“Constantly.”
He laughed, shaking his head, droplets flying. “You know, you’re terrible for my ego.”
She smirked. “You’re welcome.”
Tino carried the boards in, calling over his shoulder, “Next time, we’ll try real waves. Maybe he won’t cry.”
“I didn’t cry,” Everett said. Rowan and Kelsey shared a glance. “I didn’t!”
That broke them into giggles. He loved the unguarded, joyous sound, making it all worth it. Kelsey clapped her hands. “You looked so cool, Dad! You looked happy.”
Everett froze, throat tight. It was too much and he fumbled, reaching for humor. “You didn’t see my very painful face-plant. Definitely uncool.”
She shot Rowan a knowing look. “If you’re not falling, you’re not learning,” she recited.
Everett groaned. “Great. Now I’ve got you both and Tino giving life lessons. How do you manage, Bagel?”
The rabbit regarded him with his usual judgmental stare, refusing to blink or surrender first. But the nights spent with Rowan had softened him a bit. He didn’t growl when Everett reached out to rub his head with affection.
It was enough.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Rows of pineapple fields unfurled on either side of the road as they pulled into the Dole Plantation parking lot. Families spilled out of minivans. A bus full of tourists unloaded in a bright stream of cameras and plastic leis. The air smelled faintly of sugar and grilled teriyaki from a far-off food stand.
Everett stepped out of the SUV, looked around, and made a sound that hovered between skepticism and resignation. “Good God,” he muttered. “I’ve walked directly into a brochure.”
Kelsey beamed. “It’s amazing! Look at the tiny pineapple plants! They look like baby pines.”
“Theyarebaby pines,” Rowan said, linking her arm with Kelsey’s as they headed toward the entrance. “It’s called the Pineapple Garden Maze, and if you don’t find a hidden station, your dad has to buy us Dole Whip.”
“That’s not a rule!” Everett said. “You made that up.”
“Too late,” Rowan said sweetly. “It’s official now.”
He looked up as a train whistle blew from across the plantation. “Is that ... the Dole Express? Seriously?”
“Seriously,” Rowan confirmed. “And we are definitely riding it.”
Everett had agreed to take a Sunday and give in to Kelsey’s request to visit the most famous pineapple plantation, even though he’d tried to suggest better uses of their time.
Kelsey practically sprinted toward the store, drawn in by bright displays and the oversize pineapple statue everyone used for photos. “Dad, come on!”
Everett followed with the posture of a man being marched toward his fate. “This is a tourist trap,” he grumbled under his breath.
“It is,” Rowan said cheerfully. “And today you’re going to enjoy it.”
He threw her a dry look. “I’m enjoying being with you two. The rest is questionable.”
Her stomach did an embarrassing flip at theyou. She hid it by nudging him with her shoulder. “Try not to look like you’re heading into a deposition.”
Inside, the plantation store was a riot of pineapple-shaped everything—candles, magnets, plush toys, even pineapple-print socks. The air-conditioning blasted them with cold air and the faint scent of vanilla sugar.
Kelsey grabbed a stuffed pineapple with a face on it and hugged it like a soulmate. “Dad, look! Isn’t she adorable?”
Everett stared at it. “It has ... eyelashes.”
“Exactly,” she said, clutching it tighter.
