Page 47 of Big Island Moonlight
She grinned. “Sure. When I sell a thousand books.”
“Sweet!” She pumped her little fist in the air and ran off to the living room.
“Did you choose a printer yet?” Tenn asked.
“I chose two! The samples should be here next week.”
“That’s exciting!”
“Can we bring them to school?” Olivia asked.
“You have them at school.” Lani had printed out enough copies of each page for every kid in the co-op.
“But not inbooks.”
Lani smiled. “Sure, we can bring them to school.”
“Cool! I can’t wait to show my friends that my mom makes real live coloring books!”
Heart full to bursting, Lani walked over and kissed her stepdaughter’s golden head. She straightened and shared a long look with Tenn, whose dark eyes shone with love and gratitude.
“Life is pretty good these days, huh?” Olivia asked casually, scraping the last of the shave ice from her bowl.
“Yeah,” Lani agreed, still looking at her husband. “Life is good.”
16
Emma
Nervous anticipation filled Emma’s chest as Keith walked towards her. He carried a large paper bag in one hand and a bouquet of flowers in the other.
His hair was long enough now that he’d tied it back away from his face, highlighting the sharp lines of his jaw and cheekbones. His blue eyes were bright, and he grinned when he spotted her standing in the cool shade of the lanai.
She went down the steps to meet him. Even with both hands full, he caught her up in a hug that lifted both of her feet off the ground.
“These are for you,” he said when he’d released her. He handed her the massive bouquet of tropical flowers, no doubt grown on his farm. They were sturdy varieties, heliconia and ginger flowers nestled amongst glossy green foliage and accented by bright pink ti leaves.
“They’re gorgeous. Thank you.”
She went inside, eager to find a place in her home for this piece of the tropics. She rummaged through a low cupboard to find her biggest vase, which she filled with water.
“This is for Jun,” he said, putting the paper bag on the kitchen table. “First mangos of the season, plus a big bag of homemade ‘ulu chips. Oh, and a bag of heart of palm.”
“That’s wonderful, thank you.” Emma put the flowers into the vase and set it in the middle of the table.
“How are they doing? Her and the baby?”
“They’re fine,” she said warmly. “Juniper took to motherhood like a duck to water. She’s a natural.”
“Good. That’s good.” His eyes were on her, and she could tell that he wasn’t thinking of Jun. She was, though.
“I think I’ll just go check on them before we go.”
“Of course. There’s no rush. I’ll be out front.”
She nodded and watched him go out the front door.
He got twitchy pretty quickly inside, she’d noticed. She still hadn’t seen where Keith lived, but she knew that he mostly cooked in the outdoor kitchen at the farm. She got the impression that he wasn’t inside much except to sleep. Even then, she wouldn’t be surprised to learn that he slept mostly in a hammock under the stars.
