Page 35 of Big Island Summer
“…she’s growing up without me.” He sighed heavily and touched his forehead to hers.
“I want to be with you, Hugh. But I’m terrified of going deeper into something just for you to leave. My kids are getting attached to you, and they deserve stability.”
“So where does that leave us?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Mommy!” The bedroom door slammed open as Cassie ran out waving a threadbare plushie in the air. “I found Princess Mittens!”
“That’s great,” Nell said, putting space between her and Hugh, “but you were supposed to be getting changed.”
Cassie hugged the plushie to her chest and pouted. “I want to wear my puppy pajamas.”
“Right.” Nell massaged her temples, fighting off a dizzying sense of deja vu. “Fine.”
“Hooray! Pajama day!”
“Pajama day it is,” Hugh said. “How about we go get Everett into the car while your mommy bags up the snacks?”
“I wanna do the buckles!” Cassie shouted, running out the door.
“Thank you,” Nell said to Hugh.
He crossed the room for one more kiss.
“Let’s go get you that car. We can figure everything else out another day.”
11
Emma
There was a chill in the air when Emma left the house, but the sun had burned away the morning fog by the time she got home.
When she got out of her car to open the driveway gate, she stood for a moment with her face turned up to the eastern sky and relished the feeling of sunshine on her face.
Overcast weather had hidden them from the summer sun for weeks, and it was delicious to feel unfiltered sunshine again. Her mood lifted right along with the clouds.
“Aw man!”
She opened her eyes in time to see Kai stumble to a stop halfway up the driveway.
“I was going to open the gate for you!”
“Would you close it behind me?”
“It’s not the same.”
“It would be a big help.”
“Okay.” He sighed and trudged the rest of the way up to the gate while she got back in her car and drove slowly past him.
“Hey Auntie Em,” Juniper said from the lanai. “Where’s Dad?”
“He wanted to run some errands in town.” Emma had driven Ethan into Hilo as soon as the port opened that morning so that he could pick up his truck.
“What sort of errands?”
“Some basic staples for his new place. Sheets, dishes, that kind of stuff.”
