“Quinn,” Ethan started, his voice low and pleading. “Listen to yourself. You always do this. All it takes is for some chump to hold up a sign begging for money, or a kid knocking on doors asking you to buy some two-dollar roll of wrapping paper for thirty bucks. You’re no doubt getting taken advantage of. Again. These people are obviously squatters, and I’m sure Hawaii has a law against that.”

Quinn felt a familiar feeling well up inside her. Something like frustration, but tinged with a helping of quiet resentment. She thought of Maria inviting her to sit at her table, to eat with her family.

“No, Ethan, they aren’t squatters, and I’m not being taken advantage of. I’ve got this handled, and I’d appreciate it if you had some confidence in me,” she said, cringing at how shaky her voice came out.

“Can you understand why I don’t, Quinn? I told you not to buy that house, that it would only be a pain in the ass. Now I’ve got to deal with it. But I can tell you this much: once I get them out of there, we’re going to flip it and get it off our hands.”

Our? Quinn didn’t remember him contributing any funds, and his name was definitely not on the papers. Now she was really irritated. But if she didn’t play it right, he’d simply come over and do what he did best, and she’d be left looking like a heartless fool.

She thought of Maria standing there wringing that towel, and then saw Kupuna at the table, helping Alani with her homework.

Quinn was glad she hadn’t left any paperwork related to the house behind. It was all in her carry-on, and the only other place she had details about it was on her laptop, and she had that too. So Ethan didn’t have the address.

She breathed deeply, reminding herself to stay calm. He couldn’t come stomping in and throw everyone out in a fit of rage.

“Ethan, I appreciate you wanting to help. I really do,” she said. “But this time I’m going to have to say no.”

“No what?”

“No to everything. Don’t come right now. I’ll call you in a few days,” she said, then hung up the phone.

She was trembling. She’d never hung up on him before.

Her hand released the phone as though it had a mind of its own and thought it was holding a snake. Quinn stared at it, lying on the cushion, praying it wouldn’t ring. Ethan was likely now sitting in shock more than three thousand miles away. Or possibly grinding his teeth, as he did when someone really ticked him off.