“I’m Malek.”The Hulk held out his hand.Cranky merely looked at it.
For god’s sake.Libby stepped on Dan’s foot.His hand shot out.
“Did you guys have a good flight?”Libby asked while the men’s palms barely touched.“How was Atiutaki?”
“Amazing, thank you.”Carina pushed up a smile.“Your little boy looks so much like you.How old is he?”
“He’ll be three in February.Valentine’s Day, actually.”Libby glanced at Dan.His lips were set in a firm eat-shit line.She wanted to kick him.“I guess I should’ve called him Valentino,” she continued.“But then I figured that would’ve gotten shortened to Val or Tino.Or worse still—Tiny Tino.Can you imagine?So, I…um…”
Shut up, Libby.
But no one else was talking, and her big mouth always worked overtime in sticky situations.
“You’ll just love the beaches here,” she added.“And you must try this restaurant about half a mile out that Karim and I passed the other day.It’s right on the beach overlooking the water.It looked so pretty.Why don’t you book a table for tonight, Dan?I’m sure Serita will make the reservation for you, and… Ooh, look, here’s my cab!”
The white car coming down the drive was like a white horse coming to the rescue.
And not a moment too soon.
“Well, see you around,” she said brightly.“I hope you all have a pleasant—”
Cranky’s hand touched her shoulder, and his eyes flashed, as if saying, Not so fast.
Libby swallowed.Maybe she shouldn’t have taken the lead and gone out to meet his mom like that, but Cranky would’ve just stood there otherwise, glowering in the corner.She’d only wanted to help break the ice, but had she overstepped her mark?
“Kia Orana!”
All heads turned to the main entrance, where Mr.Hehu appeared.
“Welcome toAre Moana,” he said.“Are you the other Mrs.Jones?”
“Yes.”Carina let out a little laugh.“It’s a pleasure to be back after all these years.”
As Dan’s mom began to tell Mr.Hehu that she’d visited over three decades ago, Libby took her chance to slip away from everyone and settle Karim in the cab.
Well, not everyone.
Cranky was by her side, hovering by the cab’s open door like he wanted to jump into the driver’s seat and drive the hell away.
“So, who’s gonna sleep on the sofa bed?”Mr.Hehu’s question had Dan’s head snapping back to the old man.
Carina and the Hulk spoke at once.
We didn’t know you’d come here, Danny…
We tried to book somewhere else…
So busy…
No rooms…
Libby winced up at Cranky.“The couch…”
“I’d rather sleep on a mosquito-infested beach,” he growled, then he turned to her, serious.Pleading.
“What?”she whispered.
But she knew exactly what he was going to ask.
