Sadie slogged her way to shore with the surf whipping the back of her knees. She looked up into the kiawe grove and could see that he was still there watching her. When she was fully ashore, except for the small remainder of waves lapping around her feet, she open her legs in a defiant stance and took the big single bladed knife out of its sheath. She didn't look directly at him, but laid the net of fresh kelp aside and reached for her tee shirt and carefully wiped each side of the blade and replaced it in its big leather holder. Only wearing panties and a yellow and red floral wrap that was tied and barely covered her bottom, she shook out the tee shirt and pulled it over her head. Not so much to hide her breasts, but to protect her nipples from the brilliant morning sun. 'Better look fast, pervert, ' she thought. Sadie took one more look before she turned up the beach for home. 'He isn't a man. He's more of a boy. I've seen him before.' She adjusted the knife belt to ride high on her left hip and low to the right with the shirt tucked behind the knife hilt. With the net full of fresh lipoa kelp in tow, she headed off kicking sand and the little crabs in front of her. A small smile crossed her lips as the oncoming wind started to dry her blonde curls.

"Good morning Sunshine," Emily said.

"Hi Em. Umm smells good. Expecting someone?"

"Just you beautiful. I knew you'd be hungry and be back pretty soon too."

"I gotta shower first, Em," Sadie said. "Be back in a flash."

"Wait a second there. Did you go alone this morning?"

"There was someone watching me. I was okay."

"You know that it's dangerous in the reef and you should never dive for lipoa alone," Emily scolded.

"You were so sound asleep, I didn't think I could wake you," Sadie responded. As she headed down the haul, Sadie heard her step mom (who wasn't all that much older than she) say, "Nice hall, Baby. That'll help with your college tuition."

When Sadie got out of the shower, she came back into the kitchen. She was dressed in a pair of white shorts and a cotton cami. She stood next to Emily and put her arm around her step mom's waist. Emily turned and kissed Sadie on the forehead. "Breakfast is ready. Take a seat and I'll bring it to you."

"I'll get our coffee first," Sadie said. She went to the stove and got the coffee pot. As she was pouring she said, "Have you heard from Daddy lately?"

"Not since Wednesday and I told you what he said then," Emily answered.

"Right. He's busy and it will be another month."

"Don't get on your dad now, Sadie. It will do no good."

"I know. I just miss him so much."

"Me too, Baby. Me too."

"You just need a little is all," Sadie said softly.

"Sadie!"

"Say it isn't true, Em. Poor horny Em. Wanna bet that I could make you feel a lot better?"

"Okay, but you can't grieve an accident forever, Baby. You have boys and girls calling all the time for dates and you just brush them off."

"You're the only one left in my life that still sends a thrill through me, Em," Sadie responded.

Changing the subject, Emily said, "You should put on your very best dress for church today. This is the new kahu's first sermon."

"I miss Reverend Browning. He was the best preacher we ever had I think."

"Well, they say the new preacher man is good too and you'll learn to like him. They say he has a son. A good looker too I hear. Doesn't he go to your school?"

Then it hit Sadie where she'd seen the face in the kiawe grove before. It was the young guy that was working in the church yard when she walked home from school the other day. Nice smile. Not to mention how good he looked with no shirt on. "Umm ... not to my school. I saw him and I think he is older."

"You'll get to meet him later. The kahu, his wife, and their son well be over for a welcome luau after church."

"I'm not dancing today, Emily."

"I didn't insist that you do, Sadie."

"Sorry."

"Maybe Sadie is a bit touchy? Maybe it's time she moved on and found another boyfriend?"

"Timothy wasn't my boyfriend. He was just a good friend," Sadie replied with a frown.

"I think Timothy had a different idea about your relationship, Sadie. I'm not so sure you didn't too. We did start you on birth control."

"I wasn't in love with him. I guess maybe he was in love with me. We even tried to have sex, but it just didn't work out."

"How about Amanda? That was hot for a while and suddenly stopped."

"Amanda has strange ideas about what a relationship is. She seems to think that promises and commitments are for that day nothing."

"Okay, but you can't grieve an accident or lost love forever, Baby."

The pair was mostly quiet through breakfast. Emily didn't say any more about the preacher's son nor Timothy. Timmy was killed the year before in an auto accident which made two careless car wrecks that took someone that Sadie loved. Her mother first and a couple of years later, her best buddy.

Emily sat sipping her coffee and thinking that she should be changing too. She reflected on Sadie. 'She's turned into a real looker and she was always smart, ' Emily thought. Emily was five foot six and Sadie was a little shorter and maybe five foot four or five. Sadie had fair Caucasian skin and, with the sun, nearly blonde hair. The fact that she wasn't blessed with big breasts didn't alter the beauty that Sadie was fast becoming. Emily told her for years that her breasts would grow and that she would fill out nicely. They bought Sadie B cup bras now and Emily expected that would be about as big as the girl would wear. Sadie was due to go to college next year and was a woman. A woman of fourteen one minute and thirty the next. The boys stopped to look at that slim young body and her soft features. Soft features that could swim three hundred yards or stay submerged three minutes without breathing hard. 'I am so blessed to be so close to her. I wish her father would spend more time with us though. He's missing a wonder.'

As Emily went into her bedroom to change, she saw Sadie smoothing the front of her white dress with the low cut and the buttons to the waist. It had pretty violet plumeria on it and was a little short for her now, but modest anyway. Sadie pulled the skirt up and turned with her back to the mirror to examine herself. She seemed satisfied and came out. "What?" she asked when she saw Emily.

Emily smiled and shook her head. Then she went to change for church too.

There he was. He kept looking at her. Sadie tried desperately not to look at him. It was hard though. He was tall, very tall. He was handsome too, but in a childish sort of way. 'He's no child, ' she thought. He didn't stare, but simply caught her eye and smiled at her. It honestly gave Sadie a funny feeling in her tummy. She had never felt that before. Never from Timmy, something a lot less on the nights that Emily let her sneak into bed. She never had sex with Timmy or Emily. 'Why did sex cross my mind?' Sadie wondered.

After church, Sadie stood around while Emily was sucking up to the kahu. The early trades were tugging at the skirt of her dress and Sadie was struggling to keep her dress and her hair down at the same time. She sensed someone behind her and turned to look directly into the chin of a very handsome face. She looked up a little into his sparkling blue/gray eyes. He had a wide grin and said, "Aloha." Sadie didn't respond. A tress of hair blew over her eyes and she brushed it away.

"I saw you this morning," he said.

"I know, I saw you sneaking around in those trees."

"Well, I would have said hi, but a woman with a huge knife is a little intimidating no matter how beautiful she is. Not to mention somewhat ... um exposed."

"I was gathering lipoa."

"I saw. What is lipoa? Why such a big knife?"

"Lipoa is all seaweed or kelp. There is a special kind that is gathered only at certain times that we really think of as lipoa. The big knife is to cut the good part away. Helps protect against sharks and other wild things too."

He held out his hand and said, "I'm Billy Ray. The preacher is my father."

"I'm Sadie." Sadie was fighting to avoid blushing and keep some eye contact.

"I know. We're coming to your house pretty soon for a party?"

Sadie said, "Not a party really, a little luau and we have a big yard by the beach."

He said, "I'll see you there, Sadie."

"Yes." In just that short time, Sadie was almost dizzy. 'What just happened to me?'

That afternoon, Emily danced and sang while some of the others cooked over the hot barbecues. Sadie tried to avoid Billy, but he wouldn't allow it.

"Don't you want to talk to me?" Billy asked when he finally caught up to her.

"Well ... umm ... there are lots of guests and..."

He took her hand and whispered in Sadie's ear, "Let's find a place where we can talk."

"We shouldn't."

"Nobody will miss us. Come on."

"I should change out of this dress first."

"It's beautiful ... you're beautiful ... let's go."

He took her by the hand and drug her toward a stand of trees just outside of the gathering. "Here, this is where we used to play when we were kids," she told him.

"It's nice. Look at the big tree."

"I used to climb that tree. You can look down and watch the people and see way out to sea."

He looked up and said, "How did you get up there?"

"Watch and I'll show you." And she found a foothold from the stub of an old limb and another to pull herself up. "I have a dress on and you can't peek while I climb."

"How can I watch where you go and not see you? Besides, I saw a whole lot more this morning."

"Not this close you didn't. Let me get up there and I'll guide you." And up she went hand over foot until she reached a long, steady branch. She turned and sat down. "I don't think you turned your eyes away for a second."

"You couldn't really expect me not to get a close-up of those gorgeous legs and the way those panties hug your butt."

"They're just old cotton panties and they aren't even sexy," she said with her arms folded and a bit of a huff.

"Pretty sexy to me beautiful Sadie. Now help me up there." He managed to grab Sadie's hand and scrabble up next to her. "This is quite a view from here. You can see all over. Even over there, look," Billy said pointing to some bushes.

"I don't see ... wait! Oh my!" There was a girl and a boy in some of the tall bushes. A close look made it seem that he was kissing the girl and maybe had his hand inside of her top.

"They think it's pretty private," he said.

"She's a whore."

"A what?"

"A whore. That's Amanda Keone and she's a whore."

"She has sex for money?"

She gave him questioning look. "For money? I don't think she gets money for kissing boys."

"Whores get money for more than kissing. They get money for having sex."

"Oh. Like a prostitute then."

"Whores and prostitutes are the same thing I think," he answered still watching.

"I would never do it for money. I don't think God would like that."

"I think God made us to enjoy each other."

"For money?" she asked.

Billy just shrugged. He turned and looked at her. "You're so pretty. You must be able to swim good, huh?" Billy had his arm in back and around her with his hand on the limb and against her leg.

"Okay, I guess. I haven't died yet," she said with her feet together and looking at them. She lost one slipper (sandal) on the way up and that foot was bare. She kicked the other slipper off and they watched it drop to the ground. She stuck her legs straight out and absently wiggled her toes. His thumb and palm were pressed against her and his touch sent sparks and tingles through her. 'Sparks, ' she thought.

"That is driving me nuts."

"What? Wiggling my toes?"

"Shit, yes."

"That isn't nice to say, Billy."

"Sorry," Billy said.

"Okay."

"Know what?" Billy was looking at the bushes again.

"What?"

"I think your Amanda is getting ready to give her boyfriend a blowjob."

"I told you so! She's a whore, let's get down!"

Down the tree the pair went. When they hit the ground, Sadie recovered her slippers. She almost fell over trying to slide them on and Billy Ray held her shoulder. He didn't let go when she stood up and his eyes were fixed on hers. "You don't know a lot about this stuff do you?"

"I know enough," she said. "I know what a blowjob is."

"Do you have a boyfriend?"

"No. He died. He was riding in a car and it got smashed."

"I'm so sorry beautiful," Billy said.

"You keep saying I'm beautiful. I'm not beautiful."

"You are beautiful. You may not know you are, but you are. I know you are."

She looked away from him and started walking away.

Billy put his hand on her shoulder and asked, "Did I offend you somehow? I don't know much about this Hawai'i stuff."

Sadie shook her head. "No, you didn't offend me Billy Ray." And she kept walking. "Anyway, I'm not dumb. I know what a blowjob is."

"What's the matter then, Sadie," he said to her back.

She turned on her heels, "I don't know. I just don't know, Billy Ray."

Billy grabbed her shoulders and tried to kiss her. She turned her face away just as his lips touched her lips. Touched enough to be pleasant. "Don't ever do that again without asking first!"

Billy saw the shine in her eyes that seemed like the beginning of tears. "I would never hurt you, Sadie. I wish that you'd try to trust me."

Sadie was well away from him, and said over her shoulder, "Trust you? I don't even know you." She managed to dodge Billy the remainder of the afternoon. She had a feeling that this wasn't the last of Billy Ray and she wasn't so sure that she wanted it to be.

Emily and Sadie were sitting at a picnic table chatting with the preacher's wife, Sarah. Sarah excused herself and Emily said, "The Kahu's son seems to like you."

"He seems to. He's nice enough, but it's hard to tell if he just wants to get into my panties."

"Such a pessimistic outlook. I can't blame a boy for wanting to have sex with you, but it just looked as if you were talking," Emily said.

"We'll see I guess."

"He keeps looking over here. You might at least give him a smile."

Sadie turned to Emily and said, "I need to figure out what happened today before I encourage him."

"Far enough."

Later that evening when all had gone home and there was just a little clean up left, Sadie said, "We need to go shopping after school tomorrow."

"What do you need, Baby?"

Sadie shrugged. "A couple of tops. Maybe some new shorts. Some panties."

"Panties? You have pair after pair and mostly almost new."

"I want some a little less wholesome," Sadie said taking at the dishes in the sink.

"Like in sexy? Like in case Billy Ray happens to see them again? Like some skimpy thongs?" Emily teased.

"No. Not thongs! Just maybe like what I have, but sexier. The girls at school wear them. I look funny with these things. Sorta like a little girl. I know, like you wear, Em."

"String bikini. We'll find something comfortable and sexy for you. Just for the girls in gym class and not for Billy Ray."

"Right," Sadie answered.

That evening Emily took a long warm bath after Sadie and Sadie was washing her back. "Daddy used to wash you, didn't he?"

"He used to take baths with me. He did you too when you were real little."

"A little different with you I think," Sadie mused.

Emily splashed water at her. "I would hope so."

It was quiet late that night. Sadie couldn't sleep and decided to tiptoe to Emily's room and sneak into bed with her. As she crawled next to Emily and snuggled her back to Em, a hand reached over her with the blanket. "I thought you were asleep."

"I guess I was just laying here like you were," Emily said.

Sadie turned over facing Emily and pressed close. "Let me make love with you," she whispered.

"You know we can't, Sadie. We've talked about it so many times."

"I know. It would cause unnecessary trouble, you're committed to Daddy and you aren't built that way. I don't believe any of that, Emily. I don't think Daddy is coming back this time."

Emily kissed her on the forehead and said, "He'll be back. Now turn over and I'll sing a little song in your ear like always."

"I love you, Em."

"I love you too, Sadie."

"I'm of age now."

"I know."

"He says that I'm beautiful, Em."

"He's a smart boy."

The next morning Emily asked, "Do you think it might be a good idea for me to call your doctor and see about starting you back up on birth control?"

"What for?"

"What for?" Emily laughed. "Just in case, Sadie."

"Sure, go ahead. He's going to want to see me anyway. The day after tomorrow would be the appropriate time to start again."

"Is that why you shut Billy Ray out?"

"No. It is not! And I didn't shut him out," she said indignantly. "I just told him that I didn't know him and had to think about things."

The next day, Billy Ray was waiting for Sadie in front of her high school. She didn't try to avoid him and he had a huge grin on his face as she approached. Sadie cocked her head and clutched her backpack to her. "What is that smile about?" she asked.

"I thought you might run when you saw me. I'm really happy that you didn't."

"Are you just passing by and happen to be here by accident?"

"I drove. I have my own car," Billy said.

"Lucky you, I wish I had one. I have to save my money for school though." Sadie was very close to him now. She had a white button down top and a pair of blue mid thigh shorts on. The shorts were about as short as the school would allow. She wore white ankle socks with two dark blue strips around the top. She followed Billy's eyes as they explored from the toes of her running shoes to the top of her blonde head. "Do you still like what you see?"

The question shook Billy out of his stupor. "God, Sadie. You have no idea."

Sadie returned the look into the young man's beautiful and deep gray eyes. "Are they blue or gray?" Sadie whispered.

"My eyes? I guess sorta both," he said. Then out of nowhere he just blurted out, "May I kiss you now?"

"Jeez Billy, look at all the people around us."

"I don't care. Just a little hello kiss?"

"Okay." He got little more than half of 'okay' when his lips touched hers. Another spark or more of a jolt that left her body tingling and not wanting to lose this kiss. It ended up as a hello kiss and the passing students were staring and smiling. Sadie reluctantly pushed his lips away with a finger against his chin.

"Who is that with Sadie?" one girl whispered to her friend.

"He's the son of the new kahu ... the son of a preacher man," her friend said.

"God, he is gorgeous."

"Sadie seems to think so."

Just past Billy Ray, Sadie saw Em pull up to the curb. "My step mom is here to pick me up. We need to do some shopping."

"Oh. Can I see you later?"

"You can come with if you want to. I need to get some panties and you can help pick them out," she teased.

"Umm ... thanks for the invitation, but I'd better pass."

"Chicken?" Sadie asked with a grin.

"Well ... see ... it's your job to buy them and put them on. It's my job to figure out how to get them off."

"They slide down my legs, Billy." She paused a moment and fumbled in her purse. Then said, "It's easy ... for certain people anyway."

"Shit, Sadie."

Sadie wagged a 'shame' finger at him and it made him grin again.

As she opened the door to Emily's car, she heard him ask, "Do I have to ask to kiss you each time?"

She threw her backpack inside and said, "Just once. Your duty is done." And she turned her head as she got in the car to offer him another kiss. He accepted her offer.

When she was settled in the car and her seat belt was fastened, Em put the car in gear and pulled away. She handed Sadie a little white envelope and said, "Here. Start tomorrow if your period is due to end then. I have a feeling you might need them. I have a couple of Plan B tablets that I got at the hospital too."

"Do you think he has a big one, Em?"

"A big what? Penis? Jeez, Sadie!"

"Well?"

"How would I know? And what difference would it make to you? How many have you seen to judge by?"

"I've seen Daddy's. It was never erect though. Hey, I saw Timmy's! Have you ever seen some of those web guys? Some are like horses I think."

"Trust me Sadie, it won't matter to you. I think Billy is probably just right for you anyway," Emily said.

That seemed to satisfy the girl, but she frowned anyway. "Have you ever given Daddy a blowjob?"

Emily scrunched her eyes, grimaced, and said, "Of course I have."

Sadie pondered that a little and said, "Was it really awful?"

"No it wasn't awful. It was actually very nice."

"What did you do with his semen?"

"I don't think we should be talking about this, Sadie."

"Sure we should. Girl talk, ya know."

"I swallowed his semen."

"Eww! Nasty?"

"No! It wasn't nasty."

"Oh. I'm not sure that I could do that. I tasted some once though and it wasn't really so bad," Sadie mused.

"You did? Whose?"

"Timmy's. He came on my stomach and I wiped it off. I stuck my fingers in my mouth is all."

Well, Sadie. Women don't do it for the taste if they do it at all. They do it because it turns their lover on. And they do it hoping that he'll return the favor. For me, it's a turn on to do it."

"I see," Sadie said. Not really seeing.

"You'll know soon enough I think. A really loving man won't ask you to do anything that you don't want to."

"Will you teach me how? You know, what to do?"

"Relax. don't scrape him with your teeth."

Sadie said nothing and looked out of the window.

Later, in the evening, Sadie and Em had gotten home from the mall and started to open the packages. "Do you have any idea how much we spent today on just panties, a bra, a top and a couple of pairs of shorts?"

"Did we max your card?"

"No."

"Then we can go back and spend more, huh?" Sadie dodged a bop on the head from Emily and busied herself with the new panties. She picked a cute pair from the neat pile and said, "I really like these. What do you think?"

"I like those. I like most of what you picked, Baby."

"Want me to model some of them for you?"

Emily smiled and said, "No thank you. I get to see you in your panties all the time."

"You're just afraid that I'll get you all turned on."

"That must be it," Emily said.

After dinner, the phone rang and Emily handed the phone to Sadie. "It's for you."

"Hi, Beautiful."

"Hi, Billy."

"I just called to have phone sex."

"Phone sex?" Which drew raised eyebrows from Emily. She put her hand over the phone and gave Emily a questioning look.

Emily mouthed, "Later."

"Hey! Attention! Wait! I was kidding," Billy said with a panic.

"I get it Billy. Duh." Then she whispered, "It might be fun though" as she walked to her room with the phone.

"I wanna do it for real first, Sadie."

Sadie sprawled out in her bed. She heard Emily turn the TV up a couple of notches. "Have you ever done that with a girl? Sex on the phone I mean."

"No, but my mom and dad do it when he's away traveling."

"You've heard them?"

"Yes. I shouldn't have, but I did anyway. Not much though," Billy said.

"Uh huh. I struggle with a preacher man doing naughty stuff on the phone though."

"They are just like other people, Sadie. In fact, I think they are maybe more active than some kids' folks."

"What do people do when you have phone sex?"

"Well ... umm ... you talk to each other and say naughty things. Then when you both get really hot, you masturbate until you cum."

"What sort of naughty things?" Sadie asked.

"Things like cock, pussy, fucking, titties and stuff. Tell the other person that you're way hot."

"We'll do it someday, okay?" She whispered.

"For sure ... jeez I'm hard now."

"You can go ahead and masturbate if you want to. I just can't do it now."

"I will later. I just want to talk to you right now."

"Okay. I'd like that." She was getting all warm and tingly and was actually very ready. There was just the nagging problem of making a mess and she probably should get a towel or something anyway. Best put it off until she knew him a little better.

"Before I forget, I won't see you after school tomorrow. I have to run some stuff Upcountry and I can't wait until school gets out to take you. The next day for sure though?"

"That's fine. I have things to do tomorrow anyway. I have to stop by the hospital and see some sick kids. I was going to invite you, but there'll be other times."

The young pair chatted on the phone for over two hours and would have gone longer except for a call waiting for Emily.

Sadie went out to kiss Emily good night and when she leaned down, Emily said, "It sounds like you two are getting along really good." Sadie just smiled, kissed her step mom on the lips and went to bed.

Sadie had all ready left for school the next morning when Emily got a phone call. "Hi Jerry," she said.

"Hi good looking, how did you know it was me?"

"It's the same caller ID as last night when you called."

"Is the invitation for coffee still on this morning?"

"Of course it is. I wouldn't want to miss my favorite cousin while he's visiting the island," Emily answered.

"Good. I can be over in about fifteen minutes. Are you all alone or is Sadie still there?"

"She just left for school a few minutes ago."

True to his word, Jerry was at her kitchen door about fifteen minutes after he hung up. Emily saw him and before he could knock, waved him in. She stood to greet him and he put his hands on her hips and said, "Still as gorgeous as ever aren't you?" Emily watched as his eyes slowly crept from the top of her head down to her toes and up again. He stopped for a moment at her breasts and her face.

"You still look pretty great yourself, Jerry." He did look good too. They grew up together and were very close. So close that a rift had been created between her and her father that had never healed. Her heart still skipped when she saw Jerry.

"Is your husband still wandering America and leaving you home alone?"

"Don't start please, Jerry. You know that I really love him and can't possibly leave Sadie anyway."

"I know, but I just wish you could come and live with me, Em."

"There are several problems with that besides Sadie. You're still married, I'm still married, I still won't leave Maui and we're still cousins."

"How long has he been gone this time?"

"Months. He sends money home or I could never make house payments on this place. My white lies to Sadie are getting grayer and I'm beginning to think she's right about him not coming back."

"It's none of my business, but if you don't mind, what is he doing?"

"He says that he's going places he's never been and seeing people that he wants to see. No real purpose that I can see except for his own well being."

"So, like my killing him won't help?"

Emily laughed. "Big tough guy huh? No, that won't help but I know something that will." She stepped closer and cupped her hand over the front of his shorts.

"Umm ... I remember that touch. That certainly will help. God, it's been so long, Em." He lowered his face and pulled her to him for a kiss. When the kiss parted, he backed away and held her at arms length and studied her again. Emily had dressed for work just in case that Jerry didn't get a chance to call. She was a receptionist at Maui Memorial Hospital and dressed the conservative part with a black skirt, about three inches above the knees, and a white button up, sleeveless top. Like most island workplaces, (except for high-end retail stores) wearing hose was not a requirement. She was getting heated enough by now that her nipples were clearly leaving a mark in the top through her thin white bra.

"It's been so very long for us, Jerry. I've missed you. What about your wife? Are we not cheating on her too?"

"If she ever had any real desire for sex, it's gone now. We're to the point that we hardly ever speak let alone sleep together. I was true to her, Em. I've never cheated on her before."