Page 21 of Big Island Neighbors
She wanted to make good use of that water. Not just a kiddy pool or stock tank that gave the ducks the bare minimum, but a whole ecosystem with water plants and mosquito-eating fish… for the first time in ages, the idea of taking on a project of that size felt energizing instead of overwhelming.
“Four more!” Kai and Dio burst into the kitchen, both tracking mud. Kai added four golden eggs to their hoard with a triumphant flourish.
“Look.” Emma pointed out the window. “It’s Freddy and her babies.”
“I saw them,” Kai said, but he hopped up on his kitchen stool anyway to get a good look out the window. “They love puddles.”
They watched for a while as Freddy’s lanky yellow babies zoomed around the miniature pond that sat just beyond the catchment tank. Their mother stood watch, wagging her tail and dipping her beak in the water.
“I think it’s about time we made them a pond.”
“Really?” He clutched her sleeve in excitement. “You mean it?”
“It will be a big project, and it’ll take time, but yeah. I think this place needs a pond.”
He threw his arms around her and squeezed. “You’re the best mom ever.”
She wrapped her arms around him and leaned over to kiss his forehead. “I try.”
7
Lani
Lani’s stomach churned with a queer kind of nervousness as she drove the short distance to Tenn’s house. Her heart beat quickly with a blend of excitement and fear.
They had been on a handful of dates already, and they had been at the co-op and other gatherings with their girls, but this was the first time that they had done anything just the four of them. Just her and Tenn and their two daughters.
It was the start of something big, and she wasn’t sure that she was ready. But she wanted to be.
Tenn and Olivia lived so close that they could have walked, but Lani didn’t want to walk home with Rory after dark. The quiet neighborhood that stretched from town to the coastline had no streetlights. It made for excellent stargazing, but the utter blackness and lack of sidewalks meant that walking even a short distance after dark was a death-defying stunt.
It was still light, but not for much longer; the sun had retreated to the Kona side of the island, leaving streaks of pink and orange in its wake.
Rory bounced impatiently in the back seat, excited to see Olivia. She was nearly seven, making her a paragon of all things good and interesting in the eyes of five-year-old Rory.
Lani parked her noisy old truck out front, and Olivia flung the front door open before they were even halfway up the path.
“You’re here!” She ran to them and caught Rory up in a hug that lifted her feet from the ground. “We made muddy buddies for you! Come see!”
“What are muddy buddies?” Rory asked breathlessly, stumble-tripping to keep up with the taller girl as Olivia pulled her along by one hand.
“They’re the most delicious thing you could ever eat in the whole world!”
Tenn came out just as the girls disappeared inside. His black hair was tied back, and the cotton shirt that he wore pulled tight across the muscles that he had earned in his years as a surfer.
A part of her still thought of him as the sweet, skinny kid who used to help her with her math homework, and the reality of the man never failed to catch her off guard.
He was gorgeous.
“Hi.” Lani slowed to a stop, a sudden shyness overtaking her. She held up the bag of fruit that she had gathered from the overloaded tree in their yard. “I brought star fruit.”
He surprised her with a kiss so fierce that those two seconds of contact wiped every worry from her mind. She forgot everything beyond the sensation of his lips on hers, his hand on the small of her back.
Then he let up. Lani found herself silent and staring, one hand held unconsciously over her lips.
He grinned and took her hand, pulling her into the house like Olivia had done with Rory.
She had never been inside of his house before, and it struck her how homey the place felt. The living room was sparse and clean without feeling bare; pictures of Olivia dotted the walls, and the deep blue sofa held a host of pillows and a cozy-looking blanket. The huge, heavy coffee table that held down the ocean-mosaic rug was covered in coloring books and bead kits.
