“I want to go,” he said again. “It’s safe, it’s convenient, it’s not expensive, and if you find a way to say no to something so totally cool, it will come between us. In a bad way.”

Lin Su stopped walking. “Are you threatening me?”

“I’m going to go places and do things, Mom. I might not be a great athlete but I’m going to do athletic things. I’m going to run and swim and study and travel. I know it’s going to be hard but I can work at it and it will happen. Because I want it.”

“The sisters I grew up with had everything handed to them and they were incorrigible,” she said.

“I don’t know very much about them.”

“Better that way,” she said, walking again. “You can trust me to tell the truth.”

“At least part of it,” Charlie said. “Just the part that keeps me in line. Why don’t you trust me with all of it? I’m not a bad person. I do everything you want.”

She stopped again. “Charlie, how can I show you life is not easy? That you have to be strong?”

“You think I didn’t figure that out already? You should ask Blake sometime about how he learned to run, learned to swim. He makes our life look like we’re trust-fund babies.” He walked a little more. “I want us to go, to see something we don’t see every day, to watch him race. Mom, I want us to go.”

“Lucky for you, Winnie is stubborn and she won’t stop until she gets her way and we need the job,” she said.

“Why are you afraid to go?” Charlie asked.

“I’m not afraid,” she said. Then she sighed. “It’s a thing I have. About my comfort zone. Where I feel most at ease. And secure.”

“Where you feel most in control,” he argued. “Don’t worry, we’ll be fine. Winnie and Mikhail have traveled the world. Over and over. Even unfriendly places. This is only Hawaii, just another state, just like driving to California. Except it takes a little longer.”

“Over six hours. Over ocean,” she said.

“It’s beautiful there, Mom. And my friend Blake is going to kick ass.”

“Language,” she said. “Language.”

“Prude,” he said, laughing.

* * *

Grace asked Lin Su if she’d mind the flower shop for a couple of hours right after lunch so she could read with her mother and run a couple of errands. Lin Su was more than happy to—there were many things she loved about the flower shop. It was quiet most of the time, there wasn’t much demand on her besides taking calls and, if she was completely bored, she did a little tidying up. And being around fresh flowers was soothing.

She decided to walk across the beach when a male voice startled her. “Nice day for a walk,” Blake said.

She stopped and looked at him. He sat on the bottom step to his deck, drenched in sweat.

“I don’t think you were out for a stroll,” she said.

“Eighteen miles.”

“I thought you’d be gone by now.”

“Tonight. So, you’ll be there.”

“We’ll be there,” she said. “I hope that doesn’t distract you. Winnie insisted we should go.”

He shook his head. “I’ll be focused on the race. When it’s over, when I’ve recovered, maybe then we’ll get together before coming home.” He leaned back, his elbows on the step behind him. “I hear you put up quite a fight.”

“There are definitely no secrets around here.”

“Oh, I think there are still a few,” he said. “Slowly, they’re giving way. Kind of like the little Dutch boy and the dam.”

“We won’t interfere with your race, with your team. We’ll stay back and just cheer. We can congratulate you later. When you’re done celebrating with all your friends.”

“Okay,” he said doubtfully, smiling at her. “I do think of you, Charlie, Winnie and Mikhail as friends, however. But it won’t be much of a celebration, if one is even in order. I’ll be tired.”

“Charlie says you’re going to kick ass,” she said.

“I’ll give it my best. It’s my plan to have my best race this year. Then I’m going to have some downtime—a few months.”

“No training?”

“Just maintenance, not endurance training. I stay in shape, keep my times good, relax the OCD a little...”

“Oh, so there is some OCD,” she said, smiling.

“You think anyone could do this for a living without it? We’re driven. It’s kind of a survival thing, I think.” He just shook his head at her. “I’m glad you lost the fight. I’m glad you’re coming. It’s an awesome event, the weather is supposed to be great and the islands are so relaxing when you’re done killing yourself in the race.”

“Will it be relaxing before the race?”

“A little bit. I’ll train, but the main thing is to get my head in the game. That takes concentration and a good dose of serenity. Hawaii lends itself to that.” He grinned. “It would be all right for even nonracers to relax a little.”

“I’ll be working, of course.”

“Maybe if I’m lucky you’ll have a coffee break at some point.”

“Oh, I’m sure Charlie will completely dominate what little time you have after the race.”

“He’ll try,” Blake said. “One of these days you and I are going to spend a little time together. You know, just to get to know each other better.”

“If there’s anything about me you’d like to know, you only have to ask.”

“Let me think about that, then,” he said. “I have a feeling if we ever relax and talk, we’ll find out things about each other that surprise us both.”

“I can’t imagine what,” she said, completely sincerely. Lin Su thought she knew all she needed to know about Blake Smiley. He was a world-class athlete, a huge success in his world, a legitimate good guy and her son’s idol.

“I think eventually we’ll find out how much we have in common.”

Impossible! she thought. But she wouldn’t say so; that would be rude. “That will be interesting,” she said. “I’d better get to the shop. Grace needs a break.”

“If I don’t see you before, I’ll see you in Hawaii,” he said. “Have a good week.”

All the way across the beach she was thinking, Don’t read anything into that. He’s just charming, that’s all. Polite. Accommodating. Delightful.

And next she thought, I’d better do a little shopping for island wear.

* * *

Grace was looking forward to the weekend with great anticipation. Her mother and Winnie’s support crew would be gone to the great race in Kona and she would be alone with her husband for the first time in months. Troy and Grace hadn’t even managed a honeymoon. She was thinking about locking up the shop. There were no major events on her calendar and she could take phone orders from home. But she really didn’t dare. She was going to have to close the shop in two weeks to attend Ginger’s wedding on the Lacoumette farm up near Portland. And there would be a lot more closings in the next several months.