started then went silent when Keeana clapped her hands, stepping in front of him like he wasn’t there at all.
“What a great idea, pēpē.” She looped her arm through Gia’s and led her away from the crowd with Keola at her side. “Kai got a chocolate pie from that Swiss bakery. Everything else is ready. All you have to do is come over and eat. That’s the best part of Christmas anyway.”
Gia looked over her shoulder, moving her eyebrows up when she spotted Kai, a silent request for approval that only got answered with his hands going up in surrender like he knew there was nothing he could say to change their minds.
“Well…” Gia tried thinking of an excuse that didn’t sound made up or stupid and when none came to her, she let Kai’s family lead her back to their building. “I guess I could eat.”
“Good,” Keeana said, her smile wide. “Then I can tell you all about Kai and what a lolo nerd he was before I came along.”
“I’d like to hear all about that.”
“No, you wouldn’t,” Kai said, hurrying to catch up to them.
“Yes, she would,” Keola answered, taking Gia’s hand to lead her out of the cold Christmas night and into the comfort of their family’s home.
“SO…HE WAS…”
“Naked!” Keeana said, laughing behind her glass of wine when Kai threw his napkin at her.
“You’re lucky my daughter is in the bathroom.”
“Oh, I’m sure there is a plaque on the girl’s bathroom wall…with a sketch of your fat ass running from Mrs. Delvin chasing you down the hallway. Keola will see it one day. I promise you.”
“In my defense…” Kai said then shut up when Keola returned to the table with a pink cell phone in her hand.
“Can I show you the video?” she asked, not waiting for permission before she climbed onto Gia’s lap.
“Keiki…” Kai started then shook his head when Gia settled the girl farther on her lap. She was almost nine, too old to be toted around, but Keola was proud of herself and wanted to share a video her mother had taken of her first hula performance. “I’m not the best in my class,” she said, holding the phone to her chest before she’d let Gia watch the video. “But I’m the tallest and my arms are the longest so you can see me the best.”
“I’m sure you are outstanding,” Gia told her, leaning an elbow on the table to see the phone better when Keola hit the screen and a class of young girls, all around her age moved onto a small outdoor stage and began to dance.
Gia watched, listening to Kai’s daughter comment on mistakes when she made them, then the explanations of each movement, a little overwhelmed by the girl and how similar, and how different she was to her father. She was starting to understand why it always seemed so hard for Kai to be away from her.
“Here’s my favorite part,” Keola said, pointing to the screen when the music sped up and she moved to the center of the stage, leading the other girls as they moved their hips and feet and arms all at the same time, smiles brilliant and wide, hair thick and long, swaying in the open breeze that hit them around the outdoor stage.
“You’re so talented,” Gia told her, returning the smile Keola gave her as the video ended and she hopped off of Gia’s lap to return to her own seat. “So, who do you get your moves from?” She looked at Keeana and Kai, lifting her chin to the couple across from her. “Mom or Dad?”
“Dad,” Kai said just as Keeana said “Mom.”
“Neither of them,” Keola answered, rolling her eyes when her parents booed her. “They both think they’re so cool but if you ever see them dance, I swear, you’d die.”
Gia laughed, nodding to the girl for solidarity’s sake. Keola was beautiful and sharp as a tack. Gia liked this kid and wanted to hear everything she had to say. The girl ignored her father when he offered to demonstrate his dance moves and focused on Gia. “My friend Makana is the one who wanted me to take hula with her. She has all brothers who make her practice rugby and football with them. She wanted to do something fun that she knew they wouldn’t do.”
“And her brothers wouldn’t do hula?”
“Boys typically do fire dance,” Kai explained, grinning at Gia. “Hey…didn’t you know a fire dancer, Gia?” She wanted to smack him