Page 70 of Try Me

Because he kept the teasing note in his voice, Pearl decided to let his comment slide. She was the one who’d brought up love; it seemed to be on her mind way too much when she was with Declan.

They dressed and went outside in the rain. A short hike through the woods brought them to the grassy banks of the Wainiha River. A few hundred feet more and they would be at the beach where they were supposed to be picked up. Pearl put the thought from her mind and waded out into the river to balance on a rock.

“Be careful,” Declan shouted from the riverbank.

“Stay back,” she said. “My aim might be a little rusty.”

With Declan watching her with an eagle eye, Pearl draped the net carefully over her shoulder. The movement carried her back to her childhood when her grandfather had taken it upon himself to be her stand-in father and teach her everything he knew about the world.

Pearl’s grandfather had counted the throw net as one of his most-prized possessions. Given to him by an elder, the net had been passed down by generations of Hawaiian watermen.

Pearl took a quiet moment to honor the fish she was about to catch, just as her grandfather had taught her. Then she threw the net over her head, delighting in the way it opened in a perfect circle.

In one try, she had snared a net full of wriggling fish, each the size of her hand.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been so impressed with a woman,” Declan said when she joined him on the bank. “You were right.” He grabbed her arm and pulled her back into the cover of the tree canopy. “I’ve fallen helplessly in love with you.”

There was an odd ring of truth to his words, and the intensity in his eyes told Pearl he wasn’t kidding. His eyes flashed from cold to hot so quickly Pearl couldn’t keep up. Her heart skipped a beat.

“Declan,” she warned. “Don’t fall in love with me. I’m not that kind of woman. I don’t think I’ll ever get married and have a family. I have too much to accomplish.”

“You can’t decide my feelings, Pearl. You’re the one who took us to a new level. All this was your idea. You can’t slam the brakes on my feelings just because you don’t return them.”

“It’s not that…” She paused, searching for the words to soothe the pain on his face. “Nevermind,” she said. “Let’s just go back to the cabin and eat, okay?”

“Okay.” Declan led the way.

They had another night together. It would have to be enough. Kauai was a fantasy, but soon enough, they would be back to reality.

“We might have another day if this rain keeps up,” Declan said. “The Wainiha is running high, and I’ll bet the Hanalei is flooded. We could be stuck.”

“Stuck?”

“Things move slowly out here, as you well know, but I think it’s okay. We’ll get you back for the exhibition.” Declan pushed a branch aside for Pearl “It’s plenty of time,” he said.

Pearl turned to look at him, arching an eyebrow. “Me?” she asked. “What about you?”

Declan shrugged and put a hand on Pearl’s back, guiding her along the path.

“The Duke is the biggest competition in the world,” she said. “You can’t miss it.”

“I know.”

Something in Declan’s voice made Pearl stop and look at him. Before she could quiz him about it, Declan grabbed her hand and hurried her along the path. “Let’s get out of this rain.”

When they got back to the cabin, Declan got the generator going again. They worked together to clean and cook the half dozen green-striped manini Pearl had caught.

Declan switched on the radio and they settled down to their meal of fish and lentils. The manini was delicious pan-fried in Spam grease and salt.

Pearl ate a few bites, then put down her fork to study Declan from across the table. He hadn’t said a word while preparing dinner. Pearl thought he might be content to sit all night like that, not talking. But she couldn’t contain her curiosity any longer. “You don’t want to surf in the Duke,” she said.

Declan forked a bite of fish, chewed methodically, and swallowed. Pearl watched, impatient for his answer.

He glanced away from her probing eyes, then sighed with finality. “That’s right,” he admitted.

His gaze was sharp and guarded. He was hiding something behind those Arctic blue eyes.

“Tell me,” Pearl said.

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