Page 16 of Big Island Summer
“Where’d you learn to draw like that?” Jayden asked.
Nell just grinned. The sketches were blocky, basic shapes, but kids were easy to impress… if you weren’t trying too hard to impress them.
“If you paint the cars with water first, you can get that cool orange-to-red gradient that the real one has.”
“Yeah, I might try that,” Jayden said. He was still playing it cool, but his eyes sparkled as he reached for the paints.
“I’m painting mine green!” his brother said, not even trying to play it cool anymore.
With Alohi’s encouragement, the moms came and filled out the other tables. Nell settled down on a nearby bench to nurse Everett and sat watching them, her heart full.
“Can we do this again tomorrow?” a boy asked when Nell went to clean up.
“I won’t be here tomorrow, but how about I leave all this stuff with Auntie Alohi? Then you all can paint even when I’m not here.”
“Really?” His eyes went wide. “All your paints?”
“They’re not my paints. A friend of mine gave them to me to give to all of you.”
“Why?”
“Well, she has lots. And it’s fun to share.”
He shrugged and ran off to share the news. “Hey Mommy! We can keep the paints!”
When Nell finally left, she was nearly a half-hour late. Out on the street, Hugh was nowhere to be seen. She clipped Everett into his stroller and checked her phone. There was a short series of texts from Hugh ending in,I’m parked just down the street. Didn’t want to scare anybody by idling outside the gate for too long. Let me know when you’re ready. No rush.
Ready!she texted back.
He pulled up a minute later and jumped out of the car.
For a moment, all that Nell could do was stand and admire him: Hugh Kahele, straight from court. He wore black slacks and a white cotton button-down with the sleeves rolled up. His dark hair was slicked back, and he smiled at her with pure joy even after she had kept him waiting for half an hour.
“I’m so sorry,” she apologized as he greeted her with a kiss on the top of her head. “I lost track of time.”
“No big deal.” He smiled at Cassie and asked, “Did you have fun?”
“It was okay, I guess.”
“Just okay?”
“She misses playschool,” Nell said.
“I haven’t seen my friends for a million days,” Cassie whined.
Nell gave Hugh an exasperated look. It had been four days since the end-of-year party.
“I saw some of the playschool kids at the playground thirty minutes ago when I drove past,” he said to Cassie. “Should we see if they’re still there?”
“Yes!” She threw the car door open and launched herself inside, scrambling over Everett’s car seat and into her booster.
After watching Nell switch seats around every time she rode with somebody, Hugh had just showed up one day with two brand-new seats installed.
Nell clipped Everett into his seat while Hugh collapsed the stroller with the ease of an experienced parent and stashed it in back. When they were all finally in their seats, he put a hand on her knee.
“So, how did it go? Really?”
“A good first day, I guess. It was a little bit chaotic, but I think everyone had fun.”
