Page 27 of Big Island Moonlight
Emma pressed a hand over her heart, suddenly overwhelmed by gratitude. Those blissful moments had been happening more and more lately, and that in and of itself was something to be grateful for.
“Hey Kai.” She walked up to the trampoline and spoke to him through the netting. “I’m headed out in a few minutes. I might not be home before bedtime. Juniper’s up in my room if you need anything. She’ll give you dinner.”
He barely glanced up from his book. “Okay.”
“I love you, kiddo.”
“Love you too.” He pushed his book towards his friend. “Did you know that platypuses are venomous? They have a special claw for poison, look!”
“Woah!” Prince’s eyes went wide. “Are they deadly?”
“I don’t think so. But the book says it really hurts.”
“Remember to bring the books inside,” Emma warned.
“I know,” Kai intoned, drawing the words out.
She walked away, sending a quick text to Juniper to ask her to make sure that all the library books made it inside that evening. The weather was still glorious and clear, but it rained nearly every night. Those nightly showers kept her garden green and the catchment tanks full.
She rounded the corner and saw that Keith was already out front. He hadn’t texted or called; he’d just waited there patiently.
Dio knew him already, so he was whining and wagging his tail instead of barking a warning. Keith reached over the gate to give him a scratch behind the ears.
The moment he spotted her, a grin lit up his face.
“Have you been waiting long?” she asked as she walked towards him.
“No, not long.”
“Are sandals alright? I don’t know how much we’ll be walking today.”
“No long hikes,” he assured her.
“So I’m dressed okay?”
His eyes flicked to her sandals and skimmed her legs on the way up, taking in her verdant sundress and landing on her face. “You’re perfect.”
Her cheeks warmed and she looked down to the latch on the gate, which he opened before she could do it herself. She slippedthrough without letting the dog out, and Keith gave her a hand up as she climbed into the cab of his truck.
“So where are we headed?” she asked when he joined her in the cab.
“It’s a surprise. But we’re driving across the island. Is that okay? You have time?”
“I have time.”
Keith grinned, and his hand found hers as he drove slowly down the residential street.
The initial shock of contact faded to warm comfort as they wound their way up the mauna, though a fresh wave of electricity jolted through her each time that he shifted his grip or brushed the pad of his thumb across the back of her hand.
They didn’t speak much as they crossed the black lava rock and wide green pastures of central Hawai‘i. Emma was content to sit and look out the window at the fiery flowers and vast blue sky, simply enjoying his company.
The radio was tuned into local island music, country songs with a distinctive Hawaiian flare, and Emma’s heart was light as they glided along the highway and down towards Kona.
When Keith parked at the harbor and pulled out a cooler, she figured they were headed for the harborside beach that she often visited with Kai. It was a lovely place for a sunset stroll and a quiet picnic.
To her surprise, he led her to a small sailboat and set his things on the deck.
“Is this yours?” she exclaimed.
