22. Lani

22

Lani

I t was a perfect summer morning in Hilo, clear blue skies instead of the coastal city's usual gray clouds. They pulled up to the keiki beach early enough to get a good spot, and the girls were running down the ramp before Lani was even out of the car.

"Come back and get your towels!" she called after them.

They ran on, either not hearing or pretending not to.

"Here." Tenn reached into the back seat and pulled the towels forward, dropping them in her lap. "You go catch up with them, and I'll get everything out of the back."

"Thanks." She leaned in for a quick kiss before getting out of the car and speed walking towards the girls. They were both strong swimmers, but still too young to be in the water alone.

Then again, she would probably still feel that way when Rory was twenty.

The girls vaulted the low rock wall and landed in the shallow water beyond, laughing and shrieking at the cold. There at the keiki beach, fresh water seeped up from underground, mixing with the seawater and dropping the temperature by a few degrees.

The grass was still damp, and so she set the towels on the lava-rock wall and then sat down on top of them, watching the girls play. It was low tide, and the water in most of the lagoon was only ankle deep.

The girls raced over to one of the black islands that rose up out of the shallow water and clambered up the steepest side. Rory threw her hands up in victory when she made it to the top a second before Olivia did, and the older girl tickled her in playful retribution.

Tenn set their cooler down and joined her on the wall, looping one arm around her waist. She leaned against him and they sat for a long time in tranquil silence, watching their daughters greet local friends and invite new kids into their game.

"Marco gets back on Tuesday," Tenn said out of the blue. "Did I tell you?"

"No, you didn't." The cafe's head chef had been gone for weeks, leaving Tenn to work long hours in the restaurant kitchen.

"Yeah, he just booked his flight."

"So he'll be back to work this week?"

"Yeah, starting Wednesday. I won't have to work such crazy hours." This was the first day off that he had taken in over a week, and he would still end up doing some computer work when they got home.

"I'm glad. It'll be good to have you home more."

"It's been a long time since we took the girls to Kona for the day. How about a little getaway, just the four of us? A camping trip, maybe?"

"That sounds like paradise."

He chuckled, and she followed his gaze out across the water in time to see Rory do a spinning jump off of one of the rocks. Behind her, Olivia was already clambering back up the side of the rock for another jump.

She glanced over his shoulder and saw Lorenzo walking down the stairs from the parking lot. Adrenaline shot through her chest and down her arms, and her muscles tensed.

Heads turned as Lorenzo walked past, and he smiled congenially at the aunties who stared openly at the Italian man wearing a collared shirt.

Lani swallowed, hoping that Tenn wasn't the jealous type.

As much as she felt like she knew him down to his soul, there were so many things that they were still discovering about each other. Neither of them had wanted Zeke around – and with good reason – but Rory's biological father was something else entirely.

Could Tenn accept him into their lives now that they had gotten past the unsteady ground that Lani had created with her lack of communication? Or would this always be a sore subject for them?

She would understand if he had a hard time moving past it… if the tables were turned and Olivia's late mother showed up, charming and gorgeous, Lani had to admit that the presence of Tenn's ex would be a thorn in the side of her many insecurities.

"Babbo!" Rory spotted her dad from afar and shouted, waving her arms in greeting.

Tenn tensed and turned to look at Lorenzo, who was grinning hugely and waving at Rory.

She took a running leap into the water, first swimming and then running with huge splashes when it got shallow. Olivia followed more slowly, looking apprehensive.

Lorenzo's eyes were fixed on Rory. He didn't notice Lani and Tenn until they stood.

"Lani, hello!" He greeted her in a booming voice and walked forward, extending his right hand towards Tenn. "And you must be her fidanzato ."

"That's me." Tenn accepted his hand with a smile that was reluctant but genuine.

"I have seen you before, no?"

"Pualena's a small town," he said with a shrug.

Lorenzo looked at him for another moment, puzzled, and then grinned. " Il ristorante! I have seen you at Pualena Cafe."

"He owns it," Lani said.

"No!" Lorenzo looked at her and then back to Tenn, the picture of astonishment. "This is your cafe? It is excellent. The best food I have had in this country by far."

Just as Tenn was saying a modest thank you, Rory climbed over the low lava-rock wall and launched herself at Lorenzo. He laughed and knelt to hug her, heedless of the saltwater soaking his linen shirt.

"Olivia!" Rory shouted. "Daddy! Look! This is my Babbo!"

Tenn took Olivia's hand as she climbed over the wall and peered at Lorenzo, her face crumpled with uncertainty. Still kneeling, Lorenzo offered Olivia his right hand.

"I am pleased to meet you, Olivia. I think that Rory is very lucky to have found a sister."

She smiled shyly and reached out with her right hand, still clinging to Tenn with her left. Lorenzo shook her hand before standing.

"You are a very, very lucky man," he told Tenn, "to have such a beautiful family and live in a beautiful place. This is all we can ask for in life, I think."

"That and good food," Rory shouted, pulling a bag of lychee out of the cooler.

"Yes, good food is necessary," Lorenzo agreed, laughing. "It comes from the beautiful place and nourishes the beautiful family, yes?"

"Yes! Have you ever tried these, Babbo?"

And just like that, two separate branches of Rory's family came together. They sat in a circle on the grass and shared the bag of fruit from Nate and ‘ōlena's orchard, chatting as they did about the island's popular tourist spots and the girls' latest art projects.

"Breaking bread is fine and all," Lani murmured as she pulled apart a red lychee shell, "but I'd rather break lychee any day."

"I'm withholding judgment," Tenn whispered into her ear as Lorenzo chatted with the girls, "but he's right about one thing. I am a very, very lucky man."