5. Anne #2
Anne’s eyes wandered to Jasmine. She was a good influence, at least, from what Anne had seen so far. And neither Anne nor Noah worked an office job with set hours; they would be with the kids more often than not, even during the day.
How much trouble could they get into?
She shunted that question to the back of her mind before her anxiety could conjure up any answers.
“We should leave now if we’re gonna have time for that hike,” Jasmine said.
“I can pack you a lunch,” Anne offered.
“Thanks, but we’ll just pick up some onigiri and kombucha on the way.”
“Okay. Have fun. Be safe.”
Pete wandered back into the kitchen and watched them go with a tragic expression.
“I have a feeling that homeschooling won’t actually mean more time at home for Claire,” he lamented.
Anne put an arm around him. “It’s you and me, kid.”
“Acutally,” he drew the word out and stepped away to look up at her, “Paige and Piper invited me up to the ranch to see their baby ducks. Kai’s going too, and his mom said I could ride with them.”
“Sounds fun.” Anne conjured up a smile that didn’t have much heart behind it.
“Would you tell his mom I can go?”
“Sure, I’ll text her.”
“Thank you.” Pete squeezed her waist and then jumped away again. “I’ll go get ready!”
Anne let out another little sigh as she texted Tara and Emma to confirm the plan that the kids had made for the day.
She was glad that Pete had made so many friends through the Pualena Playschool co-op, and she was grateful that Claire had close friendships as well.
But she missed them.
When she moved to Hawaii and offered to homeschool her kids, she had assumed that would mean more time with them.
And that was true to some extent, but they didn’t spend nearly as much time together as a family as Anne had originally envisioned.
Her work kept her busy, and her kids had busy lives of their own.
She needed to be more intentional about carving out time together.
Maybe it was time for her to pull back on the bed and breakfast. Like Zoe had reminded her that morning, it was never supposed to go on as long as it had. And lately, it seemed like her mother’s patience was wearing thin.
She had already shifted things around to block off a room for Akemi, who – after arriving with next to no notice – was currently sleeping in their mom’s room. Maybe she should also close down check-in’s for a couple days each week to try and block off dedicated family time.
One way or another, she wanted more time with her children. It would only be another minute before they were grown and gone.
Akemi came downstairs, holding her squirming baby in both arms. When she let him down, he raced immediately to the cabinet he had discovered the day before and got to work pulling out every piece of plastic tupperware that they owned.
“Did you get any sleep?” Anne asked, pouring her sister the last cup of coffee.
“A bit. Right around dawn.”
“Jet lag?” she guessed.
“My worst enemy,” Akemi confirmed. “Kaleo was up at midnight running laps around the living room. He didn’t settle back down until like four in the morning.”
“That’s rough.”
“Luckily Mom’s a deep sleeper these days. But she also snores.” Akemi rubbed her eyes and took a swig of coffee.
“I’m sorry about your room. I had it blocked off starting next month, but–”
“It’s fine. I get it.”
“We’re not fully booked, so I was able to shuffle people around and upgrade them to bigger rooms, which means that you’ll have yours back starting tomorrow.”
“Thanks.” She looked down at Kaleo, who was happily banging two pieces of tupperware against the kitchen floor. “It’ll be at least a few more days of jet lag anyway, so it’s whatever. We’ll sleep when and where we can.”
“What do you need right now? Food or a nap?”
“I would kill for a nap.” Akemi set her coffee cup down with a thud.
“Go ahead. I’ll stay with Kaleo.”
“Really?”
“Sure.” Anne checked her phone and found a confirmation from the other moms: Emma would swing by in a few minutes to pick Pete up for a day at the ranch. “I’ve got nothing going on.”
“You’re the best.”
“Go get some rest. I’ll save you a plate of waffles.”
Akemi crouched down to kiss the top of Kaleo’s head, then trudged up the stairs to get some much-needed sleep.
Anne handed her nephew a wooden spoon, which he drummed against metal pots and plastic bowls while she cleaned up after breakfast.
She perched him on the kitchen island, and he ate the last of the scrambled eggs and banana. Once he had eaten, she cleaned him up and carried him out onto the back porch. Immediately, he threw his weight backwards in an effort to escape.
Anne caught him in both arms, surprised by his strength.
“You’re an active kid, aren’t you?” She walked down the steps and set him down on the patchy back lawn. “You know, I think we’ve got a baby pool around here somewhere.”
She dug around in the carport, keeping an eye on Kaleo as he toddled around the fenced backyard, and finally found the little pool that had been used for other grandkids when they were his age.
She washed it out, filled it up, and sat back in the sun while Kaleo sat in the pool and splashed.
She tossed in a few plastic cups, and he set about pouring water from one to another with intense concentration.
The sun rose higher, and she pulled the pool into the shade of the house. The water sloshed, and Kaleo laughed.
Then she sat down on the steps, and admired the vast view that had shaped her childhood, perched there at the edge of the world. She enjoyed the cool breeze off of the ocean and breathed deep, letting her worries melt away.
“I’m glad you’re back,” Anne told her nephew. “You help me slow down.”
Kaleo ignored her. She didn’t mind.
It was a slow, lazy summer day – and Anne was right where she wanted to be.