Moving On
Chapter 22
It is now one week later
Kate had all the clothes she could carry along with her personal bag that contained a new laptop for her to use.
They hadn't as yet sold either the house or her apartment. They had one offer for her place that Kate herself had rejected and had countered. The first people that had offered 2 million less than listed for the house hadn't come back, however, they did have a second offer for 1.55 million dollars that Olga had countered. They had another open house starting tomorrow.
"Enjoy the flight." This time Olga had parked and helped Kate get the luggage into the building. It was up to her to get those into the plane. "I'll be there as fast as I can." Olga kissed her soundly as Kate kissed her back.
They had spent last night making love since it was going to possibly be a while until they were together again. Kate had plans to sleep on the plane to compensate for the lack of sleep.
Olga watched until she couldn't see the plane any longer then drove home.
Kate was used to this plane since she had been in it once already. Only this time they would be traveling a lot farther. Too far to fly there directly, there were going to be a couple of stops along the way. One was in Fort Worth and the last was going to be in Los Angeles before landing in Honolulu. Kate would have a week to get settled before reporting for her first day at her new job.
It was up to her to feed herself on the flight. It was going to be cold but she had more than enough to eat the entire way. Plus it had a toilet so she never actually had to leave the plane.
"I'm going to get spoiled if I keep this up," Kate said to herself as she felt the plane take off on its first leg.
Kate couldn't talk to anyone until the plane landed. "I'm in Fort Worth," she told Olga who in turn had promised to tell her dad.
"Nothing's changed here. I've emptied the kitchen so now I'm going to be eating take out," Olga grimaced.
"Oh, eating like me now, are you?" Kate teased her.
"I hate you," Olga replied and listened to Kate laugh at her. "They're going to come get my baby tomorrow for her trip. Keep me informed."
"I'll call from Los Angeles. Stay safe. Love you." Kate ended the call and looked around. Yeah, she could get used to this.
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Olga answered the phone and listened. Kate had given her the minimum amount she would accept. But Kate couldn't sign anything until she made it to the apartment and could find a way to sign and send it back.
"We accept," Olga said to the real estate agent for Kate's apartment. "Kate might not be able to sign and send it to you until tomorrow at the earliest. She's in the air at the moment." Olga listened for a moment. "We'll make it work. Thank you." Olga ended the call. One down, one to go.
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Kate's pilot left and was replaced with another one. He was going to exceed his flight hours if he'd continued so she was getting a new one. Because of that she was allowed to get out since they were going to be there for over an hour and she could get some hot food for a change.
"Hi, babe. I'm in Los Angeles. They changed pilots so I'm getting some hot food," Kate said.
"Your place is sold. The people came back with a new offer that met your minimum so I accepted for you. She's going to send me everything that I will in turn send to you. You just have to find a way to print it, sign it, and send it back to me. She's looking into Doc-u-sign so it might be easier on you but we'll see," Olga said to her.
"That's great! Anything on the house?" They had one left and it was the big one. They needed the money from the sale of the house in order to buy the boat.
"Nothing yet. I did get a message from the boat manufacturer. We have one week to finalize our floor plan, then three months to finalize the interior finishes so he can order everything and maintain our time frame."
"I'm happy if you are." Then Kate rattled off what she remembered. "Master bedroom up front. Living room behind that. Dining room is outside under cover. Pool with seating and BBQ behind the pilot house. The front deck with seating in front of the master bedroom. Downstairs is the lone spare bedroom, theater room, craft room, kitchen, and exercise room. Oh, and the garage for the lone zodiac." They could have moved the master bedroom downstairs where the kitchen was going and put the kitchen upstairs with a larger living room but didn't.
"Works for me, I'll tell them. Enjoy your food and your flight. Love you." Olga ended the call.
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Kate had bags in hand and was taking a shuttle to the car rental desks in the Honolulu airport. This was either the good part or bad part about flying charter. The car rental desks were in the main terminal and she wasn't so she had to take a shuttle.
"Hi, babe, I'm in Honolulu and headed for car rental. I'm going to have serious jet lag. It's barely lunch here." Kate listened to Olga laugh. "It's going to be your turn next time," Kate reminded her.
"Check your email when you can. Your real estate lady has sent everything via Doc-u-sign. So put your initials where indicated, sign, and your place will be someone else's. The money will show up in your account soon after that," Olga let her know.
"Excellent! Did you know it is 82° here and the sun's out?" Kate wasn't even out of the airport area yet and she liked it.
"Have fun, I'll be there as soon as I can." Olga made the smacking sound of a kiss then ended the call.
"Have fun, she says. I have a week until I start work. You're damn right I'm going to have fun." She was in fucking Honolulu and she had bikinis in her bag. She even had sunscreen and flip flops.
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Kate went to the Alamo desk since that was the rental company she'd selected. "Kate Beckett, I have a reservation," she said to the man behind the little counter. She watched his fingers fly across the keyboard.
"I have it. One compact convertible for a minimum of three weeks," he said and waited for her to confirm it.
"A what?" That wasn't what she had selected for her rental. "Olga." She was going to kill her.
"A Mazda Miata isn't what you wanted? I can look for other convertibles. They're the most popular car people want unless they have any 4x4 ideas that are not recommended by any car rental agency."
"Mazda Miata." Kate tried to picture one and looked down at her luggage. He looked as well.
"Your larger bags will fit in the trunk while your carry-on can go in the passenger seat," he offered, hoping that would help.
"Sure, Mazda Miata it is." What the hell. It was Hawaii after all.
"Excellent. I'll need a credit card, a photo ID, and your insurance card. Actually, I don't need your insurance card. I see you have preselected the full daily coverage for your rental. If anything happens at all just drop it off and you are responsible for no damages. You are required to return the car with the same amount of fuel that you find in it. Or you can pay us to fill it for you."
"I'll fill it with gas, thank you," Kate said.
After signing her life away she was told her rental form was the car's registration. "Your car is in section C space number 6. A white Mazda Miata. It has a five speed manual transmission," he warned her.
"That's fine." She knew how to drive a manual.
"Enjoy your stay and if you need anything call the 800 number on the back of your rental agreement," he told her. "OH! Sorry, almost forgot your GPS module that you asked and paid for. I strongly suggest that you do not leave it in the car even with the top up."
"Thanks." Kate found room in her carry-on bag for it, headed to the lot, and searched for her car. It took her some time. Then she had to set up the GPS, pull out her address, and type it in. She even put the top down since it wasn't raining and the sun was out.
1888 Kalakaua Ave, Honolulu, Hawaii
Kate followed the directions the feminine voice told her, all while watching everything since this was her first time here. Literally everything looked like it was green save for the buildings and she soon saw the ocean. "Hawaii." Kate felt a smile form.
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Kate grabbed her carry-on and the GPS then went inside to check in, fill out all the forms, and get the keys. She was told where to park after she put her parking pass on her car. She only got the one pass and was told that cars with no pass were towed at the owner's expense.
"25th floor. The elevators are right over there." She gestured to her left; Kate looked and saw them.
She went back out to the car, moved it, and left the top down. She carried her bags to the elevator, went up to the 25th floor and apartment number 225.
Opening it, she found just what the pictures of it had shown her. She debated calling Olga until she remembered the time difference. She would wait until morning to call her.
Kate chose the larger of the two bedrooms, the one with the attached bathroom, and started unpacking. It came with a few clothes hangers but not many. That was fine, she'd brought her own.
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Kate was done and standing in the living room, looked out at the view. Then she opened the door and went out onto the lanai as they called it here. Mostly she saw buildings and mountains in the distance. The ocean was on the other side but she didn't mind. She was on the 25th floor so the view was spectacular. Most of the buildings around her weren't this tall.
Once they moved to their boat they weren't going to have this view so she sat down and just looked. "Dinner!" She hadn't eaten all that much in hours. Just the one little hot meal she had eaten and that sandwich. Besides, she needed to figure out how to get around a little.
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"Beckett." Kate answered her phone without looking at who it was just as she got home with her takeout. It was simple Chinese teriyaki chicken with white rice but it was enough.
"So you did make it." Olga sounded happy to hear her voice.
"You're still up! I was going to wait until morning here to call you."
"Of course I'm still up. My fiancée is hours away from me and my bed is empty. Forgive me if I worry," Olga told her.
"You're forgiven. I just got back after getting some takeout. Haven't had much time to look at the kitchen or go shopping yet. AND YOU CHANGED MY CAR!" Kate had been happy to have the cheapest car they had.
"It's Hawaii. You need a convertible," Olga insisted. "Besides, when baby gets there we're going to still have a convertible."
"Good point and thank you. It's a nice little car. Emphasis on little. Like your car there are only two seats. Lanie isn't going to have room," Kate mentioned.
"We'll have two cars until we decide we don't need two," Olga countered.
"Sounds expensive but okay for now." They could fight this battle later.
`"I do have news. I settled on a price of $1.575 million," Olga said.
"You sold the house! That's great! When are you leaving?" Kate wanted her here.
"Eight days." Olga closed her ears as best she could.
"EIGHT DAYS!" Kate yelled. "Why so long?" Kate couldn't think of a reason for the delay. She'd sign the paperwork, pack up, and fly out here. What was so hard about that?
"Because, love, I need your plane to come back and go through a maintenance check before flying back with me. I don't fancy crashing. And I need to fly charter to get all my weapons and ammunition out there. Just pray they don't find anything that needs repair or replacement or it will be even longer."
"Fine, you win. I will have started my job before you get here." Kate started her new job in a week.
"And you can tell me all about it after I get there. I'll take a shuttle service to get to the apartment. We don't need for your new boss to be annoyed that you're leaving work early," Olga said.
"Good point. Just get here." Kate was sure the empty bed was going to be a pain.
"Eat your dinner before it gets cold. We can talk again tomorrow. Love you," Olga told her.
"Love you, too." Kate hung up and looked at her dinner, trying to decide if she really was hungry. She shrugged then opened the container and added the soy sauce she was given. She almost started eating but then picked it all up and went out on the lanai to enjoy it with a view.
"Hawaii." Kate smiled while she ate.
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Kate was waiting at the line. The arrival board said her plane had landed so now she just needed to wait. And then they could go find the baggage claim and grab her bags. Kate knew she was bouncing on her toes but she was excited. Then she spotted her and started waving madly until she had been seen.
"Lanie!" Kate hugged her tightly.
"Hi, girlfriend." Lanie was happy to see her, too. "So this is Hawaii." She hadn't even made it out of the airport.
"You haven't seen anything yet. Let's go! We need to find baggage claim. How was your flight?" Kate asked, betting it was worse than hers was, thanks to Olga.
"Long and cramped. At least my seatmates were nice enough and mostly silent. It's barely lunch here." Lanie was sure jet lag was in her future.
"Tell me about it. I was eating dinner because it was time for dinner not because I was hungry my first day here," Kate admitted.
"You ate something? It must be the Hawaiian air," Lanie teased her.
"Ha ha." Kate knew her history and Lanie was only rubbing it in.
"I brought all the clothes I could and everything else is in a pod back in New York just like you suggested," Lanie said.
"Just like all my stuff and Olga's. I start work tomorrow so you're on your own tomorrow with no car." Then Kate brightened. "Or you can drive me to work and drop me off." Kate's shoulders slumped. "…But you can't; your name isn't on the rental form. Sorry."
"I'll think of something. I have to learn. When does your fiancée arrive?" Lanie asked her.
"Two days. She sold the house and had to wait but she'll be here. When do you start work?" Kate inquired.
"One week from today. I have an address here somewhere and a name." Lanie patted her carry-on bag. "Can you believe it, we're in Hawaii. Half naked men all over the place and nothing but beaches." Lanie couldn't wait. "Except you're getting married so you don't care about that any more," Lanie apologized.
"I can still look, I just can't touch," Kate laughed. Plus she could point them all out to Lanie.
"Well, you missed it, girl. I found out from Espo and Ryan that Gates tried to track you down. Apparently she wanted to wish you well but you didn't stop," Lanie grinned, knowing full well that Kate would never have stopped for that woman.
"Seriously! I was sure she wanted to insult me one last time. It was all she ever did when I was there." Kate wasn't sure how to take that news. It was nice of Gates but really?
"I also heard about the meeting each of you had at 1PP. No one will tell me anything beyond that," Lanie prodded, wanting to know more. "Castle's still gone too. No one has heard from him."
Kate shook her head. "I'm still not sure I'm allowed to talk about it. It was all about Gates, I can tell you that much."
Lanie shrugged. "That's what Espo and Ryan said. She was still captain as of yesterday." Then they located the right carousel and waited for it to spit out luggage or to even start spinning.
"Where is Ryan?" Kate asked her.
"His last day is coming up soon. They're doing what we did. Everything but clothes went into a pod then into storage until they find a place to stay. Pretty soon and we'll all be out here," Lanie said with a grin.
"Everyone except for Espo," Kate grumbled. "And my dad."
"I think Espo's waiting to see if Gates is replaced by someone else. I don't think he wants to come." Lanie didn't know that for a fact but it was the feeling she got. "Where is your dad?"
"Still waiting for a reply from the last company he talked with. The first one hired someone local even though he isn't asking for relocation help. So he's still at home and not packing yet." Not everything was working out like she had hoped.
"He'll find something. Give it a chance." Lanie watched as the carousel finally started to spin.
"I still haven't given up on Olga's parents. Those two are really stubborn." Kate didn't get it.
"Just like someone I know," Lanie teased which earned her a glare from Kate. At that moment Lanie saw her first suitcase.
"A Mazda Miata. A convertible. This should be fun." Lanie wasn't sure all of her suitcases were going to fit. They did but one was in her lap.
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"WOW, tall building." Lanie saw where Kate was going, following what the GPS lady told her to do.
"25th floor. It has a really nice view of the city. The beach is on the other side, unfortunately." She did wonder if the ocean view was better but what they had was really nice and quiet.
Kate took a bag to help Lanie and up the elevator they went. Kate walked into her bedroom while Lanie, eager to see the view, stepped over to the windows to take a look. "Definitely not New York City." New York City looked nothing like this.
"You can say that again." Kate had heard her and called from the bedroom.
"Fully furnished?" Lanie joined her to unpack.
"Everything we need. Kitchen had everything except food and the bathroom has everything from towels to cleaning supplies," Kate confirmed. "Here's your key." Kate handed over a front door key and a mail box key. Since Olga was going to be home most of the time she'd be able to get the mail.
"Unpack later. We have some place to go." Kate took Lanie by the hand and pulled her toward the front door.
"Where are we going?" Lanie asked her, going along with her.
"Pearl Harbor Memorial. I've been to Diamond Head but I've been waiting for you to show up to go there." A smiling Lanie was right behind Kate.
"Where is Waikiki Beach from here?" Lanie questioned her.
"Almost right across the street." Kate smiled wide at her since it was a short walk down the street. "There's a canal right outside. You can see it from the lanai."
"Have you found your office yet?" Lanie queried.
"Yep, drove it twice already. Takes me about 10 minutes. Olga picked the perfect spot. We can do yours when I get off work tomorrow," Kate said. She had even driven over to the future marina and had taken a look.
It was huge and had two really long parking lots. A parking pass was needed to park there and it was first come first served to get a space. It was going to be really close. The boat was going to be ready in about a year and the waiting list at this marina was about a year for what they wanted. Even longer for smaller boats. The maximum length allowed was 85 feet and they were just under 79 feet in total.
She had also driven from there to work once. It took her ten minutes as well.
Funny thing was she could walk from the apartment to the marina in two minutes. They were facing the wrong way or she could see it from the apartment. Both were in perfect locations to her work. Now they just needed to work out where Lanie worked.