Chapter 20
The school had decided to take the graduation ceremony outside, and it was a magnificent day for it. The warm tropical air brushed across Caitlin’s skin as she reflected over the past few weeks. It was a relief that the intensive program was at an end, but until she held the diploma in her hand she couldn’t celebrate. Her palms felt clammy and she wiped them on the uniform jacket. Yesterday she had visited the school director and informed him of the grading mistake. But he dismissed her concerns as if she were some deluded child. When she woke this morning, she decided that it was wrong for her to claim the job at Signatures. After convocation, she planned to visit Phil Wekiu and tell him that she couldn’t take the position. With luck, he would understand where she was coming from.
Caitlin scanned the crowd in the hopes of spotting Jessie and Maya. The sisters had dropped her off at the school earlier, saying that they needed to run an errand. By now they would be seated in the audience somewhere. Unfortunately, she couldn’t see much through the stream of people walking around on the green lawn. Music blasted from the speakers as the keiki raced around, feeding on the electric energy already in the air. Laughter and shouts of congratulations surrounded her. Each student was dressed in their crisp white uniforms, their toques angled proudly on their heads. Colorful, vibrant leis adorned the necks of graduating students.
It was too early to take their places, but when the time came, they would line up and be seated in the appropriate rows. Standing on her tippy toes, she spied Jane who stood with a group of her friends. At the same time, her friend noticed her.
“Caitlin!” she squealed. She ran over to Caitlin and pulled her into a tight hug. “We did it!” she laughed. “We survived these five hellish weeks. Halfway into the program, I thought I wasn’t going to make it.”
“Yep, it was rough, that’s for sure,” she grinned. “But look at us now. We’re getting our diplomas!” Caitlin turned to scan the campus grounds. The sun was shining and a strong breeze rustled the fronds of the nearby palms. “I’m really going to miss this place.”
“Me too,” Jane said.
Caitlin started to say something else when someone tapped her on the shoulder.
“Hey, can I talk with you for a second?”
Jane looked past her shoulder, and her voice suddenly became awkward. “Um, I should probably get back to the gang.”
But Caitlin hardly heard her friend. She turned her head and saw Jason’s handsome face. Her heart stopped for a split second before it jump-started and began thudding anew. Only he could affect her like this. Until now, she wasn’t aware of how much she’d missed him. But while she loved him, she obviously she couldn’t trust him.
The thought of his deceptive ways suddenly killed the thrill of seeing him. At the memory, her body tensed and all the pain and anger he caused stirred within her breast once again. If they were alone, she might have attacked him. Luckily for him, there were too many people present, and she didn’t want to ruin convocation for her classmates.
“You have one second,” she said, her voice cold. “Start talking.”
“It wasn’t supposed to happen like this,” he said. “I only meant to secure the job placement for you.”
“So you didn’t think I could do it on my own.”
He let out a sigh. “There were so many variables that could’ve gone wrong.”
“You stole whatever esteem I’d built,” she said with simmering anger. “You made me feel inadequate, like all I did and achieved was a sham. And you did it for your own selfish reason.”
“I’m sorry you feel that way.” His face twisted with pain and remorse. “But I had to make a deal with the director because that was the only way I could secure the job placement for you.”
“That doesn’t make what you did right.” She had enough of him and his lies, and started to move away from him.
“Caitlin, believe me. I never meant to upset you,” he caught her arm. “Can you forgive me?”
His eyes bored into hers, but she didn’t want to give in to his pleading. He deserved to be as miserable as she felt. Though she found periods of happiness with him, the suffering she experienced afterward was too great. She could no longer handle it.
“I have to go,” she said, pulling at her arm.
He slackened his grip, and she walked away without a backward glance. She was determined to thrust Jason from her mind. As she reached the line of students, Caitlin scanned the back rows to search for her friends. Jessie saw her and waved. She started to raise her hand in return when she paused. Her mouth fell open, and she was momentarily struck dumb. Her grandparents were sitting in the audience with huge smiles on their faces. Suddenly all the dark feelings that she felt vanished into the warm island air.
Caitlin broke away from her classmates and rushed over to them, not caring that she broke protocol. “What are you guys doing here?” she asked as she folded them into a fierce embrace. It was so long since she last saw them.
“That nice young man you spoke with said that we won tickets to your commencement,” her grandmother said, pointing in the direction that Caitlin had come.
“Tickets?” she asked, her mind going blank. “What tickets?”
“She won them from a contest,” her grandfather explained. “It’s a good thing your grandma enters so many. Otherwise, we’d never be here.”
“Yes, and now you’re here to see me get my degree,” Caitlin said, forcing a smile to her lips. She narrowed her eyes at Jessie and Maya, and pulled them aside. “The two of you knew about this, didn’t you?”
“Guilty,” Jessie said, although there was no trace of guilt on her face. “When Jason told me he wanted to bring your grandparents over, I swiped their number from your phone, and gave it to him.”
“Then when they arrived at the airport, we went with Jason to pick them up,” Maya added.
“That was the errand you had to run this morning.”
Jessie smiled. “Jason wanted to surprise you.”
Caitlin let out a groan as understanding came to the fore. She was wrong about Jason all this time. Although he had wealth and privilege, he was also kind, generous and sweet. Her pride prevented her from seeing this. Was he ever going to forgive her?
“So what are you waiting for?” Jessie asked, gently nudging her forward. “Go get him.”
“You’re right,” she said, breaking out of her agonized stupor. “I should go see him.”
Taking off, she ran to where she last saw Jason. But he was no longer there. Just when she was about to give up her search, she spied his imposing form. He was in line, chatting with a classmate in front of him as he waited to be seated.
Caitlin maneuvered around the crush of students and hurried over to him.
“Jason, can I talk to you in private?” she asked. “It’s important.”
He broke off his conversation and looked over at her, surprised to find her at his side. Taking a deep breath, she braced herself in case he rejected her request. If he refused to go with her, then she would be forced to speak to him in front of their schoolmates.
To her relief, Jason left the line and followed her to the edge of the landscaped lawn.
“Commencement will start at any minute, but this can’t wait. I have to know. Why did you do it?” she said. “You must have known that it was wrong to manipulate the marks.”
“You’re right. I cheated and I lied.” Taking her hand, he looked down as he traced his thumb along the base of her palm. “But it was for you, Caitlin. I did it because I love you. Normally I don’t go around saying —”
“Wait.” Her heart stopped. “You love me?”
Jason looked up. “Yeah, I do,” he said, sincerity and warmth reflecting in his depths. “I fell for you when we ran into each other at the registrar’s office. And since then I couldn’t get you out of my mind.”
He was telling the truth, she realized. Suddenly all the suppressed feelings of desire and tenderness rushed to the surface.
“I love you too, Jason,” she said softly. She reached up and lightly ran her fingers along the stubble on his jaw. “I just never knew how much until now.”
Framing his face with her palms, she went on her tippy toes, and pressed a hard kiss on his masculine lips. In response, his arms wrapped around her, pulling her into his lean, solid length. His warm, manly scent enveloped her as he took control of the kiss, gentling it as if he had all the time in the world. His tongue swept against hers, his contact charged with passion and heat that carried her away to intoxicating heights. She closed her eyes, allowing the overwhelming, blissful fever to sweep through her. Time seemed to stand still, and the noise of the crowd behind them faded into nothingness. It felt so right to be in his strong arms, to be drunk on the feelings of love, joy, and acceptance. She’d never felt anything like this but knew that this was where she belonged.
But then the sound of excited voices grew, penetrating her brain. Caitlin opened her eyes in time to see the school administrator directing the graduating students to their chairs. She reluctantly broke away from Jason. “It looks like the ceremony is starting. We should probably find our seats.”
“We should,” he said, although he made no attempt to loosen his hold.
But she didn’t mind. If it were up to her, she would stay in his arms forever. “Thank you for bringing my grandparents to Hawaii,” she said. “It means a lot to me.”
“It was nothing.” A smattering of clapping sounded behind them, and Jason finally let her go. Placing a possessive arm around her shoulders, he steered her toward the cluster of people.
“For the record, you achieved those high grades on your own. When Molowa informed me on exam day that the recipes that we practiced weren’t on the finals, I planned to tell you. But when I spoke with you, I saw you were more prepared than I expected. In the end, I decided to leave it.”
Caitlin fell silent as she listened to his explanation. “Then my exam result wasn’t rigged.”
“No, far from it,” his eyes danced with amusement. “As much as I tried to influence the outcome, you got the top marks on your own merit.”
The awful tightness that had lingered inside her chest dispersed. “Then I’m a real cook with actual talent,” she said slowly.
“Yes, you’re one hell of a cook. I spoke to my old man, and despite what happened, I hope you’ll consider working at Signatures. He would definitely benefit having you on his staff.”
The idea suddenly became appealing again. She would work in a premiere kitchen and learn as much as she could until she reached the next level. But then her thoughts turned to him, and her happiness faded slightly.
“What about you?” she slipped her arm around his waist as they moved closer to the assembly. “I’m sure you want the job as much as I do.”
“Not anymore. I plan to open a small bakery and grow it from scratch.” He squeezed her shoulder. “You’ve inspired me, Caitlin. I know you’re going to reach great heights, and I aim to do the same.”
She stared out at the sea of new chefs in their crisp white uniforms and toques. Their excitement and eagerness permeated the air. Each of the graduating students would go out and make delicious food for the masses, and her heart swelled at the possibilities that lay before them. She knew that she would try her damnedest to push for success, just as she knew that Jason would push for his.
Tipping her face up to Jason, she grinned. “The two of us — we’re going to be amazing!” And this was true in more ways than one.
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Kiana Lee x