you hopping.”
Anna tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Penny’s manning the bakery,” she said, referring to her pastry chef. “And Kevin is home this week, so he’s watching the kids.”
“Besides,” Mike said. “I’ve come to whisk you off for an afternoon of kiteflying.”
Anna pulled an e-reader from her purse. “It’ll be great. I can sit and catch up on my reading. Looking forward to diving into the new Kristan Higgins novel. She makes me laugh so hard.”
“Are you two ganging up on me?” Gia asked.
“Yep,” Mike said. “You have to stay healthy to take care of Grammy when she comes home.” He sounded so sure it was true, as if it were a foregone conclusion that Grammy would come home.
Helpless in the face of his optimism, she nodded.
* * *
NOW, TWENTY MINUTES later, here she was on the beach, wind in her hair, sand between her toes, and so happy she’d agreed to the outing, even if guilt was riding right along with her.
“This kite is amazing.” Mike’s grin lit up his face as the blue fish kite that Gia had mailed him from Japan for his September birthday swooped and soared in the wind. “I’ve been waiting for you to come home to fly it with me.”
This was why she made kites. That look in his eyes. Giddy glee. His pleasure was hers.
“Style, grace, color. This kite has it all. It’s not just beautiful, it flies high.” Mike eyed her. “Just like the gorgeous person who built it.”
“Oh you.” She laughed and shook her head. She stood still, allowing the wind to take her kite higher. She was flying her favorite, a pink dragon with a long tail. It was a two-string kite she affectionately called Puff.
“I’m not kidding. This is the easiest kite I’ve ever flown.”
“The wind speed is perfect today.”
“Don’t sell yourself short. It’s not the wind. This kite is not just well crafted. It’s art.”
“That’s why I went to Japan.” Gia laughed again, happy to be on Moonglow Beach, flying kites with her best friend as they had so many times as children.
Mike’s blue fish kite chased after Puff. “Your skills just keep getting better and better.” He raised his voice so that she could hear him over the sounds of the wind whipping around the kites. “I’m amazed at how much you’ve learned.”
“My mentor taught me that kitemaking forms a triad of scale, weight, and symmetry. If one aspect is off, the kite will not fly. It’s all about balance,” she said. “Just like with life.”
“You’ve nailed all three.” He stared up at the kite.
“That’s because my teacher made me carve the bamboo over and over until I perfected the thickness and form. Sometimes, it would be off by barely a millimeter, and he’d shake his head and give me that look like he’d sucked on a lemon and say, ‘Start again.’”
“Your attention to detail paid off big-time.”
“He also had me study Eastern imagery to learn how to paint traditional designs. The fish kite has a very old history. It swims in a sea of sky.”
Mike shook his head. “I’m so damned proud of you, Gia. You’ve carved out your niche in the world.”
His words gave wings to her heart, and her hopes flew as high as their kites. “Just as you have with your woodworking.”
“Who would have thought that day I took you out to fly your first kite you’d end up making them for a living?”
“It’s not a career they encourage you to pursue for career day in school.” Gia chuckled. “Let me tell you, everyone but you tried to talk me out of it.”
“When you love something as much as you love kites, you gotta go for it.”
“I confess to plenty of doubts. To spend so much time and effort pursuing a dying art? I asked my mentor whether it was smart to work so hard for something that might never be anything more than a hobby.”
“What did he say?”
“In the softest voice, he said, ‘As long as there are people who care about kindness, beauty, and authenticity, people will make kites.’
“In my Americanness, I said, ‘Yes, but will they be making money making kites?’”
“What was his answer?”
“He rubbed his bald noggin the way he does, like it’s a magic lamp and if he just rubs it long enough, a genie will pop out and grant him three wishes. Then he said, ‘Kiteflying is lucky; kitemaking even luckier. Make your own luck, Minarai. Build more kites.’”
“Why does he call you