I twisted around to get a better look at him and watched him strut away like the weather was perfect. Like a dream, he faded into the pouring rain.
“Where to, lady?”
I faced the bald, middle-aged man and pulled the seatbelt strap over my chest. Then I gave him my sister’s address.
“He called you Brandon. You guys know each other?”
Nosy question, but the man’s kindness had been unexpected. What a gentleman to not only leave in the rain and give me the cab, but to pay for my ride. Nobody did stuff like that these days. It was like something out of an old movie.
The driver looked at the rearview mirror, green eyes glinting at me, and turned on the meter.
“His name is Leonardo, but his friends call him Lee. He calls me every time he’s back from a business trip even though he could call his driver. Not much of a talker, but a big tipper. Told me once he likes to pay it forward.”
I thought about asking more about Leonardo but didn’t see the point. I was never going to see him again, anyway.
As Brandon talked nonsense on the way, my mind drifted to Leonardo and wondered where he lived. What his occupation was, if he had a family of his own. I didn’t usually fixate on a guy just because he was attractive, but he had intrigued me and had made my crappy day a little bit brighter.
My crappy day had started before I’d even gotten out of bed. First, I’d slept through my alarm, and a horrible accident on the freeway had almost caused me to miss my plane. Then the family sitting behind me had a toddler who wouldn’t stop kicking my seat and an infant who cried almost the entire trip. From the flight alone, I needed some serious spa time.
Brandon cleared his throat and turned the wheel to the left. “Where are you from, miss?”
“Los Angeles. Have you been?” I ran my fingers through my wet hair.
“No, but I’d like to visit one day, though I hear the traffic is horrible.”
“It’s not like Kauai for sure.”
Brandon chuckled. “Got that right. There’s no place like Kauai. Are you here for business or pleasure?”
“I’m visiting my sister and my nephew.” I shifted to get comfortable from my sodden jeans, fighting the urge to itch through the stiff material. The rain had stopped almost as soon as we had exited the airport. Just my luck to have been caught by the deluge.
“What about your brother-in-law?” Brandon stopped at an intersection, glanced back at me, and then turned right.
“Excuse me?” I fanned my shirt from the hem, hoping that would make it dry faster.
“You left out your brother-in-law. Are they divorced?”
What’s with the personal questions? I’d never met such a nosy cab driver.
“No, he passed away from cancer.” I looked out the window when we got on the freeway. The swaying palm trees and the grassy hills blurred the faster he drove.
Brandon sighed and shook his head. “I’m sorry.”
I forced an awkward smile, but he didn’t look back. I never knew if it was appropriate to tell someone casually that my sister’s husband had died. I also didn’t know what to say when someone apologized. Sometimes his death seemed so long ago, and sometimes like it happened yesterday.
“How long have you lived here?” I asked to break the silence.
“All my life. I’ve been a cab driver for almost thirty years. I meet all kinds of people, and I’ve learned to read people well. So what troubles you?”
I pulled my gaze away from the landscape, startled. “I have no troubles.” Besides a broken heart from my ex and my brother-in-law’s passing, but he didn’t need to know that.
Brandon hiked his eyebrows, meeting my gaze in the rearview mirror. “That’s what they all say at first. Don’t worry. Whatever you say stays in this cab. I’m a once-in-a-life chance for free therapy. Something about this island makes newcomers open up. Eventually, my passengers always spill their guts to me. They can’t help themselves.”
I let out a light laugh. He was quite entertaining. “I’m fine, but thank you.”
It was going to take at least forty minutes to get to my sister’s house, so I gazed out the window, admiring the simple beauty of the curvy hills that stretched for miles.
There were no clumps of looming buildings or people hustling and bustling on the streets. As “Mele Kalikimaka” played on the radio, the six feet tall grass blurred along the long stretch of one-way road and joined forces with the sun as it peeked through the clouds.
“We’re now passing through one of the famous sites in Kauai: the tree tunnel,” Brandon said, breaking my trance. “A grand gateway to Kauai’s South Shore.”
I leaned to the middle to see through the windshield. “Wow. It’s beautiful.”
Trees lined on either side of the road like a canopy. Sunlight spilled through the cracks between the branches and crisscrossed the pavement in golden streaks.
“This tunnel started with five hundred eucalyptus trees from Australia.” He grinned at me in the rearview mirror and winked. “I tell this to every one of my passengers.”
“You’re a great tour guide,” I said as I admired the scenery.
A few miles on, we drove through a town. We passed by a group of boys renting surfboards and snorkeling gear at a wooden storefront. Restaurants were filled with families, and people strolled around shopping plazas.
Elation bubbled inside my chest. I couldn’t wait to explore the island and spend time with my family.
As I took in the serenity of the slow-paced life Kauai was known for, no sign remained of the rain except for the beautiful rainbow that shimmered across the sky. I had no doubt this Christmas would be special.
Chapter Two — My Family
Brandon turned into a neighborhood where the houses were close enough to feel neighborly, but separated by a good-sized lot for privacy. He slowed as a family of chickens made its way across the street. Not something you’d see every day on the streets of LA.
The cab slowed to a stop in front of a house. My sister and nephew ran across the yard. Two pairs of arms wrapped around me as soon as I got out of the taxi.
I squealed and hugged them tight. “Abby. Tyler. It’s so good to see you.”
We held each other as if we were each other’s lifeline, and I didn’t want to let go. I’d felt that way when I’d had to go home after Steve’s funeral. The guilt of leaving had never subsided, but I was here now. We were together and that was all that mattered.
“I’m so glad you’re here, Auntie Kate.” My four-year-old nephew’s voice was muffled, his face pressed to my stomach.
It was still so strange that Steve was gone. One less person to greet, one less hug. I could almost feel him with us. Any second now, my tall and lean brother-in-law would casually walk out the door and, being his usual shy self, would wait for an invitation before joining the hug.
My sister took the large duffel bag from me, and my shoulders welcomed the relief.
She narrowed her eyes at me. “Why are your jeans damp?”
I let out a light laugh and waved a hand. “A long story. I’ll tell you later.” Then I turned to Tyler. “Wow, look at you, Ty. You’ve grown so much.” I ruffled his fine hair. “You’re almost as tall as me.”