Gentle Persuasion (3 page)

She touched that feature now and willed her lips upward.

Her mother’s infrequent smile stared back at her in haunting reminder.

Only you can understand.

* * *

A
FTER
UNPACKING
HER
suitcase, Ophelia stood beneath the bathroom shower for long minutes and let the warmth of the spray ease away her tension. Changing into more casual clothes, she stretched out on the bed once more and logged on to the inn’s internet connection.

She spent the next few hours on her laptop in the Liliuokalani suite, clicking through websites and articles that mentioned Dane Montgomery. The research Holly had given her, along with her mother’s instructions and her own memory, provided the necessary framework to form a profile of Dane’s past and accomplishments. But Ophelia knew she needed to dig deeper if she was to achieve her goal.

The web was a wealth of information on the former advertising executive, highlighting awards, achievements, accolades and a sparkling career path that had sent Dane higher and higher into the echelons of the corporate world. And then, suddenly, articles dated three years previously exploded into her browser, announcing Dane’s retirement and exit from business. There were dozens of speculations on the reasons: everything from a love child with some celebrity or other to a debilitating disease eating him alive. It was all fodder for the gossips, especially when Dane’s official statement proved to be rather dull reasoning.

I plan to seek out new challenges in a different direction. While I value my time spent in this industry, I’m looking to find personal fulfillment at a less frenzied pace.

He was labeled everything from “certifiably insane” to “a groundbreaking genius.”

In the end, Ophelia sensed he simply felt tired—a feeling she could relate to after her years climbing the ladder at Reid Recruiting. But she had worked relentlessly to prove her value, and now, finally, she would be rewarded.
If
she could drag Dane back to the world he had left behind.

With a sigh, Ophelia logged off and closed her laptop. She reached for a pillow and curled herself around it, her mind cataloging everything she’d gleaned from her research. She mentally filed away each scrap of information on Dane as she continued to form and revise her plan to recruit him. Soon, jet lag and the six-hour time difference between Hawaii and New York caught up with her. The next thing she knew, she woke to darkness outside her window and the soft sound of island crickets filtering in on the midnight air.

Sitting up in the bed, she realized she’d slept away the rest of the afternoon and all of the evening. Annoyed with this waste of hours, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and decided to see if, by chance, anyone remained awake.

Easing open the door to her room, she glanced down the hall in both directions. A soft light illuminated the stairs, so Ophelia headed that way, her feet moving soundlessly across the carpet. She had just reached the bottom step and noted all the inn’s lights were off for the evening when she heard what sounded suspiciously like a motorcycle outside. She crept closer to the open windows. The echo of hushed dialogue and muted giggles drifted toward her as the motorcycle purred gently.

Leaning forward, she carefully parted two of the blinds’ slats and peered out. In the pale light spilling from the front porch, Ophelia saw a girl leaning against the solid form of a young man as he remained seated on the bike.

They were murmuring affectionately, their foreheads pressed together, and Ophelia felt a sudden tug of longing. She couldn’t remember Cole ever cradling her in such a way—not even in the early stages of their relationship four years ago. But then, he had never much liked public displays of affection. She suppressed a sigh and though she felt jealous of the young couple outside the inn, she experienced no such regret for ending things with Cole.

But to be held in such a way...wasn’t that every girl’s dream?

As the embrace lingered, Ophelia felt embarrassed for intruding. Straightening, she began to head back toward the stairs but stubbed her toe on the edge of a cabinet, causing her to hop around and bite back a string of curses. By the time she regained her balance, the front door had eased open, and the girl she’d been spying on stood before her. For a moment, they simply stared at each other in surprise.

Ophelia rubbed her opposite foot over her smarting toe. “Sorry,” she apologized.

“For what?” the girl asked.

“Um...” Ophelia trailed off, reluctant to admit she’d been watching the younger woman’s midnight tryst.

“Are you a guest?” The girl stepped forward, and Ophelia could only nod in acknowledgment. The younger woman’s face split into a beaming smile featuring even white teeth against the backdrop of her smooth, sun-kissed complexion. “Aloha, I’m Leilani.” She extended a hand. “I’m in charge of reception, events and bookings.”

Though the words were spoken softly in deference to the late hour, Ophelia noted the pride in them. She relaxed at the friendly introduction.

“Ophelia Reid,” she said in equally hushed tones and inserted her hand into Leilani’s. “I flew in from New York this morning. I’m booked in the Liliuokalani suite for the week.”

“Oh, yeah.” Leilani’s head bobbed, her long, dark hair swishing forward with the movement. “You booked at the last minute, right? Something about unexpected travel plans?”

Ophelia licked her lips, uncertain how much she should reveal to one of Dane’s employees. “Well, um...yes. My assistant would have been the one to make all the arrangements.”

Leilani’s eyes widened. “Oh. Your assistant?”

“It’s a long story.”

Leilani cocked her head with curiosity, studying Ophelia. “Have you eaten?” she questioned at last.

Ophelia’s stomach growled right on cue. She frowned apologetically. “I fell asleep for a few hours. The time difference and all.”

Leilani waved a hand as if this happened all the time.

“I suppose I could drive down to the coast,” Ophelia considered. “Surely there’s got to be some late-night diners open or something.”

Now Leilani was shaking her head. She reached out to grab Ophelia’s hand, dragging her along as she spoke in whispers. “I’m starving! We’ll raid the fridge together. That way, if we get caught, I can tell them you forced me into it.”

Ophelia couldn’t help grinning at this girl’s friendliness.

“But there’s one condition.” Leilani halted and turned to face her. “You can’t tell my
tutu
or Dane that I got in so late.”

“Tutu?”

“My grandmother,” Leilani explained.

“Oh.” Ophelia considered her. “Are you breaking your curfew? I did that a time or two myself back in high school.” Never any more than that, though. She dared not risk it and upset her mother.

“I’m almost nineteen,” Leilani said, “but after everything that happened last year, I still get treated like I’m a toddler sometimes. Especially by my
tutu.
”

Leilani released Ophelia’s hand and led her through a doorway, flicking on lights to reveal the interior of the inn’s kitchen. When Leilani began speaking once more, her voice was soft but not nearly so hushed as before.

“Dane’s not so bad—he trusts me. But
Tutu
still worries.”

“Your grandmother...er, your
tutu,
is...” Ophelia prompted.

“Oh, Pele. The housekeeper and cook? You probably met her already. You’d remember if you had.”

Ophelia grimaced at the recollection of the short, feisty woman. “Yes. I know what you mean.”

Leilani nodded, her expression serious despite the humor in Ophelia’s tone. “I got into some pretty bad stuff a year ago. I cleaned up my act but grandmas...you know how they are.”

Ophelia bit her lip and didn’t say anything. Her paternal grandparents had been gone long before she was born, and she had never gotten to spend much time with her maternal ones before they passed away during her college years. Her mother had avoided visits with them as much as possible.

Leilani seemed not to notice Ophelia’s silence as she turned and opened the fridge door to begin rummaging inside.

“Do you like
huli huli
chicken?” she asked from within the recesses of the refrigerator.

“I’m sorry—what?”

Leilani emerged holding several containers. “
Huli huli
chicken?”

“I don’t know what that is.”

“Oh, um...I guess it’s sort of like barbecue chicken but with ginger, soy sauce, brown sugar, you know.”

Another rumble in Ophelia’s stomach settled the matter for her. “I’d love to try it.”

Leilani nodded with a grin and continued to pull containers from the fridge, announcing their contents as she placed them on the kitchen island.

“Mango bread,
huli huli
chicken, steamed rice with pineapple, roasted sweet potatoes...”

Ophelia began peeling lids off the dishes. “Sounds like a feast.”

“
Tutu
may be a little prickly sometimes, but her food is pure sweetness.”

Inhaling the fragrant scents of soy, spice and sugar, Ophelia didn’t argue this statement. Leilani opened cupboards and pulled forth plates and glasses. Placing them on the kitchen island, she gathered utensils and began spooning out generous helpings of the leftovers.

“How are you enjoying Hawai’i?” the younger girl asked conversationally.

Ophelia noticed she pronounced her homeland’s name with the appropriate accent. It was a pleasant sound.

“It’s beautiful. An island paradise. But I haven’t even been here twenty-four hours, so I can’t say I’ve experienced much.”

“Except
Tutu’
s hospitality?” Leilani smirked as she slid a plate of food into the microwave above the stove to heat it.

“Is she always so...”

“Outspoken? Usually.” Leilani shrugged. “But she’s been touchy lately. Things are...tense.”

Ophelia straightened with interest. “Oh?”

“Yeah. The inn and plantation are experiencing financial issues. When Dane bought the property, it had fallen into pretty bad disrepair. He sank all of his savings into the renovations and roasting equipment, and he hasn’t been able to recoup his investment.”

Ophelia mulled over this new information. “Any new venture takes time to turn a profit,” she remarked.

“That’s what Dane tells
Tutu
to keep her from worrying. But it’s not hard to tell that he’s worried, too.”

The microwave emitted a series of beeps, and Leilani swapped out one plate for another. She turned to face Ophelia once more.

“So you should feel good, knowing your stay here contributes to a worthy cause.” She winked pleasantly, and Ophelia felt the sting of guilt.

“It’s a lovely inn, and I’m happy my stay will provide a bit of income. Only...”

Leilani placed the first warmed plate of food on the table and gestured for Ophelia to take a seat. Carrying her glass and a set of flatware with her, she settled at the teak table.

“Only?”

“Only, I’m afraid you’ve been nothing but sweet and open with me, and you’ll likely not appreciate my reasons for coming here in the first place.”

Leilani considered her for several seconds, and Ophelia left the plate of food untouched as they stared at each other. Eventually, the microwave’s beeping broke the silence.

“You’re one of them, aren’t you?” Leilani made no move toward the microwave.

“Them?”

“From Dane’s past. From New York.”

“No, not exactly. I mean, yes, I’m from New York. But I just met your boss this morning. I knew him by his reputation in the corporate world, but we never laid eyes on each other before today.”

Leilani cocked her head, studying. “Then you’re one of those recruiters.”

Ophelia dipped her head in acknowledgment. “How many have there been? Before me?”

Leilani shrugged carelessly before turning toward the microwave. “Enough to become an annoyance.” She turned back and studied Ophelia. “None as pretty as you, though.”

Ophelia blushed, but Leilani turned back toward the microwave without commenting further. Removing her own warmed plate, she joined Ophelia at the table, settling comfortably across from her. Ophelia toyed awkwardly with her silverware, not wanting to appear rude by diving straight into the food. Her mother had instilled that habit in her long ago.

Leilani noted her fidgeting and grinned, putting her at ease once more. “Go ahead.
Tutu’
s a much better cook than conversationalist—I promise.”

Offering a small smile in return, Ophelia took up her fork and speared a chunk of roasted sweet potato. The starchy morsel melted on her tongue, a tangy ginger glaze causing her taste buds to tingle happily. She quickly forked another bite and then a third into her mouth before moving on to the crisp, smoky, soy skin of the
huli huli
chicken. After a long stretch of minutes and more bites that included the doughy, honeyed mango bread and fragrantly steamed rice with pineapple, Ophelia paused to take a breath. At some point while she ate, Leilani had filled her glass with lime-spiked water. She took a long sip before shrugging apologetically.

“I must have been hungrier than I realized.”

Leilani beamed at her. “It’s good to see a city girl eat like that. Most of the other recruiters who came turned up their noses at our food. It offended
Tutu
immensely.”

“It’s their loss,” Ophelia assured as she peeled another savory section of chicken from the bone and popped it into her mouth.

“
Tutu’
s going to end up loving you.”

Ophelia wrinkled her nose with skepticism. “I somewhat doubt that, but...” She paused. “Thank you. For not getting upset about why I’m here.”

Leilani licked her fingers and leaned back in her chair. “You’re just doing your job.”

“That’s a very positive outlook. I hardly imagine other recruiters were welcomed so generously.”

“Dane’s a grown man. He knew what he was doing when he left the mainland, and he knows what he’s doing here. No one can change that, except him.
Tutu
doesn’t give others enough credit to make their own decisions.”