Page 58 of Big Island Summer
She shook her head. But when his hand started to slip out of hers, she tightened her grip.
“Could you just…” she paused, cleared her throat, continued, “sit with me a while?”
He squeezed her hand and pulled away, but he only went as far as the nearest chair.
“I’ll sit with you as long as you need.”
17
Emma
“Done!” Kai rolled his summer-green paint over the last bit of bare wall and stood back to admire his work.
Emma’s painstaking painter’s tape and drop cloths had made it possible for him to paint his room alongside her, with him wielding rollers as high as he could reach and her painting the rest. They had done one wall a day, with Kai sleeping in her room in the meantime.
“Are you happy with it?” she asked.
“Yes! This is the best room I’ve ever had!” Kai spread his arms out and spun around, admiring each wall in turn.
He had chosenfourpaint colors: green, blue, yellow, and red.
Each of them were fully saturated, vivid shades – the fullest realization of each color. It felt like being inside of a lego tower.
“Thank you!” He threw his arms around Emma’s waist, no doubt leaving green fingerprints on the old Redwood Cafe t-shirt she wore. That was fine – it was already splattered with threeprimary colors from earlier that week. “You’re the best mom ever!”
“I had fun painting with you,” she said, squeezing him tight.
It was his room, and he loved it. That was all that mattered.
“I’m starving,” he announced, stepping back to look at her. There was a streak of green paint just below his eye, and more dripping up his arms. “Can you make me a grilled cheese?”
“I can. And while I’m doing that, you need a shower.”
“Aw man. Do I have to?”
“Yes. Take a look at your face in the mirror–”
“Am I green?” he demanded, grinning.
“And wash it really well in the shower.”
He sprinted off to admire his reflection – and hopefully get cleaned up.
Juniper was in the kitchen, carefully straining tea into the huge glass containers that she and Cody carted to each farmers market.
“Is there a market today?” Emma asked. With Kai out of school, she was starting to lose track of her days of the week again.
“No,” Juniper said, her eyes on her work.
“So what’s the tea for?”
“Tara’s catering an event, and she asked me to handle the drinks.”
“Oh, very cool. I didn’t think Tara did catering.”
“She doesn’t usually, but a friend asked her to do it as a favor. It’s for some fundraiser.”
“Got it. Can I make you a sandwich?” Emma sliced long pieces of bread off of a big loaf of local sourdough. “I’m making Kai a grilled cheese.”
