Page 4 of Broken Hearts (Hibiscus Hearts #1)

“Great!”

Alana says, her smile wide like this is the greatest thing ever. Why the fuck she’s being so nice to this girl is beyond me. “Where’s your stuff? Do you have a suitcase?”

“It’s in the car,”

Sage replies quietly. “I have a rental,”

she adds, jerking a thumb over her shoulder to the front of the shop.

“Keys,”

Alana now states, palm out toward Sage. I watch as Sage hands them over, her eyes wide as though she isn’t sure why she’s doing this. “Nate, go and get her bag. I’ll take Sage upstairs and show her around,”

she says, turning and throwing the keys at me.

“Um, we do have a shop to open,”

I state, even though we’ve always been pretty casual about actual opening hours, and it’s still early.

“So get moving then,”

Alana says, giving me a smile as she links her arm through Sage’s and leads her out the back of the shop to the stairs that lead up to the apartment.

“Fuck’s sake,”

I mutter as I make my way outside, clicking the key fob as I try to find this chick’s rental. I hear a beep and see the lights on a small SUV flash, and I make my way over, climbing into the driver’s side.

I move the car around to the side of the shop before grabbing her suitcase from the trunk and carrying it upstairs to Mitch’s apartment. I can already hear Alana and Sage chatting like they’re old friends, which is typical Alana.

She’s always been this way, and it’s half the reason she and I are friends. The other half being Mitch, of course. But I never stood a chance, no matter how many walls I put up or how many times I was an asshole to her back when I first found this place. She just kept on being nice to me, chatting with me like we’d known each other forever, and after a while, it felt like we had.

“Here’s your bag,”

I say, wheeling it into the living room. The apartment is small, but because it’s open plan, it feels more spacious. The only room is the bathroom; the rest of the place is just open with the bed down one end and the living and kitchen area down the other. The guesthouse I live in is probably bigger, but this place is awesome because of the balcony that runs along the whole front wall, facing the ocean. There are no blinds at all, but it wouldn’t matter. Surfers always wake with the sun. Not sure how Sage is going to deal with that, being a city girl and all.

“Thank you,”

Sage says, offering me a small smile.

“I moved your car too,”

I add, dropping the keys onto the small coffee table. “I gotta go open the shop.”

I give Alana a pointed look as though to remind her she also needs to come to work too before turning and heading back downstairs.

An hour later, Alana finally comes back down, wandering into the shop with a smile on her face. “She is so nice!”

she says. “Seriously, Nate, you’re gonna love her!”

“Not likely,”

I mutter as I finish restocking the sunscreen.

Alana slaps my arm as she leans against the counter. “Don’t be a dick, Nate, seriously. I know you’re pissed you knew nothing about her, but like I said, that’s hardly her fault.”

“Whatever,” I say.

“Nate!”

she whisper-shouts, even though the shop is empty.

“What?”

I ask, turning to face her. “Just because you two are suddenly BFFs doesn’t mean I have to do the same. I know nothing about her, Alana.”

“Only because you’re being a stubborn dick and not even trying to get to know her.”

“What’s the point?”

I ask, crossing my arms over my chest. “She’s only here to claim all of this.”

My eyes flick around the shop before returning to Alana. “And probably close it all down.”

“You don’t know that,”

she says, her words low.

“Oh what, you didn’t find that out during your little get-to-know-you session?”

I say sarcastically.

“Ugh, jesus, you know you can be a real asshole at times?”

she now says, punching my arm. “I’m going to get us some coffee. Do me a favor and try to pull the stick out of your ass while I’m gone, will you?”

She walks out without waiting for my response, and as soon as she’s gone, the guilt hits me. I know none of this is Alana’s fault, just like deep down I know none of it is Sage’s either. But I have no idea what’s going to happen next, what her plans for this place are and what that means for me.

The Pipe Dream has been my safe space for so long that I’m not sure what I’ll do if it’s taken away from me.

Fifteen minutes later, Alana comes back in, carrying a cardboard tray with three cold brew coffees, along with a paper bag that is already half see-through thanks to the donuts I know are inside. “Here,”

she says, shoving a cup at me.

She doesn’t offer me any donuts, and that’s her way of telling me she’s still pissed at me. Alana is a grudge holder, but the second you apologize for whatever it is you’ve done, she forgives you. Which is why I know I really need to apologize to her for being a dick.

“Alana,”

I say, taking the cup from her hand. She looks up at me but doesn’t say anything. Blowing out a breath, I continue, “I’m sorry.”

She raises a brow at me, and I roll my eyes. “Fine, I’m sorry for being such a dick, okay? I know none of this is your fault.”

“And,”

she prompts, her eyes flicking to the ceiling.

I shove a hand through my hair, letting out a hard sigh. “I know it’s not Sage’s either,” I add.

Alana gives me a hard look as though she’s trying to decide if I mean it before she eventually thrusts the bag at me. “You still need to apologize to her,”

she says, letting me take two donuts. “Because you were kinda a dick to her too.”

I shove a donut in my mouth as I hook an arm around her neck and pull her close. “Fine, I will,”

I tell her.

Alana smiles up at me, instantly forgiving me. She pats her hand on my stomach as she says, “Good. And get to know her, Nate. She’s really great. I know you’ll like her.”

“We’ll see,”

I say, knowing that’s not going to happen.

“Good,”

she says, pushing up on her toes to press a kiss to my cheek. “I’m gonna go take these up to her now. I’ll be back in a bit.”

She disappears back up the stairs to the apartment, and I turn back to the shop as I finish off the second donut.

The rest of the day passes quickly, the shop gradually picking up as the sun continues to rise. Even though we aren’t in a major tourist location, that doesn’t mean we don’t get tourists. They just tend to come in later in the day, when they’ve woken up in their luxury hotel and made their way around the island, trying to find the authentic Hawaiian experience. Mornings are when the locals drop by, hoping to score some tips from Mitch or grab something they need.

But it has been quiet this morning, and I guess that’s because everyone around here knows Mitch is gone and isn’t sure what that means.

“Okay, I’m gonna head out,”

Alana says as we close up the shop. She’s barely been here all day, spending it with Sage, I think.

“You wanna go for a surf?”

I ask, knowing Alana is always keen to hit the waves, her dream of becoming a competitive surfer something Mitch was helping her with.

“Can’t,”

she says, smiling at me.

“Seriously?”

I ask, genuinely shocked. Alana is always up for a surf.

“Seriously,”

she repeats, nodding. “Sage and I are heading out. I’m going to show her around. You’re welcome to join us if you want.”

“I’ll pass, thanks,”

I say, rolling my eyes.

“You gonna go for a surf?”

she now asks, and I can see the worry in her eyes. Mitch was on a solo evening surf when it happened.

I drop my arm around her shoulders, pulling her into my side. “Nah, got one in this morning. Might just chill tonight,”

I say, even though I would love nothing more than to get out on the water.

Alana slips her arm around my waist, her head resting against my shoulder. “You sure you don’t want to come with us? Could be a good way to get to know her.”

I take a deep breath, letting it out slowly as I briefly consider going with them. Just as I’m about to answer her, Sage appears, a wary look on her face as she takes in Alana and me.

Dropping a kiss to the top of Alana’s head, I let her go as I say, “Nah, go have fun. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Okay, fine,”

Alana replies, giving me a small pout before she turns to Sage. “Ready to go?”

Sage nods, briefly glancing at me before she turns back to Alana. “Yep, do you want to take my car?”

Alana laughs. “Nah, we’ll walk. It’s all good.”

It’s after ten when Sage finally comes back, walking around the back of the shop with her phone’s flashlight illuminating the way.

“Hey,”

I call out as she rounds the corner.

“Holy shit!”

she says, dropping her phone.

Chuckling, I stand from my chair, walking toward where she stands by the fridge that’s tucked under the stairs that lead up to the apartment. “Sorry,”

I say, bending down to grab it for her.

“Thanks,”

she says. She takes the phone from my hand, our fingers brushing, and I swear this time, I nearly drop it. “Wow, it’s beautiful back here,”

she says, turning to the backyard that’s lit with festoon lights strung up all over the place.

“Yeah, we used to hang out here most nights,”

I say, opening the fridge to grab another beer. “Wanna beer?”

I ask, holding up a Corona.

“Ummm,”

she starts, clearly not sure whether my offer is genuine or not. Can’t really blame her after the way I’ve behaved since she got here.

“Have a beer,”

I say, handing her the bottle.

“Thanks,”

she replies, taking it.

I grab another one for me before heading back to the circle of chairs that surround a central firepit. “So how was your night?”

I ask, taking a seat.

Sage takes a swig of her beer, looking around the yard again before she eventually walks over and sits in the chair next to mine. “It was good. Alana’s really nice. She showed me around, introduced me to some of her friends.”

I let out a laugh. “Yeah, that’s Alana, always taking in strays.”

Sage turns to me, those blue eyes of hers that are exactly like Mitch’s locking with mine. “Strays?”

I take a sip of beer, realizing how that sounded. “Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that,”

I start. “I just mean that’s what Alana does. Befriends anyone and everyone. She did it to me and she’s done it to you. That’s just who she is.”

“Must have had to work hard at it with you,”

Sage murmurs.

A laugh bursts out of me, surprising us both. “Yeah, okay, I’ll give you that,”

I say, propping my feet up on the unlit firepit. “And I also wanna apologize too.”

Sage’s eyes widen, and I give her a smile. “I was a dick earlier.”

“Yeah, you kinda were,”

she now says, and I like the way she calls me out on it. It’s exactly how Mitch is, was. “But I should apologize too.”

“You?”

I ask, surprised. “What do you need to apologize for?”

Sage turns away, shrugging as she says, “Showing up here early. I know you weren’t expecting me.”

“I didn’t even know about you,”

I blurt out.

“Yeah, Alana told me the story about that,”

Sage now says, glancing over at me.

I take a long pull of my beer, our gazes locked. She really is fucking gorgeous. “Why do you think Mitch never told me about you?”

She swallows hard, turning away again. “I don’t know. We didn’t exactly have the best relationship. Maybe he was ashamed to admit I existed. Embarrassed he had a daughter who pretty much didn’t speak to him anymore.”

“Why didn’t you speak?”

I now ask, the question out before I can stop myself. “Your dad was like the coolest guy I know, and I just can’t…well, I can’t picture him not acknowledging his own daughter.”

Sage doesn’t say anything at first, just stares down at her half-drunk beer. For a second, I’m not sure she’s going to answer me, but then she looks up again, those amazing blue eyes of hers meeting mine as she says quietly, “It wasn’t him.”