Page 69 of Tiki Beach

Keone noticed my distraction. “What is it?” he asked quietly.

“Something’s going on with Pearl, Opal, and your mom,” I murmured. “They’re huddled over that rendering like it contains classified information.”

“It probably does,” Keone said. “Pearl never does anything without multiple layers going on.”

“They’re hiding something,” I observed as we pulled away from the Heritage Garden site, Mount Haleakala standing magnificent against the cloudless sky behind us.

“Probably,” Keone agreed, reaching across to take my right hand, his thumb brushing lightly across the ring’s surface. “But that’s tomorrow’s problem.”

As we drove along the coastal road toward Keone’s cottage—our little home, with its view of the ocean and proximity to Ilima’s house next door—I was filled with a sense of deep joy.

Whatever mystery Pearl, Opal, and Ilima were contemplating could wait.

Today was for celebrating how far we’d already come: a garden beginning to take root, justice being served, and a future unfolding with possibilities, hope, and love.