The Presence Read Online Free PDF Page B

confrontation that would occur when she finally told Michael she hated the idea of his risking his life under a hundred feet of water. But when he winced at her equivocation, she knew he’d already figured out what her final answer would be. Now, trying to steer him away from the subject, she leaned across her son and looked out the window.
    A chain of islands lay spread beneath the plane. The day was perfectly clear, and a snowcapped mountain peak glistened against a sky that was somehow even bluer than the sea. As the plane began its descent, the islands grew clearer, and then the pilot’s voice came over the intercom, identifying them.
    “To the right of the plane, we’re getting a terrific view of Oahu today, while passengers on the left can see thepeaks of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa on the Big Island of Hawaii. In a few minutes we’ll be able to look down into the craters of both Mauna Loa on the Big Island and Haleakala on Maui. I doubt any of you will have trouble figuring out which one is the active volcano.”
    As the plane descended, Katharine glimpsed the smoke boiling up from one of the active vents on the flanks of Kilauea, but then her attention was diverted by the pilot’s voice.
    “As we make the turn around Maui, passengers on the right side of the plane will be able to see the southwest coast of the island, with the resort areas of Wailea and Kihei stretched along what many people—myself included—believe to be the best string of beaches in the state. For those of you who are visiting, may I be the first to wish you aloha. For those lucky enough to live here, welcome home.”
    The plane swept lower and banked into the final turn. Through the window Katharine could see the coastline winding up toward Lahaina, and then the wildly rugged, green-clad buttresses of the West Maui mountains came into view. Below, a carpet of green spread across the valley floor.
    The plane touched down, slowed, and turned to taxi up to the long, low building that housed the airport at Kahului. Michael was out of his seat the moment the DC-10 came to a stop, working his way around Katharine’s legs in his anxiety to retrieve their carry-on bags from the overhead compartment. Three minutes later, Katharine stepped out of the plane and felt the first naturally warmed air she’d experienced in months. She walked quickly through the jetway into the gate area. Michael was already outside the glass doors, and when he turned,she could see the wide grin on his face. She took a deep breath as the doors slid open in front of her, and as the fragrant air filled her lungs, a single word came into her mind.
    Soft.
    It was the only word to describe the caress of the gentle breeze.
    Soft.
    “We’re sure not in New York anymore, are we?” she heard her son say.
    She glared at him with an expression of exasperation that was only slightly exaggerated. “I don’t believe it! We’re in paradise for three months, and all you can say is it’s not New York?”
    “Come on, Mom! I didn’t say it was terrible! Actually, the weather’s not too bad. It’s—”
    But Katharine was no longer listening to him, for she’d spotted a familiar figure at the far end of the long walkway.
    A figure she hadn’t seen since graduate school, but whom she nevertheless recognized instantly.
    Rob Silver.
    He was as lithe and muscular as he’d been twenty years earlier, but his face had weathered into a rugged handsomeness, and his mop of unruly hair had grayed slightly. His eyes, however, sparkling as they fixed on her, were every bit as blue as she’d remembered them. As he dropped a sweet-smelling lei over her shoulders, he echoed aloud the words that had popped into her head the minute she’d seen him: “My God, you’re even more gorgeous than I remembered!”
    While she tried to cover the flush that had come intoher cheeks, he stuck his hand out to her son. “Hi,” he said. “You must be Michael. I’m Rob Silver.”
    Michael hesitated, his