Page 31 of Try Easy

Secret Beach

January22

Lou

The next morning,Lou thought for sure she would sleep late, but her body betrayed her, and she woke at 7:30. She rolled over in the bed and knocked heads with Penny, who she’d forgotten was there.

“Christ!” Penny moaned, rubbing her head. “You’ve got a hard head, woman.”

“Sorry,” Lou said, sitting up in the bed.

It took her a second to realize where she was. The light filtering into the room looked different. It was brighter and warmer than it should have been. She remembered that she was on vacation in Hawaii, staying with Penny’s cousin. Henry had relinquished his bed for Penny and Lou and had generously offered to sleep on the couch.

His house was small, consisting of a tiny kitchen and living room combination, a short hall, a bedroom, and one bathroom. What it lacked in size, it made up for in location. Two blocks away were the sparkling sands of Diamond Head Beach.

Lou swung her feet off the bed and padded across the tile floor to the window. If she leaned to the left far enough, she could just make out the blue waters of the Pacific Ocean.

She turned back to the bed and saw that Penny had gone back to sleep.

“Oh no, you don’t,” Lou said, marching over to the bed. She yanked the covers off Penny, forcing her to wake up. “This is our first day in Hawaii, and we aren’t going to miss it.”

“Ten more minutes,” Penny mumbled, reaching for the covers.

Lou shoved the covers aside. “Wake up.” She crossed the room to the door. “I’m going to see if Henry’s got any coffee, and when I get back, you better be out of that bed, missy.”

Penny groaned and sat up in the bed. “Bitch,” she said to Lou.

Lou blew a kiss to Penny and slipped into the hall. She tiptoed past the sofa where Henry had graciously spent the night. As she crept past, she saw that Henry wasn’t there. The sofa was vacant, and the blankets and pillow were stacked in a neat pile.

Lou heard a noise in the kitchen, and when she turned the corner, she found Henry standing at the sink humming to himself as he filled a kettle with water.

“Good morning,” Lou said, leaning against the door frame.

Henry turned to her with a smile. He had an open and friendly face to match his demeanor. Like Penny, Henry was a redhead. Unlike Penny, whose glorious mane of coppery-gold hair was one of her best features, Henry’s hair was an unfortunate carroty color. His face was covered with splotchy freckles a shade darker than his orange hair.

Henry had a wiry, compact build. He wasn’t much taller than Lou. She knew he made a living as a stunt man. It was dangerous work, but Henry was paid well.

“You sleep okay?” Henry asked, turning to place the kettle on the stove.

Lou nodded and stretched her arms over her head. She hadn’t even realized she’d been asleep, that’s how well she’d slept. It had been a long day of traveling. She and Penny had ended up staying up late with Henry after Bones and Keoni had dropped them off at his house.

“Thank you for giving up your bed,” she said.

“Mi casa es su casa.”

“Gracias,” Lou said with a grin.

Lou liked Henry. He was outgoing and always smiling. She already felt like she was part of his family after knowing him for one night.

“Coffee will be ready in a minute,” he said. “You want breakfast?”

Lou was starving. Her stomach growled loudly, making Henry laugh.

“I’m going to make you a Hawaiian specialty,” Henry said, reaching for a pan.

“Henry, please don’t go to any more trouble,” Lou protested. He’d already given up his bed for them, she couldn’t ask him to cook as well. “I can fix a piece of toast.”

“No way,” Henry said, grinning. “Go sit outside on the deck, and enjoy the view. I’ll bring it out to you when it’s ready.”

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