Authors: Traci Hall
Karma by the Sea (14 page)
“You want to be a snowbird? You aren’t even forty yet!”
“Who wants to be here during the summer? It’s
hot
.”
“Joe…”
“You said yourself that the Atlantic Ocean is much calmer than the Pacific. Maybe Namaka can’t find you this far south.” She was so pretty, he thought, looking at her eyes. She’d run three miles to see him. He loved her tear-stained face and messy ponytail.
“Joe!”
“What?” The meds made it hard to concentrate. He just wanted to tell her that he loved her. Did she know that yet?
“I’m not mad at Namaka anymore. I had an epiphany in the waiting room and we’ve kind of patched things up.”
“I’m glad K. Does that mean I can start calling you Karma?”
She grinned. “Maybe. I want to show you something.” She passed him the 30,000 dollar check.
“Nice. That’s almost half of what I make a year. You probably get that as a retainer.”
“If I was smart, I would’ve, but I was just learning and didn’t realize how much things cost and how long court can drag out. That is my profit over the last year and a half. I’ve been living off of maxed credit cards.”
“I have a nice savings, if you want some money.”
“Joe!” Karma blinked quickly and shook her head. “I was talking to the doctor before I came in to see you. You are going to have to take medical leave for a few months. Rehab and all of that. I was thinking you might want to start a new business with me. Once I pay off my credit cards and my electric bill, I might not want to be a divorce lawyer for rich ladies. I could help you while you’re getting better. In Chicago.”
He struggled to sit up, realizing she’d had one hell of an epiphany. “That sounds intriguing.” Business together? A life together? Where did he sign?
“No, no. Just relax. I haven’t made up my mind, of course, because I do like to have nice things, but there has to be a way I can help kids, like Jamal, and the Foster Center, while still helping women get what they deserve from jack ass husbands. Mostly I want to teach those women to be self-sufficient. To find
their
center.”
“That’s really awesome, K.”
“While wearing my Louboutins.”
“What are those?”
“My heels.”
“Babe, if you wear those shoes into the hood, you’re gonna get jacked.”
“What?” She widened her gorgeous brown eyes.
“They’ll be stolen right off your cute little feet.”
“I’m a fast runner.”
“Not in those you’re not,” Joe laughed and entwined their fingers together. “K, it’s time that we both stopped running. You and me. In the here and now. We’ll figure out the details later.”
K leaned over the bed, careful not to touch his shoulder in any way. “I have to kiss you,” she whispered. “I want to be wherever you are. In the past few days you’ve made me look at life differently. I’m a better person just for knowing you. You’ve shown me a world of magic and possibilities. How could I let you go?” She pressed her mouth to his, her lips soft and sensual.
Joe kissed her back, not sure if the electrical jolt between them was from undoing a few tubes as he used his good arm to hold her. He didn’t care. “I’ve got you, babe.”
Karma sat in the lotus position, breathing deep into her belly. She closed her eyes, concentrating on her center. It was difficult to do with Princey’s dog breath blowing in her face. The dog was also sitting on a yoga mat on the sand, staring with adoration toward the Yogi teaching the class. The noxious smell lifted with the sea breeze.
Joe, to her left, whispered, “That was not me.”
Karma tried not to laugh, because she was really tired of the Yogi reprimanding her, but between Joe and the dog, there was always something.
Center, center.
Rita, visiting her ex-husband in New York, sublet her condo to them for the month for free, well, in exchange for taking care of Princey and Lucky. After his surgery, Joe had finagled a sweet deal with medical disability and early retirement. Their honeymoon was the first trip back since Joe left the hospital and traveled to Chicago where she could care for him there.
She kept her shingle, K Akeno Esquire, and worked for select clients. She and Joe started a crisis center for kids, with Jamal as a shining example of someone who could change if they wanted to, given the tools. But they had to
really
want to.
She often thought of the baby sea turtle, and how furious she’d been at that hard lesson her father had taught her. But it was a truth she shared with every new child she worked with and something she planned to hand down to her kids, whenever she and Joe decided to have a bunch.
With a lot of hands on parenting to go with the lesson.
When the session was over the woman to her right, a blonde with a sweet smile and freckles across her nose, said, “You move so gracefully. Are you new to the area? I’m Sarah Murphy. I work at animal control. Princey, you called the Saint Bernard? He’s a riot.”
“He’s the teacher’s pet,” Karma said with a shake of her head. Princey, now that class was over, sat next to the Yogi, who scratched him behind the ears.
“I just wanted to let you know that we’re having a fundraiser this weekend to raise money for the shelter. We’re a no-kill facility. There will be a band and a barbecue, which would give you and your husband a chance to meet some of the locals around here.”
“That sounds great,” Karma said, knowing they had some free time. It wouldn’t be a bad deal to get to know their neighbors. “Are you married?”
“God no.” Sarah shook her head vigorously. “The last thing I want in my life is a man.”
Karma remembered feeling that same way, once not too long ago. Magical, how much she’d changed. Joe stood next to her, slipping his arm around her shoulder. She would never get tired of him touching her. Of touching him.
Loving him.
Karma made the introductions, then Sarah left and she and Joe walked down to the edge of the water. The gentle waves lapped over their feet as they stood hip to hip, arms around each other’s waist. “She seems nice. Want to go meet some neighbors?”
“I’m glad we’re looking for a place here,” he said. “Might as well get a jumpstart. Sue and her boyfriend want to go to dinner, too. The few months I worked here I was so busy working on being my own friend that I didn’t reach out that much.”
Karma smiled. “I’ll be your friend.”
“You’re my
best
friend. Wanna swim?”
“Yes. Race you to the buoy?”
“Not everything needs to be a competition, K,” Joe said even as he splashed into the water. Swimming was part of his rehab for his shoulder, so they’d started swimming together.
She shook her head. “It adds a little something to our relationship.”
He stopped swimming and came back to her, pulling her in his arms and dumping them both in the water. She came up spluttering, laughing. Then she was breathless as Joe captured her mouth in a searing, hot kiss that made the ocean around them sizzle. She held onto his arms with both hands, and wrapped her legs around his hips. She couldn’t get close enough to the man she loved. He lifted his head to catch a breath.
“That’s how to add a little something,” he told her.
The End
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With an impressive bibliography in an array of genres, USA Today bestselling author Traci Hall has garnered a notable fan base. She pens stories guaranteed to touch the heart while transporting the reader to another time and place. Her belief in happily ever after shines through, whether it's a romantic glimpse into history or a love affair for today.
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