Page 16 of Big Island Sunrise
Kai’s expression darkened into a belligerent scowl. “Why not?”
“It’s a beautiful day.”
“There’s nothing to do.”
“There’s plenty to do.”
“There’s no one to play with.”
“What about Paige and Piper next door?”
Kai considered this for a moment. He drank the milk in one go, and she felt a rush of gratitude. He had been a picky eater to begin with, and that had grown steadily worse in the months since his father’s death. It was a comfort to be able to give him as much farm fresh milk as he could drink.
“How do I get past the fence?” he asked.
“I’ll walk with you. Let’s go see if they’re home.”
They walked through the lush jungle that was the Kealoha front yard, every shade of green punctuated with bursts of pink and yellow and red. She led him out the front gate and around to the neighbors’ place, where they both flinched back from the immediate, earsplitting alarm that was the barking and baying of Tara’s two farm dogs.
One of the twins ran to the gate, and her smile fell into a more neutral expression when she saw who it was.
“Oh, it’s just you.”
“Piper, don’t be rude.” Tara smiled apologetically and set down the buckets that she was carrying. The dogs quieted as she approached the gate, and the barking faded to whines of greeting. “What’s up?”
“We were wondering if the girls wanted to come play,” Emma said.
“We’re busy today,” Piper told her.
Tara gave her a warning look. “We have some friends coming over today. Kai is welcome to join.”
He looked uncertainly at Piper, who shrugged.
“Want to come play on the trampoline?” she asked.
He nodded vigorously and bolted through the gate the moment that Tara cracked it open. She closed it immediately after him, pulling a curious goat away from the opening as she did so.
“How’s it going over there?” Tara asked over the top of the gate.
Emma held her hands out in an exaggerated shrug. “Nobody’s died yet.”
“Well, it’s only a matter of time.” She laughed at Emma’s expression and added, “It’s a fact of farm life, I’m afraid. But you’re doing all right?”
She spread her hands again. “I managed to milk the goats in two hours this morning. Took me three last night.”
Tara grinned. “You’ll get the hang of it. Let me know if you need help with anything in particular.”
Her husband shouted from the front door, asking what she had done with his laptop, and the goats joined in his bleating.
“I’ll let you go,” said Emma.
“Sorry, it’s a madhouse over here. Kai is welcome to stay as long as he likes. We have a bunch of kids from our homeschool co-op coming by later. They’ll be here most of the day.”
“Okay, thank you.”
She circled back to the Kealoha property and walked slowly through the yard, unsure of what to do next. She felt as though she were standing at the bottom of a mountain. She had a vague sense of where she was going but only the foggiest idea of how to get there.
She went inside to pour herself another cup of coffee and stood looking around the cluttered kitchen.
