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CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

ATTIKUS

I’d visitedMaui many times before and loved the magic of the island. But this visit was different because of Vanessa. She’d made the trip unforgettable. I saw more of the island than I had on all the other occasions combined.

During our snorkeling adventure, more fish came out to greet us. I’d only seen a few during my previous experiences when I’d gone alone. Not only that, but a friendly dolphin swam close to us. It was so magical. I didn’t know what to say. Unlike me, who watched in awe, Vanessa clicked her tongue as though speaking to the animal. It clicked back. Joy radiated from Vanessa as she conversed with the dolphin. A boat in the distance roared, startling the dolphin. It disappeared into the water.

We swam back to the shore, returned the snorkeling equipment we’d rented, changed into our casual clothes, and headed to pick up dinner.

“You were good with the dolphin. Have you swum with them before?”

“No.” She smiled. “I was surprised too. We were blessed that it came to us. It was an auspicious sign.”

“You spoke to it.”

She laughed. “I’ve watched videos of people swimming with dolphins, and that’s what they do to communicate. Dolphins are intelligent creatures.” She shrugged, looking ahead. “I couldn’t afford vacations, never mind pay to swim with dolphins. So I fantasized about whatever I wanted to experience by watching videos of the actual event or through my imagination.”

“Is there anything you want to do while we’re here?”

A sign promoting the botanical garden appeared in the distance.

Her face brightened. “Are you in the mood to visit a garden? It might be boring to?—”

“Let’s go,” I said, making the turn to the garden. “So far, it’s been an adventure with you. If a bear comes out to greet us, don’t start talking to it, okay?”

Laughter erupted in the car. “There aren’t bears or wolves here.”

The garden wasn’t crowded because it was only open for another two hours. We walked down the path, taking in the various exotic plants.

“Why didn’t you pursue a botany career?”

Vanessa stopped and looked at me. The joy in her eyes vanished.

“I had to research my wife,” I said, pulling her close. “You searched me, didn’t you?” I massaged her shoulder blades. “I want to know everything about you.”

“My life isn’t that beautiful, Attikus.”

“I don’t define beauty like other people. Besides, we all have ugly things in our past.” I brushed a knuckle down her cheek. “Wait until you hear about my past.”

A small smile crept onto her lips as we continued down a path full of unique ferns. “I still love plants.” We stopped by a bed of flowers, ferns, and tiny mushrooms growing on a log covered in moss. “I became an artist because of circumstances.”

“You have a talent for it.”

“You don’t realize what you have until you step out of your comfort zone.” She watched an orange monarch butterfly land on a fern. “Plants have taught me so much about life. On my lowest days, I look at a flower, and it gives me hope. I admire its ability to just be.”

I stared at her while she examined the plants. She became more beautiful as she described what I had always taken for granted. I didn’t look at the flowers or trees the way she did. After my family was murdered, vengeance was my hope. It gave me the strength to find those responsible and make them pay. Vengeance had consumed me. But at this moment, it stayed off to the side. There was no room for that darkness here.

“Maybe that’s why people say a walk in nature is the best medicine. You’re teaching me a different way of looking at plants.”

She snorted. “Me? Teach a billionaire like you?”

“Billionaires don’t know everything, especially things that money can’t buy.”

Vanessa inhaled a deep breath and released it slowly. “Nature has a certain unapologetic quality. It simplyis.” She walked over to a eucalyptus tree with its rainbow bark and glanced up. “Trees are majestic in their steadiness, maturity, and wisdom.” She walked over to an area full of plumeria flowers. “Flowers grow with no self-doubt or reluctance. They’re rooted to a pragmatic way of living—of common sense.”

“Many people lack that these days.”

Nodding, she grabbed a twig and poked it into the soil. “It’s in the dirt where we find ourselves and our purpose. At least, that’s where I found myself.”