Chapter Two

"So you work tomorrow, too?" I only nodded, my hands working slowly as I cleaned the last few dishes from our dinner earlier that night. I could tell she was just trying to make conversation, but my head was clouded by other thoughts. "Guess that means more leftovers, huh?"

"I could always cook us something else," I offered. After all, the only things that were ordered were French appetizers, so it was unlikely that I'd be too tired to cook something for the two of us. "It's not like you and I eat all that much anyway."

"You spoil me," the young woman giggled, kissing me on the cheek. I smiled as I glanced down at her while she stood by my side with a towel in her hand, but to be honest, I really didn't see how I could be spoiling her. If anything, she was neglected. Especially with the way her nightgown all but hanging off her once curvaceous frame and made her look like a simple rack of bones. "I wish you could stay home more, though..."

"You and me both," I sighed, handing Popuri a wine glass. She took it from me gently, her hot pink nails clicking against its slick surface, but I knew even before she reached for it that it would fall and shatter on the floor. "Don't worry about it," I told her when she went to pick it up. "I'll take care of it in a minute."

"I'm sorry, Kai," she said, her pink curls bouncing as she shook her head. "I keep screwing things up, don't I?"

"Popuri, it's fine," I assured her. "Watch out for the glass, though," I warned as I knelt down onto the floor. "You're not wearing any shoes." Not that she ever did since she so rarely left the house. Something I had a hard time believing when she had been so lively the day we met. "I don't want you to get hurt."

But I knew she was all ready hurting. She had been ever since her mother passed away almost a year before, and I still had no way of knowing how to make her feel any better. The only thing I really did for her was offer her some of my medication to help her rest easier when she needed to and couldn't.

And just look what that did to her.

"Did you decide to sleep all day again today?" I asked quietly. A part of me hoped Popuri didn't hear me, so we could just forget about it like we always did. But it was too late, and when she looked up at me with those big red eyes of hers, all I felt was guilt. "Sorry... I shouldn't have said anything."

"No, I understand," she said, her own voice unusually quiet. "I just..." Her words died away then, and we stayed lost in thought with neither of us being willing to break the silence. That was before she knelt down in front of me to make my eyes meet hers. "When can we go back to Honolulu?" she asked. "I don't like it here..."

"If you went out and walked around a bit, you might-"

"How can I make friends when I don't even know what any of them are saying?" It was an honest question, and although it sounded simple enough at first, the whole thing really was complicated. I'd left Hawaii and came to Italy without much thought, having been raised to speak both English and Italian at any given time, but Popuri had only just left New York before I whisked her away to another country. "I want to go home."

No, not home. That was the last place she wanted to go without her mother or even her brother being there. I knew that as well as she did, but unlike the last time, I knew better than to mention it. Instead, I did what I could to assure her that everything would be all right.

"Soon," I said as I held her hand. "I'll take you home... I promise."

-/-

"Not sleepin' again there, Kai?" I only sighed as Dan leaned over my shoulder and gave me one of his sly grins. "That girl of yours must be something else, huh?"

"Yeah, because her sleeping is such a turn on," I muttered, shrugging him off. As soon as we were comfortable again, she'd gone back to bed to the lullaby of a shaking medicine bottle. Leaving me to stay awake all through the night once more. "And didn't I tell you to wear a tux for this?"

"Aw, dude... You gotta tell me this stuff before I leave my place," Dan moaned, smacking his forehead. "It's not like I can remember what to wear every night!"

"Just grab one from the van then," I said without even bothering to look at him. "We don't have a lot of time before the gallery opens... and where's Denny? He left to get me some more parsley, but he should've been back by now..."

"Kid probably got lost again," he laughed. "You know how damn bad his sense of direction is." Unfortunately, I knew Dan was right, but I didn't want to admit it out loud when the other easily worked twice as hard as he did. The only real problem was that Denny- like Popuri- was from the States, and even if he was doing his best to adjust, he was still too new to it all. "Want me to find him?"

"No, I have enough to get us started," I assured him. "Just be ready to get out there in fifteen minutes, and I'll send him out to help when he gets here."

"Ritengo che tutto è pronto?" Both my companion and I gaped to see our employer standing just behind me. Once again, Ms. Blanc had decided to out dress her associates, yet this time it was the artwork she was competing against and not the people themselves. Of course, since she was wearing a striking black and white mermaid gown with a feathered boa wrapped about her torso, she would hardly blend in with those who were around her as it was. "Posso chiedere cosa siete fissando, Signore Makani?"

"Another Jiovanni," I mused, more to myself than the woman in front of me. "It seems you have quite the eye for fashion."

"Ma nutrualmente," Ms. Blanc replied with smug satisfaction as she turned slightly for me to see the back. "E' couture." She was more than happy to say it, and I was sure she would be saying it whenever she was complimented- no many how many times or from whom the attention came. "Faro lei approvo?"

"Quite." I said with a clever grin. After all, she almost looked stuffed, and really, a person couldn't get more stuffed looking than if they were the former wife of one of the wealthiest men in the modern world. Something I'd looked into during the course of my sleepless night. "You had requested French appetizers, so am I right to assume our guests will be coming in from France?"

"How very keen of you... Mr. Makani," she agreed. "I am quite glad to know that you are familiar with your clients' tastes."

"Not really. I would hardly call it an original idea... although as any Frenchman will tell you, France is the culinary master of the world." It was a desperate claim at best, but while I did resent them for it, I was careful not to show it. "I would be more than happy to suit their tastes, however."

"Spoken like a true gentleman," she mused with a glamourous smile of her own. "Despite your speaking in such a crude tongue, of course." I found myself wondering if maybe she was ashamed of her heritage, but I quickly decided I was looking too deeply into her character. Especially for a woman as shallow as she. "You know as well as I do that people such as ourselves are much better suited to a more elegant way of speech."

"What matters is the meaning, not the words themselves... or at least that is what I would prefer to believe, Ms. Blanc." The woman eyed me for a time, yet when I tried to apologize, she simply help up her hand for me to keep quiet.

"It is of no concern to me what your opinions may be. I only wanted to be sure it was all properly arranged," she explained. "Forgive me, signore, but I would prefer to believe that a cook should be a cook. Not a philosopher... and a very poor one at that."

"I will do well to remember that," I agreed with a bow."I only hope you enjoy this cook's services this evening."

Satisfied with my reply, she turned to leave. I was sure she had planned on a grand departure, but the hem of her dress caught on her heels. She stumbled forward, but just when I thought she might throw herself into the waiter's door, she ran right into someone. And that someone just so happened to be my missing help.

"Thank you, Denny. You couldn't have came at a better time." He stood there in a bit of a daze, staring wide-eyed down at the woman against his chest, and I almost had to laugh when he came back to his senses and rightened her. "Now, we had better get things moving along," I said with a smirk. "Don't want to keep our guests waiting, do we?"

After being sure that both men were as presentable as the food itself, I found myself falling deep into my work. Despite preparing all of the appetizers without much assistance, I was at peace, and at the very same time, I was removed from it. All I could see, smell, hear, taste, and feel was put to the side, and I often wondered if I was awake or lost in some kind of dream. It was only when I worked alone that I felt this way, but it had a zen-like quality to it that I never could quite describe.

"Kai, Ms. Blanc is asking for you."

And just like that, the world came back in full force.

"Does she want me to come out there, or is she coming in here?" Denny jerked his thumb toward the gallery door, and even though I sighed at first, I soon put on the best smile I could manage. "Guess I better not keep her waiting then."

"You're not going out there like that, are you?" I looked down to see that my smock had become a piece of contemporary art itself. What went into it was anyone's guess, but knowing there was nothing but landscapes showing on the walls outside, my attire was hardly appropriate. "I mean, I guess you-"

"No, you're right," I agreed. "I'm sure she would hate to wait much longer, though, so this will have to do." With that, I pulled off my uniform and my undershirt back down. It was only a black tee, but it would have to do. "Is she ready for me?"

"Et je également à remercier M. Makani pour la restauration de cet événement. S'il vous plaît... Souhaitez-vous vous joindre à nous, monsieur?"

I walked out into the room to find myself being watched by a dozen or so elites- all of whom were dressed to nines in all their finery. They stood in silence for a moment, their champagne still in hand, but at last there was the beginnings of applause. Not that it mattered to me whether they appreciated my work or not. They would eat it anyway.

Just as the small gathering began to settle again, I glanced towards Claire in the hopes that I might be able to disappear again. She was unusually silent, her cold eyes still set heavily on me, yet when she realized that she was staring, she quickly composed herself once again and continued on her with her speech. I thought nothing of it, really, and even before the final toast was given, I was back in the kitchen.

"Man, did you see the way she looked at you?" Dan whispered in my ear. I raised an eyebrow when he said it, but he was more than happy to elaborate. "She's one hell of an ice queen, but I think she's got it for you, buddy."

"I doubt that," I chuckled as I began scrubbing down the counter. "She's not the type of woman to take on a man like me. She wants money, status... you know, that kind of thing."

"Doesn't mean she wouldn't be game for a tussle under the sheets," he insisted with a wink. "If you ask me, you're selling yourself too short with that Popuri girl of yours. You need someone to take care of you for a change."

"Not all of us needs to be babysat every night," Denny muttered across from me. "Anyway, I think it's bad enough we had to work with her without him having her around after hours." Then his thick brows bunched together over the wide bridge of his nose and shook his head. "She glared at me every time I walked past her. Like it was my fault that she-"

"Quiet," I warned, putting my finger to my lips. "We have company."

I readied myself to have our hostess stride in through the door, but it was only a smartly dressed couple. The man was a good four inches taller than myself, looking down at me with sharp, violet eyes through his white hair. Aside from that, he seemed to be no older than my staff and me, but I did find myself treating him as I would an older gentleman. His wife, on the other hand, was much less intimidating, and so I turned my attention to her instead.

"Ah, vous devez être l'artiste." The young woman blushed, her fair facing becoming scarlet from her elegant neck to the roots of her ebony hair, and nodded. "Je crains que je suis très peu familier avec l'art, mais j'ai été très pris par votre travail."

"Coureur de jupons..."

"Vaughn." Having silenced him, she turned back to me with an apologetic smile. "Je suis désolé, monsieur... Mon mari est plutôt... opiniâtre à certains moments."

"Pas mal fait," I assured her before looking back at my companions. "We take no offense." She eyed me curiously, but soon she began to smile again, this time with much more earnest. "Qu'est-ce que c'est?'

"Alors vous êtes un Américain, alors?" she replied. Her husband only rolled his eyes and looked to the door. "My apologies, sir. I have never met anyone outside of France before. I hope I have no offended you..."

"Not at all." To be honest, I was starting to get bored with the conversation, and as far as I was concerned, there were too many people in the kitchen. It was just another annoyance not to be able to ask them to leave. However, I did my best to grin and bear it. "You are friends of Ms. Blanc then?"

The pair exchanged a glance, but eventually, the young woman spoke up despite her voice having become even softer. "Yes," she agreed. "She was very insistent that we come to Italy for my first show. I told her it was unnecessary, but..."

"Of course it was necessary." I swallowed a frustrated sigh as another man walked into the room. He was unremarkable at best with blond hair, blue eyes, and a white suit, but she was quick to straighten herself in his presence. "Sabrina, it is just as Ms. Blanc said earlier," he began. "As a Regison, you are more than entitled to the very best."

"But father was just so insistent that it be in Paris," she reminded him. "I would hate to upset him..."

"Uncle Regis will just have to accept it for what it is then." It was at that point that I cleared my throat, and the new arrival turned on his heel to speak with me. "Ah, Mr. Makani, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm sorry for the interruption, but I was not about to let my dear cousin belittle herself in such a way. Allow me to introduce myself." He handed me a white business card. "My name is William Terry Louis Andrew Carrick Jonathan Dredge Hams Reading Roger Southwark Alwick Plymouth Junior Regison III. However, I prefer to go simply as William Regison as I am sure you can understand."

"Non posso dire lo biasimo," Dan agreed under his breath behind me. Thankfully, Denny was there to jab him in the side even without being able to understand what was said.

"I know this is presumptuous of me, but I'm going to assume you're looking for a caterer?" He nodded, but just before he could think to speak, I interrupted him. "I'm sorry, but we don't do business out of the country."

"So a private cruise would be out of the question?" I admit that I was taken aback at first, but I did my best to recover with a smile. "I would promise to make it worth your while," he assured me, "and there will be more than adequate room and board for you and your help as well, of course."

"If you'll allow me a moment..." I slipped away form the crowd that had gathered and pushed my cousins back against the fall wall. Their brown eyes were wide as they looked behind me, no doubt wondering just how much longer we would have to deal with the likes of those behind us. They were assured soon enough when I began to speak to them in a way that only we were privy to. "Credi che valga la pena?" I asked. "Oppure dobbiamo lasciarlo andare?"

"Ne ho abbastanza di questa camicie roba..." Dan muttered, eyeing Mr. Regison and the entourage behind him with suspicion. "I dico di lasciarlo."

"Ma..." Denny began, "chissà quando lavoreremo di nuouo?"

"Ebbene, se prendiams questo..." Glancing back to be sure I would not be overheard, I pulled them into an even tighter circle. "If we do do this, I think there would be enough to get ourselves that little restaurant we've been after."

"Davvero?" I nodded. "Poi... devremmo?"

"Solo se Dan è d'accardo." My cousin stood there for a moment just glaring back at our guests, and I could just see the gears turning in his head. Dan might not have been the brightest person I had ever known, but he did have a strong sense of pride. He was proud of where he was in life even if it meant he worked as a waiter and spent what little time he had to himself in sleazy bars. "All right," he sighed. "Let's get it over with."

"I would suppose you have an answer for me then?" I said nothing, only studying the man's face one last time before I gave him our decision, but it finally came to a point where I knew I had to give him what he needed to hear. After all, the longer we waited, the longer it would take for us to receive the benefits. "Mr. Makani?"

"When do we set sail?"