at her, when Keeana did the same, likely expecting an introduction that the man clearly wasn’t going to give. He slipped his gaze to her and she couldn’t get a read on his mood by the neutral expression on his face. By then, Gia was over feeling out of place and stupid when there was no cause.
“Hi, Keeana,” she said to the woman, relaxing when Kai’s ex returned her smile. “I’m Gia Jilani. I’m the Steamers’ General Manager.”
“Yes, I heard,” Keeana said, taking Gia’s offered hand to shake it. “And since this buggah is being rude, I’m glad you said hello.” She held up her hand when Kai opened his mouth and then nodded to her daughter. “Pēpē say hello to Ms. Jilani.”
“Oh, I know you!” the girl said, smiling at Gia as she cut off her chat with the street performer. “Miss Reese told me about you…about how you invited her to come try out for my makuakāne’s team and how you’re the first woman doing your job too!”
“Reese is my…friend,” Gia said, kneeling down to speak to the girl. “And she’s great at her job.”
“Is my makuakāne good at his job?” she asked, grabbing Kai’s hand.
Gia stood, chancing a gaze at Kai, not sure what expression he’d have for her now that Keeana had called him out. “Yes,” she told the girl. “He’s one of the best in the whole league. Coach Ricks says so all the time.”
“Really?”
“I promise.”
“Just not as good as Reese Noble,” Kai interjected, rolling his eyes at his daughter until the girl laughed.
“Well, you aren’t the first man doing your job, are you? There are all kinds of big men doing the same job but only one girl doing Miss Reese’s job.”
“That’s true, keiki. She’s the first.” Kai tapped Keola’s nose, seeming to give up his teasing in favor of agreeing with the performance their placekicker had given that season.
“And Miss Gia…she’s the first too, right? No one else like her?”
Kai nodded, shifting his attention to Gia. He still held something back. Maybe, Gia thought, he was just trying to refrain from screaming at her. But then, the muscles around his jaw eased and Kai gave her a small grin, his gaze lingering on her mouth before he answered his daughter. “No…there’s no one like her.”
“Well,” Gia said, not wanting to think too much on that look. She glanced at Keola and Keeana, hoping she didn’t sound as frazzled as she felt. “I don’t want to keep you from your family time. It was so good to meet you both…”
“You aren’t keeping us,” Keeana said, her smile lowering as she glanced to Kai, then back at Gia. “Kai says you don’t have any family in the city?”
“Well, no…my parents and brothers are all in New York…”
“You didn’t see your family on Christmas?” Keola said, dropping her mouth open like a solitary holiday was the saddest thing she’d ever heard of in her young life.
“No, not this year, but it’s okay…”
“Do you have a puppy or a kitten?” Keola tilted her head, the concern on her face making Gia nervous.
“No…it’s just me in my place.”
“And you don’t have a best friend…or a boyfriend or husband?”
“Keiki, it’s not nice to get into people’s business,” Kai said, squeezing his daughter’s hand.
“But, makuakāne, you said nobody should be alone on Christmas. You said that’s why you wanted to bring that security man those cookies me and makuahine made.”
“Well, yeah, but Gia…she’s not like…” He went quiet when Gia cleared her throat.
“Keola, you know, I kind of like being by myself.” Gia waved a hand, playing off the sad reality of her lonely Christmas. “I’ve done that for a long time and, no, I don’t have a puppy or kitten to keep me company…or some gross boy eating all the food in my fridge,” she winked and the girl’s frown transformed into a grin, “because I’m real busy most of the time, but don’t feel bad for me. I’ll get to see my family in a few weeks depending on how your dad and the rest of the team do in the playoffs.”
Keola’s grin lowered, became no real expression at all and her features tightened— those big eyes narrowing as though there was something she tried to sort out in her own mind before she would respond to Gia. Then, those black eyes rounded and the girl’s mouth stretched into a smile so wide it warmed something inside of Gia’s chest.