True to Me - Kay Bratt Page 0,19

young to be experimenting with weed, but it wasn’t any of her business.

Maria said she’d made up the bed with fresh linens, and for that Quinn was grateful. One thing she couldn’t make herself do was sleep on sheets that had been broken in by a teenage boy.

“I’ve stocked the small refrigerator with some staples, and you’ll find coffee in the cupboard. Kupuna made a call to his contractor friend, and I need to watch for him to arrive,” Maria said, then retreated back toward the house.

“Call me when he gets here,” Quinn called out, and Maria held a hand up in acknowledgment. It was Quinn’s house, after all, and she would be paying the bills. She hoped that Kupuna didn’t think he was calling the shots.

She went to the bathroom and carefully set out her toiletries, lining up her makeup on the counter in the order she used it, another trick she’d learned to make her mornings more efficient.

In the kitchen, she checked the pantry cupboard, noting which spices were available in case she wanted to cook a meal. She was tiring of restaurant food, but she had no intention of joining Maria’s family at the table.

There needed to be some boundaries in place.

She was not their friend.

Then she saw that Maria had left a small vase of beautiful lavender orchids on the coffee table. Beside them was a note jotted on a yellow Post-it.

Welcome to Maui. Hope this new friendship will continue. See you at dinner. Love, Maria

Quinn sighed, then went back to unpacking. Finally, there was nothing left to do, and she sat down on the love seat, sinking into the worn but comfortable cushions. There wasn’t a television, but a small stack of books on the side table caught her attention.

She picked up the one off the top.

Rogue Wave.

She flipped it over and read the book description. An explosion sets off a series of massive waves that could obliterate all the islands of Hawaii.

She put it back and rose, going to the lanai. Outside, she sat down at the table and leaned back, closing her eyes for a minute. She was weary. It had been a stressful morning, to say the least. Not every day did she move in with a family who just a short time before were complete strangers. Also, her time was running out. She’d asked for two weeks’ vacation, but after that, she needed to return. To a job that was sucking the life out of her.

She had to admit, despite the awkwardness of the situation, leaving the hotel was somewhat of a relief. It wasn’t as though she were enjoying any of the amenities like the pool or the restaurants. And she would technically be on her own property, though it still didn’t feel that way. At least here she wouldn’t feel so alone.

As though on cue, her phone rang.

Quinn jumped up and went back into the cottage. She pulled the phone from her pocket and looked at the screen before swiping. Her heart skipped, and she felt herself tensing.

“Hi,” she said.

“What’s going on, Quinn?” Ethan said.

No greeting and he had that tone. Not a happy one.

“Well, hold on. Let me sit.” She was buying time; she knew that. She settled herself onto the love seat, leaning forward.

Big breath, then dive in.

There was a long pause.

“So, how is it?” he asked. “Is it all you’d hoped it would be?”

Quinn bit her lip. She could visualize him running his fingers through his hair, styling it to the left as he liked it to go, a subconscious reflex even when stressed.

“It’s a beautiful home. But there are a few issues,” she finally admitted.

“It’s old, Quinn. It’s going to be nothing but issues. I could’ve saved you—saved us—a lot of headache if you’d just listened. So what is it? Plumbing? Bad neighborhood? What are the problems?”

“No, the plumbing is fine, as far as I know. But unfortunately, there’s a snag with the previous owners.”

“A snag?” he said, his voice suspicious.

Quinn could feel her pulse escalate.

“Yes, a snag. They’re sort of still here.”

“Still there? Like in the area? What do you care?” Now he sounded impatient.

“I mean like still here—in the house. It’s complicated, Ethan, but they haven’t moved out yet.” There, she’d said it.

He was silent so long that Quinn pulled the phone from her ear, looking at it to see if he’d hung up. He hadn’t.

“Ethan?”

“I’m here,” he said. “Listen, I don’t even need to hear why they haven’t moved out. But you