Page 53 of Big Island Sunset
Lani laughed in relief at the mundane question. “Sure.”
Olivia played her favorite audiobook as soon as they were back in the car, and it was a quiet ride back to Pualena.
They stopped at the cafe, where Tenn took a few minutes off from the lunch rush to marvel over Olivia’s arm and make them a couple of cheeseburgers to go. He added a massive bag offries and gave them each a kiss before shooing them out of the kitchen.
At home, Lani and Olivia unwrapped their burgers at the kitchen table. It was rare for the two of them to be alone together, and the house felt quiet without Rory and Tenn around.
As much as Lani would have loved for her relationship with her stepdaughter to be as easy and natural as her relationship with Rory, it just wasn’t. And she didn’t know how to get them there. Maybe they just needed more time.
“Can I watch a movie?” Olivia asked after they’d eaten.
“There’s something I want to show you first.”
The little girl perked up a bit. “What?”
“Come see.”
Lani went into the living room and opened the box that she had picked up that morning after taking the girls to school. She moved the first layer of packing material to reveal a family photo from their early morning by the sea cliffs. It was big, nearly as tall and wide as the box, and it made Lani smile.
Alohi had caught the two little girls laughing. Olivia’s head was thrown back, laughing so hard that her eyes were closed, and Rory’s face was scrunched up with mirth. Lani and Tenn were a little ways behind them, walking hand and hand, both smiling at the girls with whole-hearted joy.
“Rory’s so funny,” Olivia said, grinning.
“There’s another one too.” Lani took the photo out along with another layer of packing material revealing the next photo. She’d had the more traditional family photo framed too, the one with all of them smiling at the camera. “I think I’ll put the laughing one here in the living room, and your dad can put this one up at the cafe. What do you think?”
“That’s nice,” she said politely. “Can I go now?”
“Wait, there’s more,” Lani said, feeling like a desperate salesperson.
Olivia sighed and settled back down on the rug.
“I framed some photos of the rest of our family too. Will you help me take them out of the box and put them on the coffee table? Then we can decide where they’ll go on the wall.”
“The nurse did say I’m supposed to use my arm,” she said without enthusiasm.
“Yep.” Lani made a show of taking art down from the living room wall to make room for photos, but really she was watching Olivia as she carefully took the pictures out one by one. Livie’s expression softened and then brightened as she saw the photos of her grandparents, ‘Olena’s family, and Kai.
“Who’s that?” she asked, pointing to Adam. It was an older photo that showed Kai and his parents in the redwood forest where he’d spent the first six years of his life.
“That’s Kai’s dad,” Lani said, returning to sit next to her. “My cousin.”
“Does he live on the mainland like Sasha’s dad?”
“No. He died when Kai was six years old.”
“Like my mom died when I was five.” She bent closer to peer at Adam’s laughing face. “He looks happy.”
“He usually was. I miss him a lot.”
Olivia looked at her, taking that in. Then she returned to the box.
“It’s Rory’s babbo. Is he part of our family?”
“He’s Rory’s family, which makes him our family.”
“I have more family than I thought, huh?”
Lani grinned at her. “I guess so.”
