19. Lani

Two weeks had passed since Kekoa had served Zeke with the restraining order, and there had been no sign of him since. Hope was growing in Lani’s chest, fragile as a seedling. Maybe he had given up and gone home to Alaska.

Slowly, fretfully, she began to venture out again.

First only in groups, like her days with the Pualena Playschool.

Then to her favorite hidden beach with Tenn and the girls.

Finally she picked up a shift at Haumona, and it passed without incident. When her shift ended, she stayed late and used the last of the light to start work on the mural that she had promised her cousin.

Rory was at ‘ōlena’s house and Cody had promised to take Dio for a run, so she worked until sunset. Then a bright light came on in the parking lot, and she kept working.

“That looks great,” Tenn said.

Lani lowered her brush and turned to look at him. She saw concern in his eyes, and she knew that he didn’t like her working out here alone. But she knew that he wouldn’t say anything or try to stop her; he would just find an excuse to hang around until she was ready to leave.

“Need a hand?” he asked.

“Do you want to help me fill in these rainbow wedges? I want to finish painting the background before I go.”

“Sure.”

She had started with purple and worked her way over to orange, so Tenn found the red paint and started work on the first wedge. He painted with extreme care, trying not to smudge the outlines of the fruit that she had painted.

“Don’t worry too much about painting inside the lines,” she told him. “Or… I guess it would be outside the lines. They’re just sketches, really. I’ll paint over them tomorrow. It’s fine if you go over them a bit at the edges. We want to make sure the whole background is painted.”

“Copy that.”

“How are things at the cafe?” she asked as they painted.

“Slow but steady. People are really loving the ramen we added to the dinner menu. That will have to be a staple, I think.”

“Are you saying that you need new menus?”

He shot her a grin. “Do you know anyone?”

When she had walked into the cafe, newly returned to the island and unaware of the change of ownership, she had covered one of the flimsy paper menus with sketches – a nervous habit. Tenn had asked her to design their permanent menus. That first one, with the sketches and her email scrawled on the bottom, he had framed to hang at home.

“I can edit the menus whenever,” she said.

“I know. I just don’t want to pay to print new ones too often. I think I’ll wait for a few more things to come into season before I make some final changes.”

“Sounds good.”

Once they’d cleaned up the paint and stashed their supplies, he walked with her to ‘ōlena’s house to pick Rory up. Then, to her delight, he carried the five year old on his shoulders back to Lani’s truck.

“Have you had dinner yet?” he asked Lani after depositing Rory in the back seat.

“Not yet.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to come to the cafe?”

“It’s already past time to milk the goats.”

“I’m not terribly fond of those goats.”

“Me neither,” Lani said with a laugh. “I mean, I guess they’re growing on me. A bit. But I’ll be glad when Emma’s home and they’re her responsibility again.”

“And when will that be?”

“Not too much longer. A few more weeks. She hasn’t booked a flight yet, but she promised Kai that they would be back home before his birthday. That’s less than a month from now.”

He hummed thoughtfully and kissed her forehead. “How about I bring you some dinner from the cafe? By the time you finish milking, I’ll be there with your food.”

“That sounds amazing.”

“What are you in the mood for?”

“Sweet potato fries,” she said without hesitation, “and an ‘ulu burger with jalapeno jack.”

“You’ve got it. Rory?” he asked through the open door. “What do you want for dinner?”

“Chicken and rice!” she shouted.

“You’re both very predictable.” He closed the door on Rory and kissed Lani again. “I’ll see you in a bit.”

“Where’s Livie?” Rory asked when Lani climbed into the driver’s seat.

“She’s at her grandma and grandpa’s house.”

“Can we go there?”

“No.” Lani backed carefully out of the small parking lot and started home.

“Why not?”

“We weren’t invited.”

“But why?”

“We just weren’t.”

“But why not?”

Lani sighed. “It’s just her and her grandparents tonight.”

Rory crossed her arms and pouted. “She’d have more fun if I was there.”

“But Dio would miss you. And Zuko.”

“I guess. And the chickens?”

“For sure the chickens would miss you.”

“And you?”

“I would miss you most of all.”

“You could come with me.”

“I have to get home and milk the goats.”

“I don’t like those stinkin goats.”

Lani laughed. “You like their milk, though.”

Rory sighed dramatically. “I guess.”

When Lani opened the gate at the bottom of the driveway, Dio ran through and jumped into the car. Instead of bouncing all over like he usually did, he just licked Rory’s face once and then settled down with his head in her lap. Cody must have taken him on a good long run.

After driving through and closing the gate behind them, she took Rory’s hand and walked her through the dark yard to their little ‘ohana.

Usually, she felt a sense of peace and comfort when she walked through her front door.

Today, though, she felt a sudden anxiety.

There was something off. A smell in the air, something not quite right.

Quickly, she flipped on all of the lights. Her fairy lights were unplugged, though she could have sworn that she had left them on. She plugged them back in, her strange sense of apprehension growing.

Everything felt slightly out of place. The corner of the rug was kicked up, and the pile of drawings on the dining table was slanted to one side.

Happily oblivious, Rory curled up on the sofa with Zuko.

Dio, sensing Lani’s anxiety, followed her through the house.

She went through each of the rooms – a quick task in their little cottage – to reassure herself that there was no one else there. But the sense that someone had been there grew stronger. The closet door left ajar, the clothes in her drawers all out of place.

And then she saw them.

Two rings sitting on her nightstand. Two rings that she had left in Alaska months ago.

Her wedding ring. And a small antique diamond that had belonged to Zeke’s grandmother.

He had been here. In her house.

The thought made her physically nauseous.

Her heart raced as she did a final sweep, cortisol spiking as she looked behind the bathroom curtain and into the closet. But no, he wasn’t there. Dio would know if he were.

Wouldn’t he? How had he gotten past the dog?

It must have been when Cody took him on a run.

A sudden vertigo hit her, and she steadied herself with a hand on the wall.

How long had Zeke been watching the Kealoha place? How had he found it to begin with? She could only think of one possibility; at some point, he had seen her in town and followed her home. But when?

Her hands shook as she locked the front door. Then she went around to the windows, closing and locking them one by one.

Maybe someone had told him where she lived. He could have charmed some auntie in town with a seemingly innocent question, asking for directions.

She blew out a breath and shook her head. The how didn’t matter so much. He knew where she lived, and he had been here. He had invaded her home, her sanctuary. The tenuous sense of safety that she had cultivated there was gone.

Should she call the police?

And tell them what?

There’s been a break in. No, he didn’t take anything. How do I know? Well, he left two pieces of gold jewelry behind.

She didn’t foresee receiving any help on that front.

Outside, the goats screamed their protest at their milking and dinner being delayed. Lani sank to the floor of the kitchen, hiding her distress from her daughter as she curled up into a ball on the floor.

What was she supposed to do? Go out there into the dark, alone?

But she couldn’t leave the goats. And she couldn’t ask Tara to do what she was afraid to; her neighbor had enough on her plate.

Finally, she decided to wait for Tenn. He could go out with her to milk the goats, and then they could sleep at his house that night.

Well, he and Rory could sleep.

Lani was starting to wonder if she would ever sleep well again.