Page 36 of Big Island Sunrise
She gave her a stricken look. “But I’m not done with my octopus yet!”
“You can finish coloring at Auntie Emma’s house. Come on.”
“What’s the rush?” Mahina asked. She turned to Emma as she walked in and asked, “Can you stay a while?”
“I would love to,” Emma said. “Thank you. But we’ve got a new puppy in the car.”
“Let him run around a while.”
“I would, but I don’t trust him around your chickens. And he’s terrified of men.”
“Not all sunshine and roses with the stray?” ‘Olena asked.
Emma made a sound of frustration. “When we first got him to the house, he ran under Kai’s bed and huddled in the corner. Wouldn’t even come out to pee. Then he finally came out to explore the yard this morning, and next thing I know he’s in the street. I keep patching up the fence with scrap metal and he keeps finding new ways to get out. Lani, is this your car seat?”
“No, it’s mine!” Rory giggled.
Lani picked up the car seat and walked out the front door. “I’ll get it strapped in.”
“I can get your luggage. Is this it?” Emma asked.
“Yep. All my worldly possessions.” She opened the car door, and the dog shrank as far away from her as possible. She frowned and looked at Emma. “You’re sure he’s okay back here with the kids?”
“He’s just shy,” Kai said.
“He loves kids,” Emma told her. “A neighbor came by with her two year old this morning. The kid was using him as a body pillow and he just lay there thumping his tail. The girls next door adore him, and he’s so good with them. Then a man walks past the front fence and suddenly he’s Cujo.”
“That’s not necessarily a bad thing,” Lani told her.
“Yeah, tell that to the guy who lives across the street.” She shrugged. “He’s a work in progress.”
“I want to see the puppy!” Rory climbed up into the seat and closed the door behind her. Through the window, Lani watched the dog unglue himself from the opposite side of the car and wriggle over to lick her outstretched hand.
They said their goodbyes – something that went on much longer than necessary, given that they were moving about five miles away – and got on the road.
“Does he have a name yet?” Lani asked.
“Mom called him Cujo,” Kai said.
Emma snorted. “I was kidding. We’re not naming our dog Cujo.”
“Yousaid it. It’s a good name!”
“Veto.”
“Fine.” Kai was quiet the rest of the drive. As soon as Emma stopped the car and Lani went to open the gate, Kai ran past her with the dog at his heels. He picked up a hammer and started banging it on a big lava rock.
“His new hobby,” Emma said to Lani as she closed the gate.
“There are worse ways to work through his feelings.” She watched him hit the rock over and over again, breaking off gravel-sized pieces. He had a pair of oversized sunglasses on as safety goggles. “At least he’s taking them out on something inanimate.”
“Come on, I’ll help you carry your stuff up to your room.”
The room that she would share with Rory was the only one on the third floor, a little tower at the back of the house. The windows had a spectacular view over the overgrown orchard all the way to the ohia trees at the back of the property. The fruit trees had been little more than saplings when she and Adam used to play back there. Now they were big enough to climb.
She was still unpacking when a shrieking ruckus started downstairs. She ran outside to see Kai chasing the puppy around the yard. The dog looked happy as could be, sure that they were playing some kind of game.
He had a fat gray chicken in his mouth.
