Now they were going camping together, a family trip that included all of the cousins from Harper up to Zoe, and Anne’s heart was full.
“Can’t somebody else pick up Mia and Auntie Laurie?” Pete complained as they turned north towards Hawi.
“It’s a nice drive,” Anne said. “It won’t take long.”
“Oh,Idon’t mind.” Pete winced as his mongoose pup burrowed down through the neck of his shirt. “It’s just that Rikki doesn’t like the car so much. He’s getting antsy.”
“You should have left him at home,” Claire muttered.
“Alone?I can’t do that! He’s just a baby!”
She tried to give him a dirty look, but then she giggled when Rikki’s face popped up past the collar of his shirt.
Laurie and Mia were waiting on their lanai when Anne pulled up the driveway. It had been at least a couple of weeks since they’d made it down to Pualena, and Anne was thrilled to see them again.
Mia leapt off of the front steps and waved her arms in huge, rapid arcs. As soon as the car stopped, she pulled open the back door.
“I’m so excited!” she exclaimed in a stage whisper, petting Rikki’s head with one outstretched finger. “I’ve never been camping before!”
Claire ceded the front seat to her aunt, Laurie tossed their bags into the trunk, and then they were off.
Laurie was quiet as they drove south from Hawi, but the small space was full of the kids’ chatter. Anne’s mind drifted here and there, thinking about her plans for the future and the decisions that they needed to make before it was time for the kids to start school again in the fall.
Noah’s strong hands and warm brown eyes invaded her thoughts repeatedly; each time they did, she pushed him out of her mind and returned to more pressing concerns.
It felt strange, driving to the other side of the island for a camping trip when she had guests at the house, but Dawn had encouraged her to take a night off.
She and Halia would join them for the afternoon, but they planned to drive home to their own beds after sunset. Halia hadwork the next day, and Dawn had declared that she was too old to be uncomfortable.
Anne was looking forward to spending quality time with her sisters, kicking back in the shade while the kids played in the sand. Pete was over-the-moon excited to sleep at the beach, and even Claire was looking forward to a night under the stars.
“I forgot to bring marshmallows for the kids,” Anne said, turning her face slightly so that Laurie could see what she was saying. “Would you text Mom and ask her to bring some?”
“I don’t have my phone,” Laurie said.
“You forgot it?”
Laurie hesitated and then nodded.
“I’ll text Grandma and Auntie Halia,” Claire said from the back seat. “These kids will riot if there are no marshmallows.”
“These kids,” Pete mimicked her. “Are you ancient or what?”
“Just mature,” she said loftily.
“Too mature for s’mores? Great, I’ll have your share.”
“Ha ha.” Claire’s voice was flat as she tapped a message into her phone.
Anne sighed and cranked up the music. She gave Pete a glance that warned him to be quiet, then tapped Laurie’s knee to get her attention.
“Do we need to go back for your phone?”
She signednowith a quick, forceful gesture.
“Are you sure?” Anne asked. “I can still turn around.”
“It’s fine.” Laurie gave her a strained smile. “We’ve driven too far to go back now. Let’s not keep these kids cooped up in the car any longer than we have to.”
