Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Sunshine smiled as her last client walked out the door. Jeff was walking with more pep in his step, which would make his work as a teacher easier when classes started up next week.

“He looks like he feels better,” Mary said.

“Yeah.” Helping a client always made her feel so high. Seeing a person going from living in pain to living without it always reminded her why she started her journey in the first place. She had been called to helping people from a young age, and she loved her profession.

“He’s the last one,” Mary said with a satisfied smile.

“On the books.”

“I told you that you shouldn’t take clients after hours. Besides being dangerous, you will wear yourself out.”

“First, this is a one-time thing. If it works, we’ll work out a schedule. He’s Alana’s cousin-in-law. I guess that’s what you would call him.” Mary was still giving her the stink eye. “Seriously, I forgot to tell you. It’s been so crazy.”

“I still don’t like it.”

And that was why she forgot. Sunshine didn’t like confrontation, so in order to save herself undue stress, she would push those kinds of worries to the back of her mind. “I knew you wouldn’t. But, he needs help. He’s military.”

Mary’s grumpy demeanor calmed a bit. Her father and two brothers served in the military. “Oh.”

“And he’s open to alternative methods. He even does yoga and has already been to an acupuncturist. I think Reiki might complete the balance.”

“Does this cousin look like he was invented for women to sin?”

She was laughing when the tinkle over the door told her Nando had arrived. She turned and instantly felt the wave of heat spread throughout her body. Sweet holy daisies. The man was definitely made for sinning. She had never been a woman who fell for a man in uniform, but... damn .

He was in his camo thingies, and they looked like they had been tailored for him. It was humid out—like 99 percent of the time in Hawaii- but his uniform looked crisp and clean. He held a motorcycle helmet in his hands. His broad chest filled out the jacket.

“Hey, Sunshine. I hope I’m not late.”

God, he gave her that smile. The one that made her go all melty inside.

“Not at all. This is Mary, my office dragon.”

Mary shot her a disgusted look. “And I’m staying.”

“You can. But I’m not paying you.”

“Is that any way to treat your favorite Auntie?”

Sunshine smiled. “I was taught by the best of them.” Meaning Mary. She had taken up where Sunshine’s mother had left off. A lot of people thought that Sunshine was ditzy, but she had been taught street smarts by both of her mothers.

“You,” Mary said as she pointed at Nando. “Come.”

He shot Sunshine an amused look. The Santini men had no problem with bossy women, that’s for sure.

“Yes, ma’am.”

She watched as Mary led him down the hallway to room two.

“Now, as Sunshine tells everyone, get as naked as you want. Then lay down on the table and cover yourself with the sheet. Do you want the heat?”

“Not sure.”

Sunshine watched as Mary’s demeanor changed into the auntie she knew and loved. She smiled. Mary might be the office dragon, but she was also the most loving auntie a girl could hope for. Sunshine watched as Mary stepped into the room but left the door open so her voice traveled down the hall.

“I’ll leave it off for right now but tell Sunshine if you get cold during the session.”

“Thank you, ma’am.”

Mary was smiling when she walked back down the hallway.

“I wonder why you decided not to tell me about him.”

“I seriously forgot.”

“Bull.”

Yep, her Auntie knew her. “He’s off the books, free this time since he’s family.”

One eyebrow rose.

“Okay.” She leaned closer and lowered her voice. “He’s like a walking sex dream but he’s military. Not for me. And I will remind you that just a few minutes ago, you were thinking he might be a deviant.”

“That’s before I saw him.”

“So, he’s good looking and that fixes it? You know a lot of serial killers are good looking.”

“No. They aren’t. But it isn’t that.” She stepped closer. “There’s something broken there.”

“You sensed it too? I mean, it isn’t controlling him, but I feel that he’s still dealing with whatever happened to him on his last deployment. Or, at least, he’s having issues with something.”

Mary nodded.

“Still, I’ll get him fixed and on his way.”

“You won’t date him?”

“First, he’s a client. You know how I feel about that.”

Mary sighed. “Healing first. I saw you toss that Patrick Chan away.”

The millionaire was a local boy bred and raised on Oahu. He had asked her out repeatedly, but he had been a client. He also did absolutely nothing for her. She just couldn’t get into a man who placed so much importance on material things.

“And he’s happily married now. We would have never worked out. Can you imagine his family being introduced to the hippy white girl?”

“Who saved his life.”

She rolled her eyes and went to the computer to print off Nando’s intake form. “I didn’t save his life. I just helped him understand what he needed to do for stress.”

“Same thing.”

She smiled. “You say that because you love me. Go home. I can handle this Santini. It’s probably going to be a ninety-minute session.”

“I am going to wait right here.”

She shook her head and walked back to the room. She knocked on the door. “Are you ready?” Sunshine asked through the door.

“Yes.”

She stepped into the room. Sunshine loved her treatment rooms. Soft, relaxing, and always accepting. That’s all people needed in this life.

“I was reading your paperwork over. You have no more problems with your wound?”

“Nope. You can see it on my shoulder.”

She stepped closer and saw the puckered skin. He acted like it was no big deal. She knew differently. As a registered nurse, she understood wounds. Working at the ER and in Trauma for a few years gave her even more experience. But, from the way he moved, she didn’t think he had any issues now.

“Did you have any other issues afterward?”

“What do you mean?”

“Injuries to the shoulder can sometimes cause range of motion issues.”

“No. I did a little PT as I noted on my sheet.”

“Hmm.”

“Alana was telling me you are also an RN.”

“Yes. That was my first choice, but I found Reiki and massage helped some of my patients. I keep my license up to date.”

“Cool.”

She opened a drawer and picked up the holster that held her lotions and slipped it around her waist.

“The way we’ll do this is a very light massage. I want to see how you respond to that. I’ll work your back then you’ll turn over. People sometimes fall asleep.”

“That won’t be a problem.”

“Falling asleep is not a problem?”

“Doesn’t matter. I can’t even grab catnaps.”

“Okay.” She wouldn’t argue with him. She pumped lotion into her hand. The moment she touched him, she realized she might have made a big mistake. The connection she felt almost left her breathless. She often had these feelings for her clients, just not this intense.

She continued to work the lotion and learn the muscles in his back. With each move, she felt even more connected to him. She closed her eyes and pushed those thoughts aside. He was her client and that was all that mattered, his healing was more important.

Nando was floating. He wasn’t sure if it was in the ocean or just a dream, but for the first time in months, he was completely relaxed. There was music and the sound of rain, so probably not the ocean.

“Okay, Nando, were done. I’m going to leave you alone. Don’t get up too fast and let me know if you need help.”

He opened his eyes and found Sunshine leaning over him. He blinked and more came into focus. The room...his treatment.

“Man,” he said.

She smiled. “I’ll take that as a compliment. Just come out when you are ready.”

She gave his shoulder a squeeze before she walked around the table and out of the room. The door shut with an almost silent click.

He lay there for a long time trying to figure out if he was ready to sit up. He still felt like he was floating but more tethered to the earth. After a couple more minutes, he felt a little better and sat up. Swinging his legs over the edge of the table, he stood, then almost felt. The room spun a bit and he grabbed hold of the table. When he finally felt settled, he let go and drew in a deep breath.

“Damn.”

He didn’t know if it was going to help him, but he felt...better. He knew part of it had to do with Sunshine and not just the massage. From the moment she entered the treatment room, she had kept her hands on him. Not just during the treatment, but as she walked around the table, she had kept one hand on him if possible. It was something he noticed right away. It was as if she felt her touch, along with the music and her soft, gentle voice also helped beyond what she did when she was working a particular muscle.

He took his time dressing and then opened the door. He walked down the hallway following the soft female voices.

“You need to call that man back,” Mary said.

“Why? He’s not important to my life now and I want nothing to do with him.”

He slowed his steps. He could see Sunshine, who had her back to him.

“Sunshine.”

Sunshine must have sensed him because she turned around. The smile she offered was filled with warmth. It reached her eyes—those damned green eyes—and he felt his body react. He was thankful he was in his CUU and that the shirt would give him a little cover.

Mary walked toward him, her hands on her generous hips as she studied him. Damn, he had gone to a Catholic school at one time and those nuns had nothing on Sunshine’s auntie.

“Your color looks better,” she said.

“I feel much better.”

“Of course you do. Sunshine is a gift from the Gods.”

Sunshine shook her head. “Tell me how you feel?”

“Why don’t we talk about it over dinner?”

She opened her mouth, he guessed to tell him no, but Mary rescued him.

“Yes. I need to get home and Sunshine never eats enough food.”

The look Sunshine tossed her auntie wasn’t nice. She looked back at him. Now that he knew what it felt like to have her hands all over his body, he was going to have a hard time ignoring her. It wasn’t at all sexual, but for him, it had pushed his buttons. Of course, he had controlled it, or he wouldn’t have been able to fall asleep like he did.

“Why not? I do need to eat because I forgot lunch again.”

He smiled, happy to have her agreement. “Great.”

Then his stomach rumbled loud enough for all of them to hear. Sunshine chuckled. “Apparently I’m not the only one. Let me take care of the room and then I’ll be ready.”

“Sure thing.”

After she left, Mary stepped closer. “I’m only going to give you one warning.”

“About what?”

“My girl. I helped raise her. You hurt her, and I will come after you.”

“I wouldn’t expect any less.”

“She’s going to fight you, but make sure you don’t push. Well, not until it’s time. Be easygoing.”

“Why are you telling me this? Alana told me Sunshine doesn’t date military men.”

“True, but there is something else there. You two...” she shook her head. “You make her smile.”

He studied the older woman for a long moment. “I think Sunshine smiles a lot.”

“Not the way she does for you. Just remember that. I’m off for the night. Tell Sunshine the back is already locked up.”

“Thank you.”

She nodded and left him alone. Before he had a chance to decide just what her comments meant, Sunshine returned.

“Did Mary finally leave? I hope you don’t mind she was kind of pushy.”

“I’m a Santini. Our specialization is pushy women.”

“Can I tell your mother and aunt that?”

“I’ll deny it,” he said offering her a smile.

She laughed as she grabbed her purse. He opened the door and waited for her to go through then followed her. She locked the door.

“What kind of food are you in the mood for, Captain Santini?”

“Hmm, I hear there’s a great burger place near here.” Then he remembered she didn’t eat a lot of meat. Also, they’d had burgers the night before. “Oh, wait—”

“No prob. They make the best Portobello burger, and they also serve fish—especially some fantastic tacos. I eat it every now and then. We can walk. It’s just down the block.”

“Great,” he said. They walked down the block, which had a lot of little shops on it. All of them seemed to fit the area.

“I find it kind of weird that things look like they fit in here. Even the McDonalds is designed like that.”

“It’s an ordinance. Haleiwa didn’t want to get like Honolulu, so they made sure that if the big guys moved in, they conformed to us, not the other way around. I would prefer they all stayed in Honolulu.”

“Yeah? So you don’t like slick buildings and insane traffic?”

She chuckled. “Oh, we have insane traffic up here. You should see it from November through February. When the waves get big, so do the crowds. It’s a bit absurd. But I like Honolulu and Waikiki. I just think that it’s best if Hawaii can keep at least some of their local flavor.”

“Ah. Do you surf?”

She snorted. “I tried a few times, but I can be a bit of a klutz on a surfboard.”

They stepped up to the front door and he opened it before she could.

“I can open my own doors.”

“I’m sure you can, but it’s nice when someone else offers.”

She shook her head, but there was a smile curving her lips. He followed her into the restaurant, happy that at least for a little bit, he had her to himself.

Sunshine smiled at the fish tacos she’d ordered. She was starving, and this was just the meal for her now.

“You aren’t a true vegetarian?” Nando asked. His tone wasn’t judgy as many people could be. It was more curious.

“First, I never said I was. I do eat fish, and I occasionally eat other meat, just not that often. About ninety percent of the time I go that way. And yes. I’ve always eaten like this. My mom was a vegan, which I could never do.”

He smiled. “What’s your downfall?”

“Cheese. God, I love cheese.”

He laughed. “If my mom ever cooks when she’s on the island, you should get her to make her cheese enchiladas.”

“Oh, definitely.”

They both dug into their meals and chatted about nothing very important. They had picked one of the picnic tables outside of the little dive. The night air was sweet, kissed by the sun with the promise of the night. She could never understand why people wanted to live anywhere else. Her soul would always be connected to the islands.

“Okay, it’s killing me,” Nando said, breaking into her thoughts.

“What?” she asked.

“Do you think you can help me?”

“You’ll have to see how you sleep tonight. I do want you to make sure you have all your electronics in another room.”

He sighed. “I can’t do that.”

“Why not?”

“I’m on call twenty-four seven. They have to be able to contact me any time of the day or night.”

She thought about it. “Then, can you turn up your cell phone and leave it on your dresser or something? Just not beside your bed. Will that work?”

“That I can do.”

She nodded and picked up a fry. “I think that might be part of it. People who have the issues you do are many times hyper aware. Having electronics nearby can keep you from sleeping well.”

“Huh. I never thought of that.”

“Also, I want you to do breathing exercises.”

“Okay.”

“You’ll just close your eyes and take a deep breath and slowly release it. Count down in your head as you breathe.” She closed her eyes and demonstrated what she meant. Not because she thought he needed it, but she did. Watching him smile at her, with the setting sun behind him was leaving her a little lightheaded. She opened her eyes and found him watching her, his dark eyes intent.

“So, you get the idea.”

Oh, God, she sounded breathless. She knew it wasn’t the breathing exercises. It was that look in his eyes. Sunshine had to fight the urge to fan herself. She was suddenly very, very hot. Like in H A W T hot.

Before he could respond to her instructions, her phone rang. When she saw the two oh two area code, she hit ignore. She knew exactly who it was. She had no reason to deal with her father, especially when there was a pretty man sharing his meal with her.

“Is there something wrong?”

She glanced up at Nando. “Sorry. Just an annoyance.”

“Is there someone giving you issues?”

Oh, no. He sounded like he wanted to take care of it for her. Sunshine didn’t need a man to take care of her problems. And she definitely shouldn’t be getting all melty about it. Sunshine didn’t get melty about men, especially overly possessive men who wore uniforms. Even though she knew what he looked like without that uniform.

Dammit, she needed to stop that. It had never been an issue before, and she couldn’t let it be an issue with this man.

“No. Just a salesman. They keep trying to sell me anything. And when I block their number, they use another one.”

She felt a little bad about lying, but this was her private life. She had a lot of friends but only a few knew about her father.

“I would like to see you once a week. Massage will help, but I think Reiki will be the best option. One-hour sessions and then maybe a massage once a month?”

“I like that idea,” he said, his sexy smile causing her to curl her toes inside her shoes.

“Don’t.”

“Don’t what?”

“It sounded like you were thinking of it as a date.”

“I’m not.”

“I know that I sometimes have clients who get attached.”

He stared at her for one long moment, then he threw back his head and laughed.

“What?”

“You think a lot of yourself.”

She opened her mouth, then snapped it shut. When she realized what she had done, she shook head and chuckled.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to sound like that.”

“No problem. I’m just happy that it seems you might be able help,” he said. “My issue wasn’t that bad, but it was a newer symptom and I wanted to make sure that it didn’t mushroom.”

“I do have a question.”

“Hit me.”

“You seem so comfortable with the label PTSD. A lot of military folks aren’t.”

He shrugged. “My brother Carlos has it. Then there’s Madison, my sister-in-law. With a family like mine, you always have one or two of us who have to deal with it.”

“Still. They say it can ruin your career.”

“It’s not as bad as it used to be, that’s for sure. Admitting to it when my father and uncles were in the military would end your career.”

“But not now?”

“It can, depending on the severity. Madison had to give up her Marine career. But I have a milder form. It’s messing with my sleep, and I can’t have that. And, from what my therapist and my sister-in-law says, I need to make sure I face any new symptoms right away.”

“And right now you aren’t on the front lines.”

He smiled. “Yeah. So, you say once a week. Do you have any openings this Saturday?”

“Hmm, they are usually my busy days, but let me check.”

She pulled out her phone and looked over her scheduled appointments. She felt his study and looked up at him. “What?”

“Nothing. Just, I find it amazing what you do.”

“What do you mean?”

“You help people heal, and yeah, you are into woo woo stuff.”

She laughed. “Woo woo?”

“See, you don’t get upset when I say that. You just seem so down to earth.”

She shrugged. “I think having a background in medicine helps. Maybe people get upset because they aren’t so sure about how alternative meds help. I completely believe in them. It isn’t my job to convince the world. It’s my job to heal. And, you are in luck. I have a two o’clock appointment open.”

“Sounds great.”

As they finished up their meals, she tried to ignore that telltale heat making her head spin. Men who did that to her should never be her client. She would resist it because he had another strike against him. Men in uniform never stuck around. She had learned that a long time ago, and long-distance relationships rarely survived.

What she needed was a date. She’d never been a big dater, but the recent dry spell she’d been through had been…damn six months. No…eight. That’s all this was. She just needed a date and all would be well after that.

So, instead of worrying, she made a mental note about finding time to date, and concentrated on having a fun conversation with Nando, and she made a note to think about finding a date with someone else soon.