The perfume of love (rain-bi)

chapter 26

when everyone assembled on the lounge deck for drinks before dinner joanne was looking cool and elegant in a long sleeveless shift of black cotton with an Indian silver necklace. long slits in the side seams showed her legs when she moved.

joon had had his fill of playing golf at Kapalua and was ready to embark for the eastern end of the island.

"we'll be leaving our present anchorage after breakfast" he announced to his guests.

"lee yong wants to make the road trip. he can take five passengers if any off you want to join him. but i hear it's a long, winding drive, so I'd recommend you to stay on board and see the coastline in comfort."

joanne didn't sit next to jihoon at dinner that night. nor did jenna see her talking to him before the meal or afterwards. but if they were spending their nights togother, they could afford to be discreet in public, she thought unhappily.

she could understand jihoon being attracted to the American woman. jenna herself admired joanne and hoped that, when she reached her thirties, she could be as poised and togother as joanne was.

if hana were right about them, it suggested a ship- board fling rather than the beginning of a long-term relatioship, and it diminished her respect for them. it diminished her respect for them. it put jihoon on par with Terry Anson who might have a preference for hana but who, in jenna's opinion, would quickly find his way to the cabin of any female on the yacht who signalled that he would be welcome.

before going below that night, she asked yong how many people were going with him the next day.

"No body. why? would you like to come?" he asked.

"would you mind?"

"I'd be glad of your company."

it was late afternoon when they reached the small, quiet town of Hana. (AN: a town not jenna's sister name xp)

from the moment of setting out, jenna had made a strong effort not to allow her personal problems to cloud her enjoyment of the drive.

perhaps it was a partly because she had done little travelling. that she found the journey enthralling. the road was a series of bends. the surface was rough in places. but for her, as a passenger, free to sit back and look about, it was also a succession of visual delights as the road meandered in and out of steep, thickly forested gullies, many with streams and waterfalls cascading down them.

had they driven without stopping, it would have taken less than three hours. but they stopped many times on the way for yong to take photographs at outstanding beauty spots, and also to share a packed lunch at one of the many lovely picnic places.

when their route into Hana reached a crossroads, yong turned left down a short hill which brought them to a beach with a concrete jetty at the far end of it.

Ocean Wanderer had arrived before them. she was moored in the bay. as they left the car they saw the launch heading shorewards, full of passengers.

after a brief conversation with the party coming ashore for a stroll round the town, she and lee yong took their place in the launch, both of them looking forward to cooling off in the shower.

long before they came alongside, she had recognised the tall figure standing at the top of the boarding ladder. the sight of him instantly revived all the troublesome thoughts she had determinedly ignored during the drive.

"we were beginning to think you'd had a breakdown" said jihoon, when they joined him on deck.

"we took our time. there's alot to see. it was an interesting drive, wasn't it, jennie?"

it was the second time he had abbreviated her name.

if it had to be shortened she preferred the form hana used, but she hadn't told him that.

"yes, it was great" she agreed.

"see you later" yong put a hand on her shoulder and gave it a friendly squeeze.

As he moved off, she said, "i need a shower. excuse me."

"when you've cleaned up, I'd like a word with you... in private" jihoon looked at his watch. "come to my quarters in half an hour, would you, please?"

although politely phrased, it was unmistakably an order. wondering what on earth he could want with her, jenna murmured assent and walked away.

it was unlikely that jihoon had commanded her presence in his private quarters in order to be sociable.

what had happened after the earth tremor had made it impossible for them ever to be on the relaxed, comfortable terms she enjoyed with lee yong.

As she didn't know where his quarters were, she had to ask josaia, one of the stewards, to show her. when they arrived at a door marked Captain, he tapped on it.

from inside came a brisk instruction to enter. josaia opened the door for her, his smile bolstering her morale as she thanked him and stepped inside jihoon's domain.

A desk with a swivel chair, a small filling cabinet, two linen-covered armchairs and a coffee table were the only furnishings. the cabin was part sitting-room, part office, but it gave an immediate impression that its occupant was a man of cultivated tastes, an impression reinforced by the fact that when josaia knocked jihoon had been sitting listening to a piece of classical music which she didn't recognise.

he had risen to his feet as the door opened. now he said, "sit down, jenna" and moved to switch off the music. "what can i give you to drink?"

this was unexpected. she had thought he would come to the point of the interview without any social preliminaries.

before she could answer, he went on, "pineapple juice is your usual aperitif, isn't it?" and opened a small refrigerator stocked with tall cartons of fruit juice, cans of beer, an opened bottle of white wine and an unopened bottle of champagne.

it surprised her that he'd noticed what she usually drank before dinner when the others were having Mai Tais, rum punches and Blue Hawaiians.

"or perhaps you'd rather join me in a gin and tonic?" his manner was smooth, affable... and, she was certain, assumed.

"yes, thank you, i will" she replied , reminding herself that she was a woman of twenty, even if not a very sophisticated one, and only subject to jihoon's jurisdiction in matters to do with the running of the ship and the safety of the people on board.

in everything joon was the final arbiter.

"I've been meaning to ask you what you meant by claiming to be an experienced housewife" he asked, as he fixed a drink for her.

"it wasn't a claim. it was a statement of fact. between leaving school and coming out here, i was my father's housekeeper."

jihoon handed her a tall glass with ice cubes and a slice from a fresh lime floating near the brim.

"why was that?" he asked, sitting down.

she said, in a matter-of-fact tone, "he was ill. there was no one else who could give him the care he needed. it's amazing how well some stroke patients can recover if they receive the right help and aren't just left to vegetate. but it doesn't always work. it didn't in my father's case."

he gave her a long thoughtful look. "it must have been a very hard time for you. eighteen is too young to be saddled with that kind of responsibility. did your sister know your father was ill?"

she avoided his eyes. "No, she didn't"

it wasn't the truth. hana had known. but jenna wasn't going to give him another reason to dislike her sister, or to go into the reasons why hana's return had been out of the question. suddenly she thought she saw the reason why he wanted to talk to her.

----------------------

I hope you like it guys I'll update soon so.... comment and vote for my story.... and thanks again to who read my story so far... wait for my next chapter very soon... thank you guys love you all my readers :)