Page 13 of Big Island Weddings
“Am I picking them up?” ‘Olena asked.
“Come by around five,” Mahina said over her shoulder, her voice raised over the noise of the girls chattering to their grandpa. “I’ll make dinner.”
“Mahalo!”
Mahina waved her thanks away and loaded the girls into Mano’s big truck.
They drove away, and ‘Olena relaxed into the relative silence of her empty yard. The air was thick with birdsong, and the faint sound of keiki playing at the park filtered through the trees, but that was the white noise of Pualena.
She took a deep breath, savoring the peace for a moment, and then she went back to weeding.
Her tranquil morning yard work was interrupted when another truck pulled up – Nate’s, this time. Irritation flared in her chest as he strode across the grass – this was heroneday to herself – but he looked so happy to see her that she pushed it back down.
He kissed her soundly, and the rest of her irritation died away.
“The girls aren’t here,” she told him.
“One of these days, you’re going to stop saying that every time you see me.” He sighed at her puzzled frown and said, “I know they’re not here. That’s why I came by.”
“You’ve been talking to my parents?”
“When they came up to the land last weekend, they said they would be taking the girls on Sundays. That’s the plan, yeah? Now that you’re not living with them?”
“That’s the plan.”
“So, I thought we could do something together.”
She chewed her lip, caught between his eagerness and the quiet day at home that she had been looking forward to all week. Nate sensed her hesitation and his enthusiasm died back; he looked hurt.
“We’ve hardly been alone together since I got back,” he said.
“I told you that I want to take things slow.”
“Slow would be fine. But are we going anywhere at all?”
‘Olena let out a huff of exasperation and turned away from him. She had half a mind to walk into the house and lock the door behind her, but she paused on the steps. What exactly had he done that was so bad? Ask to spend the day with her?
She turned back to face him and sat down on the steps. He walked closer but stayed standing, hands in his pockets like a little boy anticipating a scolding.
“I just wish you’d said something,” she told him. “I have a million things to do today.”
“You deserve a break.”
“Sometimes getting chores done without the girls underfootfeelslike a break.”
His shoulders slumped and he looked down, kicking at a bit of nothing on the grass.
She felt like a shrew.
“I thought you had to work today,” she said.
“I’ve got those kids running the stand for me, Emma’s niece and Tara’s son. They’re pretty good. Hard workers. More than I expected from a couple of teenagers. If they turn out to be reliable, it’s a home run.”
“Good. That’s good.”
He took a step closer, his expression quizzical. “I thought we could jump in the ocean. Maybe go surf Honoli‘i?”
The thought of driving anywhere exhausted her. There was a mountain of dirty dishes inside, just begging the roaches to move in, and her hibiscus flowers around back were drowning in weeds. She was trying to make a home for her girls, a real home, and Nate just wanted to take off and play.
