“She is a bit intense.”He thought that was an understatement but didn’t comment.Debra sat down on one of the many stools that were around the breakfast bar in the kitchen.“Do you really think that I’m going to be all right?I don’t mean just at the ball thing that I’m required to go to.I mean, in general, am I going to be all right?”
“You’re young and healthy, always two things that help out in any illness.But you’re not giving up because you’ve had two heart attacks.Some people would.If you take care of yourself and make sure that you’re doing what we tell you, you’ll live another seventy or more years.”He sat down when she offered him a place beside her.“Worrying won’t help either.You have enough stress as it is without adding to it.This thing with Phil?You should just let Axel handle it for you.He’s good at what he does, as I’m sure you are.And if it gets to be too much, tell him.He’ll know enough to stop where he is and help you out.”
“I don’t want to be pampered all my life, but I feel like that’s what I’m doing to myself.”He shook his head and told her that she was getting used to something new.“That’s true.I find myself reading labels on things before I put them into my cart.”
“Good.More people should do that, too.”They talked about the ball a little bit, and he was glad that he’d asked her what sort of tie it really was.She told him how she was wearing a formal gown and that if he had one, a tux would be great.“I just so happen to have one.Mom had us all buy one when we started going out more.She said you’d never know when you had a need for one, and she’s right.But then she usually is.”
“I like your family.They get along so well.I’ve never gotten along with mine.My grandda only left me the firm because I was the only one who was an attorney.He didn’t care all that much that I was a woman, too.I’m hoping that Axel can get Phil to return all the things that he stole from me in a timely manner.I have no place to live as of tomorrow.Nor do I have a job to go to.”He told her that there was a condo in his area that was open.“I have nothing to put in it.I’m about as broke as I’ve ever been in college with student loans out the ass.”
“I can help you out.And don’t say no until you hear me out.Axel is going to be able to get everything back for you, and you can pay me back then.Axel is that good.”She said she really didn’t know how long that was going to be.“I’m fine with helping you.In fact, it would be my pleasure to help you out.I feel like a knight in shining armor right now.”
They talked about what she would need, and he told her that he had a spare bed that he wasn’t using, as he was looking for a house too.She told him that she’d had her heart set on a house as well, but with all this going on with Phil, she didn’t know how long that was going to take either.Things were up in the air until she could get the money and the firm back from Phil.
“He’s always been a person who messed things up.If things were perfectly laid out and he agreed with them, he’d find some way to mess it up so that it’s all fucked.He’s been like that my entire life.”She did her breathing again, and he took her hand into his.“That’s nice.I needed that.Thank you.”
“Again, it’s my pleasure.You’re very easy to talk to.And I’m glad that I got to know you.How about I take you over to the condo now, and you can have a look around?It’s right on the way to your home, where you’re staying.”She told him that she only had one more night in the place before they were going to come in and clean it up for the next person.“That’s fast.I guess there is a lot of that going around.Housing is so short around here.”
“I know.I’ve been trying to find a small rental until things are taken care of, and that’s not going to happen.I do want to see the condo if you have time.I could surely use some good news.”They got up to leave, and Penrod gave him a thumbs-up.Kahana did feel good about taking her home.
Chapter 2
Debra thought that the condo was too small, but she was going to take it.It was the first thing that she’d been able to look at since she’d been searching.With the little bit of furniture that she was going to get, just a bed and a dresser, she would be fine for the next several months until Axel got her things squared away with her Grandfathers estate.
“I’m going to bring over the spare bed in my other bedroom for you to use.It’s a queen, but big enough for you to start out with.”She said she’d take it.“Good.There’s a dresser that goes with it that my brothers are going to come over and help me move.Mom has some dishes and such, you can have too, that she was going to donate to the local Goodwill.”
“This is what I mean when I said you guys are the best.”He said they were just helping out a friend.“A friend that you barely know.I appreciate it more than you can understand.I thought that I was going to be living out of a box by this time tomorrow.”
“We’d never let that happen to you.Even if we barely know you, you’re still a good friend.And someone that we all like.”She wanted to be held by Kahana, but there was a knock at the front door.“That’ll be my family.They said they’d be right over, and I guess they weren’t kidding.”
The place was much smaller feeling with them all in it.Once Kahana and two of his brothers went next door to his place, they were taking the bed apart, and it didn’t feel much better.It wasn’t until Katie, Kahana’s mom, took her into the kitchen area that she felt better.Smiling at the woman for understanding, she looked at the box of dishes that she’d brought to her.
“I got them on sale once, thinking that I’d change out our everyday stuff.But it’s only a four-place setting set, so that wouldn’t work.I have a few pots and pans for you, as well as a box of silverware that has been just sitting around the house for years.It’s still good, but again, I never got around to changing it out.”
By the time they all left around midnight, she was exhausted.However, she had everything she needed to live on her own for the next several months.Axel assured her that it wouldn’t be that long—with the exception of food.And since she now had a place to live, getting food wouldn’t have been as daunting as it might have been less than twenty-four hours ago.She was going to pay it forward as they told her to do as soon as she could.Good people were hard to find nowadays, and she thought that she’d found the best of the best in the Hathaways.
When Kahana left a little after one, she made her way to the bedroom.The bed was a perfect fit in the room, and she was going to bring her clothing over tomorrow to put them away in the nice big dresser.Things were looking up for her, and she was so happy.Getting into the nice, clean bed, she thought of all the things that she was going to do to pay back the Hathaways.First and foremost, she was going to thank them for the rest of her life.She owed them everything.
Getting up the next morning, she felt better than she had in months.She was refreshed and feeling like a new person.After her shower, she decided to treat herself to something to eat out and then get herself some food.She wouldn’t know how she could have done it without help.Just as she was going out the door, Kahana was there with coffee and muffins.He said that he’d gotten her a mixed berry and himself a chocolate chip.She was suddenly starving to death.
After eating with him, she felt like she was too full to shop, and thought it was a good time to shop, so she didn’t overshop.She might have a place to call her own, but she was just one person and didn’t eat all that much.Kahana offered to drive her as he had some things that he needed to pick up as well.She was glad for the company and told him so.
The two of them did a good job of not overspending.She really did read the labels and was glad that he was there to answer questions about some of the ingredients that were in the food she wasgetting.He told her fresh was the best, and she took him up on that.Buying what she needed in the produce area had her cart full of things that she loved and would be good for her.
After getting things put away when they were finished, she went to talk to Axel about the things that were going on with Phil.He was still in jail, and it looked like he was going to be there for a while.She was glad for it.Having him lurking around all the time scared her.He wasn’t a nice person.
Axel told her what he’d been able to find out.The firm in charge of reading the will was being sued by her as well, and they wanted to settle.She thought it was a good idea, but Axel warned her that there might be more money if she were to wait until it went to trial.Agreeing with him, he said that he’d get back with them as soon as tomorrow.The settlement wasn’t nearly what she thought it should be, and she was glad that he’d suggested she wait.They had done her wrong, and they were going to have to pay for it.
After getting her signature on some paperwork, the two of them talked about what she should expect next.It was all things that she knew were going to happen, but she was glad for Axel’s input.He had more experience than she did about this sort of thing, and she was glad that he was on her side.She’d never win if he were on the other side of the table from her; she just knew it.
Going back to her home, she decided to take a nap.She’d been doing that a great deal since she’d gotten out of the hospital, and she felt better when she got up.Lying down on the bed, her mind seemed to be centered on Kahana, and she had to smile.She wondered what he would think if he knew that he was the first person she thought of in the morning and the last person she thought of when she went to bed.Her naps were no different in that she thought of him all the time.
When she woke up, she checked her phone and saw that she had one missed call.Since it was Kahana, she listened to the voicemail and decided that having dinner with him tonight sounded good.Calling him back, she got his own voicemail and left a message telling him she’d love to have dinner with him tonight.Not ten seconds after she closed the connection, he called her back.
“I’m working on something at work and might be able to get off earlier than I planned.How does pizza and cola sound?You can treat yourself to that once in a while, but don’t make a habit of it.”She told him that it sounded good.“Good.I’ll pick you up at four unless something else comes up.It’s been a pretty slow day, but I’ll call you if things pick up.Are you resting like you should be?”
“I was taking a nap when you called me.”He told her that she needed to do that all the time.When she was tired, she needed to just go to sleep.It was the best medicine for her.“I agree.I feel so much better when I get up.Like I’ve been given a new outlook on life.”
“Good for you.”After hanging up with him, she took a shower.She’d had one this morning, but she wanted to be fresh when they had their date.She had a date with Penrod tomorrow night and wasn’t looking forward as much as she had been.Hanging out with Kahana had been the highlight of her week, and she didn’t know what to do about her upcoming date with his brother.
