couple. Daro smiled as politely as his partner, but like Grace, he looked tense as a drawn bowstring, pale under his Hawaiian skin. Bella, the same, as if she didn’t know whether to run or stay.
Claire looked from Bella to Daro Kai again, and then back. Realization struck again, this time with sledgehammer force. Holy hula skirts. Bella had this man’s eyes.
“Claire.” It was Zane, back in his Hawaiian shirt and shorts, one hand on the back of her chair. “Why don’t you come and eat with me? I’ll introduce you to some more of the cousins.”
Claire looked at Bella, who nodded solemnly. “Okay,” Claire said. “Sure, why not? Nice to meet you both.”
The two men rose as she did. “Very nice to meet you too, Claire,” said Daro Kai. “I hope to see you again.”
Claire followed Zane through the crowd.
“So, is he who I think he is?” she murmured.
He looked at her over his shoulder. “Yeah. Tina says they just need a little time, okay?”
She nodded and stopped with him beside a table nearly full of people. One of whom was Daniel Ho’omalu. He was dressed again in shirt and shorts, darn the luck, but she still felt a zing of delight low in her middle, just being near him.
“Hey, everyone,” Zane said cheerfully. “This is Claire. Claire, this is Zoe, Kanu, Lalei, and of course you know Daniel.”
Claire slid into the chair that Daniel held for her, his face impassive.
“Yes, I do.” And maybe with his cousins around, she could get him to loosen up.
“Thanks for inviting me to join you,” she said. “Your dancing was fabulous—all of you. It must be so great to have such a family, um, hobby.”
Lalei tossed her head, flipping her glossy hair over one shoulder. “Hula is hardly a hobby.”
Claire took a swig of the nearest drink, a beer. “Pastime?” she asked, her brow knit. “Exercise plan?”
“Tradition,” Daniel said dryly.
Claire batted her eyes at him over her glass. “Oh, thank you, Daniel. I do want to say it correctly.”
His eyes narrowed in a look that said he had her number. Well, so what? His cousin Lalei was a pill. Claire took another drink of beer.
“You’re not drinking?” she asked him, licking the foam from her lip. His eyes fell to her mouth, and she forgot to breathe.
He raised one heavy brow. “Little hard to do when you just snagged my beer.”
Claire froze, looked at the half-empty glass, then back at him. “Oops,” she said, a giggle of embarrassment bubbling up.
“I’ll bring you another one,” she offered, looking back toward the tiki bar. “Where’s the keg?”
“Nah, I’ll get it,” he said. “Zane, Kimo, you ready for another?”
“I’m hungry,” Zane said plaintively. “Let’s go get some dinner first.”
“See you later,” Lalei said, rising. “I’m going to sit with the governor and his wife.”
Claire blinked. Okay, the other woman had scored major points with that one. The governor of Oregon hadn’t attended any of her own family functions, as far as Claire knew.
The other Ho’omalus were friendly and chatty, unlike Lalei. And maybe it was their influence, but Daniel Ho’omalu relaxed as well.
Claire listened, charmed, as he teased his younger cousin Zoe.
“You don’t eat enough to keep a nene alive,” he told her after they had all made their way through the buffet line and returned to the table with plates of food.
The slender teen made a face of horror at Daniel’s two plates piled high with pulled pork, bread, salads, rice and fruit.
“If I ate like you, they’d have to roll me out to the car,” she retorted.
He shrugged. “If I ate like you, I’d be skin and bones. Oh, wait, that’s what you are.”
She tossed her hair back, smiling smugly. “I’m a size three.”
Zane and Kimo began a lively discussion of their last day of surfing off some point. Zoe joined in.
Daniel glanced at Claire’s plate, considerably more full than Zoe’s. She stopped chewing, her cheeks hot. She
Claire looked from Bella to Daro Kai again, and then back. Realization struck again, this time with sledgehammer force. Holy hula skirts. Bella had this man’s eyes.
“Claire.” It was Zane, back in his Hawaiian shirt and shorts, one hand on the back of her chair. “Why don’t you come and eat with me? I’ll introduce you to some more of the cousins.”
Claire looked at Bella, who nodded solemnly. “Okay,” Claire said. “Sure, why not? Nice to meet you both.”
The two men rose as she did. “Very nice to meet you too, Claire,” said Daro Kai. “I hope to see you again.”
Claire followed Zane through the crowd.
“So, is he who I think he is?” she murmured.
He looked at her over his shoulder. “Yeah. Tina says they just need a little time, okay?”
She nodded and stopped with him beside a table nearly full of people. One of whom was Daniel Ho’omalu. He was dressed again in shirt and shorts, darn the luck, but she still felt a zing of delight low in her middle, just being near him.
“Hey, everyone,” Zane said cheerfully. “This is Claire. Claire, this is Zoe, Kanu, Lalei, and of course you know Daniel.”
Claire slid into the chair that Daniel held for her, his face impassive.
“Yes, I do.” And maybe with his cousins around, she could get him to loosen up.
“Thanks for inviting me to join you,” she said. “Your dancing was fabulous—all of you. It must be so great to have such a family, um, hobby.”
Lalei tossed her head, flipping her glossy hair over one shoulder. “Hula is hardly a hobby.”
Claire took a swig of the nearest drink, a beer. “Pastime?” she asked, her brow knit. “Exercise plan?”
“Tradition,” Daniel said dryly.
Claire batted her eyes at him over her glass. “Oh, thank you, Daniel. I do want to say it correctly.”
His eyes narrowed in a look that said he had her number. Well, so what? His cousin Lalei was a pill. Claire took another drink of beer.
“You’re not drinking?” she asked him, licking the foam from her lip. His eyes fell to her mouth, and she forgot to breathe.
He raised one heavy brow. “Little hard to do when you just snagged my beer.”
Claire froze, looked at the half-empty glass, then back at him. “Oops,” she said, a giggle of embarrassment bubbling up.
“I’ll bring you another one,” she offered, looking back toward the tiki bar. “Where’s the keg?”
“Nah, I’ll get it,” he said. “Zane, Kimo, you ready for another?”
“I’m hungry,” Zane said plaintively. “Let’s go get some dinner first.”
“See you later,” Lalei said, rising. “I’m going to sit with the governor and his wife.”
Claire blinked. Okay, the other woman had scored major points with that one. The governor of Oregon hadn’t attended any of her own family functions, as far as Claire knew.
The other Ho’omalus were friendly and chatty, unlike Lalei. And maybe it was their influence, but Daniel Ho’omalu relaxed as well.
Claire listened, charmed, as he teased his younger cousin Zoe.
“You don’t eat enough to keep a nene alive,” he told her after they had all made their way through the buffet line and returned to the table with plates of food.
The slender teen made a face of horror at Daniel’s two plates piled high with pulled pork, bread, salads, rice and fruit.
“If I ate like you, they’d have to roll me out to the car,” she retorted.
He shrugged. “If I ate like you, I’d be skin and bones. Oh, wait, that’s what you are.”
She tossed her hair back, smiling smugly. “I’m a size three.”
Zane and Kimo began a lively discussion of their last day of surfing off some point. Zoe joined in.
Daniel glanced at Claire’s plate, considerably more full than Zoe’s. She stopped chewing, her cheeks hot. She
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