15. Lani

15

Lani

“ T hey’re home!” Kiki unbuckled and opened the door before the truck had even come to a complete stop.

“Hey!” Lani snapped. Her tone was sharp enough to make her little cousin freeze. “Wait until the truck stops moving.”

“Sorry, Auntie.”

The second she put the truck into Park, both girls were out the doors and racing up the drive.

Lani got out too, but she paused and stretched, relishing the heat of undiluted summer sunshine on her skin. The persistent cloud cover had finally relented, allowing summer to shine down on Pualena in all of its blue-skied glory.

And she would be spending the day indoors. Typical.

Oh well. At least Rory was out enjoying the sunshine.

The front door to ‘ōlena’s house opened, and she laughed as both of her daughters barrelled into her.

“Mommy!”

“We missed you so much!”

“I missed you too,” she said, wrapping her arms around them both.

Lani gave them a minute, half listening to the girls’ chatter and questions as she stretched her shoulders out and meandered through ‘ōlena’s yard. The hibiscus cuttings that her cousin had taken from Mahina’s garden and planted here in her front yard were growing fast, bushing out and even putting out a few flowers.

Lani made a mental note to clip a few twigs from her aunt’s garden to plant at Tenn’s place – at home. She was still used to thinking of it as his house, even though he had made it theirs in every way that he could, including legally. It was moments like that when she realized that her mind was still working to catch up with her heart.

What an eventful year they’d had.

“There are my girls!” Nate’s voice boomed through the yard.

“Daddy!”

“A week was too long!”

Lani smiled when she looked up at the lanai and saw the girls hanging from Nate’s arms like monkeys.

“What did you get us?”

“Oh, you think I got you something?”

“Yes!” Kiki shouted.

“You promised!” added Luana.

“Come inside and see.”

“Yay!” The girls ran inside, leaving ‘ōlena laughing on the lanai. She looked happier – and more relaxed – than Lani could ever remember seeing her before.

“Thank you for keeping them so long.”

“It was fun. And your parents had them a lot too.” A year ago, the girls would have gone with their grandparents the whole time. Ever since Manō’s heart attack, though, ‘ōlena was wary of putting too much stress on either of her parents.

“Where’s Rory?”

“She’s with Lorenzo today.”

“How’s that going?” ‘ōlena held up a hand and said, “You know what? Hold that thought. Do you have time for a cup of coffee?”

“Sure. Thank you.”

“I’ll be right back.”

While ‘ōlena was inside, Lani walked up the wooden steps and settled into a comfortable chair on the lanai. She took deep breaths of the warm summer air, relishing the mild humidity and the slight salt tang that floated on the ocean breeze.

There was no place like home.

“Okay.” ‘ōlena came back out, handed Lani a hot mug of coffee, and closed the front door behind her. “Nate brought a silly number of gifts back for the girls, so we have a minute.”

Lani took a sip of coffee as ‘ōlena settled down next to her. It was black, but the first sip of filled her mouth with bursts of sugar and spice.

“Wow! That’s amazing!”

“Nate’s a coffee guy now.”

“Wasn’t he always?”

“I mean he’s turned into a connoisseur. ” ‘ōlena’s tone was gently teasing, but Lani saw pure adoration in her cousin’s eyes. “He starts with cinnamon and ginger, then fancy Kona coffee and raw cane sugar.”

“Best coffee ever. Can I get the recipe? I want to make some for Tenn.”

“I don’t know that there’s a recipe, exactly, but I’ll ask him to jot something down.”

“I’m surprised he went for a lychee orchard instead of a coffee farm.”

“He thought about it. Even looked at a few places.” ‘ōlena’s eyes softened. “But the lychee orchard was the closest thing that he could find to Pualena, and he knew that I would never want to leave my hometown.”

“Even when you were divorced, the man was devoted to you.”

“He was devoted to the girls,” she deflected, looking away.

“He could have driven back and forth from the coffee farm to have the girls half the time. He adores you .”

“Yeah,” ‘ōlena relented, her cheeks coloring. “He does.”

“Enjoy your honeymoon?” Lani teased.

Her cheeks went full crimson, and she changed the subject.

“Where did Rory and her dad go today?”

“She calls Tenn ‘Dad’,” Lani corrected her softly, “but her ‘babbo’ picked her up first thing this morning for a Kona beach day.”

“Wow. You’ve come a long way from supervised visits – and it hasn’t even been that long.”

“I trust him,” she said simply. She thought it over as she took another sip of her (seriously phenomenal) coffee. “He worships the ground Rory walks on, and she loves him. Plus, he’s made it clear that he can’t stay in Pualena forever. His family needs him back in Italy.”

“And what happens then?”

Lani shrugged. “We cross that bridge when we get to it.”

“He isn’t pushing for anything in writing?”

“No. We’re building trust, I guess. I might need something in writing if Rory goes there alone for a visit – not that we’re anywhere close to that happening – but as long as he wants to visit her here…” she trailed off and shrugged. “It’s not like he can take off with her. She doesn’t even have a passport.”

“Sounds like things are going as well as you could have hoped for.”

“On that front, yeah. Everything’s good.”

“Oh no.”

“What?” Lani turned to look at ‘ōlena, who was watching her with a mixture of amusement and concern.

“Which front are you fighting on?”

“I don’t know that I’d call it fighting, exactly…”

“Spill. And I don’t mean the coffee. That stuff’s expensive.”

Lani laughed and took another long drink of the best coffee she’d ever tasted.

“Are things okay between you and Tenn?”

“Yeah,” she said quickly. “We’re great.”

“So? What’s the problem?”

“His mother still hates me,” Lani said in a no big deal kind of tone.

“Oh, is that all?” ‘ōlena laughed.

“That’s all.” Her voice came out heavier that time, betraying how much it bothered her.

“What can you do?” She lowered her voice and said, “You know my mother-in-law is a train wreck.”

“Lucky for you, she lives on another island.”

“So? What’s wrong with Sonya?”

“Nothing’s wrong with her. She just hates me.”

“Well then obviously she has issues, because you’re delightful.”

“She would not agree.”

“Is she causing problems?”

“Not exactly. She comes and picks Olivia up without including Rory, but that’s her prerogative. It’s not like Lorenzo includes Livie when he takes Rory for the day.”

“Yeah, because Tenn would love that.”

“Olvia doesn’t mind, though – she’s happy to get that alone time with her dad, or she’s off with her grandparents. But the look on Rory’s face every time that Sonya comes to pick up Olivia… it just about guts me.”

“It must be hard, when she never got to know your mom.” ‘ōlena cut to the heart of things, and suddenly there was a lump in Lani’s throat.

“You know she would have loved Livie like she was her own grandbaby,” she said fiercely.

“I know.” ‘ōlena reached out and squeezed her hand.

“But to Sonya, I’m just the woman who almost got her son killed.”

Her spine straightened with indignation. “That wasn’t your fault!”

“It was a little bit my fault,” Lani sighed.

“No. I refuse to let your blame yourself for what that–”

She held up a hand, cutting her off. “It’s okay.”

“It’s not,” ‘ōlena huffed, but she slumped back in her seat and quieted.

“I can only imagine what it’s like to see your only child fight for their life in a hospital bed. I’d understand if she never lets go of the grudge against me. I just wish she wasn’t taking it out on Rory.”

“The woman’s an ice queen. You’re blaming yourself, but for all you know she would have treated Rory like this either way. Some people just play favorites.”

“Maybe.”

“Anyway, would you really want to send Rory off to her house?”

“I guess not,” she admitted. “Not unless things changed.”

“They’d have to change a lot before I let that woman anywhere near her. Say the word, and I’ll scoop Rory up to hang with us anytime the white witch of the north descends.”

Lani chuckled. “Thanks. That means a lot.”

“I love you. Both of you.”

“We love you too.” Lani drained her coffee and stood. “I’ll stop hogging your time for now, though. Your girls missed you like crazy.”

“Not so much that a few new toys didn’t steal their full attention,” ‘ōlena said with an easy smile. She stood and pulled Lani into a hug.

“Just give me the keys and I’ll get out of your hair,” Lani said once she’d released her.

“The keys?”

“To New Horizons. I need to start those murals today if I’m going to have time to finish them over break.”

“That’s right!” ‘ōlena’s eyes lit up. “I’ll come help.”

“You don’t need to do that.”

“Oh, hush. They can hang with their dad for an hour. I’ll at least help you move all of the furniture away from the walls.”

“Okay, thank you.”

“Are you kidding? Thank you ! I can’t wait to see what you do in there.” She grabbed the empty mug. “I’ll just be two seconds.”

Lani turned towards the front-yard flowers and stretched again, getting her arms and shoulders ready for a long day of painting.

Just a few minutes of talking to her cousin had left her heart feeling so much lighter.

So one person in Pualena didn’t like her. Big deal.

Yeah, Tenn’s mother was kind of a big one to have off side. But so what?

He had chosen her. They had found each other and made a family together.

That was what mattered.

And what’s more, she had all of her extended family and amazing friends here in Pualena rooting for her, surrounding her and her daughter with love.

“Ready!” ‘ōlena stepped onto the lanai, letting the screen door slam shut behind her. “Let’s go make some art!”