Page 13 of Soulmates

It took me twenty-five minutes to unpack, take a shower, and change into a white long sleeve linen shirt and cargo shorts. I rolled up the sleeves while walking down the stairs, my mind preoccupied with thoughts of Taylor.

I still could not figure her out, but that wasn’t my only problem. While in the shower I realized I was attracted to her in a way I had never been with anyone else, not even with Beverly when we first met. My ex-wife fucked me up real good, and it took a long time to get over that shit. Imagine the kind of hurt someone like Taylor could do to me.

I had to cut my emotions off. There was no way I was going to go there again. Besides, Taylor was half my age and my friend’s daughter.

Not gonna happen, Miles. No fucking way.

The dining area was located toward the back of the house, next to a lush garden. A few elderly guests were already seated in the long, custom-built Koa dining table, enjoying some wine and chatting softly among themselves. A large, wooden fan rotated quietly above, bringing a welcome breeze to the humid evening. I spotted John on the lawn, manning an industrial-looking barbecue grill.

Taylor was nowhere in sight.

John spotted me and waved. I made my way over, my stomach growling in protest. I realized I hadn’t eaten much the entire day.

“Smells great,” I said.

“Wait till you try it. There’s beer in that cooler next to you. Grab me one too, will you?”

I pulled out a couple of longnecks from the red and white cooler, twisted the caps off and handed one to him.

“So what’s life like on the Mainland?”

“Hectic,” I said.

John laughed. “Well, I’m glad you got some time off. So you’re only here until Sunday?”

“Yeah.”

“What’s your plan? Want me to set up some touristy things for you? Helicopter tours, that kind of stuff?”

“No, I’m good. I just want to lay low, get some quiet time.”

“You’ve come to the right place then. There’s nothing to do here except eat, drink, and of course, hike up our single, main attraction.”

“Main attraction?”

“Dude, you don’t know about our secret attraction?”

“If it’s a secret, how am I supposed to know about it?”

John laughed. “There’s a hiking trail behind this line of trees here,” he said, pointing to the wall of thick trees and bushes at the edge of the garden. “About fifty yards to the right of it is a break in the shrubs where you can enter. The trail winds up and through the mountain. Follow it for about three miles and it’ll lead you to a secluded area with a nice little waterfall.”

“Oh, cool. I might check it out tomorrow,” I said, realizing I had been glancing back at the dining hall, searching for Taylor.

What are you doing, Miles?I scolded myself. She’s off-limits.

“Alright,” John said. “Chicken’s done. Do you mind helping me bring them in? Normally Taylor is here to help, but looks like she’s a no-show.”

“Do I get a discount?”

“Your company already prepaid, so no. You can have another beer though.”

“Good enough for me.”

I grabbed another beer from the cooler, took a tray of chicken and grilled pineapples, and followed John inside. We set the food down next to a big bowl of of macaroni salad on the serving table.

“Hey everyone,” John said, addressing the small group. “Dinner is ready. Enjoy.”

John and I stepped aside and let the others get their food. When the line had cleared I loaded my plate with three pieces of chicken, a couple of slices of pineapple, a scoop of white rice, and some salad. After sprinkling a dash of furokake on my rice I made my way to the common table, sitting next to an elderly Japanese woman and her husband. John joined me a minute later.

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