Chapter Five

 

The past week has been filled with interviews, background checks, and training. It’s surprising how quickly you can get people in place when everyone is motivated to achieve the same goal. I was working only part-time in the center now, with Winnie working part-time opposite the hours I worked. She refused to leave me to work full-time, so it was a good compromise while we trained the new staff. Quick thinking on my part had us applying to be a teaching center for the vocational college. Once a student finishes their studies, they need to complete eighty hours of supervised teaching in a licensed facility. If Kupid’s Play Castle is approved, we will have a steady source of assistants rotating through the center. Considering we will be open far more hours than most centers, we have plenty of opportunities for students to learn. I’m excited about the chance to be tied to the vocational college. It benefits them to have a reputable business to connect their students to, and it benefits us by giving us validation to parents and guests. We pay the students minimum wage, so our costs are considerably lower as well. We’re hoping in the process we’ll retain a few of the students as workers for the evening and weekend shifts.

Ellie and I hired two full-time teachers from the applicants we started with. Anai is twenty-four, but has been a teacher in an outside center for two years. She’s happy, bubbly, and the babies love her. We brought her in the first day to introduce her to the center, and after ten minutes she sat down on the floor and spent time with each child. She even made block towers with Bim, using hand massage to trick his little fingers into doing the tasks. She stayed the rest of the day, and came back the next day ready to go. Training her was nothing more than giving her the center’s rules and regulations, the basics of the facility, and the information on each child.

Kaleen is twenty-two and new to teaching, but with a four-year degree in early childhood special education, we were lucky to get her. She’s already talked with Lei and Niko about a plan to further Bim’s therapy and she’s only been here a week. She makes the kids happy whenever she’s in the room, and if a child is especially unhappy she cuddles, rocks, or carries them while cooing. You think she’s focused on only the child in her arms, but she’s always acutely aware of what’s going on in the rest of the room.

I couldn’t be happier with our choices and told Gideon we were lucky to get them both. Things were moving along quickly. They would move faster once I knew if we were adding an addition or using the rooms we have.

“Rosie, wait up,” called a voice and I stopped, swiveling to see Niko, Lei’s husband, jogging toward me. He came to Maui as a favor to Gideon to help them find the person after Lei, but he fell in love with her and never left. He works part-time for Gideon as his head of security. The rest of the time he works in Honolulu with the children’s hospital, making 3D braces for kids with limb disabilities. He’s also been working to find Jarrett since I arrived here.

“Hi, Niko, what’s up?” I asked, bracing the crutches on the floor to take some pressure off my leg.

He crooked a finger toward Lei’s small office, which was hidden behind the reception desk. I followed him into the room and he twisted the desk chair out for me to sit. He closed the door and sat across from me, his hands braced on his thighs.

“Is this about Jarrett?” I asked, fear spiraling in my belly. “Did you find him?”

He shook his head, his lips in a grim line. “Not yet. It’s like he’s fallen off the face of the earth. Maybe you shot him and he ran off and died somewhere.”

I shook my head. “No, not possible. There was a bullet in the wall from where my shot went wide before I passed out. There was only one other bullet missing from the gun they recovered, which is the one he put in my leg. He’s out there somewhere,” I insisted, my voice not as confident as I wanted. It wavered and shook every time I spoke of him. Last Friday I didn’t want to leave my apartment or my bed. I sat on the chair staring at the door for what seemed like hours, but I couldn’t bring myself to get up and walk out it. All I could think about was the baby I lost because its father was an animal. He or she would have been due on Friday, and I imagined what they might have looked like, how they would have felt in my arms, and how wonderful it would be to know I was a mommy. Kate and Winifred found me and, after an hour of crying, coaxing, and coffee, they convinced me spending time with the babies would help my heart heal.

My hand went to the necklace I wore. It was a small sterling silver angel, and the back was engraved with, ‘mommy of an angel’. There was a small garnet in the angel’s gown to signify January’s birthstone, the month my baby would have been born. Kate gave it to me Friday afternoon and I haven’t taken it off since. She doesn’t know how much it means to me to have someone acknowledge my child, instead of pretending he or she didn’t exist.

“I’ll keep searching, Rosie. Gideon and I won’t stop until we find him. If you haven’t noticed, he and I don’t give up easily,” he said, winking once.

Now there was an understatement if I ever heard one. When Lei was in trouble, it was Niko who figured out the people who were after her were tied to her parents’ death, and his father. It took a near drowning, a gun fight, an exploding yacht, and a few nights on a deserted island for Niko to uncover the truth. Now their little family is a huge part of Kupid’s Arrow.

“I know you won’t, and I trust you’ll do everything you can, but promise me you’ll make it the lowest priority. You have a ton of other commitments. Lei and Bim need you, too.”

He nodded. “It’s no problem. I work on it at night once Bim is in bed and when Lei is working or resting with him. Now, I brought you here for a reason and I don’t want you to get mad.”

“Oh boy,” I sighed. “What did Kate ask you to talk to me about now?” I asked.

He held his hands up and waved them. “No, she didn’t put me up to this. Interestingly enough, Sawyer is the one who approached me about it.”

“Sawyer? What is this about, Niko?” I asked perplexed.

“This is about you, or rather your leg,” he said pointing at my left leg. “I’ve noticed how your foot is slowly rotating outward and it’s making it hard for you to walk with the crutches. Sawyer has noticed too, and he’s worried because you’re in pain all the time. He asked if I had a way to keep the leg from twisting any further until you can be seen by the doctor.”

I glanced down at the offending foot. “I think it has something to do with the nerve damage, but I can’t get in to see the new doctor until next month. I’m dealing with it the best I can. Sawyer? I’m still not sure why he would approach you.” The night in my apartment when he kissed me flooded my memory. Maybe the kiss, and his desire for more, had something to do with it.

He smiled sadly and nodded, laying his hand on my arm. “I know you are, and you’re doing a great job, but I want to help you. The only condition is, I’m not a doctor, so it’s temporary and you do need to keep your appointment in Honolulu.”

I cocked my head to the left, working out in my mind what he was saying. “Of course, it’s a given. How do you think you can help?”

He reached for a briefcase and laid it on the desk, flipping open the lid. “I want to scan your leg and design a brace on the 3D printer to hold your foot in a more natural position. All you have to do is sit and let me take the measurements. I’ll send it to my lab tech in Honolulu to be made. He’ll send it back here in a few days and we’ll try it on. The material is a polymer plastic, which means I can heat it up, push out areas, cut down areas, or do whatever adjustments need to be made here without it going back to Honolulu.”

I looked down at my foot and back to him. “You’d do that for me?” I asked stunned. “I—I never thought of using a brace to hold the leg in position. Do you think it will hurt less?”

He did the so-so hand motion. “We won’t know until we try it, but my patients usually tell me it doesn’t fatigue as easily, because the brace is doing the work for the damaged nerves and muscles. Obviously, I don’t want you to wear it forever, only until you see the doctor and he can make a determination on the best course of treatment. It’s a stopgap measure to get you through and make you a little bit more comfortable. I would want you to wear it only when you’re up and about. At home keep it off, do your exercises and anything else you’ve been doing the past months.”

I laughed sarcastically. “Sure, as if those have helped at all. The damn thing is getting worse instead of better. I don’t see how it could hurt to keep the leg straight. If nothing else, it might make my hip feel better and spasm less, right?”

He nodded, an encouraging smile on his face. “If the muscles don’t have to do all the work to keep it straight, they won’t spasm as much. It will give you a more natural gait too, which will align your body and take stress off your larger joints.”

“How does it work? Like how do I wear it?” I asked.

“It will look exactly like Bim’s braces. Small, white, held on by Velcro, and slips inside your shoe. There are straps around the calf and one across the top of the foot. Dress shoes will be difficult, but I don’t think you wear those much anyway.”

I shook my head. “I’m more of a sneakers girl right now. Can I pass on the Minnesota Viking helmets on mine? They’re cute on Bim’s, but…”

He laughed and clapped his hands once. “No, you can’t. Come on, you’re from Minnesota. What’s the problem?” he asked, still laughing.

“Seriously?” I asked, my nose curled up.

“I’m kidding, Rose, but you can’t blame me for wanting my boy to cheer for the home team, even if others aren’t as full of team spirit.”

I laughed with him and rolled my eyes to the ceiling. “I’ll stick with all white, thanks. I’ll do this on one condition,” I said and he stopped laughing to pay attention. “You have to let me pay you.”

He shook his head and rolled his eyes. “Can’t you let me do this for you because I care about you and don’t want to see you in pain? It doesn’t cost me anything to diagram your leg, and the material to make the brace is under fifty bucks. If you want to reimburse the lab for materials, I’m sure they would appreciate it, but it isn’t necessary. I make these for kids all the time. A lot of parents can’t afford the ones made in orthopedic clinics, but mine are a tenth of the price. We give them an option to get the brace made for their child without breaking the bank.”

I rubbed my hands on my thighs. “Please tell your lab technician to keep track of the cost. I want to pay him for materials if nothing else. In the grand scheme of things, a hundred bucks is a drop in the bucket compared to being confined to a wheelchair or having another surgery. I’ll do whatever I can to avoid those two options.”

He rubbed his hands together. “It’s a deal. If you take your shoe and sock off I’ll do the measurements right now.” He lifted a wand out of the case and it looked like one they would use at the store to scan items. “I’m going to hook this up to my computer and as I move the wand around it will build a 3D model on the screen. Once I’m done, we’ll mark any spots that are tender or sore, so we can make sure the brace doesn’t push on them.”

“Makes sense. I’ll sit and you direct,” I said. He nodded, setting the wand down and opening his laptop which lay next to the briefcase. I leaned forward and rested my hand on his arm. “Thank you, Niko, I appreciate everything you’re doing to make my quality of life better.”

He returned my smile and patted my hand. “You’re welcome, but I think you should thank Sawyer for coming up with the idea.”

I leaned back in the chair and did an internal grimace. I had managed to avoid him all but once since the other night in my apartment. A few nights ago, he stopped me in the hall and asked if I would meet him for dinner tonight to talk about the daycare center. I told him whenever we met for dinner we never got any talking about the center done. All he did was grin, as if he didn’t care about the center, but it was a great excuse. Who was I kidding? Of course I was joining him for dinner. As Niko started mapping out my leg, I started mapping out my heart. How did I feel about Sawyer and how big of a part did I want him to play in my life? Neither question was easy to answer, unless I let my heart do the talking.

 

 

My new office was in the basement sandwiched between Ellie’s and Gideon’s. If you ask me, they put me in the tiny space to keep an eye on me and make sure I was safe. I didn’t care too much, since I wasn’t there a lot. It was temporary anyway, since my office would eventually be upstairs near the center somewhere. If only I knew where the center would be. In the meantime, my office barely had room for my desk and a chair opposite it. I didn’t need much space right now, but eventually I would want to have room for parents to come and address concerns, or talk about their child’s development privately.

There was a knock and I looked up, not surprised to see Gideon; he stopped by at least once a day. I waved him in. “What can I do for you?” I asked, holding the letter I had been reading. I shook it in the air. “I have great news.”

I held it out to him and he took it, reading it quickly before glancing back to me. “They approved us already?” he asked. His voice sounded as shocked as I felt.

“Apparently. Since we’re a center inside a business we’re the kind of facility they want to place their students in. I think the free use of the gym and pool for the students as an added bonus sweetened the pot.”

He laughed and clapped as the paper floated back to my desk. “This is excellent news. How soon can we get a student to start?”

I pointed at the paper. “The letter said to call them and they’ll place someone as soon as we’re ready. I think once we decide on the new center location we should call. Then it frees me up from having to be in the room part-time. I’ll need every second I can get to make sure we get everything up to code and all the equipment we need to make it the quality center I envision.”

He sat in the chair opposite me and dropped a folder on my desk. “Guess you better call then. Times a wasting.”

My brow went down in confusion and I opened the folder. There were full color 3D diagrams of the new center. My breath hitched in my throat when I saw how wonderful it had come together. I glanced up at him and he had a giant smile on his face. “This is fantastic.”

He motioned at the papers and rested his elbows on the desk. “I asked Niko to help me make the 3D design. I wanted to compare the two choices by getting a real-time glimpse into the spaces and how they would work best. We used the suggestions on the documents you gave me. I wanted to offer you a better idea of what it would look like when finished. This can all be reworked, of course, but I wanted you to see where the door would be, the access to outside, and the room division the way you suggested.”

I couldn’t hide my smile as I gazed at the new Play Castle rooms. “I’m secretly thrilled you decided on using the existing space. You did decide, right?”

He laughed and nodded. “Financially and logistically it doesn’t make sense to build onto the hotel. Frankly, it would be a nightmare getting the permits; we’re talking probably six months to a year just for those. I don’t want to wait two years to get this going. If we use the rooms we have, it will take three months start to finish.”

“Wow, I had no idea it would take so long to get an addition done, but secretly I’m glad, too. I feel better keeping the kids on the inside area of the hotel, especially during cyclone season.” I flipped a few more sheets and came upon a sheet with a fully designed play area. I snapped my head up at him. “This is incredible. It’s even handicapped accessible.”

Gideon shrugged. “It doesn’t make sense to me to build a playground and not make sure any child can use it.”

“I agree. I thought about it, but didn’t think anything this extensive would be possible. Where would this be located?”

He motioned for me to flip the next page and I did, shocked to see the outside. It was in the shape of a sandcastle, with three sides closed in by netting and one side a long chain link fence. “You’re going to build a sandcastle playground?”

“It makes sense, right? If we’re going to have guests using the program we have to have space for them to play and for activities. The sandcastle will have room for movie nights, to teach crafting classes, and the area for the playground equipment.

I stared at him dubiously. “It would have to be enormous Gideon.”

“Which is why the whole back lot, other than a small drop off area for parents, will be used for the daycare playground.”

My jaw dropped open. “The whole thing?”

He waved his hand in the direction of the door. “No one parks back there anyway. So many of the employees live here or are within walking distance. Those who don’t live near use public transportation or bikes. Even Mally finally got rid of the old taxi cab he kept parked back there. It’s wasted space now.”

“What about the delivery trucks? They use the parking lot to get to the delivery docks.”

He nodded. “They do, but we can bring them in the other side of the hotel. I’ll put up a fluorescent ribbon chain link privacy fence. There will be room for them to turn around and back in, but they don’t need room for anything else. Don’t worry, I’ve taken everything into consideration, which is why it took me so long to get back to you.”

“I don’t doubt it for a second, Gideon. These plans are extensive and well done. Do we have to get permits for any of this?”

“We do, but I’ve already taken care of it. The interior is considered redecorating, so we don’t need to wait to start it. The playground will have to be zoned. They’ll be out next week to look over the plans and recommend any changes. We can move forward with getting the center finished, even if the playground isn’t complete, though.”

“Agreed. Wow. I guess I better get to work. I’ve got some calls to make.”

He stood and leaned on the desk. “I’ll let you get to it, but I want to set up a time where all the major players can get together in the conference room and talk this out. I want everyone on the same page.”

I grabbed a notebook and a pen. “Tell me who the major players are. Obviously, you, me, Ellie,” I paused and waited for him to fill in the blanks.

“Flynn for electrical needs, Mally for technology, Niko for security, and Sawyer for catering.” I grimaced at his name and he chuckled. “He doesn’t bite, Rosie.”

I rolled my eyes heavenward. “Believe me, I know.”

He winked and tapped the desk twice. “Give him a chance. He’s one of those guys who comes along once in a lifetime. If you blink, you might miss him.”

I saluted him and he stuck his tongue out at me, then jogged out the door. Like I need to spend more time with Sawyer. It’s bad enough he’s constantly asking me, and I’m agreeing, to dinner. Take tonight for example. I’m not getting out of it; I know because I had already tried.

“What’s he talking about blinking and missing something,” the man in the white coat asked from the doorway.

I groaned audibly, I realized too late, and covered it with a cough. “Hi, Sawyer. Shouldn’t you be working?”

He strode through the doorway and rested his black and white striped butt on my desk. “You’re a slave driver. A guy can’t even take a break while his brisket is resting when you’re around. How are you today? Are you ready for an amazing dinner tonight? I have it on good authority from the chef it’s going to knock your socks off.”

I couldn’t hold in the laugh and let it out, shaking my head at him. “I’m already starving, so needless to say, I’m looking forward to it.”

He glanced at his watch. “It’s nearly two. Did you miss lunch?”

I sat back down in the chair. “I forgot to eat.”

He stood and closed the distance between us. His hand rubbed my arm and his face was inches from mine when he spoke. “You need to eat, Rose. You’re already too thin. I don’t know what happened in your past life, but the only thing I know how to do when it comes to healing someone is to feed them. From now on, when you’re hungry, call me in the kitchen. I’ll have something delivered.”

I searched his eyes and I knew what he said was true. He would feed me for however long I let him. I stared at the floor. “I normally eat, but I worked in the daycare all morning until Winnie took over. Then I had to meet with Niko. It seems someone thought a brace might help keep my leg from turning out.”

He grimaced and rubbed his temple as he sat back down on the desk, the trance between us broken. “He wasn’t supposed to tell you it was my idea.”

I laughed at the clearly embarrassed man in front of me. His face was a contrasting red against the white of his chef’s coat. “He threw you under the bus two minutes into the conversation.”

“Damn,” he said, sighing. “I suppose you refused his help.”

I shrugged. “Actually, I let him take the measurements and he’s sent the information to Honolulu. He said I should have it in a week or less.”

His eyes opened to the size of saucers and I saw a smile tip his lips. “I wasn’t expecting you to go for it.”

“I’m not always stubborn, Sawyer,” I said.

He laughed once then clapped his hand over his mouth. “Sorry, you took me by surprise. I’ll try harder next time,” he said, his grin naughty.

I stuck my tongue out at him. “Whatever. I might be stubborn, but I’m not dumb. I see how much difference the braces make for Bim. If the brace holds the leg in the right alignment when I’m walking, it might take care of the spasms in my hip. If nothing else, I’ll have worn it for a few weeks before I fly to the university in Honolulu to see a specialist there. I’ll know if a brace is a good option or not.”

I could see he didn’t know anything about the specialist as soon as I said it. “You’re flying to Honolulu alone?”

“Lord, no.” I almost said, ‘Like I could ever get out from under the watchful eye of anyone around here.’ Then I remembered he didn’t know the truth. “Gideon is going to fly me there and stay while I see his friend.”

He nodded once. “Good. Listen, I have to get back to the kitchen, but I’ll pick you up at your apartment at eight, okay?”

He stood from the desk and nonchalantly slipped his hand into mine, holding it loosely. It’s almost as if he knows the exact amount of intimacy I can handle before I freak out.

“I—I can meet you,” I stuttered, hating how I reverted to a high schooler with a crush when I was around him. “I can meet you here if it’s easier.”

A lazy smile spread across his face. “When I’m taking a woman for a nice meal I don’t meet her anywhere. I escort her,” he insisted.

I wasn’t going to win so I gave him a nod of understanding. “I’ll be ready at eight.”

He swiveled into me, his hand still in mine and laid a kiss on my lips. It lasted only the length of a breath before he whispered. “I’ll see you then.”

I watched his white coat disappear from the door and plopped down into my desk chair. What the hell is going on with us? I know it’s not smart to get involved with anyone right now, but I can’t stay away from the guy. It’s like he knows exactly what my weaknesses are and exploits them. I sucked in a breath and shook my head. It was useless to keep pretending there wasn’t something between us. All we had to do was get within a foot of each other and we were drawn together like magnets.

I grabbed the daycare plans with every intention of dissecting the rooms, searching for other layout options and improved flow. I was new at running a daycare and I wanted to do it right. I wanted to make Gideon and Kate proud, but I also yearned for the satisfaction of a job well done. It’s been too long since I’ve taken pride in something. I prefer the feeling of pride over the feeling of shame. My hand automatically went to the angel around my neck. My past was going to be part of whom I am forever, but for the first time in almost a year, my hope is returning. The feeling that maybe I can move on and find happiness like Kate and Gideon or Winifred and Flynn have. At twenty-seven I should be more advanced in my career and relationships than I am, but my life has been far from easy.

There was a knock on the door and I glanced up to see sous chef Leo in the doorway. I stood and motioned him in. “Hi, Leo, what’s up?”

He held up a tray which held a plate with a cover over it, a bottle of water, and multiple other condiments. “Chef Sawyer got tied up, but he asked me to bring you some lunch. Apparently, you haven’t eaten, and hungry bellies don’t fly with Chef Sawyer.” He set the tray down on the desk and the smell of fresh fries wafted toward me. He lifted the lid from the plate and there were three angus sliders with jalapeño cheese sitting alongside fresh from the fryer waffle fries. “Compliments of the chef,” he said.

He winked, waved, and walked out the door, leaving me with the mouthwatering meal. I also had a feeling in my heart that I had a serious crush on Chef Sawyer Kanki.