Maui Widow Waltz (Islands of Aloha Mystery Series) by JoAnn Bassett Read Free Book Online Page A

fireman would break a leg.
    “Nope. Nothing that impressive. I
got sideswiped while we were working a wreck out on the Pi’ilani Highway. Guy
in a pick-up blew right by the flagger. His bumper snagged my turnouts and he
dragged my ass about thirty yards.”
    “Whoa. I hope they got the license
number.”
    “Oh yeah. The on-scene cop was on
him like Bubba at a luau.”
    “So, how long you going to be laid
up?”
    “The doc says I should be back to
light duty work by the end of the month. In a couple more days the shoulder
should be healed enough I can use crutches.” He pointed to his left arm which
was wrapped tight against his body with a giant elastic bandage.
    “Well, no rush. You’re more than
welcome to my bedroom for as long as it takes.”
    “Huh. Too bad I’m a crip. That’s
the best offer I’ve had in months.” His eyes crinkled as he smiled.
    I nodded and smiled back at his
flattery, even though I knew my bedroom—with me in it, anyway—would hardly make
his top ten list of good times. I glanced over at Steve to see if he was
annoyed by Hatch’s phony come-on, but he just grinned as if he was thrilled to
see the step-kids getting along so good. 
    That night, Steve knocked himself
out making a complicated chicken curry with all the condiments. He served it
with jasmine rice and a gorgeous Kula greens salad with tomatoes and balsamic
dressing. He’d bought a chewy loaf of artisan bread at the Hale Kai Bakery,
which must have drained all the cash in his wallet. If he was trying to impress
his potential new boyfriend with his domestic skills, I’d say he more than
succeeded.
    We ate in the living room so Hatch
could stay put on the sofa. It took some maneuvering to get a dinner tray to
stay in his lap since his inert arm was in the way. When I cleared the dishes
after dinner it seemed Hatch’s smile seemed a little forced and his forehead
sported a couple of deep furrows I hadn’t noticed earlier.
    “Thanks guys,” he said. “Sorry I’m
not better company, but I’m still wiped out from the pain meds. Dinner was
great. We don’t get much in the way of fancy food down at the firehouse. It’s
mostly spaghetti or chili, and we hardly ever get to finish before we’re called
out again, so this was pretty swank for me.” He shot me a look and added, “But
don’t worry, Pali. I’ll still be out of your hair as soon as I can get up off
my sorry butt.”
    “No worries,” I said. “Is your room
all set up?” I turned to Steve, since he would have been the one who’d hauled
in Hatch’s things.
    “Yep, his abode is ready for
occupancy,” he said. “You want some help getting in there, Hatch?”
    “Thanks, maybe later. Is that the
only TV?” Hatch nodded at the ancient twenty-four inch set in the corner.
    “Yeah, sorry. We’re not big TV
watchers,” I said.
    “Well if it’s okay with you guys,
I’d like to watch a little basketball before turning in.”
    “No problem,” said Steve. “I’ll be
down in a while to help you get to bed.”
    I thought it was sweet of Steve to
be so gallant, but figured there was probably an ulterior motive at work. Hatch
was definitely what I’d call a “man’s man” and Steve appeared utterly smitten.
    I went upstairs to the spare room
and read for a while, but once I’d turned out the light I found it hard to
sleep on the pull-out sofa bed. I tossed and turned, wondering about Lisa
Marie’s motives. Would she prove Farrah wrong and cancel now that the Coast
Guard had abandoned their search? Or would she bull ahead, insisting that Brad
was going to magically catapult from the ocean like some geek Silver Surfer?
And what if he doesn’t show up? I was pretty sure a proxy marriage by Power of
Attorney wouldn’t be legally binding in Hawaii, or in any other state, so how
could she claim to be his widow?
    The next morning, I got up at first
light and took a quick shower before heading down to the kung fu center. I
hadn’t worked out in almost a