Annie's Rainbow - Fern Michaels [35]
“I’m taking Rosie for a walk, Tom,” Annie called from the kitchen.
“Want some company?” Tom called back.
The last thing she wanted was company. “Nope. It’s just me and Rosie.”
“Okay, see you later.”
“Yeah, much later,” Annie muttered as she hooked the leash onto the frisky pup’s bright red harness.
CHAPTER SIX
Annie was tired and cranky. It seemed like she’d been traveling for days. Her eyes felt like they were full of grit, and she knew all the moisture had been sucked out of her face. Her hair seemed to have a mind of its own, and her smart linen dress was limp and wrinkled. Her feet and ankles were swollen, and she was getting a headache. If she could have any thing on earth, she would opt for a hot shower and clean hair.
Annie tipped the skycap and looked around for someone who appeared to be looking for her. All she could see were busy travelers in bright-colored garb wearing leis. She felt cheated as well as annoyed that she didn’t have one. She’d heard the scent of plumeria was exquisite.
It was hot. Hotter than it was in Charleston when she left. Still, it was the middle of July. Even so, where were the warm, gentle island breezes the brochures touted? Island breezes scented with flowers. All she could smell was diesel fuel and exhaust fumes. “This is not going to endear me to you, Parker Grayson.” On the phone, the coffee king had said someone would be waiting for her the moment she got off the plane. “Ha!” she snorted. Two hours later she mumbled, “I’m giving you five more minutes of my time, Mr. Coffee, then I’m outta here. I’ll get my coffee from Sumatra. I always wanted to go there anyway.”
“Five minutes are up,” Annie muttered to no one in particular. Her hand in the air, she hailed a cab. It always paid to have Plan B at one’s disposal. “Take me to the nearest hotel, please,” she said to the cab driver.
An open-air jeep sailed to the curb the moment the taxi pulled away to enter the steady stream of traffic leaving the Maui Airport. So much for island hospitality, she thought sourly as she leaned back in the seat of the cab.
It wasn’t just hot, it was sultry hot. The linen dress now felt like a damp dishrag. She winced when she remembered how much she’d paid for it.
“Are you visiting our wonderful island for the first time, miss?” the driver inquired.
“Yes, and it’s probably my last.”
“Long flight?”
“Very long. I had a four-hour layover in San Francisco. I started out in Charleston, then flew to Atlanta, and from there to St. Louis to San Francisco and from there to your Big Island and then the puddle jumper to here. Someone from the Grayson Plantation was supposed to meet me.”
“Their jeep pulled into my parking space when we left. Everyone knows the Grayson jeep. I can turn around and go back if you want me to. I went to school with Roy Alabado. He’s the driver. Maybe the jeep broke down or maybe he had a flat. Mr. Grayson is mighty particular about his guests being picked up on time. He treats his guests like royalty.”
“The royalty theme doesn’t seem to be working today,” Annie snapped. “And, no, I don’t want to go back.”
“I can call Mr. Grayson for you, miss.”
“Don’t bother. I’ll call him myself when I get to the hotel.”
“Mr. Grayson usually isn’t on Maui at this time of year. He spends most of the year in the Kona district of the Big Island. This is a small island where all the locals know everyone else’s business.” The driver laughed. “You must be an important guest for Mr. Grayson to come here now.”
Annie wasn’t impressed or amused. “Do you know Mr. Grayson?”
“We say aloha when we meet. Everyone says aloha to everyone else. It is a custom here in the islands.. Mr. Grayson has a fine reputation, and his coffees are sold all over the world. He treats his workers well and all the ladies like him.