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she’d have the warm chocolate brownie with vanilla-flecked ice cream. Lara ordered an avocado filled with crab salad and Ryan ordered katsu curry rice with chicken and four gyoza.
    â€œYou can share my gyoza,” he said, and looked first at Lara, then Storm.
    â€œI just ate an hour ago,” Storm said, though the offer was tempting. Storm loved the little fried dumplings.
    â€œI have to fit into my wedding dress,” Lara said.
    While they ate, they discussed the upcoming wedding, which was in mid-July, three months away. Not long after his cup of coffee arrived, Ryan peeked at his gold watch.
    â€œI’ve got to go.”
    â€œYou do?” Lara looked up at him and her voice took on a wry note. “Meeting your dad again?”
    â€œAnd some business associates. We’re looking at a condominium in Kapalua.”
    â€œGood hunting,” Lara said.
    â€œIt was great to meet you,” Storm said. “I’ll see you again soon.”
    â€œYes, let’s sit down tomorrow or the next day to set up details on the corporation.”
    The women watched him leave, then Storm sprawled back in her chair with a sigh. “That brownie was wonderful.”
    â€œI’m full too.” Lara thought for a brief moment. “Damon’s got the shop covered this afternoon. Are you busy? If you’re off the clock, would you like to go snorkeling? I’ll show you my favorite spots down by Makena, where we’re going to take some tours. Two of my favorite sightings are at Turtle Town and Bruce the shark.”
    â€œBruce the shark?” Storm straightened. “Do I want to see him?”
    â€œSure. Bruce is a four-foot, white-tipped reef shark. They’re harmless.” Lara cocked her head. “He’s accustomed to divers, plus the shark is my ‘aumakua .”
    â€œIt is?” Storm grimaced. “I’ll have to rely on you for protection, because my ‘aumakua is the pua‘a. I don’t think a pig will be much help in the water.”
    â€œPigs are known for their cleverness,” Lara said, though Storm picked up a note of condescension in her voice. People whose ‘aumakua were the manō tended to think other ‘aumakua didn’t measure up.
    She’d have to check with Aunt Maile, who was well versed in Hawaiian lore, as to how the animal totems interacted. Maybe they practiced some kind of amnesty. If you believed in that stuff to begin with.
    â€œYou sure Bruce is safe?”
    â€œYou could hand-feed him, though we don’t, because he needs to hunt on his own. White-tips aren’t aggressive to people. And they don’t have very big teeth.” She grimaced. “Probably not as bad as getting bit by my mom’s toy poodle. In fact, I’d say Bruce has a better personality.”
    â€œOuch. You have to deal with the poodle often?”
    â€œNo, he died last year, at sixteen.”
    â€œHow’d your mom handle that?”
    â€œNot too well.” Lara pushed back from the table. “But everyone else felt like celebrating.”
    â€œGet her a replacement. A nice one.”
    â€œYeah, maybe.” Lara sounded like she’d rather change the subject. “Let’s gather some dive gear and go for a swim. You can see first hand what my clients are experiencing.”

Chapter Six
    Back at the dive shop, Lara went to a cabinet along the wall in the front room and began to sort through skin diving gear.
    â€œDamon,” she called out over the buzz of an electric sander in the back room. “We’re going for a swim.”
    A man’s voice answered over the noise, and Lara frowned. “Damon?”
    â€œNot Damon,” said a tall, tanned man who came through the door from the back. His denim jeans were nearly white with age, though his T-shirt and baseball cap were new and had Lara’s Aquatic Adventures emblazoned on them. The brilliant turquoise shirt matched his