even realizing what she was doing, he’d bet. But he knew. He was staking his claim in front of her family and friends.
“You really should be in bed,” she fretted aloud.
“This is great,” he assured her, squeezing her hand. He’d take a painkiller in a little while, but for now he wanted to be alert. “You gonna introduce me?”
“Oh.” Her cheeks flushed with pretty color, and she looked around. “Well, everyone, this is Joel. Joel Girand. Joel, this is my mother, Grace.”
The woman in the hat, who he now saw was an attractive, older redhead with pale skin, green eyes and Bella’s mouth, murmured a greeting and smiled, but her gaze was cautious, measuring. That was okay; he understood that. Hell, he’d only known her daughter a week, and in that time they’d been through a cataclysm of violent danger. For all this woman knew, he’d been the catalyst, not Bella.
David Ho’omalu and his wife smiled at him, seeming genuinely glad to meet him. The taller blonde, Claire, and her Hawaiian hulk of a husband were more conservative, both examining him as if letting him know they’d measure him and decide later if he was worthy of their Bella. But they were polite, and Claire asked about his wound and how it was healing.
“It’s good,” he said. “The doctors were surprised there wasn’t more internal damage.”
An odd look was exchanged amongst the younger Ho’omalus. “Hilo,” said David cryptically. He winked at Bella, and her eyes widened. She smiled brilliantly at Joel, squeezing his hand. “David, Daniel, and their father and uncle were there that day,” she said quietly. “They arrived even before the police and the Coast Guard.”
He nodded. “Excellent triage, huh? Thanks, guys.”
The brothers nodded, and for an instant, Joel had the odd notion they looked like kings, conferring their grace on an ally.
“I’ll go see if lunch is ready,” Melia said, rising from her lounger. “David, come help me carry things?”
The voluptuous Claire swatted her husband’s huge biceps. “We’ll come too.”
The four trooped off, leaving Joel with Bella and her mother.
“You must have been pretty scared when you saw those news reports,” Joel commented to Grace.
“Good Lord, yes,” she exclaimed. “The devastation that storm wrought was incredible in itself. And then to see the lineup of faces, of those criminals, drug runners that died in their gun battle… I’ve never been so horrified. And you kids, landing innocently in the middle of their—turf war or whatever it was.” She put a hand to her face, her mouth quivering.
Joel met Bella’s gaze. Her mother didn’t know, then. Bella shook her head slightly, her eyes haunted.
Joel squeezed her hand. Time enough to break it to her, he tried to say with his eyes. It will be all right, baby.
She squeezed back and tried to smile. “We were lucky the Ho’omalus came so quickly,” she said. “And Dad was there too.”
“Where is Daro?” Grace asked, looking around as if he might materialize. “I thought he and Jason were here?”
“They’re over at Daniel’s,” Bella said. “Working on a new song, I guess.”
Grace nodded and then smiled as Bella’s big, silver-haired uncle ambled down the lawn toward them. He smiled at her and Bella and bent to hold out his hand to Joel. “I’m Hilo.”
Joel took his big paw. “Thanks,” he said. “You’ll have to explain to me sometime just how you saved my sorry ass.”
Hilo nodded. “It was my pleasure, son. Anything for our Nani.”
Grace beamed, and Bella smiled shyly at the big man.
During lunch, which Joel pretended to eat to please Bella, he and Bella gave a heavily edited version of their adventure. With Grace there, they left out the paranormal aspects of the event. And they sure as hell left out their sexual adventures. But from the little smiles on the faces of Bella’s girlfriends, they had that part figured out.
“How are the models and the stylist that were with you?” asked Melia.
“They’re fine,” Bella said, a smile of relief lighting up her face. “Matt has some bruised ribs, and Cassie won’t be modeling for a month or so, until her sunburn and knife wound on the side of her throat heal. She was pretty, um, frightened by the storm too. Tanah is trying to find a lawyer to help her sue the Helmans’ CalTrend Corporation. But DelRay is paying all their medical costs, as well as a bonus for each of them.”
“They paying for Frank’s boat?” Joel asked.
Hilo nodded. “It’s in dry dock right now, getting new pontoons. I