vestiges of professionalism gone. “Are you gonna go over Ricks’ head?”
“What?”
“You have that meeting with McAddams.”
“My meeting with the team owner has nothing to do with Kai Pukui or Coach Ricks’ leniency toward him.”
“But you want to yell at Kai.”
Gia lifted her eyebrow but didn’t speak. She had no intention of revealing all her secrets to Cat no matter if they were friends or not. She had to keep some for herself.
Chewing her bottom lip, the woman continued to stare, her patience seeming to deplete the longer Gia remained silent, then finally, Cat sighed, blurting out a rushed, “How are you going to handle him?”
Gia leaned back in her chair, taking her time to adjust her skirt and brush it smooth. “I’m going to do what any man in my position would do when they want someone to fall in line and not step on any toes or crush egos in the process.”
It took Cat several seconds to catch up. There was a curious glint in her eyes, and her features wrinkled into confusion as she watched Gia and the slow-moving grin that came across her face. Then, things seemed to click in place.
“Oh,” Cat said, mimicking the smile Gia gave her. “You are so going to lie your ass off.”
“It would appear to be necessary.” She straightened, fixing the small flying pig figurine in the center of her desk, facing him forward as Cat watched her. Gia’s assistant let that smile lower as she looked down, her gaze glancing at the desk, likely remembering her boss’s drunken confession Mardi Gras night about what that pig meant and who’d given it to her, but then quickly returned her smile to its full measure. “Go get him,” Gia told Cat, pulling her phone closer, ready to hit the green button when Cat engaged the call. She glanced at the screen, grinning at the time, realizing that bastard probably wouldn’t appreciate her call this late. “I have a few things to say to him.”
“Lying already and it’s not even lunchtime.”
“Oh, I’m gonna lie,” she told Cat, stretching her arms over her head. “But first, I’m gonna scare the shit out of him.”
2.
KAI
THE PHONE HADN’T RUNG that early for Kai since his daughter Keola was an infant and he was staying up with her while his ex, Keeana, went off for her cousin’s bachelorette weekend to the Big Island. The lolo woman called at least four times inside six hours that first day, all before five a.m. He’d been fine about answering then. After all, there was nothing like a new mother leaving her baby for the first time. Kai had understood.
But Keola was nearly nine now and she had a place of her own with her mom, was sleeping there now with her and probably Keeana’s man. So, Kai didn’t appreciate whoever the hell it was blowing up his phone this damn early. Unless it was a half-naked woman eager for him to open the door and let her inside, everyone else could go to hell.
“What?” he answered, not bothering to open his eyes for longer than it took to answer the call.
“Mister. Pukui.”
Not a half-naked woman, but Gia Jilani. Close enough.
Kai sat up, smiling when he recognized the forced sweetness in her voice. It was damn early for a lecture and he knew she was going to give him hell, but God how he loved their verbal sparring.
“Gia…”
Trap one laid. He knew she’d take it.
She released a low, irritated breath, and Kai could almost see her chest moving as she exhaled. He lay back against his pillow, head on his bent arm, picturing that beautiful woman behind his half-closed eyes.
“How many times do I have to repeat myself?” she asked him. That soft, sweet tone had a bite, but Kai liked it. He hoped one day she’d go barking at him again. “You’re very unprofessional, you know that?”
“Because I call you by your name?”
“Because,” she started, and he heard the squeak of a chair, as though she’d moved too fast then caught herself, trying to rein in her control before she lost it. “Because it’s inappropriate.”
“Oh…that.” He laughed, knowing his voice was deeper when he was on his back, knowing that he likely sounded sleepy and rough. Some women liked that. Kai was betting Gia was one of them. “Well, nani,” he laughed again when she cleared her throat, “I think we flew past inappropriate when we—”
“I called for a reason,” she interrupted and that had him smiling even wider. He