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  Keilen nodded, frown deepening the more Lily spoke. “And they believed those pictures were you?”

  “No, it’s obvious they’re not, but that’s not the point. In the past two months, there have been three manila envelopes delivered to the partners. It doesn’t matter to them that I’m innocent. It only matters that I’m being targeted.”

  “They’re worried about you.”

  Lily smiled, head shaking at Keilen’s assumption. He worked in an environment where everyone’s goal was saving lives. There might be egos surrounding the surgical floors, but the agenda was the same—do no harm. Law firms were different entities, and Lily’s, in particular, seemed to live by the “do me no harm” rule. Keilen had never really been around the sort of people Lily worked with on a daily basis. God love him, Keilen wasn’t cynical.

  She squeezed his hand and sat back, circling her arms over her chest. “They’re worried about the firm’s reputation and want to make sure none of the clients catch wind of this situation.”

  Keilen’s wrinkled his forehead, as though he wasn’t quite sure what to make of her boss’s response to the situation. “They can’t blame you.”

  “They’d never admit that they do, but my boss practically told me I was being let go. Forced PTO is always code for ‘you’re getting the boot.’ I’ve seen it before. They say it’s a vacation, that security is investigating. But the partners don’t want the hassle of dealing with my ‘situation.’ I’m out. I know that.”

  “They can’t do that.” He sat up, fingers balling tight. “It’s not your fault.”

  “They can. I didn’t sign a contract with them, and Louisiana is a right-to-fire state. They don’t need a reason to get rid of me.”

  He took a breath, expression shifting, pulling from frown to shock and back again to anger. He was indignant on her behalf and Lily was struck with an overwhelming urge to kiss him. “Isn’t there anyone there who has your back?”

  “Well…there’s…”

  “Yes,” someone said, walking toward the table. Lily turned, her mouth dropping open as Lincoln Wells approached. “She’s got me.”

  Chapter Twelve

  The chatter around the restaurant was low, but constant and Lily wondered how long Lincoln and Keilen would go on in their silence, glaring, assessing, before one of them resorted to more archaic methods of alpha male chest thumping. She half expected a suggestion of measurements of dick length but figured, as purported professional men, neither one would stoop so low. At least, that was her hope.

  Lincoln hadn’t waited for an invitation to join them. He simply took a seat on Lily’s other side so that he and Keilen sat across from each other.

  “Well,” she said, when the silence went on a little too long for her liking. “This isn’t awkward at all.” She waved the waiter off when he inquired again if Lincoln wanted a drink. “He’s not staying,” she offered, though her tone was clipped. Lily couldn’t find the concern to disguise her frustration.

  To Lincoln, she glared, back straight, mouth set before she glared at him. “What in the hell are you doing here and how did you find me?”

  “Lily, really. I’ve left several messages and while we’re on the subject, you neglected to inform me of your change of plans. I had my housekeeper ready the cabin and had no idea you’d come to Oahu until you were on your way.”

  “It was a spur-of-the-moment decision.”

  “An irresponsible one.” Lincoln’s mouth was drawn tight and Lily got the impression that the loon was disappointed in her.

  “Are you her supervisor or something?” Keilen asked, voice clam, controlled though the tension in his face was tight.

  “No, I’m a colleague.” Lincoln didn’t relax, looked out of place in this small café full of tourists and beach bums lazing on fresh fruits and crisp bacon. Around them, families in flip-flops and bathing suit covers congregated over tables filled with breakfast plates—fluffy, scrambled eggs and fat, curled strips of bacon. Pineapple and mango spread out next to an assortment of berries and melons. This was not Commander’s Palace in New Orleans; something distinctly out of Lincoln’s wheelhouse. Only Keilen looked remotely similar to Lincoln in his black trousers and button up shirt, but he wore no tie, despite his pending hospital shift.

  “So you being here is…what, exactly?” Keilen asked, grin unabashedly present, as though Lincoln’s presence was a joke of some sort and he waited for the punch line.

  “I’m sorry, but what concern is that of yours? Are you family?”

  “No,” Lily interrupted, tired of the mutual interrogation. “But he’s a friend.”

  “A close friend,” Keilen supplied.

  “Well, if you must know,” Lincoln began, looking more confident than he should have. “Lily has been called back to New Orleans.” He turned to her, leaning close despite the way she moved back. “It’s the Reynold’s Steel case. One of the lower management employees was discovered to have been a mole. He admitted there may be another. Ellis needs you. The client only wants you.”

  “But Ellis said…” she trailed off, confused that no one had contacted her. Even if her employment status was up in the air, if she had been requested by the client, then someone should have called at least.

  “He wants to reinstate you.”

  “Why hasn’t he called?”

  “He’s traveling. Some business in Burma, and the connection is spotty. He’ll be out of pocket for a few days. Being the most senior attorney in the firm at the moment, I’m here to facilitate your reinstatement and to catch you up on the security breach.” Lily’s stomach coiled at the reminder she’d lost her job, or at least was close to it. Ellis had all but told her that in their meeting. But she still didn’t much care for the cold, matter-of-fact way Lincoln related the details. “With the client asking for you specifically—”

  Keilen held up a hand, silencing Lincoln before he continued with his monotone explanation, and Lily appreciated him then; appreciated the small break his interruption gave them. “They want her to come back to work a rescue and then what?”

  Lincoln moved his brows together, eyes narrowing as though he wasn’t sure what to make of Keilen’s question. “That will be up for the partners to decide.”

  “Lily, you can’t seriously be considering going back. Not after how they’ve treated you. Not when they were already planning to get rid of you.”

  She took a breath, frowning as she looked at Keilen. “It’s not that simple. If I burn bridges, if I don’t help, other firms will know. It’s how it all works. People talk and they’ll definitely talk about me not being willing to help the client when they requested me. I’d never be able to get a job in the city again.”

  “I knew you’d see it that way,” Lincoln admitted, a stupid, smug smile on his face that only lessened when both Lily and Keilen glared at him.

  “I’m not committing to anything,” she told him, relaxing against her chair as he watched her. There were decisions she needed to make and responsibilities that required her attention. Though she was needed, she wouldn’t jump when the partners said so, especially not if they didn’t have the decency to call her. “My niece needs me. Things are difficult right now. I couldn’t just up and leave her.”

  “But the client—”

  “Can she do remote access?” Keilen asked, leaning back and putting himself closer to Lily.

  Lincoln’s stare fell upon Keilen as he slipped his arm around the back of Lily’s chair, and he frowned, nose flaring, a bit when Keilen smiled.

  “There’s this little thing called the internet. It’s just like magic.”

  “Possibly,” Lincoln admitted, looking like he wasn’t exactly in favor of that approach. “I’d have to speak to Ellis. The partners might not want…”

  “If they want me,” Lily said, tired already of the back-and-forth debating, “then they’ll give me the time I need to figure things out and make sure my niece isn’t over her head here.”

  He opened his mouth, a
s though he wanted to argue, then closed it again in an obvious attempt to look as relaxed as both Lily and Keilen when he rested against his chair. But Lincoln was a suit, true to form. Lily had never seen him at any of the firm casual functions—none of the crawfish boils or family days, never once at the volleyball games or at bars after work for drinks. She doubted he even knew how to relax.

  “Lily, surely you aren’t serious.”

  “Lincoln, I gave them five years of my life, and now they want me gone because of something out of my control? No.” She shook her head, stopping him when he sat forward, finger pointed as though he wanted to make another point. “This will require more than a twenty-minute conversation to get me packing.”

  “So you’re not saying no?”

  She watched him, still flabbergasted that he was even here. The man had nerve, he had drive, she knew that herself when he took on sixty-hour workweeks to grab the partners’ attention. Lily had seen Lincoln project—faking concern and compassion when he had none in order to seem more appealing to the partners. Reynold’s Steel was an immense client, their revenue in the billions. It had been Lily’s own desire to fill the lonely hours when Zee left for Hawaii that had made her catch the partners’ eyes. That case had been her baby, but Lincoln wanted in. It should not have surprised her that he’d shown up here to drag her back because the case had gone sideways.

  “I’m saying I need to think about it.”

  After several seconds of Lincoln staring at her, likely contemplating his next argument, to which Lily didn’t blink, the man finally looked away, reaching into his pocket to retrieve his cell.

  “Fine,” he said, standing from the table. “I’ll call Ellis and update him on your answer. Give me a few minutes.”

  “Why don’t you let me speak with Ellis…”

  “No. I have it. I won’t be a moment.” And he walked from the side entrance and onto a mostly empty patio as he put the phone to his ear.

  “This is stupid,” Keilen said, pulling her attention away from her colleague. His voice was low, but hinted at his irritation. “You even thinking of helping these people is stupid.”

  “You don’t understand. God, Keilen, I don’t need you playing the witless body guard. You couldn’t. You’re not…”

  “Why do you do that?” he asked, sitting back, frowning hat her. “Shit, Lil, you can be insulting.”

  “I’m sorry.” She took a breath, scrubbing her face before she watched him. Those loose words, those thoughtless insults were going to ruin things for her one day. Lily kept her voice calm, hoping she could make Keilen see reason. “I told you, it’s not that—”

  “Simple. Right. So you said, but Lily, they aren’t loyal.” Keilen forgot his irritation and turned in his chair, elbows on his knees again so he could look in her face. “They aren’t down for you. I know you don’t want to burn bridges, but you have to know, New Orleans isn’t the only place to practice. You have options. You could….”

  “I could what, Keilen?” She knew she sounded rude, that there was no reason for her to lash out at him, but she’d been told too often since she returned where she should be. Now Lincoln had come to take her back, assumed she’d go willingly. “You listened to my conversation with Zee? You going to try to convince me to come back to the island full time? Why? Because it’s what you want?” She was tired of what others thought she should do with her life.

  He hesitated, watching her face, his own expressions shutting down, like he didn’t want her knowing what he thought; like he debated the wisdom of speaking freely. Finally, Keilen shook his head, a decision made and sat up, taking hold of Lily’s hand. “I’m not going to lie to you and tell you I don’t want you here.”

  “Why?”

  “Zinnia…she needs you and you said it yourself, she’s all you have left. Ohana is important, Lil, even the ohana you make for yourself. Those people you work for, that guy over there, they have no idea what that means or why it’s so important.”

  “But you do?”

  “Of course I do, and no matter what you tell yourself, so do you. That girl is your world, this place is too. You just forgot that.”

  “Keilen, I have a life in New Orleans. My work is…it’s important to me.”

  “That might be true, but Lil, you aren’t important to them.” He scrubbed his face, watching Lincoln as he paced outside, hand in his pocket while he listened to whoever it was on the other end of that phone. Keilen returned his attention to Lily, frown easing from his mouth. “It’s not just Zee. Not by a long shot. You come back, you stay, and I swear to Christ, I‘ll make sure you never regret it.”

  Keilen Rivers wasn’t a man who gave a lot of thought to the opinions of others. Lily liked that about him. He was free, confident, and had more mettle than most people she knew. She should not have been surprised by Keilen’s small monologue or how fiercely he seemed to mean his words. She should have not also been surprised by that severe look in his eyes or the seconds it took for him to stop speaking and lean down to hold Lily’s head still. And then Keilen kissed Lily hard, right there for everyone to see.

  It was not sweet. It was not gentle, and that lone kiss reminded Lily of what waited for her in Oahu and it had nothing to do with ohana.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Lincoln didn’t understand, but then, he wouldn’t. Lily didn’t know him well enough to wonder what he thought of the island or the home she’d invited him into, despite Zinnia’s protest when Lily called her after Keilen left for the hospital.

  “I was about to call you,” she started, breath coming out in a rush. She still had two hours left in her shift at the hospital and already sounded exhausted. “What did you do to Keilen? He’s only been here an hour and already he’s barking at everyone, totally on a warpath. Thank God, I’m not on his service this month.”

  “I…there’s a chance I might have to go home. One of our clients…”

  “Lil, no.” Lily heard the disappointment in her niece’s voice, and when Zee started to speak with that frustrated, desperate tone, Lily knew she shouldn’t interrupt. “You can’t do that. I need you here. We can speed up the wedding. For you. Two weeks, we can do that. So you won’t have to make so many trips back and you can’t miss my wedding. You promised you wouldn’t. “

  “It’s one of our biggest clients, sugar,” she tried, feeling horrible when Zee released a noise that was all exasperated and worry. Still, Lily tried to make her understand. “I can’t just completely flake out, and I…”

  “You can’t just make a phone call or send an email?”

  “That’s not what I do, honey. You know that. It’s more sensitive than that.”

  “Please, Lil. I need you. Especially today. It’s Ano’s birthday and Leanni’s bringing over food and every damn Tau, Hale, and Rivers on Oahu. I’m tempted to pick up another shift just to avoid them, but no. I can’t do that. Hell. I need you to be my buffer. Meet me there at five. I can’t…I can’t do this without you. I need you.”

  That had nearly done Lily in. She’d never turned her back when Zee needed her, because her niece never seemed to need her at all. Even as a kid she wanted to be self-reliant and when Lily returned with Lincoln to Zinnia and Ano’s home a couple of hours later, after a lengthy discussion at Lincoln’s hotel about the failing case and how it had gotten that way, she realized how much it took to ask for help.

  “This is madness,” Lincoln said, following behind Lily as they walked through the front door. Every conceivable space was filled with boxes and bags, most with white mesh and silk, a few streamers of wedding-themed leis and other flowers generally used in island weddings. They walked through the home dodging people Lily didn’t know, nodding and smiling as they moved through the crowd.

  “You could have stayed at your hotel,” she told him, still annoyed that he’d followed her to Oahu.

  “You’re the one who wants to speak to Ellis. I’m privy to his number. You aren’t.”

  They dodged a small congregat
ion of children, none of whom looked older than twelve, and then stopped, side by side in the threshold of the kitchen. Ano sat at the head of the bamboo table surrounded by food, friends, and others Lily took for his family.

  “Lil!” he called, smiling at Lily when he spotted her. His eyes were red-rimmed and two empty bottles of Blue Moon sat in front of him. “Here is my nani ke aloha’s auntie, Lily.”

  “She’s fine, yeah?” one of his friends said, watching Lily closely as Leanni and two other women Lily had never seen moved in front of her to place platters of smoking chicken and kabobs of pork and mushrooms on the table.

  “You should eat,” Leanni said, glancing at Lily, then to Lincoln. “Your man, too. We feed everyone here, not like stingy haoles.” Lily caught the cool look the old woman sent toward the other side of the kitchen, then glared at the woman. Zee was in the corner, listening to a heavy-set woman who could have been Leanni’s twin talking animatedly, looking like she could barely maintain her calm as the woman went on and on.

  “Excuse me,” Lily told Lincoln moving passed Ano’s family, his fake-smiling granny and the crowd of people whose names she had no interest in learning. She only saw her girl, still in her scrubs and that wild, desperate look in her eyes; it was that look that had her moving, grabbing a bottle of rum from the island as she neared it, then Zee’s hand. “We’ll just be a minute,” she told the old woman talking to Zinnia, ignoring the small sound of irritation she released before she took her niece’s hand and led her through the house.

  “Where are we going?” Zee asked, looking over her shoulder, throwing smiles and promises to return as they went. “Lily…”

  “You need a break.” She maneuvered through the house, onto the porch, then down the porch stairs before anyone could stop them, all while her niece asked over and over again “What’s going on?” and “Wait…” They’d passed from Ano’s property to Keilen’s by the time Zinnia stopped complaining.