Love on the Rebound
Conflicting emotions churned in Everly’s gut as she clutched Jordan’s hand and began walking in the direction of the baggage claim. On the one hand, she was happy to be spending Christmas in Hawaii with Jordan … away from the hectic hustle and bustle of her everyday life … and away from the long arm of Roland and his cronies. On the other hand, she dreaded what she might find here.
From the moment she received the disturbing call from Benny Kai, a private investigator, looking into her late husband Mitchell’s death, Everly instinctively knew she could only gain true peace by eventually coming here. Benny claimed there was a man living on the island whom he suspected to be Mitchell. He asked Everly to send him a picture of Mitchell for verification and promised he would call her back as soon as he received it.
She never heard from him again. She called Benny back at the number he’d called her from. But she wasn’t able to leave a message because his voicemail was full. Everly called a few more times until she finally got a recording telling her the number had been disconnected.
Not knowing what else to do, she Googled Benny and came across the website for his business. She called the number listed, but it was also disconnected. The frustrating part was that she’d been so shocked by Benny’s call that she’d not thought to ask the name of the man he presumed to be her deceased husband. So, she had nothing to go on. The whole thing was absurd. She wouldn’t have given any credence to it whatsoever, but her best friend DeAnna swore up and down that she saw Mitchell at a restaurant in Honolulu while on vacation.
Five years ago, Mitchell went scuba diving with a work associate and friend in Lake Tahoe. They were on the lake’s west side, near Rubicon Point, in an area where the lake plunges 1600 feet or more. As the pair began their ascent, Mitchell experienced difficulty with his equipment and began sinking. Paul, his companion, tried to help but was running out of air and had to resurface. Mitchell’s body was never found. Coming to terms with the death of her husband had been grueling, especially without the closure of his remains. For months, Everly half-expected Mitchell to walk through the door any minute. When Jordan was born, she poured her heart and soul into him, and that helped ease the pain. But she was still having those wretched nightmares, where she was in the lake with Mitchell, watching him plunge to his death.
During those torturous months when she was grieving Mitchell’s death, his business partner Roland Watson had been her rock. He was solicitous and kind, coming to her aid whenever she needed him. More importantly, Roland took an interest in Jordan. Everly and Roland’s relationship developed until marriage was the next logical step. At first, their marriage had been idyllic, at first. He legally adopted Jordan and treated him as his own child.
Everly thought life gave her a second chance at happiness, until she discovered that Roland was having multiple affairs. Again, her world came crashing down. She went through a heart-wrenching divorce that granted Roland visitation rights to see Jordan. Roland was an influential attorney in Charleston, South Carolina. There were few things he couldn’t get. He kept close tabs on Everly and Jordan, to the point of stalking and determinedly ran off every possible suitor that came near her.
Just when she felt the situation was pushing her to the breaking point, she got the call from Benny telling her Mitchell might still be alive.
Everly’s first impulse was to drop everything and fly to Oahu that minute, but that wasn’t possible.
She had responsibilities—a demanding full-time job, her five-year-old son, and a mama with cancer to look after. Her mama Florence needed Everly to take her to weekly radiation and chemotherapy treatments. The day after Everly received Benny Kai’s call, her mama was hospitalized for two weeks due to her weakened condition.
Miraculously, Florence survived treatment and was now in remission. So, several months later, Everly decided to visit Hawaii during the holidays.
What did she hope to find here? Closure, maybe? Was Mitchell still alive? Had he been living another life all these years?
It took her years to come to terms with his death, and now? Now she felt betrayed … angry. If Mitchell faked his death, that meant he deserted her … left her alone to fend for herself while she was pregnant. And it also meant she’d married two losers. She didn’t even want to contemplate what that said about her judgment, or lack thereof. It was, surprisingly, much easier thinking of Mitchell as dead.
She cringed. Had she really just thought that? Odds were that Mitchell did die in that diving accident. Poor Mitchell, here she was desecrating his memory.
At any rate, the bottom line was—regardless of whether Mitchell was dead or alive, she no longer loved him. Of that she was sure. Her love for him died many years ago. The two of them started having problems a few months after their marriage, and things worsened when she became pregnant with Jordan. Still, she had a hard time believing he’d fake his death and assume another life.
Jordan tugged on her hand. “Mommy, I’m hungry.”
Like most boys, Jordan was a bottomless pit. He’d eaten two packs of airline pretzels and one pack of cookies just before landing. Yet, she wasn’t the least bit surprised that he was still hungry.
“Let’s get our luggage. I’ve got some granola bars in my suitcase.”
He frowned. “But my tummy hurts,” he said, eyeing a nearby food stand.
The fragrant smell of teriyaki chicken wafted through the air making Everly’s mouth water, reminding her that Jordan wasn’t the only one who hungry.
“It won’t take us long to get the luggage. Remember what we talked about? I need you to be a big boy, okay?”
He blew out a breath. “Okay.” He switched gears. “When can we go to the beach? I want to build a sandcastle.”
The excitement in Jordan’s voice made her smile. He was a bundle of energy, and the only time he slowed down was when he was asleep. But he’d captured her heart the moment he was born—the best thing that had come from her marriage to Mitchell. “First thing in the morning, I promise.”
He scrunched his nose. “Aw, man,” he said slumping his shoulders in an exaggerated manner only a five-year-old could perfect. “I wanna do it today.” He scrunched his eyebrows together. “Please?”
“We still have to get our rental car and drive to our place. It’ll be dark by the time we get there.” As she watched disappointment cloud his features she softened. “Hey, maybe we can find a pizza place. Would you like that?”
He brightened. “Pepperoni?”
“Of course.”
He started skipping along beside her. Everly wished she had a tenth of Jordan’s energy. Of course, it helped that he’d slept on the plane. But, she didn’t. She could sleep in a car just fine. But, the moment that plane lifted off the ground she was wide-awake thinking about the empty air beneath her feet.
The journey was starting to catch up with her. Her legs felt heavy, and the straps of her backpack cut into her shoulders. Everly’s oversized bag felt like lead slung over her arm.
Her day started at 4 a.m. when she hustled Jordan out of bed before driving to the airport in Charleston. From there they flew to Atlanta, followed by a 10-hour flight here. A soft bed and pillow sounded divine, but they still had a ways to go.
According to Google Maps, it would take over an hour to get to their rental house on the North Shore. She’d booked a one-bedroom, one-bath cottage directly on Sunset Beach. Everly wanted a true Hawaiian experience, away from the touristy hotels. Plus, it would be easier to maintain a low profile, while checking into Mitchell.
Humidity pressed around Everly like a warm blanket as they walked by sections of walls, open to the outdoors, revealing lush green grass, palm trees, and bushes loaded with large, red hibiscus flowers. Coming from South Carolina, Everly was used to her share of humidity, but not this much. The sweet scent of plumeria flowers filled her senses as they passed a lei stand.
“Mommy, look!” Jordan exclaimed, pointing at the neat strands of white and pink flowers.
A pretty Polynesian girl in her mid-twenties smiled. “Aloha.”
Everly returned the smile. “Aloha.” She turned to Jordan, “The flowers are beautiful, aren’t they?”
He nodded, his bright-blue eyes wide with wonderment.
For the first time since they’d left South Carolina, Everly felt a twinge of excitement. It would be nice to soak up some sun. Dig her toes into the sand on the beach. Feel the salty breeze on her face. Play in the ocean and build sandcastles with Jordan. Tomorrow, she planned on spending most of the day on the beach. Eventually, she’d have to search for Mitchell, but she planned to put that off for a few days. She and Jordan needed some R&R. A little downtime to steel her for whatever she’d find.
Everly’s heart clutched when she saw a familiar face at baggage claim. Hot anger suffused through her as she glared at the man standing two carousels away. A panicked look came over him when he realized he’d been spotted. He ducked back and disappeared into the crowd.
Everly’s first impulse was to charge after the man, but she couldn’t very well leave Jordan standing in the airport alone. What was his name? She searched her memory? Briggs. Yes, that was it. He was on her ex-husband’s payroll. She’d seen him lurking around Roland’s office. She should’ve known Roland would have her followed.
“Ouch!” Jordan yelped. “You’re squeezing my hand.”
“Oh, honey. I’m sorry.” She relaxed her grip. Dread settled in the center of her stomach. Would she ever be able to escape Roland?
Panic steamrolled over her. She’d tried to be discreet about her travel plans. She didn’t even tell Jordan about their trip until they arrived at the airport, fearing he’d tell Roland. She’d not breathed a word to her co-workers at the fitness center. Only her mama knew. Everly only planned to be gone for two weeks. Two measly weeks! And Roland sent his guy all the way here to watch her.
A cold sweat broke over her brow. Had Roland somehow gotten wind that she was looking for Mitchell? Did he have a tracker on her phone? Was he having her followed 24/7?
She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Roland had a different woman on his arm nearly every week, and yet, he was insanely jealous about her. It was crazy!
She glanced around, trying to catch sight of the man, but he was nowhere to be found.
Even so, she knew he was nearby … watching.
