The Maui Effect (Man-Made Trilogy #1)

Isla

Dane

seemed to know her good fortune at having been rescued from Todos Santos with only seagulls and a lighthouse for companions, little food, and even less water. Dane wondered how long she had been there, and how much longer she would have lasted. If only dogs could talk. In the two weeks since he’d been home, her ribs had slowly disappeared and patches of fur he’d had to cut out with the burrs began filling in. She wasn’t the best-looking dog in the world, but she made up for it with an oversized personality.

He had always heard that rescue dogs knew exactly who they owed their life to, which is why they made such loyal pets. The truth in those words had become evident from the minute he brought her onto the boat back in Mexico. She mainly had eyes for him, but could easily be swayed by food offerings, especially sardines, and loved to curl up on anything soft—after pawing it for a good minute or two. And those button eyes and fox ears followed his every move.

He hadn’t meant to keep her. With his solo lifestyle, a dog had been out of the question, but had become so attached to him, he was determined to figure out a way to make it work. On his street, there were plenty of neighbors with big yards and kids who were happy to watch her. Kama, Hope and Yeti, too. Dane brought her everywhere, and she quickly became part of the team. Still, they razzed him.

“Never thought I’d see the day a twenty-pound mutt ruled your life,” Kama said.

“ needs me. She was abandoned on a deserted island for Chrissake.”

“You have it backward, brah.”

Somehow, Dane had gone from no woman in his life to two. Usually, by this time in a relationship, he was starting to feel the walls closing in. No matter how gorgeous or intelligent or talented the woman was, there always came a point where he started making excuses, not being available. He’d crave time alone and his beach runs and surf sessions grew longer and longer. He knew plenty of guys who balanced surfing with wives and kids. Not always easily, but they managed. So why couldn’t he?

With Sunny, he had come close. She was light and fun and breezy, and he had loved her, but when things turned more serious, he’d bolted. He’d had this grating feeling that Sunny wasn’t the one . Hope always said it was a mother wound, and he needed therapy. Which was probably true, on some level. Yeti’s advice, as for everything, was to meditate on it. Dane tried, but the problem persisted.

Recently, the situation had begun to haunt him, plaguing his dreams. Because everything with ‘Iwa was different. He was different with her in his life. He only hoped he could sustain these feelings and that the damaged part of him wouldn’t fuck things up.

Every time Dane picked up ‘Iwa from the airport, his entire world brightened. She always had her nose in a book, usually nature or science related, and was wholly absorbed. Someone could walk by naked and she wouldn’t even notice. She was always wearing colorful clothes and a lei around her neck, which she’d then give to him. Now, when he pulled up, she was sitting on a bench, absorbed in a book as always. He watched her for a few moments before getting out, but poked her head out the window and started yapping. ‘Iwa looked up and waved, laughing.

Dane jumped out and met her at the curb. “I missed you,” he said, hugging her tight.

This time, ‘Iwa had taken more convincing to come, and he had a moment of panic that she wouldn’t. But he’d found a friend of Yeti’s, a conservation guy, who’d agreed to meet with her.

“It’s only been two weeks.” ‘Iwa kissed him, long and lingering, then pressed her face into his neck. “But I know, I missed you, too.”

He could have stood there all night, inhaling Hawai’i and rainwater off her skin, but started whining and dancing around at the window.

‘Iwa pulled away and rushed over. “Oh my goodness, look at you! All clean and pretty and...round.”

wiggled and grunted and hopped all over ‘Iwa, trying to get to her face with that fast tongue of hers.

“I’ve been spoiling her, a little too much. And I guess there’s no question whether she remembers you,” Dane said.

“I forgot how small she is, like the size of one of Koa’s paws.”

“Don’t let her size fool you, she runs the show here now. So be ready.”

They took the scenic route to Carmel, stopping at his place in Santa Cruz to pick up his boards and a dog bed for , and then headed out. rode in ‘Iwa’s lap and moved between snoring peacefully to head out the window, wind in her fur, barking furiously. Seeing her so happy made Dane happy. Lately, it felt like his heart was stretching to new dimensions. Woman. Dog. Who knew what was next.

“How did it go yesterday?” he asked.

“We had a pretty good turnout, but only got a thousand signatures, which doesn’t go very far when you’re up against deep pockets and backroom deals.”

“At least you guys are making some noise. Backroom deals don’t work as well when people are watching,” he said.

“We’re making noise all right, and this was just the beginning. Next weekend we’re doing a big fundraiser. We were going to wait until summer, but we have to move fast on this so we can afford an attorney. Winston and I will be singing, want to come?”

He turned to see her face, wrapped in so much hope, there was no way he could say no.

“Hell, yeah. I’m there.”

He prayed he could deliver.

“It’ll be fun, we’re doing it up at my friend’s ranch in Kula. Silent auction, live music, food catered by Uncle’s. I’m excited!”

“I can donate one of my surfboards. If I had more time I could make something, but this should at least get you a few thousand dollars, maybe even more.”

“That would be wonderful, and generous.”

“It’s the least I can do.”

That waterfall had given him a memory he would never forget. He had been reading that poem every night before drifting off. It was a way to keep ‘Iwa close, even though she was an ocean away. He found her hand and wrapped his around it. They rode for a time in silence, Dane feeling his chest swelling with a new fullness, as though someone had blown up a balloon inside of him and filled it with salt water and rays of sun.