Page 44 of Big Island Summer
She went into the kitchen to load the dishwasher while the girls got ready. Through the kitchen window, she watched Sonya’s car back out of the driveway and disappear from sight.
Her mother-in-law hadn’t thawed towards her in the slightest since the wedding. It was an ongoing source of tension, and it was hard on Rory, but it felt like it was out of Lani’s hands.
Tenn had made multiple comments to his mother about how Olivia would love to have Rory along, but it hadn’t done any good. And if Sonya wouldn’t budge for her beloved son, she certainly wouldn’t change for the woman who had nearly gotten him killed.
If an icy mother-in-law was the major stumbling block of her life these days, Lani reminded herself, then life was good. Up until recently she’d had much,muchbigger problems to worry about.
So why did it feel like there was a stone sitting in the pit of her stomach?
She shook her head and got to work packing snacks for the beach. Maybe, eventually, Sonya would thaw. Until then, she refused to let the woman ruin her day.
13
Fern
Fern woke in the dark to the sound of a baby crying.
It wasn’t the sound of his cries that had awoken her. Waking up at three in the morning and not being able to fall back asleep was a problem that had plagued her on and off for years, and it had come back with a vengeance the day she kicked Chad out of the house. But once she was awake, the sound tormented her. Not because she felt annoyed by it. Just because her heart went out to him. She wanted to hold him in her arms and make everything better… a senseless impulse, when he didn’t even know her.
She gave up on sleep around four in the morning. She got up, filled her kettle, and turned on some mellow music to cover the sound of little Theodore crying upstairs. Once the tea was ready, she pulled on a sweater and took her drink outside along with her portable speaker.
An hour of yoga later, the sky had brightened from black to deep blue, and Theo had finally stopped crying. Fern sighed in relief and went inside to make herself a simple breakfast.
Humming along to her music, she sliced a few tiny local bananas into a bowl of greek yogurt and sprinkled some crushed mac nuts over the top, then drizzled it all with a spoonful of local honey.
She ate outside with her feet on the damp grass and watched the sun move through the trees across the road. It wasn’t as spectacular as the ocean sunrises she used to watch every morning from her balcony, but it was still beautiful.
She wondered if Ethan was watching the sunrise upstairs… or if he had gone back to bed.
As soon as she caught herself thinking about him, she went back inside to wash her bowl in the tiny kitchen sink.
Her first yoga class of the day was a good distraction. She loved having her students around her, all of the wonderful locals who came to her classes week after week. In a place where time and money were both valuable commodities, these women choosing her time and again meant more to her than she could ever express to them.
Payment was donation-based, with a painted coffee can available to drop cash into, and they continued to pay her even more than she suggested. Often a woman would forget to bring cash; without fail, a friend would spot her, or she would pay double next time.
Sometimes someone came early or stayed late and quietly explained that they didn’t have cash, but could they give her a jar of honey or a flat of eggs or a bag of lychee? And Fern was always delighted to accept.
They supported her and grounded her, and each class gave her a sense of purpose.
After the last of her students left, Fern felt restless.
She should go down to the beach for a swim, or maybe hike to a waterfall… but all she really wanted to do was go upstairs and check on Theodore.
Ethan’s footsteps reverberated through the ceiling, a constant reminder that he was home and awake.
Fern started up the outdoor staircase twice and talked herself down both times.
When she left the house a third time, dressed for a hike with her car keys in hand… she somehow found herself on the second-story landing, knocking on Ethan’s front door.
The man’s red-brown stubble was halfway to a beard, and his hair was adorably tousled. He wore a faded pair of blue jeans and a fitted t-shirt that showed off his strong arms.
How could a man look so tired and so handsome at the same time?
“Hi.” Her voice came out breathy and nervous, and silently she scolded herself. She was too old for this. The man was a tenant, nothing more.
“Mornin.” His eyes skimmed right over her and veered off towards the mountains.
Fern raised a self-conscious hand to her cropped hair, feeling oversized and unfeminine in her utilitarian hiking clothes. She dismissed the insecurities as soon as they arose – but they still clung to her, churning beneath the surface of her thoughts.
