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nine-member board, which included their leader and board chairman John, whose voice she was now hearing. She walked over, dropped her purse on the floor, pulled out her notebook, and sat down. She wasn’t as late as she’d thought; the meeting hadn’t even started. All that worry for nothing. She took a breath and looked around. Yep, everyone was here, all right. Suddenly her eyes stopped and the breath left her body as she comprehended Gloria’s cryptic message.
    Will Nakane, her neighbor, sat looking good—nothing new in that—in a chair next to John. Will was turned sideways away from her as he sat listening to John. He smiled at something John said, and Katrina had to sit back in her chair at the power of that smile.
    “I know, right?” Sonja whispered into Katrina’s ear. Apparently she approved of Will, too, if her eyes roaming over him was any indication. They were glued to him as if he was manna from heaven sent by the gods for female consumption.
    “He is something else,” Sonja added, rubbing her hands together. “I don’t ask for much in this life, but I would take one of him, any time, any place,” she said, grinning at Katrina.
    “Board members, before I call this meeting to order, I would like you to meet a new resident of our city. I am happy and proud to announce that he has built a home in my neighborhood, Shining Creek, and not just any home. His home will be featured in the Sunday addition of the Hampton Heights newspaper because it is one of the few homes in our city built from the bottom up to be green. I’ve asked Will Nakane to stop by to talk a little about his home and to answer questions that are related to green building. Will and I have discussed the city’s commitment to living green and green gardening, and I thought he would be helpful in suggesting ways we can improve our efforts in our home spaces. I had to twist his arm a little to get him to attend, so please give him a warm welcome,” he said, smiling at Will again, plainly awed.
    John was something else, Katrina thought, the epitome of the master gardener and lover of all things green. A scattering of applause greeted Will as he sat forward and smiled, his eyes moving around the table. All the women sat up straighter, Katrina included, before she caught herself and sat back, not wanting to join in the fawning over him. Besides, she was all about the hiding. She hadn’t expected to see him so soon afterward; had actually been avoiding him, choosing to work in her back yard instead of the front. Lastly, she preferred to conduct her ogling incognito, usually from the safety of her front porch.
    “As I’ve told John, I’m by no means an expert on green living. My travels via work and hobbies have taken me to many beautiful places around the world. It’s the exposure to those places that fostered this desire to do my share, to live greener. So, as part of that effort, I decided to build a more environmentally friendly home,” Will said with a self-deprecating smile, pulling in Katrina and every other woman present.
    “I’m not much of a lecturer, so how about I field questions from you instead,” he said.
    “What makes a green home green?” This from Cheryl, another single woman on the committee, who, unlike Katrina, favored clothing that accentuated her assets. She leaned forward to give Will the optimal view of her two double D’s. He didn’t take the bait, and Katrina found herself more impressed. Hard to miss those two; hell, she’d even glanced at them a time or two, more than a little envious. Don’t hate the playa, Katrina, respect the game, she reminded herself.
    “Good question,” Will said, leaning back, all relaxed and casual.
    “A green home can be green in the way you go about building it, green because of the materials you select and use to build with, green in the way in which it uses energy, heating and cooling, and, finally, it can be green in the way in which you dispose of the waste that