No,she signed back. “It’s my mom’s.”
“I’ve been looking,” he said as he came closer, “but so far it’s nothing but lemons.”
“It’s fine. I don’t have money for a car anyway.”
“Spent all your money on books, huh?”
“Actually, yeah.”
“We’ll find something.”
She shook her head. “I can walk to the bookshop and the community center and my mom’s house. I can borrow my mom’s car when I really need one. I’m okay.”
“We’ll find something,” he insisted. “Sooner or later.”
OK,she relented.Thanks.
“I have something to show you,” he said, and then signed,Let’s go.
She hesitated a moment and looked around for Mia. Then she spotted her walking through the garden with a chicken in her arms.
Laurie chuckled and followed Kekoa through the car port.
He led her to his truck and showed her a big piece of wood in the back. Carved into it were the wordsParadise Books.
What do you think?he signed.
“It’s perfect,” Laurie told him. “Thank you.”
“We’re really doing this.” He grinned. “I’ve tossed around a lot of business ideas in my life. But of all the things I thought I might build or be, silent partner in a book store wasn’t one of them.”
You’re not really silent, she teased.
“I am now. I’m done with my part of the job. Shelves are in. Once the sign’s up, that’s it for me. You’ll only see me in there if you need something fixed. Or if ‘Io needs a new book. Or if I happen to be in town.”
“You’re always in town!” she said, and they both laughed.
“I mean it,” he said after a moment. “Jokes aside, this is your project. I was just the contractor.”
“Justthe contractor who found the space and negotiated the lease and built the entire bookshop.”
He grinned. “I’m a great contractor.”
“You are. Thank you.”
“Anytime.”
25
Akemi
Throughout her travels that year, Akemi had been counting down the days until she saw Lorenzo again. They spoke daily on the phone and sent video messages when they missed a call. She felt a fizzy excitement with each new message and a deep sense of peace every time they were on the phone together.
But once she was home in Pualena, her feelings began to shift.
As she spent her days with her mother and sisters, she wondered how this new man could possibly fit into their dynamic. And when her baby kicked and turned in her belly, she wondered how coparenting with Lorenzo before they had ever even lived together would change the dynamic between the two of them.
Maybe it was just her hormones and her fears about the impending birth that were putting her in a strange frame of mind… but whatever it was, it was hard to shake.
