May (Calendar Girl #5) by Audrey Carlan Read Free Book Online Page B

from work. I’m showing her around the island and sharing our culture while she’s here. Mia, this is my mother, Masina.”
    “Um, I thought her name was Tina?”
    They both laughed, Tai’s a throaty one I felt coil through my body making even my toes curl in delight, but his mother chuckled sweetly. “ Tina is mother in Samoan. My children use our language when addressing someone of our culture.”
    I waved a hand and I could feel the skin of my cheeks flame as I responded. “Oh, sorry. I haven’t been around anyone who spoke Samoan before Tai. It’s nice to meet you Mrs. Niko.” I put my hand out and she grabbed it lightly then tugged me in to her arms. Then she softly kissed each of my cheeks and then my forehead. Her hands cupped my cheeks, her thumbs pressed against my temples. “You are very lost and on a great journey. Never fear. You will find great joy in the experience before committing to your forever.”
    At this point, a small breeze could have knocked me over. I stood there stock-still, incapable of moving or really responding. The best I could come up with was an, “Uh.”
    “ Tina ...” He chastised his mother, then pulled me into his side. “Mother has a bit of a spiritual way about her. She’s been blessed with sight.”
    “Sight?” I clenched tighter onto the side of his body and glanced at the lovely woman.
    He nodded begrudgingly, and she patted my shoulder. “Everything will be as it should, Mia. Do not let my boy mix up your forever with his. Sadly, they are not linked.” At that time, she frowned, puffing out her thin lips. “You have but a short time, make it last.” And then she smiled brightly; her wide nose and high rounded cheekbones made her seem ethereal.
    Tai sighed. “Mia is not my girlfriend. We are friends spending time together for a month and working together.”
    Masina nodded. “I know, pure heart. Do not expect more, for it is not to be yours.” Her tone was dead serious. A mother’s warning, definitely one we should heed. “Now go,” she flicked her fingers out effectively excusing us. “I have much to do for dessert.”
    Tai looped an arm over my shoulder and led me out back again. By this time, I’d sucked up the remains of drink number two and was passionately needing a third. I shook my glass and we hit the open bar where tall see-through jugs sat filled with the strawberry colored liquid.
    ***
    Back at the bungalow after way too many Lilikoi’s Passion’s, we sat out on the beach, toes and bums in the sand, dark ocean the only sound around. The waves crashed hard against the shore, the white foam and silky ocean reflecting a perfectly bright moon. The ocean seemed endless from where we sat, the murky depths ready to swallow us whole at any time. I loved and feared the ocean in equal parts. It was something I had a great deal of respect for. It was also something I never underestimated.
    I leaned back on my forearms and crossed my ankles looking at the shirtless man next to me. “What do all the tattoos mean?” I asked.
    “All of them mean something, girlie. Which spot in particular has your attention?” His eyes were as dark as the ocean behind him but not as scary. I could willingly be taken prisoner into those beautiful black pits.
    Sitting up, I traced the sun burst on his shoulder, allowing the point of my finger to caress each ray of light. Goosebumps rose on the surface of skin I touched.
    “That was my first. It was an incredible honor. In my culture, the sun typically stands for riches, brightness, grandeur, and leadership. For me, the way the rays reach out across my heart show my desire to lead with my heart. To be rich in the ways of love like my Tama . And one day, I hope to serve as a great man at the head of my business and my family. Again, like my Tama . That is why I asked my father to share it.”
    “That’s really special.”
    Tai’s chest shifted and puffed out more as he inhaled. “In the way of Samoans, if you want to