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Sid’s insides tightened at the display of affection, and he ground his teeth as Kalani slipped a strand of white flowers over her head and kissed her on both cheeks.
Get a grip, Hayes, he muttered to himself. She’s your employee, and she’s off limits.
“Aloha,” Kalani said as Sid and Emmaline approached. He looped a flower lei over Emmaline’s head, and she subtly turned her face towards him. Kalani responded by kissing both of her cheeks as well.
Then Kalani gave Sid his lei, which was surprisingly heavy and had a rich, musky aroma. Fortunately, he merely shook Sid’s hand. “I’m glad you agreed to come. Hopefully you’ll see some things that will help you with Realms.”
Sid couldn’t decide if Kalani’s candor was genuine or if he had an ulterior motive in taking them on the tour. “I appreciate your willingness to show us your park. Not everyone would be so open with the competition.”
Kalani rolled his eyes. “Realms and Kingdom aren’t in competition.” Jayna had said the same thing, and it was good to hear it confirmed. “I know Carter thought we were, but that rivalry was always one-sided. I’m hopeful we can develop a working relationship.” He considered Sid for a moment before adding, “In fact, if you’re serious about selling Realms to the employees, I think I can convince the Kingdom board to help.”
Sid fought to keep his expression neutral. His feelings about selling the park were still conflicted, and he was wary of Kalani’s intentions. “What kind of help?”
“A loan. Maybe $30 million.”
Jayna threw her arms around his neck. “Thank you!”
Sid’s jaw clenched at the enthusiastic embrace.
Kalani laughed. “Whoa, easy there. I said, ‘maybe’. The board hasn’t agreed yet, and there are still a lot of details to work out.”
He patted her back, and Jayna released her grip. She turned to Sid, and the smile she gave him melted his insides. He still wasn’t sure how he felt about selling the park, but he definitely liked seeing that smile on Jayna’s face.
“Come on. Let me show you around.” Kalani led them through the gates and into a tropical paradise. Palm trees towered overhead, and flowering bushes filled the air with their sweet fragrance. Some of the buildings looked like thatched huts, while others resembled gleaming, oversized seashells.
“It’s too bad you didn’t get here yesterday. You could have come to the benefit show we did as part of the Jubilee Service Day.”
Sid glanced at him, confused. “I thought the Jubilee Service Day was the day after tomorrow.”
“It is,” Kalani said. “But since the show wasn’t an official International Giving Tour event, we decided to hold it a couple of days early. If we did the show on Service Day, our target audience would have been too busy with their own service projects. And a lot of our performers expressed an interest in the official Giving Tour activities.”
They arrived at a small dock with a narrow double-hulled canoe moored at the end. The boat had covered two-across seating and was powered by a pair of young men with paddles who sat at the back.
Kalani climbed onto the canoe and motioned for them to follow, but Sid hesitated, unsure where to sit. Should he follow Kalani and sit in the front? That’s what he would have done if this were an ordinary corporate visit. But this tour of Kingdom wasn’t technically for him. Sid and Emmaline were simply tagging along as Kalani showed Jayna the park and Merathlon facilities.
But before the situation could become awkward, Jayna took Emmaline’s arm and said, “Let’s sit back here so Mr. Hayes can ride up front.” Then, with Dr. Tierney’s lilting Irish brogue she added, “We daren’t do anything that might upset the gentry.”
“Too late for that, Lassie,” Sid growled in his best Commander Laird voice.
His response had been automatic, and the coy smile that crossed Jayna’s face both thrilled and concerned him. Had she been flirting with him? Had he just flirted back?
Watch yourself, Hayes, he scolded himself. But as much as he hated to admit it, the short interaction had greatly deepened his interest.
Emmaline’s brow pinched in confusion at the exchange, but Jayna ushered her onto the boat before she could question them.
Sid climbed onto the canoe and was surprised when it didn’t rock or wobble. A closer look showed that it was fastened securely to the dock by a series of locking clamps.
Kalani noticed his interest in the clamps. “It really speeds up the boarding process when the boats are held secure. And since we have more waterways than walkways, that’s important.”
Once they were seated, the boat released from the dock with a loud clicking noise and began gently rocking.
At a signal from Kalani, the paddlers eased the canoe out into the waterway. “The park is laid out to give a sense of the Pacific Islands,” he said. “We thought about having canoes as the only access, but that’s not really practical, so we added the underwater walkways.”
Kalani gestured over the side of the boat. Several meters below the surface, a handful of people gazed up at them through a clear tunnel. Sea life teemed beneath their canoe, as if they were floating atop an aquarium rather than in the lagoon.
Jayna leaned her head forward between Sid and Kalani, and Sid was acutely aware of her closeness. “How do you keep the water so clear?” She asked.
Kalani smiled. “It’s easy when the fish aren’t real.”
