Excerpt from Hidden In A Hawaiian Sunset

Dear readers,

Maybe I have a taste for blogging, after all. Its only day two and I'm already posting again. I didn't see this coming, but hey! Encouraged. 

Let me just say that I love my first book. If you happen to read the little darling and like it, then we share something in common. It feels pleasant to know that I am not alone in what I love. So I mentally shake hands with my favorable readers. On the dreaded other hand, you read my book and don't like it. Maybe its just not your cup of tea, but this is also okay. A shame, granted, but you can't please everyone.  

I can feel this way because writing is fun to me. Do I think I'm going to be some great paragon of literature? Ah, no. I chuckle at the thought. I'm just a writer with stories to tell. I have a few avid fans and I love them to pieces. I hope more will follow because its simply more fun to be excited about something in mass. Any rock concert or movie premier can tell you that.     

Now, to the true purpose of my post! I'm going to slip in an excerpt from my first book, Hidden In A Hawaiian Sunset. If you want more, then the whole book is currently available in the Kindle store for a rather reasonable price. Come on. Give it a read. You just might like it... 

Suddenly, I feel like I'm selling drugs.

Anyway! Read on.

Introduction

     Jacob Kenway would never forget the day he lost his daughter.

     It was a hot summer day in Hanalei, Kauai. He was watching her romp on the beach in ragged play shorts and a tank top. Her eyes were the same color as the crystal blue sea and her curly black hair was just like his. But her dark skin and small frame came from her Hawaiian mother. She was a beautiful, wonderful child.

     “Boren,” Jacob spoke aloud as he adjusted his earpiece. “Stay in close proximity and keep the audio feed active. I don’t want Malia to know we’re listening, but I do want to know who she speaks to. Inform the others to hold their positions unless otherwise directed.”

     A bodyguard dressed as a tourist stepped closer to Malia and answered.

     “Yes, sir. We’ll get her home safely.”

     Malia was only a few yards away from her parents, but Jacob was not one to take chances. She was oblivious to the extreme measures he took to make sure she was protected. She was too busy frolicking through the ocean like some kind of Grecian water nymph.

     Jacob smiled at the thought, but the smile quickly faded. He was born in England and had inherited a substantial amount of family money. Raised by a businessman, he had worked his whole life to become ridiculously wealthy. It was nice to be able to take care of his family, but the blackmail attempts and threats sometimes made him wish they had simpler lives.

     “Why are you frowning like that, ipo?”

     Jacob turned to look into the golden-brown eyes of his wife, Lani. They were sitting under an umbrella as they watched their daughter play. Lani had saved him from a cold, empty existence based on material gain and taught him what was really important in life.

     “I was wishing we were a little less wealthy,” he answered wryly. “What do you think about giving it all away and only keeping what we need to survive for the rest of our lives?”

Lani laughed affectionately and shook her head, causing her straight black hair to ripple like silk.

     “That is why I love you so much,” she answered. “All I need to be happy is you and Malia. I don’t care what you do with the money.”

     Jacob weighed the pros and cons in his head, and then sighed heartily.

     “It’s no good. I wouldn’t be able to protect Malia if I gave the money away.”

   Lani nodded with understanding. She understood that Jacob had enemies. He’d inherited enemies. It was one of the reasons he avoided going back to London.

     Suddenly, Jacob sat up and glared.

   A little boy was watching Malia. He stood at the edge of the waves, his silver-black eyes following her as she splashed around and squealed with laughter.

     “Boren, get that b-”

     Jacob began, but Lani covered his hand to stop him.

    “Jacob, please. You keep Malia locked up on Moku Nani. She doesn’t have any friends. Let the boy speak to her.”

     He studied his wife’s imploring face. She was right, of course. He did keep Malia locked away on his private island, Moku Nani. He did business at his house in Hanalei, but his house on Moku Nani was where he hid his daughter from the world.

     “Sir? Do you want me to take care of it?”

     Boren asked in a hard voice. After a brief hesitation, Jacob answered.

     “No, Boren. Just keep an eye on him and stay close enough for me to hear what he says.”

     As Boren complied, Jacob stared at the boy who was staring at Malia. The child looked like an unearthly being. His hair and skin were so pale that he appeared almost white. The only animation in his bleak, cold face came from his eyes. The black and silver in his eyes contrasted sharply as he stared at Malia with enough intensity to start a fire. He reminded Jacob of a wolf pausing before the spring. It would have been an accurate description, except that the boy was dressed in a tailored black suit and shiny black shoes.

     “Aloha.”

    Malia noticed the boy and murmured a tentative greeting. Her voice came into Jacob’s earpiece loud and clear. The boy didn’t answer and continued to stare at her in an insolent manner. Jacob growled with irritation and almost got up to teach the brat some manners, but Malia beat him to it.

   “Don’t you know it’s rude to stare?” she demanded, plopping her little hands on her hips. “Didn’t your mamma ever tell you that?”

    A full minute passed and the boy said nothing. Her words seemed to have no effect on him. Jacob grinned when his daughter entered a silent battle of wills with the other child. She stared at him in challenge, her eyebrows raised in anticipation of his response. After a few moments, a small smile tugged at one corner of the boy’s mouth.

     “No, she did not.”

     He finally answered and Jacob was surprised to hear mother England in his accent.

     “Oh,” Malia responded, the wind apparently taken out of her sails. “Well, why not?”

     The boy’s tiny smile vanished and his eyes grew rock hard. It was a very adult expression on such a young face. Malia stepped away from him, deeper into the water that was lapping at her ankles. When he answered this time, his voice was like a growl.

     “My mother is dead. She died before she could tell me anything. My father died four years ago. I live with Uncle Arthur now and he has told me not to speak with you.”

     Enraged that anyone would speak to his daughter like that, Jacob jumped to his feet and made to stride over. He was going to take care of this himself. It was Lani who stopped him again. She caught his arm and put a restraining hand against his broad chest.

     “Jacob, wait. Look at him. Doesn’t he remind you of someone?”

     She whispered, gazing at the boy. Impatient, Jacob glanced over the child again and froze.

     It was in the hard set of the boy’s jaw, the bitter gleam in his eyes. He expected to be hated for his words because he hated himself for speaking them. Jacob remembered another little boy. A boy raised by English relatives who didn’t really care about him. Pushed to the side and forgotten, yet unable to escape the expectations placed upon him.

     “My God,” Jacob answered. “He looks just as miserable as I was.”

     Suddenly, he wondered how Malia was going to react. When his eyes found her again, he saw a most peculiar expression on her face. Such hostility was new to her, but she was smiling at the boy as if she understood him. Then she held out her wet hand and stepped out of the water until she was within his reach.

     “I don’t care what your uncle thinks. My name is Malia Kenway and I’m sorry your mamma and daddy are dead. Maybe I can share mine with you. They’re really nice and I bet they would like you.”

     The boy seemed shocked by her compassion and looked at her hand as if it was a snake in disguise. They remained in that position for a while; the girl holding out her hand and the boy staring distrustfully at it. Then very slowly, something deep and powerful dawned in his eyes.

Jacob found himself back in the past. He remembered the fear and distrust he felt when Lani confessed her love for him. Even more keenly he remembered his wild, uncontainable hope when he worked up the nerve to ask her to marry him. He understood this boy completely. Apparently, Malia did too. He had never been so proud of his daughter.

     It was a glorious victory when the boy slowly reached out and gently wrapped his fingers around Malia’s hand. After a tense moment, he relaxed and smiled at her like she was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. Jacob lowered himself back into his seat with as much dignity as possible and tried to ignore his wife’s smug expression.

     “My name is Nathan Arthur Scott.”

     The boy said and his eyes were somehow softer than before. Jacob felt his own heart warm as Malia smiled back sweetly and pulled Nathan up the bank.

     “Come sit by me, Nathan, so we can talk.”

     She said and, still holding hands with him, sat cross-legged on the sandy beach. This forced him to either let go of her or sit beside her. He sat beside her, despite the sand that dirtied his expensive clothing.

     “Why didn’t your uncle want you to talk to me?”

     Malia asked him. Nathan shrugged uncomfortably when he answered.

     “Because of the way you’re dressed.”

     “So? These are my play clothes. Anyway, Daddy says I could walk around in a garbage bag and he would still be proud of me.”

     Jacob nodded with approval at her words. He really didn’t care what she wore as long as she was decent and happy.

     “Uncle Arthur is very different from your father.”

     Nathan said in a glum voice.

     “Different isn’t better.”

     Malia responded simply. Nathan smiled at her, revealing a charming dimple in his right cheek. Malia appeared mesmerized by it.

     “You know what?” he leaned toward her conspiratorially. “I’ve always hated these suits.”

     Jacob chuckled as the boy released her hand and turned to his clothing. He tore the tie from around his neck, took off his black jacket, and rolled up the sleeves of his crisp white shirt. Then he rolled up the stiff black slacks, kicked off the shiny shoes, tore off the black socks, and dug his bare feet into the sand.

     "Excellent,” he sighed with relief. “Your way is better.”

     Malia giggled.

     “You forgot one thing.”

     She said, and then reached up to dig both of her hands into his hair. He laughed as she ravaged the slick hairstyle until his hair stuck out in all directions. This gave him a mischievous appearance.

     “Are you finished now, love?”

     He asked as she drew away from him.

     “Love?” she looked at him in puzzlement. “Why did you call me love?”

     “Because I like you.”

     He explained and she blushed faintly in response.

     “Oh… mahalo. I like you too. You can call me that.”

     With a sense of dread, Jacob realized that Nathan was a handsome boy. Exactly how old was he?

     “How old are you, Nathan?”

     Malia echoed her father’s thoughts.

     “I’m nine.”

     Nathan responded.

     “Wow, you’re old.”

     “Older than you, I suppose. How old are you?”

     “I’m five going on six.”

     “Wow, you’re young.”

     Suddenly, Jacob heard a shout. When he looked in the direction it came from, he saw a man dressed in a suit similar to Nathan’s.

     “Nathan!”

     The man barked. His voice was like a cold blast of wind as he glared at the two children. An unpleasant sneer marred his features.

     “Who is that?”

   Malia asked with incredulous fascination. Jacob knew she had never met anyone so disagreeable in her life. He’d made sure of it.

      “That’s Uncle Arthur.”

      Nathan answered with clenched fists.

     “Where is your jacket and tie?” his uncle was shouting. “How dare you roll about in the mud and embarrass me like this in public?”

     “Brilliant,” Nathan scoffed. “Now he won’t let me keep you.”

     “But I want you to keep me,” Malia frowned as she and Nathan stood. “Maybe he just doesn’t like mud. Maybe that’s all it is.”

     Jacob was preparing to intervene when a devilish gleam entered Nathan’s eyes and stopped him. He was curious to see what the boy was going to do.

     Nathan smiled wickedly, knelt to the ground, scooped up a handful of muddy sand, and hurled it at his uncle with what looked like vicious satisfaction. Jacob smothered his laughter as the missile hit Mr. Scott directly in the center of his chest, causing the popinjay to let out a choked bellow and flap his arms in the air like a startled chicken.

      Nathan grabbed Malia’s hand to make a run for it and they escaped, screaming with laughter. Jacob signaled for Boren to follow them as he moved to intercept Mr. Scott. He wanted to make sure Malia kept her new friend, who reminded him so much of himself that it was scary.

He could still hear their laughter by the time he finished making arrangements with Mr. Scott, so he knew Boren was with them. He followed the path they took until he found them crouching behind an outcropping of rock.

     Boren had his back against a large boulder with his arms crossed in a deceptively relaxed position. When he saw Jacob, he nodded and walked away. Jacob took up the post and peered around the rock at the children. They were grinning at each other and completely unaware of his presence.

     “Nathan, won’t Mr. Scott be angry at you?” Malia asked breathlessly. “What if he sends you away?”

     “I don’t care if he’s angry.” Nathan answered bitterly. “He won’t send me away. He thinks he has to take care of me even though he doesn’t want to.”

     Malia seemed sad at his words.

     “Oh. Well, he really won’t want us to be friends now.”

     Nathan stared at her with the same intensity as before, his wolfish eyes hard and determined.

     “We’ll be friends no matter what. Agreed?”

     Malia grinned again.

     “Agreed.”

     This was when Jacob began to realize the truth. It would be years before he could pinpoint the day Malia fell in love with Nathan, but he would always remember this day as the beginning. It was the day he stopped being the most important man in her life.

Okay! If you made it this far, then you must have found the beginning at least mildly entertaining. Or you were just really devoted to reading the whole blog for some reason. In any case click here if you want more. You can even get the book for free if you have Kindle Unlimited. 

Cheers