Page 29 of Big Island Moonlight
Emma glanced at the sun, which was very close to the horizon now. Before she could overthink it or second-guess herself, she shed her sundress and donned the goggles. With one last grin at Keith, she dove in.
The winter ocean was bracingly cold, driving all thoughts from her mind. She plunged down and then kicked for the surface, bursting up for a breath of air. A moment later, she went under again. The vast blue emptiness beneath her gave her a feeling of vertigo.
It was downright spooky, swimming out in the deep sea all on her own.
A huge part of her wanted to scramble right back onto the boat.
Then a noise passed through her: the mother whale singing to her baby. Emma’s heart leapt and calmed in the same moment as she looked around, trying to find them. She went up for another gulp of air and then dove under again, looking all around in the deep blue water.
The massive humpback whale swam right beneath her, with the baby riding along in his mother’s slipstream.
For Emma, it was an otherworldly experience. She felt pure awe as she watched them pass by. The moment seemed to go on forever, yet it happened in the space between breaths. She went up for air, ducked back down, and watched them fade into the blue distance.
By the time she climbed back onto the boat, she was chilled to the bone. She felt so elated that she hardly noticed, but Keith saw that she was shivering.
“Your lips are turning blue!” He hefted a big plastic container onto his shoulder and poured fresh water onto her back. The sun-warmed water was a blessed relief after the cold Pacific, and she quickly rinsed her face and her hair. When the water was gone, Keith wrapped an oversized beach towel around her shoulders.
“That was spectacular,” she said through chattering teeth. “Thank you.”
“Do you want some tea?”
“That would be amazing.”
“Sit here,” he said, tossing a cushion down. “There will be a bit less wind.”
Still wrapped in the thick towel, she settled herself into the spot he’d pointed out. Keith produced a thermos from his bag and handed it to her. She sipped the warm mamaki tea gratefully, her mind and soul still in the ocean with those magnificent whales.
Keith sailed them back towards the harbor, then dropped sail again just before sunset. Always the gentleman, he turned his back and stared out at the horizon while Emma changed into dry clothes beneath her towel. Once she was dressed, she slipped beneath his arm and stood beside him to watch the spectacular Kona sunset.
There were just enough clouds off to the west to enhance the show without obscuring the last of the sunlight. They turned fiery shades of orange and gold before fading to lavender. Emma and Keith stood silent, just taking it in. She relished the warmth of his chest as she leaned against him. He ran his hands up and down her bare arms, warming them.
“Are you cold?” he asked, moving away from her with slow reluctance.
“A bit,” she admitted.
“Here.” He peeled off the light jacket he wore and handed it to her.
She donned it gratefully, and he sailed them back to the harbor beneath a twilight sky.
11
Juniper
When Juniper made it downstairs the next morning – no small task when she couldn’t even see her own feet – she found her aunt already in the kitchen.
“So?” She hurried across the kitchen and peered into Emma’s face.
She blinked at her blearily. “Good morning.”
“How did it go?” she demanded.
“How did what go?”
“Your date!” She couldn’t tell if her aunt was being purposefully obtuse or if she was just half asleep.
“Oh, that.” A shy smile crept over Emma’s face, and she turned away to pour them two cups of tea from a pot that had been warming on the stove.
“Yes, that,” Jun huffed, exasperated.
