Wyatt was cracking up. Falling apart. Losing control.

It had been a hell of a week. He felt like he was walking on egg shells.

He wanted to confront Janie after their catastrophic conversation, but when the time came, he found himself cowardly avoiding her like the plague. She had grown so cold to him that he was sure that any attraction she had for him was gone. In fact, she was avoiding him more than he was avoiding her, and he took that as an excuse to leave well enough alone.

More than that, Sam had become so attached to Janie during the week - the two of them in constant preparations for the party - that Wyatt was unwilling to burst the bubble and disappoint Sam in any way. For her sake, he wanted everything to at least seem friendly and conflict-free.

All week, Janie and Sam cooked party food and made him try it in an effort to create the perfect menu for Sam’s party. He had to admit that it was all pretty good, but he would have rather gone to Keiko’s and sit on the other side of the restaurant from Janie than stay at home and eat salmon puffs at a cozy dinner for three. It was damned hard work to avoid her while engaging in dinner conversation.

One evening over a dinner of Cheesy Empanadas, Chili Pastry Bowls, and To Die For Brownies, (another tasting session) he forced an hour-long conversation about Sam’s hair and whether it looked better with bangs. All to avoid speaking with Janie!

And he wanted so much to speak with Janie, but he knew he would put his foot in his mouth. Besides, what possible good could come from another disaster conversation? One or the other would get hurt, and it would become obvious again that he had to keep his distance or suffer the consequences.

What made matters worse was the fact that with each passing day, Janie seemed to be getting more beautiful. He didn’t know if it was the fresh air or some time-of-life situation happening, but he was certain that she was ten times more beautiful than when she first arrived on the island.

It was so painfully distracting to him that one night, in a brief moment of insanity, he plotted to sneak into her room while she was away with Sam at the party store. He planned to search through her belongings for any special makeup or vitamins she had that were causing the changes in her appearance. He was determined to find them and throw them away, but he never got the chance to look. Unfortunately, or fortunately, Doc and Virgil stopped by, and they all went out for a beer.

They drove off in Doc’s SUV down the road to Jimmy’s Tavern, a local hangout owned by one of Keiko’s nephews. The place was loud and dirty with sticky floors and dim lighting. Two pool tables covered half of the bar, and a corner was devoted to a few dart boards. Wyatt didn’t come in often because he had Sam to take care of, but when he did, he felt immediately calmer and more relaxed.

Jimmy greeted the three Templeton brothers at a small table in the corner. He was short and squat with bow legs and a permanent scowl on his face. He couldn’t be over 40 years old, but he looked at least 10 years older than that. His premature aging was probably a mixture of too much sun, cigarettes, and nightly tasting of his own brew. “Hey, Wyatt! Long time no see. What brings you in tonight?”

“We dragged him in here, Jimmy,” said Virgil.

“Yeah, we’re bad influences,” Doc chimed in.

“You, Doc? You’re the best kind of influence,” argued Jimmy.

Doc looked humble, as usual. “You would be surprised. I have my weak moments.”

Jimmy frowned and wagged his finger at Doc. “Do you know what this man did?” he asked Wyatt and Virgil, not waiting for an answer. “He saved my Sarah. I always told her to wear a seat belt, but she never listened. Then, one night, she almost died in a car accident on the Pali. Her car was smashed, and so was she. Luckily, Doc over there saved her. Only he could do it. That’s the kind of influence he is.”

Jimmy dabbed at his eyes and got right back to business. “Right. So, what kind of beer do you want?”

“I for one want to start out with three Coronas, Jimmy,” said Wyatt, eager to change the subject.

“A Heineken for me,” said Virgil. “Just one,” he specified, glancing over at Wyatt.

“I’ll take a soft drink. I’m the designated driver,” explained Doc.

“See? Designated driver. What kind of bad influence is that?  Three Coronas and a Heineken. The soft drink is on the house, Doc. And so are the peanuts.”

After Jimmy gave them their drinks, Virgil turned to Wyatt. “Three beers, huh?”

“What’s wrong with three beers, little brother,” growled Wyatt.

“Oh, nothing. Nothing. Three is a good number. Right, Doc?”

“Oh, no. Don’t get me in the middle of this. Wyatt wants to get drunk, and I’m not going to tell him to stop.”

“You mean, you’re not going to tell him how he’s getting drunk in order to stop thinking about a certain long-haired, long-legged woman who sleeps down the hall from him?”

Wyatt finished the first beer and picked up the second. “What are you doing, looking at her legs? If you look at Janie’s legs, again, Virgil, I will grind you into dust.” He punctuated his words by poking Virgil in the chest with his finger.

“Yeah, he’s got it bad,” Doc observed. “Pass me some of those free peanuts.”

Wyatt chugged the second bottle of beer and then the third, and then he ordered two more. It had been a long time since he had drunk so much, and later he vaguely remembered Jimmy’s Tavern spinning around unnaturally, and him standing on his chair, yelling out, “Watch out Dorothy, a twister is a comin’!”

He also vaguely remembered being tucked into bed by Doc and Virgil and sloppily telling them he loved to watch Janie wash the dishes and pretend that he was the plates she was rubbing.

Yeah, it had been a hard week for Wyatt.

While Wyatt and Janie grew apart, Janie grew closer to Wyatt’s family. Everyone appeared to accept her as a part of his family and deferred to her on all the details of the party. His brothers were at her beck and call for every little thing. Only that morning, James had come over with a pile of vinyl signs that he had made for the party to Janie’s specifications. He waited around the house for her to inspect them.

Even Miles, who could never be ordered to do anything at all, promised her to clean his room before the party, and when she kissed his cheek in thanks, he bowed his head and turned pink. Pink! Miles!

As frustrating as her attentions to his brothers and father-in-law were for Wyatt, her attentions towards Sam made him feel like he was on cloud nine. Wyatt spent the past 10 years trying to make his little girl the happiest possible without the benefit of having a mother around. It was no small task, and now when he saw her with Janie, saw her blossoming and loving every minute of having a mother-figure, he realized that he failed to give her what she really needed.  Sam needed a mother.

After Tracy died, Wyatt was too traumatized to even think of dating again. Then, he became wrapped up in his work and in Sam, and he forgot that he could have a personal life. Sure, there were a few, brief relationships over the years, but they always fizzled out when they got a little serious. Wyatt supposed that he thought it was just too complicated to bring someone into his life. He had a lot of baggage, after all. So, he kept any women in his life secret and away from Sam and the others.

Perhaps he had been wrong. Perhaps he should have found someone as quickly as possible so that Sam could have a normal childhood with a loving mother. Somebody like Janie, he thought, miserably.

“Oh,” squeaked Keiko in pleasure. “I’m going to put these on my menu. What do call them?”

“They’re Korean barbequed beef short ribs,” explained Janie. “But I didn’t think you had a menu, Keiko.”

Keiko’s eyes twinkled. “I have a menu, but I don’t let anyone see it. People don’t really know what they should eat. I see them, and I know. I was thinking maybe I’m a psychic or something.”

“Food psychic?”

“Yes! Yes, that’s it. I’m a food psychic. Maybe I should put up that sign in front of the restaurant. I would get more business.”

Keiko had come over to see how the party plans were coming along. They had spent at least an hour showing her the contents of the party supply closet. She marveled at them all and promised to send three of her great-nephews to come and help set up for the party.

“These are beautiful decorations,” she cooed.

“Sam picked them out. I just drove her to the party store.”

Sam beamed at the compliments.

“You could be a professional, Sam.”

Janie agreed. “Yes, I keep telling her that she is a budding Martha Stewart.”

“Well,” said Keiko seriously. “I think after this party, I’m going to have you come and decorate Keiko’s Café. Perhaps it’s time to spruce it up a bit.”

Janie choked, holding back her laughter. “Spruce” was putting it lightly. Keiko’s Café needed to be bulldozed and drenched in bleach, as far as Janie was concerned. However, she would never tell her friend that…nothing would cause her to hurt her feelings.

“Really? I would love to do that,” Sam exclaimed gleefully. “I actually have some ideas.”

“Me, too. I was thinking purple walls and hot pink cushions on the chairs. What do you think?” Keiko’s eyes twinkled even more with the thought of her restaurant, resplendent in bright color, and she smiled from ear to ear.

Sam was a little less enthusiastic. “Well, that sounds nice,” she started. “But I was thinking maybe something in blue, like the ocean.”

Janie let them discuss the interior decorating while she went outside to give the finishing touches to her report on her laptop.

Despite Mr. Templeton’s maddening personality, rude behavior, and general unlikability, he nevertheless is the greatest marine biologist, dolphin behaviorist, and all around great person for undertaking this worthy project. Not to mention he is the sexiest man I’ve ever met, and I want to…

Janie quickly hit the delete button. Of course, she couldn’t include any of that in her report, but it sure felt good to write it down.

“Where’s our island breeze today? I can’t stop sweating.” Keiko sat down next to Janie at the patio table and fanned herself with a Japanese fan.

“I hadn’t noticed before, but you’re right. No breeze today.”

“Don’t worry. It will come back.” Keiko leaned back and gave Janie one of her all-knowing looks. “So, it looks like you’re a big help around here.”

“Well, I’m trying to help Sam out with the party as much as possible.”

“No, I meant with Wyatt. You help him a lot. He likes having you around.”

“I think you’re mistaken, Keiko, Janie sputtered. “Wyatt can’t wait to see me go. I cramp his style.”

“His style? Wyatt has no style, sweetie. Wyatt likes to look at you. He likes you to be in his home, to be with him.”

Janie wanted to tell Keiko everything: about their kiss, about his regretting it, about his coldness towards her all week. Instead, she just nodded her head and smiled. She didn’t want to hurt Keiko’s feelings and tell her she was wrong, even though she was very wrong, indeed.

Perhaps Keiko was picking up on their mutual attraction, but she didn’t know the rest, and that was fine for now. Janie was leaving in a few days, and they would all soon forget about her. Unfortunately, Janie didn’t think she could ever forget about these people and this place, which she had grown to care for, deeply.

Friday morning came early. Keiko’s nephews, Wyatt, and his brothers made quick work of the decorations. The house looked like a party ready to happen. It was smart to get everything set up the day before, Janie thought.  Most of the food was prepared, as well. She drafted Morgan to stock some of his resort’s refrigerators with the party food, and he complied.

“I can’t find my rash guard,” Sam yelled from upstairs, while Janie sipped her morning coffee at the kitchen table.

“It’s probably on your floor with the rest of your clothes!” Wyatt yelled back from upstairs.

Wyatt stomped down the stairs and stopped short when he saw Janie at the table. He was dressed in long swim trunks and a black, long-sleeved rash guard.

“I’m taking Sam surfing,” he explained.

“That’s nice.”

“I can’t find it!” Sam yelled again from upstairs.

“Look on your bed,” Wyatt bellowed. “I found a turkey sandwich on your bed last week! Lord knows what’s on there, now!”

Wyatt turned to Janie. “Sorry about that. Kids,” he said in explanation.

He stood awkwardly in the kitchen, looking everywhere but at Janie. After a while, he began to tap his foot, impatiently. Janie was expecting steam to fly out of his head when Sam called down again from upstairs.

“Found it!”

“Good! Get down here before the waves go.”

Sam hopped down the stairs, putting on her rash guard over her bathing suit. “Dad, the waves don’t go away. They’re waves.”

“You know what I mean, smart aleck.” He ruffled her hair.

“Hey, Janie. Doesn’t the house look great?”

“Super! Outside is even better. James’s signs came out wonderfully.”

“I haven’t seen them up, yet. Dad, can we stop and look before we go out?”

As Janie and Wyatt left the house, Janie sighed in relief. The house was entirely quiet and all hers. It was the perfect time to do what she had wanted to do since she arrived. Even though the decorations looked great, the house was desperate for a thorough scrubbing. Obviously, men had no idea how to really clean, she thought.

Janie rooted around under the sink for cleaning supplies.

“I wish I had a camera,” Miles said suddenly from behind her, the lower half her sticking out from the cabinet.

“Funny,” Janie answered, coming out of the cabinet with cleansers and sponges in her hands. “But you have perfect timing, Miles. I was just about to give the house a good once over. You can help me with the floors. I don’t think the grout in the bathrooms has ever been properly scoured.”

Miles looked insulted and as if he would swallow his tongue. “My room’s clean enough,” he muttered.

“okay,” she allowed. “But you could help me with the rest of the house. Surely your backgammon group could wait an hour for you.”

“Backgammon group!”  He snapped his fingers as if he just recalled something. “Semi-finals today. I can’t let them down.”

Miles ran out of the kitchen faster than Janie had ever seen him move. “Semi-finals my behind,” she called after him. “There’s no semi-finals!”

Janie smiled. She couldn’t be angry at Miles. She found his gruff exterior endearing. In fact, she was only teasing him and never really expected him to ever help her clean.

Three hours later, Janie had finished the kitchen, dining and living rooms. Luckily Wyatt didn’t have a lot of knick-knacks because every surface in the place had been covered in an inch of dust, and Janie never thought she would get done if he had knick-knacks, as well.

When the phone rang, she welcomed the chance at a short break and answered it quickly. At first, she didn’t recognize his voice. Instead of deep and booming, Wyatt sounded weak and raspy.

“What’s wrong,” she demanded, fear gripping her.

“Sam,” he croaked. “She’s had a surfing accident.”

“My God. Where is she?”

“Honolulu. The trauma center. I wouldn’t bother you, but she’s asking for you.” Wyatt barely got the last out before his voice caught, and he couldn’t continue.

“I’ll be right there.”

Janie sped off in Wyatt’s car towards Honolulu. She drove faster than she had ever driven, and on the small, windy roads of Oahu, it was a dangerous drive. But Janie didn’t care. The only thought on her mind was getting to the hospital as soon as possible.

She said silent prayers for Sam as she drove. It was unthinkable that something bad could happen to that sweet, wonderful girl. Janie tried to remain optimistic, but Wyatt’s desperate voice scared her silly.

“I’m looking for a patient. Samantha Templeton,” Janie told the nurse at the front desk of the trauma center.

“Just a moment.” The nurse looked at clipboard, searching for the name.

“Janie.” Doc walked up to Janie. Dressed in scrubs, his calm, professional manner made her instantly feel better. Nevertheless, her no-nonsense side came out in force.

“What’s going on? How is she? Where is she?”

“She’s fine. She has a slight concussion, but she’s fine.”

Janie looked into Doc’s eyes. His blue eyes were unlike Wyatt’s. Whereas Wyatt’s eyes were filled with strong emotion, Doc’s were milky, hiding something deep, which Janie doubted she would ever discover.

He gripped her shoulders. “She’s fine,” he said firmly, sensing her continued concern.

Janie exhaled, her breath ragged. “What happened?”

“They were surfing. The surf wasn’t that strong, actually. It was a fluke. The surfboard hit her. She was very lucky. It could have been much worse.”

Janie let that sink in. She shuddered, involuntarily.

“She’s in room 113. Come on. I’ll take you.”

“Janie!” Sam cried out from her hospital bed. “I’m so glad you’re here.” Sam smiled from ear to ear as Janie went to her and gave her a bear hug.

“How are you feeling?” asked Janie, taking a seat next to Sam.

“Fine. I wish they would let me leave.”

Janie looked at Doc.

“We want to keep her overnight for observation, but it’s nothing serious,” Doc explained. “I’m sure she’ll be out of here tomorrow morning, first thing.”

“Have you eaten?” Janie asked.

“Grandpa went to get me something.”

Just then, Miles walked in. Lines of worry marked his face. He stumbled in, holding handfuls of junk food. “How are you feeling?” he asked, fearfully. His demeanor was totally out of character for Miles, and Janie took pity on him.

Janie relieved him of his packages and took stock of his purchases. “What’s this?”

“I got some food for Sam.”

“Miles, this is not food. These are cupcakes and chocolate bars and gummy bears.”

“There’s peanuts, too,” Miles said defensively.

“I stand corrected,” Janie frowned. “okay, here’s what’s going to happen. Miles, go out and get a large pizza, and we can share it with Sam. I’m sure you haven’t eaten. Am I right?”

“I had a big lunch.”

“Well, lunch was more than a few hours ago. I’ll see if Wyatt wants some pizza. Where is he?”

“He’s been pacing the hallway,” Doc volunteered.

“Miles get two larges, just in case, and I’ll talk to Wyatt.”

Miles slowly walked to the door, his shoulders hunched over in anguish. Janie stopped him and gave him a hug. “She’s okay, Miles,” she whispered in his ear. “She fine, and she’s happy.” Miles hugged her back, and his body shook.

“Thank you,” he choked. “Thank you for being here.”

Janie found Wyatt pacing in the hallway around the corner, just as Doc told her. When she saw his face, she stopped dead in her tracks. Where Doc was calm seriousness and Miles lined with worry, Wyatt was devastated and clearly in shock.

His pacing stopped when he saw her. They shared a look, which spoke volumes, and Janie walked quickly to him, closing the gap between them. She gathered him to her in a strong embrace. “I know. I know,” she whispered to him, her lips grazing his ear. Janie did know. She understood how important Sam was to him, understood that he was reliving the awful moment when he lost his wife.

She felt his weight on her, as he relaxed into the embrace, allowing her to comfort him. Time passed. How much, Janie didn’t know, but soon Miles was calling them in to eat the pizza.

Sam polished off her third slice of pizza, a sign of good health, Wyatt tried to convince himself. He, on the other hand, had been holding a slice of pizza for the past 30 minutes, unable to get it to his mouth. He tried not to think what would have happened if the surf board had done more damage, if Sam had not been quite so lucky.

He looked around the room. Miles, Doc, and Janie seemed to be in high spirits. They laughed and joked with Sam.

“I’m just saying it’s a good thing you’re so hard-headed,” Doc pointed out.

“Yeah, obviously you get that from your father,” Miles commented, throwing everyone into peals of laughter.

The evening wore on, and Wyatt felt fatigue wash over him. It was contagious. Everyone yawned in unison.

“It’s time to let Sam get a good night’s sleep,” Doc ordered.

“Well, I’m staying the night with her,” Wyatt said.

“Me, too,” Miles chimed in.

“I said a good night’s sleep. If you all stay here, she’s not going to get any rest.”

“I’m her father. I will stay.”

“And I’m her grandfather. I will stay.”

“Wyatt,” Janie ventured. “You need your rest. You’re overwrought.”

A sharp rebuttal formed on his lips, but Wyatt decided to remain silent when he saw the honest concern on Janie’s face. If he was honest with himself, he knew that she was right. He wasn’t much use to Sam in his present condition.

“She’s right,” Doc answered for Wyatt. “I’ll let Miles stay. He can watch over Sam. Not to mention the entire hospital staff,” he added, wryly.

Miles reclined back in his chair. “Recliner chair and TV. It’s luxury for me. I would have loved to have these digs in Korea, I can tell you.”

“okay, old man, you can stay,” Doc said. “But you two, out.”

“After Sam falls asleep,” Wyatt murmured, and Doc instinctively knew not to argue with him.

They didn’t have to wait long. Sam was as exhausted as any of them, and within 15 minutes, she fell sound asleep.

Janie clinked the keys in her hand as they walked to the parking structure. “You’re not going to insist on driving?”

“No, I’m on machismo break this evening.”

“Oh, a little humor from Dr. Wyatt Templeton. Will wonders never cease?”

Wyatt cracked a smile.

They rode with the windows open, enjoying the tropical breeze on their faces, as they made the long trek home. “I want to thank you,” he started.

“I didn’t do anything.”

“You were great. You made things happen. You calmed everyone down, calmed me down. You fed us.”

“Ha! Pizza, and Miles ordered it.”

“You know what I mean. We were a mess before you arrived. I couldn’t do anything except for pace the hallway.”

“That’s understandable. Your daughter was injured.”

“No, let me finish. Since you’ve been here – not just tonight…well, I just wanted to thank you.” Wyatt wanted to tell her that since she arrived, they had become a real family. No longer a sprawling group of loving people, they had found their center with Janie. Tonight proved it to Wyatt. They were lost without her. They very happily revolved around her.

When he opened the front door to the house, a waft of cleaning product odors hit his nostrils. “Wow. Clean.”

“I thought I would surprise you guys with a Spring cleaning, but I didn’t get very far.”

“Oh, Spring Cleaning. That would explain this.” Wyatt gently removed the bandana that had been holding up her hair. As it fell from her head, her long hair tumbled over her shoulders and down her back. Wyatt smoothed it out. It was soft as silk and marvelously thick. He threaded it through his fingers, enjoying the texture.

Janie self-consciously put her hand up to her head. “I forgot I had that on. I must look like a real mess.”

Wyatt took stock of her. She was wearing cutoffs and a sleeveless t-shirt. She was toned, and her breasts were outlined through the thin material of her shirt. He was hungry for her. It was a hunger that had built beyond any of his reserves of self-restraint.

“Nobody has ever been there for me like you have.” His voice was low and needy. He let go of her hair and cupped her face with his hands. He marveled at her beauty and realized that he needed to possess her totally. One of his hands slipped behind her head, the other dipped lower on her back. Insistently, he pulled her to him. He looked deeply into her eyes, searching for a sign from her. She gazed up at him, her eyes dilated.

“Come on,” he urged, pulling back, grabbing her hand, and steering her to the stairs. They didn’t speak as she followed him upstairs to his room. He pulled her inside and quickly shut the door. Pushing her against the closed door, he pressed his body against her and groaned as his erection leaned against her belly.

With an urgency he never felt before, he kissed her hard, their tongues dancing in an undulating rhythm. The blood rushed to Wyatt’s head and down to his groin. His body tightened. His need for her overtook him.

Wyatt pulled at her shirt, and she helped him, slipping it over her head. In a matter of seconds, they both stood naked, facing each other. She was more beautiful than he had imagined.

And tonight she was his, he thought while the blood pounded in his head.

Their breathing was heavy, as they took stock of each other. Their bodies were electric, sending out pulses to each other as they called out to be touched. It was the calm before the storm, Wyatt thought.

The waiting was both agony and ecstasy. But in a whirl, they began their lovemaking. Wyatt brought Janie to his bed. He kneeled over her, taking in the luscious contours of her body. But Janie could not wait any longer. She pulled him down on top of him, and he groaned with desire as she kissed him hard.

He snaked his body over hers, feeling the whole of her against him. His thickly muscled thighs separated her legs, and he settled even more closely against her. He was taut and ready.

“Janie,” he whispered against her lips, urging her.

“Yes, now,” she replied. “Please. Now.”

It was all he needed to hear. In a moment, he entered her fully. She wrapped her legs around him, and he began to thrust quickly. In a matter of moments, they reached their climax together in a sudden explosion. As Janie began to shudder, Wyatt cried out, tossing his head from side to side. He collapsed next to her, careful not to crush her under his weight.

His heart threatened to explode in his chest, but quickly it slowed to the preternatural, deliberate pulsating that happened after orgasm.

“Wow,” he said.

“Wow,” she agreed.

Wyatt’s mind was hazy. He expected a large marching band to come in at any moment and play some kind of triumphant music to go along with his mood. So, this is what they mean by ‘following your bliss,’ he thought.

Wyatt pulled Janie to him as he lay on his side. He wrapped his arms around her waist. Her body fit into his perfectly, his pelvis cupped against her bottom.

“You’re amazing,” he commented, lightly nuzzling her neck. His hands caressed her belly. She moved encouragingly, and he dipped his hands further down, exploring her.

“What are you doing,” she moaned.

“The first time was great, but now I want to enjoy you a little more slowly. And a little more thoroughly,” he added.

Wyatt turned her head towards him and captured her mouth with his. He slipped his tongue into her mouth. Their kiss was deep and slow like he promised. It was as if neither wanted it to end.

But Wyatt wanted more. In fact, he didn’t know if he could ever stop wanting her.

“Move towards me,” he commanded. He groaned as she complied, her body caressing his as she turned to face him. Her face was heat and passion. It drove Wyatt half with madness for wanting her.

But this time, he wanted to experience every square inch of her.

He made the long, slow trip down her body with his mouth. He paused at her breasts, circling her nipples lovingly with his tongue.  Lower down, he found her folds and made her tremble, slowly bringing her to a climax.

Seeing her satisfied, he finally entered her and thrust into her with deep, slow strides. “You’re so beautiful,” he said and kissed her face, while he moved within her.

“Oh, Wyatt,” she half-cried. Hearing his name uttered from her lips drove his excitement further. His rhythm quickened until he finished with an explosion. Sated, they fell asleep wrapped in each other’s arms, neither daring to think about the consequences of their act.