some things may have changed, others hadn’t. Luke still played the field and had his choice of eager women who didn’t mind being one of several.
Ready to escape the annoying chatter, as well as the green-eyed monster poking around in her chest, Leilani picked up her tray and put it on the shelf set aside for those that had been used. Then she grabbed her purse and headed for the lobby door.
She had better things to do than eavesdropping on a group of giggling post-adolescents. Besides, her car had been on the blink, so she and Danny had flown to San Diego. She’d had to borrow Addie’s Taurus and hated to leave her aunt without a vehicle any longer than necessary. In addition to that, she was eager to see Danny.
Aunt Addie was looking after him, and when Leilani had called last night to check on them, she’d learned that they’d made popcorn and were watching television. She’d promised her son a trip to the zoo today, but now she’d have to postpone it until tomorrow.
It was tough disappointing him.
And if she ever decided to reveal the truth about his father, she’d really disappoint him. Not because of who Luke was.
But because of what she’d told the boy about him.
Leilani parked the car in the underground garage, then took the elevator up to her aunt’s small apartment on the fourth floor and stepped into the hallway that bore the same blue plaid carpet she’d remembered. It was more worn than ever and, like everything else in the building, needed to be replaced.
Without any windows to air out the hallway, the scent of stale cigarette smoke had permeated drapes, walls and flooring.
At one time, the Eberly Arms Apartments hadn’t been the safest complex. But it seemed as though the tenants, at least the ones on this floor, had all been around for a while. Most of them were her aunt’s age and looked out for each other, which was comforting.
As she used her key and let herself inside, Danny jumped up from the sofa and rushed to meet her. “Mom, you’re back. Finally. When are we leaving?”
Excitement spread over his face, and his green eyes—so much like his father’s—glimmered.
She bit her lip, struggling to find words that wouldn’t disappoint him too badly, but failed. Instead, she ran a loving hand through his brown hair and offered him a bone-weary smile. “Just let me take a quick shower, honey. Then we’ll go. All right?”
His grin was worth the sacrifice of a few hours sleep.
As she started toward the guest bedroom she and Danny had been sharing, Aunt Addie stopped her. “Lani, you look dog-tired and ready to drop. Why did you agree to go to the zoo today? I’m sure Danny would understand your need for rest.”
“I know. He’s a good kid.” She cast her elderly aunt a smile. “But this is supposed to be his vacation, too. He’s really looking forward to visiting the reptile house and seeing the pythons and the rattlesnakes.”
“I’m sure they’ll be there tomorrow.”
True, but Leilani also wanted her son to get some fresh air and sunshine. While she’d been gone, she’d asked her aunt not to take him outdoors. She had no idea what she’d do if anything happened to him. The thought of losing him like she’d lost Kami was too painful to contemplate.
“How’s your friend Carrie doing?” Addie asked.
“She’s hanging in there.”
Addie clucked her tongue. “It’s a downright shame what happened to her. She’s better off without a man in her life anyway.”
Leilani found it hard to argue, especially with a woman who refused to remarry after a nasty divorce, a woman who still seemed angry with Leilani’s father for not allowing her to raise his children on the mainland.
But when Leilani’s parents died, their will had been explicit. Leilani and Kami were to live with their maternal grandparents on Lanai—an island not far from Oahu, where they’d been living.
“I’m glad you finally learned that lesson,” Addie said, as she opened the linen closet. She pulled out a blue towel and washcloth then handed them to Leilani.
“What lesson are you talking about?”
“That most men can’t be trusted. You’re better off this way.”
Leilani wasn’t quite sure what she meant. “Do you think that’s why I never married?”
“Well, you’ve had bad experiences with two young men. First with that hellion who was responsible for Kami’s death. Then that Navy SEAL who got you pregnant.”
Leilani glanced down the hall, making sure Danny wasn’t within hearing distance. “Danny’s birth blessed this entire family, so his father did us all a favor. And for what it’s worth, I’ve been too busy with work and trying to be a mother to my son to even think about dating. It has nothing to do with not trusting men.”
“Hmph.” Addie handed her the linens. “Nevertheless, I’m glad you haven’t tried to find that boy a step-father. He’s doing just fine without one.”
Was he?
She’d told herself Danny’s father wasn’t a man he could look up to, a man he could trust. But now she wasn’t so sure.
Of course, there were more reasons than that for keeping Danny a secret for eleven years.
First, she didn’t know Luke anymore. What if he let her son down? Or made promises he wouldn’t keep?
Second, she’d always preached the importance of honesty to her son. And the lie she’d told him about his father had been a whopper.
Perched on a hilltop that overlooked the Pacific, Oceana General Hospital was located about twenty minutes north of downtown San Diego. The large white stucco building had an old-world, Spanish style, with a flower-lined walkway and a stone-crafted water fountain bubbling at the entrance.
Luke liked the way the lights shined upon the water at night, which is why he chose to enter through the front door and not the emergency room.
After parking his SUV in the lot assigned to doctors, he pushed through the double glass doors into the lobby. He walked past the ladies dressed in pink who were members of the hospital auxiliary and headed down the walkway to the ICU. His shift would start soon, but he wanted to check on Carrie—again.
His interest in the beaten pregnant woman went against the grain, he supposed. Whenever any other cases had tugged at his frayed heartstrings, he’d always been able to successfully fight off the urge to get involved. So he didn’t know why he hadn’t done the same with this one.
Sure you do, an adolescent voice whispered.
He cursed under his breath. Okay, so it was Leilani who had the hold on him—her and that damn guilt he still carried.
Upon punching in the code that allowed him into the ICU, he proceeded to the nurses’ station, where he learned that Carrie had been assigned to Bethany Paige, an attractive redhead he’d dated a while back. The shifts were about to change.
“How’s
