All four kids went to climb the big lychee tree. Laurie watched as Mia worked her way through the branches towards a cluster of ripe red fruit.
Dawn tapped Laurie’s shoulder, and she looked back to the conversation with a start. Mahina smiled patiently and repeated her question.
“Would you like to see inside?”
Laurie nodded. “Yes, please.”
The inside of the house was just as beautiful as the exterior. Wooden beams reached across the vaulted ceiling, and the polished floor glowed like honey.
Most modern houses were made with cheap materials that mouldered and rotted in the damp Hawaiian air. The workmanship was quick and sloppy.
This house, though… it was a work of art.
Laurie wandered through the kitchen, running her fingers along the wooden countertops. Handmade cabinets ran along the top and bottom. She felt like a fairy who’d found a home in the hollow of a tree.
The space was small, just a single room that served as living room, dining room, and kitchen. The previous tenant had left most of the furniture in place. There was a comfy-looking couch in the corner, a coffee table, and a small table with two chairs. A single door led to the bedroom and bathroom.
It was just big enough for her and Mia.
She loved it.
Dawn and Mahina were chatting companionably on the lanai, and she peeked through the front door to ask if the furniture was staying. Mahina nodded the affirmative.
“Kekoa made new furniture for his new house,” she bragged, “so all of this will stay here.”
Laurie walked back through the front room and into the bedroom, which held a single bunkbed. There was a twin mattress up top and a queen down below. Mia would love that.
She went to the bathroom, where the floor of the shower had been pieced together with river stones, and she had to close her eyes for a moment.
She didn’t want to hear how much it would cost to live here.
Then she opened her eyes again and turned to look at herself in the mirror.
You can do this, she told herself sternly.You’ll make it work, no matter how many hours it takes. This place is perfect. You can do this.
Laurie took a deep breath and walked out of the bathroom – and right into a giant.
She shrieked and jumped back.
“Sorry,” the man said, but he was laughing at her. “You didn’t hear me come in?”
Laurie shook her head, and his eyes went to her hearing aids. Instead of looking embarrassed or awkward, like most people would, his smile got even brighter.
“Oh, it’s you! Laurie, right?” His voice was so low and deep that she could hear just about every word that he said. Her hearing aids couldn’t do much for high-pitched voices – she just couldn’t hear those frequencies anymore – but low ones came through okay. She’d been able to hear her dad better than anyone else.
“You’re one of Kimo’s kids.” A shadow passed over his sunny expression. “I’m sorry about your dad.”
Laurie nodded. Where was her voice today? Why was she inexplicably tongue-tied around this local guy that she had known since their hanabata days?
True, he was a lot taller and broader than the last time she’d seen him. Kekoa had grown into a bear of a man – a gentle giant, just like his dad.
But he was the same kid who used to challenge the Kalama girls to backyard races. He won half the time, Laurie remembered, which had been pretty impressive given that he was about four years younger than Annie Oakley. Sometimes, though, he would let Laurie and Akemi outrun him… a valiant concession for a kid that age.
“What?” His local accent was strong to begin with, and now he exaggerated it for effect. “You no remembah me?”
“I remember you,” she said, fighting back a smile.
“Good.” Kekoa grinned playfully. “I remember you, too.”
