister-in-law. She’s been taking Heidi to see all the sights.”
Jillian was silent. “How is Duncan?”
Jesse propped his feet up. “Same old Duncan.”
“That sounds a little cynical.”
“You know how he is—always looking to blame someone else for his own troubles.”
Jillian was silent a minute. “I think maybe I was too hard on him. He wanted so badly to do well in college.”
“He was smart enough to do it without cheating. He said to tell you hello, by the way. You could always look him up when you get back to the islands.”