Page 60 of Big Island Sunset
“Oh, no. I didn’t mean — you don’t want to do that. You already do that for a living, you don’t want to spend your spare time doing garden chores.”
“It’s my job because I love it. And I’m happy to do whatever gives me more time with you.”
“Oh.” Emma felt herself blush.
“I should get back. I’m manning a stand today too.” He gestured to the Pualena Permaculture stand across the way. “I don’t usually, but no one else was able to come today.”
“Okay. It was good to see you.” She was surprised to realize how much she meant it. The surprise and pleasure of seeing him had thrown her out of the fog of the past few weeks, and it was like the sun had suddenly broken through the clouds.
She was reluctant to say goodbye, reluctant to dive back into her everyday life of taking care of everything and everyone.
“Call me anytime,” he said.
“I can’t ask you to help me with chores.”
“You didn’t ask. I offered. You and plants, well… I can’t think of anything that would make me happier.”
“Okay,” she said, grinning like a fool. “Well, I’ll see you.”
He nodded and walked backwards for a few steps, smiling at her. Then he turned and walked away.
She got in line at the chicken place. There were several people ahead of her, so she got out her phone and texted Keith a pin with the location of the Kealoha place.
Garden chores tomorrow?
It’s a date,he replied.
She pocketed her phone, biting back another foolish grin.
A few seconds later, it buzzed with a text from Juniper:Keith and Emma, sitting in a tree…
Emma laughed.
If her niece was feeling well enough to tease her again, the kid was alright.
17
Fern
Fern went through the next couple of days in a haze of misery.
Ethan’s footsteps overhead were a constant reminder of their last interaction, and she couldn’t bear to be inside. She left the house first thing in the morning and only came back to teach classes — but at night, she could hear poor Theo wailing overhead. He must have another tooth coming in.
Being so close to Theodore without holding him or even seeing his dear little face was pure torture. It was like missing a lung; she couldn’t seem to get a full breath in.
What was worse, she missed Ethan.
She didn’t want to miss him. She should dismiss him entirely after the way he had spoken to her.
Except that she didn’t believe in cutting people out of her life so easily. He was human, and he was hurting. His ups and downswere understandable, given all that he was grieving and all that he carried. She just wished that he would let her in.
She would carry all of it with him if he’d let her.
It was around that point, going round and round in her own head in the middle of the night while Theo’s cries and Ethan’s pacing sounded overhead, when Fern realized that she was well and truly doomed.
She was in love with him.
It wasn’t just a passing inclination or an attachment centered on Theo. She loved Ethan, whether she wanted to or not… whether he was willing to let her be a part of his life or not.
