Page 98 of Lau Ahi
Her words solidified something in me in the ease in which she’d spoken those words. I knew they had to be difficult for her but she’d given them to me. “Trust?”
Her smile was rueful and she stole glances at me from beneath her lashes as she absentmindedly ran her hand along the fabric of her silk and cashmere scarves. “You haven’t given me a reason not to. I promised you’d have it until you did. I’m a woman of my word, just like you’re proving to be a man of yours.”
“Does that shock you?” I leaned against the white lacquered cabinet of her closet, continuing to study all her mannerisms. Despite her openness, there was still something she was keeping from me.
“More of a pleasant surprise. I’m sure you’re going to pace the house or whatever it is you do when you don’t want to sleep. I’m going to shower.” She stood up straight, our conversation seeming to have settled something within her. And she was content with how the evening had played out. I’d rather haveevery rung buried in her depths to end the night perfectly but now wasn’t the time for that.
“Thank you for agreeing to the dinner. Glad it went better than you expected.”
“And just so you know, I know a few things about you. Your favorite color is black. Your birthday is New Year’s Eve when the entire world is celebrating.Your middle name is Akoni Franklin and I know the tattoos on your arm have special meaning but they mean something different to everyone. Whenever you want to share I’ll be happy to listen.”
Like all of her declarations she didn’t give me a chance to say much before she turned and walked away leaving me wondering again how I was going to keep myself from breaking my fiancée’s heart or the ever-increasing possibility that she would break what was left of mine.
To distract myself from the words Asha had spoken, I made my way to the domain I’d claimed in the penthouse: the library. Sitting down on the sofa, I dialed the number that had been attempting to reach me for months. I didn’t know what had caused her to want to talk to me but this sudden reappearance with so many other things in my life changing had me on alert. I didn’t believe in coincidences. I was still sitting on the information that Hakeem had provided me until I could fully check it out for myself. I’d taken it to Jemma Marie and she agreed to get back to me to confirm everything Hakeem had said. Until then, I wasn’t going to talk to Pappy about anything without proof.
I didn’t need to tell Jem to keep it between the two of us because she knew what this information would mean. It would mean that the Franklins could be completely withdrawn from theConsortiumsince they were technically dead weight and my grandfather could fully move into their empty seat with no strings or asterisks by his name. I wanted it to be true. Knowinghow he’d grown up and the racism he’d faced on Hawai’i for not being fully native. This acceptance into theConsortium,even by marriage, had earned him a lot. Being a part of it by blood would mean a lot to him even if he would deny it. Pappy let a lot of disrespect slide because of gratitude. I would be happy to gift him the ability to stop giving a fuck and move how he wanted.
The phone only rang once before the line connected and a voice that I could conjure up instantly came over the phone.
“Ori.”
I gritted my teeth at the way she didn’t seem surprised to hear from me but I could tell it brought her joy. Joy she didn’t deserve but I couldn’t start out being an asshole to her.
“Faith.”
It wasn’t a jab but I wouldn’t feel right calling her anything else. Instinctively I knew Mrs. Nakoa would be too formal and Mother was too false. Mom for damn sure wasn’t happening because the last time I called her that it was as she walked out of the door leaving me with Pappy.
The soft intake was almost too silent for me to hear but I did. I prayed she wasn’t on some emotional bullshit that would force me to end this call before it got started.
She cleared her throat trying to mask the pain not realizing I’d already heard it. “I’m happy you called.”
“Why have you been trying to reach out to me?” I folded my legs on the ottoman listening out to hear Asha’s footsteps in the hall. I didn’t care if she heard this conversation but I knew she might have hope for this relationship where there was none.
“I wanted to talk to you.”
“About?”
“Word got back to me that you will be taking your place soon. I’m proud of you, Ori. No matter what you might think. You’ll be far better at this role than I or your father would ever have been and I know I have your grandfather to thank for that.”
“Among other reasons.”
“You’re right. He was a better parent to you than I was. At least toward the end.”
“You were better in the beginning?”
She grunted her outrage at my words. “You know the answer to that. Despite the hardness you have for me, you wouldn’t be on the phone if you didn’t think there was something salvageable about me. I know you, Ori. Raised you for almost twelve years and you had a strength about you even in the womb. Tore my damn ribs up frequently. I knew I was giving birth to greatness.”
Her words warmed me in a way they shouldn’t have and I would never reveal to her.
Asha was making me soft.
“Things got bad with him. That had nothing to do with me.”
“It had everything to do with you. But that’s a story for another day.”
It must have been a familial trait with dropping nuggets and then not explaining yourself. “Why?”
“You’re not ready to hear it yet and I don’t blame you for that. My call was to reach out and see if you would be okay with me being around.”
