Page 31 of Big Island Sunrise
“Woah!”
“Are you okay?” She frowned in concern at the younger girl’s tear-streaked face, and Lani wiped her cheeks.
“I’m okay!” Rory wriggled away from her mom to stand in front of Olivia. “We’re doing science today!”
“What kind of science?”
“I don’t know.”
“Let’s go ask!” Olivia took Rory’s hand and ran to ‘Olena. Lani watched them with a smile, anxiety slowly releasing its vice grip on her heart.
They had been so isolated in Alaska. Just the two of them, day after day. And she had loved it, that part of it. Being with her baby all the time. But this was healthy. This was what she wanted for her.
“Lani King.” The male voice made her jump, and her hands flew up in surprise. But it was just Alfie –Tenn, she corrected herself. His hair was down today, thick dark waves that stopped just short of his shoulders. His glass-brown eyes met hers, and a thrum of awareness ran through her.
“Alfred Lord Tennyson,” she said.
“I know I said you could call me anything,” he said lightly, “but it feels like you’re abusing the privilege.”
“Sorry,” she laughed. “Tenn.”
“Better.” He held her eyes long enough that she blushed and looked away, out over the calm water of the lagoon. “What are you up to?”
“Just dropping my daughter off with her cousins.” Her fingers pressed against the rough concrete as she waited for this cute younger guy to lose all interest at the first mention of a kid. Instead he leaned forward, trying to look her in the eye again.
“How old is your daughter?”
“Four. Almost five.”
“Livie’s six.”
Lani’s spine straightened as she turned to face him. “Olivia?”
“Yeah, she–”
“Daddy!” The little blond girl ran over to stand in front of Tenn. “Where’s my water?”
He handed over a canvas bag and she was off again, back to the group.
“You have a daughter?” Lani asked in amazement. “That’s your daughter?”
“That’s her.” He smiled softly, watching her run off. Then he took in the surprise on Lani’s face and shrugged. “She looks like her mom. Andmymom, really. Livie resembles her more than anyone.”
“She– so her–” Lani stumbled over her words, not wanting to ask outright if he was single.
“Her mom died last year,” he said quietly.
“Oh, Tenn. I’m so sorry.”
“No, it’s okay. I mean, notokay, it’s my kid’s mom. But we weren’t together.” He ran a hand through his hair, frowning. “She was barely around even before she died. We coparented from the beginning, but by the time Livie was three, her mom just took her the occasional weekend. So it wasn’t as hard as it could have been. Not that there’s anything worse than seeing my daughter hurt, but I was solid. I was able to be there for her in a way that I wouldn’t have if I had been grieving that same way, you know?”
“Yeah.”
“My parents help out a lot. And ‘Olena. This program was a Godsend. Livie’s been in it since the start, about two years now. But yeah, mostly it’s just the two of us.” He joined her on the bench. “I’m not seeing anyone.”
A jolt of fear went through her, and she looked away. It didn’t matter. It didn’t matter how cute he was, or how sweet his daughter was. She was nowhere near ready for another relationship. She wasn’t even out of the last one, not legally.
Rory ran up to stand in front of her mom, hands on her hips. “Are you still here?”
