19. Lani

19

Lani

L ani raised a hand against the glaring sunlight as she stepped out of the car. Her eyes adjusted after a moment and she dropped her arm, looking out towards the rows of tents that ran between the parking lot and the cliffs.

"I see Auntie Nell!" Rory shouted. "Can I go?"

"I'll walk over with you," Lani told her.

Nell stood beneath a pop-up tent and a sign that read Pualena Playschool Summer Camp . Her red hair was up in a braid that ran around her head like a crown, and Everett slept on her back.

"That time of year already?" Lani asked.

"I guess so," Nell said. "‘ōlena had already paid for a spot at the market, but things are so crazy right now that she asked me to cover for her and try to pull in a few more families for summer camp. We've got finger paints at this table and your Big Island coloring books on that one."

"Come paint with me!" Cassie took Rory's hand and pulled her over to the first table.

"Mama?" she looked over her shoulder at Lani. "Can I?"

"Of course, baby. Have fun."

Olivia raced by and joined her friends at the table. Lani smiled as she watched the three girls standing shoulder to shoulder, crowding together to pour and mix paint.

"Divide and conquer?" Tenn asked, coming up beside her. "I can shop for the reception while you get groceries."

"No." She reached for his hand and threaded her fingers through his. "We have time. Let's stick together."

He pulled her hand up for a kiss. "Sounds good to me."

‘ōlena's wedding day was rushing towards them at breakneck speed, and Tenn had offered to handle the catering. He had already started stocking up on what they needed, storing things in the back of the walk-in fridge at the cafe, but the shopping wasn't done yet.

"So, what do we need?"

"The main dishes are covered. Now we're basically just looking for whatever deals we can score for appetizers and a fruit platter."

"Do we really need fruit when the groom owns a lychee orchard?"

"Lychee will be the star, for sure. But let's find a few other fruits to balance it out."

"What are you thinking?"

"Mango, if we can find any. Melons, maybe? I just want to add some color."

"Edible flowers?"

"That could be fun."

"Juniper could give us some ideas." She spotted Emma's niece through the crowd. "Let's ask her."

"You ask." He squeezed her hand and released it. "I see mangos. I'm going to buy them before they're gone. Or better yet, see if he'll deliver a box in a couple days."

"Okay." She moved off, then paused to admire Juniper's new stand. There was no brand name, just Fresh Lilikoi Limeade and Herbal Teas painted in huge letters across a piece of plywood she'd found. The kids had helped her paint a colorful background, and she had followed it up with bold letters in a steady hand.

Clear containers running the length of two folding tables held a rainbow of drinks: red hibiscus, golden māmaki, orange lilikoi limeade, bright blue butterfly pea, and a royal purple tea. She was also selling labeled bags of various tea blends.

The seventeen year old had purchased everything herself with the money she'd earned picking lychee for Nathan and selling it on the side of the road. She worked other odd jobs too, including covering the occasional shift for Lani at Haumona Shave Ice. That one, at least, she was able to walk to. And working next door with Tara or babysitting for Emma and Nell was a meters-long commute.

The farm work and this new stand required more ingenuity. Stymied in her attempts to obtain a driver's license – she hadn't been able to meet the residency requirements with her legal guardians back in California – she had roped the neighbor kid into both her work in the orchard and the market stand she'd started. Cody looked as happy as Lani had ever seen him, even though he seemed to be just hanging in the background while Juniper chatted with customers and handed over cups of iced tea.

When the crowd in front of the tea tables cleared, Lani jogged over.

"This looks great!" she said as she walked up to the table.

"Auntie Lani!" Juniper greeted her. "Hi!"

"I'd take one of each if I could carry it. But since I've tried all of your tea blends already, I'll have to go with the lilikoi limeade."

"You've got it! Do you want to use one of the reusable cups? It's fifty cents less."

"Sure! I love that."

Juniper filled a sturdy plastic cup with the icy drink and handed it over. Behind her, Cody was washing cups in a two-tub system and setting them aside to dry.

"It looks like you've sold a lot already," Lani said as she paid.

"We went through a whole container of the lilikoi limeade already! Luckily we made two of that one. The weather helps."

"It's a hot one," she agreed, taking a sip of the cold drink. Tart lilikoi exploded across her tongue, followed by the mellow sweetness of island honey. "This is amazing, Jun."

"Thank you!"

"Hey, how would you feel about handling the drinks for ‘ōlena's wedding?"

"I would love to!" She looked over her shoulder. "Cody, could I ride with you? I want to bring the tent and tables and everything, and I don't know if anyone else will have room."

"Of course."

"Isn't your mom making the wedding cake?"

"Yeah." His mouth quirked up into a crooked smile. "She's kind of panicking. She's testing so many recipes that there were five different kinds of cupcakes included in this week's meal deliveries."

"What did she decide on?"

"I don't know. I delivered a batch of cupcakes to Nate and ‘ōlena a couple days ago, but I don't know if they got back to her with their final answer. They just said they were all good."

"I'm sure they were," Lani said. "Your mom's an incredible baker."

"Will we be able to fit the market stuff and the cake in your mom's van?" Juniper worried. "And five people? There's no way."

"We'll figure it out. I'm more worried about the rain that's forecast."

"Don't say that!" Juniper shoved his shoulder lightly. "It only rains at night in Pualena."

He grinned at her again. "That's… not entirely true."

"Shh! You'll jinx it."

"It'll probably turn into a hurricane," he deadpanned.

Juniper turned to Lani, wide eyed. "It won't! Will it?"

"It's the wrong time of year for hurricanes," she assured her.

"Summer storms can be just as bad," Cody said.

"Oh, you're just messing with me!" Juniper scolded him. He laughed and went back to washing dishes.

Lani drained her drink and handed the cup back to Juniper. "That was delicious. Thank you."

"Any time! Hey, wait!" she said as Lani turned to go. "What should I make for Nate and ‘ōlena?"

"They would love this," Lani told her, gesturing to the empty cup. "And ‘ōlena loves māmaki too."

"You should just go all out," Cody said, gesturing to the rainbow.

"I don't know if we'll have enough room," Juniper fretted. ‘Anyway, they might not dig the rainbow vibe."

"It's Hawai'i." His tone was teasing. "Everyone digs the rainbow vibe."

"Oh, I know!" She waved him into silence and looked at Lani. "What are their wedding colors?"

"Their what?"

"Their wedding colors! You know, like the theme? Every wedding has colors, right?"

"Because you've been to so many weddings?" Cody asked.

"Shut up , Cody!" Juniper was loud, but there was no venom to it. She seemed like she was about to burst out laughing.

"Your guess is as good as mine." Lani smiled and shook her head. "This all happened so fast, I don't think they have much of a theme or a color scheme."

Juniper wrinkled her nose. "Well who's doing the flowers?"

"‘ōlena's mom, I think."

"Fine. I'll ask Auntie Mahina."

Lani grinned at how fully Juniper had dived into life in Pualena. "Sounds good."

A group of tourists approached, murmuring over unfamiliar words like lilikoi and māmaki , and so Lani left the teens to their customers… and their flirting.

Did Emma know that there were sparks flying between her teenage niece and the boy next door? Lani made a mental note to ask her about it… just as soon as life settled down a bit.

She loaded up on vegetables at her favorite stand, bought a pasture-raised chicken from the meat truck, and then caught up with Tenn.

"I've got dinner," she told him. "Did you get everything you need for the wedding?"

He greeted her with a kiss on the temple and took the bags she carried. "I secured a box of mangos, and he says he can bring us a box of dragon fruit too."

"‘ōlena loves dragon fruit."

"Perfect."

"You want to head out? We could drop the food at home and take the girls to the beach."

"Sounds good."

It took a few minutes to get the girls away from the art tent, but a day at the beach was enough of a draw to get them off of the sun-baked cliffs.

On their way back to the truck, she saw Lorenzo through the crowd.

She tensed, waiting for Rory to spot her dad or for him to see them across the market. But Rory ran ahead, racing Olivia, and Lorenzo moved on without seeing them. Her shoulders slumped in relief as they moved on.

She knew that it was past time to introduce Tenn and Lorenzo… but that was a bridge that they would cross another day.