Midnight Sea - Women of Faith Book Club

Chapter One

Life had a way of offering up morsels of pleasure when she least expected it. Leilani Tagama held on to the rail of the old truck as it bounced along the perimeter of the coffee grove. The neat rows of trees resembled laurel with their glossy leaves. The sun shone as usual from a blue bowl overhead, with light rain expected this afternoon, again the usual. The slope of Mauna Loa on the Big Island of Hawai’i boasted a perfect climate for the sweet coffee cherries ripening on the trees.

Her aunt Rina stopped the truck and hopped out. Josie Oliver got out the other side. Both women still wore the trappings of their glory days-long hair, sandals, and an attitude that could stop an attacking shark. Strands of white streaked Rina’s black hair, plaited into a braid that reached her waist. She wore a wild shirt in hot pink and green with a long, flowing pink skirt. Well-worn Birkenstocks let her toes, covered with hot-pink polish, peek out. A beaded headband stretched around her head.

“You get the Sonic Bloom started, Lani. I want to beat feet today and take the afternoon off.” Rina opened the back of the truck.

Josie stepped in front of Rina. A big-boned woman with hair more gray than blond, she wore a red aloha shirt and matching bottoms that made her look as if she still had on pajamas. The Birks she wore were the same style as Rina’s.

“Let me get that, Rina,” she scolded. “That thing will squash you like a gecko.”

“I’m a big girl,” Rina protested. She moved out of the way. “You spoil me, Josie.”

Lani smiled as she watched the two women. They put her in mind of Laverne and Shirley from the old TV show. Josie hauled out the equipment, then Lani went to flip it on. A high-pitched sound similar to birds chirping began to broadcast. Her aunt strapped a tank to her back and began to spray fertilizer on the coffee trees.

“If is didn’t see this with my own eyes, I wouldn’t believe it,” Lani said. The sound made by the Sonic Bloom caused the stomata in the leaves to open up and take in more nutrients. The coffee beans coming off these trees were huge, fancy grade with a wonderful sweet flavor. In the year Lani had been here, she’d seen the growth first-hand. The yield since Rina had started using the system had doubled.

“We hate pesticides,” Rina said. “We were willing to look at anything organic.” She gave Lani a glance. “I don’t know what I would have done without you, Lani.”

“I’m thankful for the job.” Lani grabbed another tank and joined her aunt and Josie.

“You’ve got a righteous green thumb. The coffee trees love your touch as much as your orchids do.”

This kind of praise soothed Lani’s soul like cool aloe vera on a burn. “Thanks, Aunt Rina. I made a big sale yesterday. I’ve been commissioned to design an orchid display for the Home and Garden Show in Kona next year.”

Josie clapped he hands. “That’s wonderful, Lani! You deserve the recognition that will bring. Her warm glance of approval washed over Lani’s face before Josie turned and went back to mixing more natural fertilizer.

“Do you need to cut back on your hours?” Rina asked. A worried frown crouched between her eyes.

Lani’s smiled faded. Her aunt needed her. “I’ll be fine.” She clutched her arms. “I’ll work on the design in the evenings.”

Josie shot a quick glance at Rina. “You’ll do no such thing. We can spare you in the morning. Work on your designs while you’re fresh.”

Rina nodded, but the frown remained. “Josie is right. We’ll manage. You’ve always wanted to get into landscape design. We won’t stand in your way.”

Lani shuffled her feet and looked down. Their reassurances only made her feel worse.

Her aunt gave a slow smile. “Joey asked me about you yesterday.”

Lani’s cheek’s flooded with heat. “You don’t have to get me wrapped up in an entanglement. I’m not going anywhere.”

Rina’s frown returned. “Lani, you’re being stupid. God doesn’t expect you to swear off men.”

“Men have been my weakness in the past. I’m trying to start a new life.” Her hand crept to her stomach. Men were the least of her sins.

“Such silliness,” her aunt huffed. “I believe in God, but your ideas are extreme. You can still have fun.”

“Fun is what got me into trouble a year ago,” Lani said.

* * *

Joey, the shipping room supervisor, wiped his broad face with a bandana, then stuffed it back in his pocket. “It’s finished,” he said. “We’re cutting out now.”

Thanks to her aunt’s remarks, Lani found it impossible to even look him in the face. “That was fast,” she said. “I didn’t think you’d be done till midday.”

“Um, I was wondering if you’d want to go see a movie sometime?” he asked.
What defect in her character made her flush with pleasure that he found her attractive? Something inside made her feel better about herself when men fell all over her. Maybe she would always have to fight the urge to seek male admiration.

“Sorry, Joey, I’m not ready for a relationship.”

He sniffed. “I’m not talking about a relationship. From what I hear, you just like to have a good time.”

Heat scorched her cheeks, but she felt cold inside. She could blame no one but herself for her poor reputation. “I’m a different person now. I’m a Christian.”

He stiffened, giving her a long look before turning away. “Yeah, right.”

She was sure her face was beet red. Would the shame never leave her? Maybe she should move away, go where people didn’t know her. Her eyes burned, and she turned away from him and walked toward the shelves of coffee. As she left him behind, she gave a slow shake of her head. No, she wouldn’t run. Someday everyone would see that she’d changed. She wasn’t the good-time girl anymore. And she had a new future, one spent with the beauty of flowers.

Stepping to the stack of burlap sacks, she lifted a bag and inspected it. Fancy-grade beans, large and perfectly formed, were inside. Though she normally didn’t inspect further than that, she couldn’t resist digging her fingers into the rich, dark beans. The handful of beans she brought to the surface were complete perfection?

Blue? Intermingled with the perfect coffee beans lay a blue object larger than her hand. She glanced behind her, but the workers had dispersed. She walked to the window and examined the odd item. When the sun hit it, she realized she held a piece of blue coral, a richer color than she’d ever seen. Exquisitely beautiful?and illegal. Blue coral was rare, and trading it was forbidden.

Who would hide illegal coral in the beans? And why? Someone was taking advantage of Rina’s trust. Maybe Pam or Joey.

“What are you doing?”

Lani whirled to see Pam standing in the doorway. “Do you know anything about this?” Lani asked, holding up the coral.

Pam moved to Lani’s side and stared down at the coral in her hands. “Where did you find it?”

“In this bag of coffee. It’s coral.” Pam bit her lip and avoided Lani’s gaze. “Who’s behind this, Pam?”

Pam backed away. “Don’t ask me. I need to get to work.”

Lani’s stomach muscles tightened. Pam knew something.

“How could you betray my aunt like this?”

Pam opened her mouth, then her gaze shot over Lani’s head, and her eyes widened. “No!” she shouted.

Lani jumped at the sound of a car backfiring. At least that’s what she thought she heard until she saw Pam slump to the ground, a red stain flowering on her T-shirt. Something whizzed by Lani’s head, and she realized bullets flew around her. She ducked and scrabbled for cover behind the stack of coffee bags. Peering over the bag, she saw a face over the top of a rifle. The eyes mesmerized her. They locked gazes, then something stung her head, and she fell into the pool of the eyes’ darkness.

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