Page 19 of This Could be Love

“He’s doing everything himself?”

“Well, noteverything. But he wants to keep as much of Jim’s as he can. To keep the Ohana going as he would have wanted it.” She added, “Jim was the old owner. We knew him super well.”

A sad expression scudded across her face, but before I could find the right words, she was moving again.

“How many people is there room for here?” I asked as we walked past doors leading off both sides of the hall.

She thought for a moment. “Two doubles and two quads, so…”

“Twelve.”

“If we’re fully booked, yeah,” she noted, and stopped in front of the last door on the right. “The rooms aren’t done yet, but you can have a look.”

“Would love to!”

That wasn’t a lie. I’d never been in a hostel before. My family had always had enough money to stay in nice hotels, and as a top-ten tennis player, the organizers always put you up in an expensive hotel. I opened the door and fumbled for the light switch. The room was surprisingly large and had been painted the same colors as the entrance. White and turquoise. It mainly consisted of two identical bunk beds without any mattresses and a wardrobe. Above the window was a curtain rod. The curtain itself was MIA.

As we continued, she pointed out the bathrooms, the shared shower, and the laundry room.

“Does it keep on going upstairs?” I asked, pointing to the stairs at the end of the hall.

Laurie shook her head. “That goes to Vince’s apartment. I told him that he really needs to come up with something before the opening if he doesn’t want people to be tumbling into his bedroom at night.”

“Does that mean he…wants to keep living here? After the opening?”

She laughed. “Of course, where else is he supposed to go?”

I blushed. “No idea… Somehow I just thought…” I shookmy head. “And that doesn’t bother him? I mean, sharing his home with so many strangers?”

“Apparently not.” She shrugged. “Jim managed somehow.” She grinned. “And my family and I were the strangers.”

I refrained from admitting I already knew that and smiled. We turned to the right and stepped into the common room, which, again, was the same color as the rest of the hostel. Thanks to the exposed roof truss, the room had a cozy feel. And it really brought out the wooden floor. A gray fabric couch was tucked into the corner, a TV was standing on a low shelf covered with books and board games, and there was a sizable dining table with space for at least ten people. Judging by the grayish tone of the wood, the table as well as the chairs were as old as the house itself. I was about to run my hand across the top when Laurie called out, “Stop!”

Startled, I jerked my hand back.

“Sorry. It’s just…that table is tetanus on four legs. It’s still got to be sanded and varnished. Just like the chairs.”

She waved the wine bottle. “I’m going to get us some glasses and a corkscrew.” She disappeared into the next room before I could tell her that I didn’t drink. Well, not during training at least. I was watching her go indecisively when someone slid the patio door open from the outside and a dark, curly haired guy stepped through.

“Hey,” he said warmly before disappearing in the direction of the bathroom.

The sound of a guitar drifted in. I recognized the song immediately. “Ho Hey” by the Lumineers. With a smile, I listened to themelody start off nice and slow then grow faster and faster. Without even noticing, I’d moved to the door and scanned the terrace. It had been draped in string lights, and Chinese lanterns, rocking softly back and forth in the evening breeze, had been hung in the trees. These were rounded out by a few candles and a firepit. To my right a generous buffet had been set up with plates full of Kalua pork, ribs, chicken wings, seafood, and bowls of coleslaw, potatoes, and corn on the cob. To my left people were sitting around listening to the music. The guitarist had his back to me, but I could immediately tell it was Vince. Unnoticed by the others, I leaned against the doorframe and bobbed my head to the rhythm. The lone woman in the group—I could only see her in profile, but her hair was long and dark—began to sing along. Cautiously at first, then more and more emotionally. Vince tilted his head in her direction and smiled, and I felt a prick of completely irrational jealousy in my chest.

“So, Kay Diamond’s your godmother.” I hadn’t noticed Chip sidling up to me. “Weren’t your mom and her constant competitors?”

“Just on the court. In private, they were best friends.”

“Hmm. And now she’s your trainer?”

“Temporarily. I’m training for the US Open here. And you? What are you doing here?”

“I live here. Grew up on the North Shore.”

“Oh,” I said, truly surprised. “I didn’t know you were from Hawaii.”

“My folks moved here from Santa Monica when Dad got his district captain position at Ocean Safety.”

He seemed to notice that I didn’t really follow.