Chapter Twenty-Four
Early the next morning, Alexandre started the Prius and followed the directions to the destination Mei had typed into his phone.
“Are you ever going to say what we’re doing today, or are you going to keep me in suspense?
” Mei had only told him to wear a long-sleeve shirt and pants and prepare to get dirty.
From the passenger seat beside him, Mei rolled down the window, letting the wind sweep through her hair.
“It’s nothing crazy. I just wanted to surprise you.
We’re volunteering at a local nonprofit that restores wetlands.
We’ll be removing invasive plants and replacing them with native ones.
I know how much you love the outdoors. And I wanted to give back to O‘ahu.”
“That sounds like a perfect day.” Alexandre reached over and touched her hand. “I can’t wait to rip up those invasive plants.”
Mei laughed, curling her fingers around his before letting go.
They drove back to the windward side of the island. The green cliffs of the Ko‘olau Range towered overhead, puffy white clouds shrouding their peaks.
Mei sighed. “I’ll never get tired of those mountains. Would you be hiking them if I weren’t here?”
Alexandre shrugged. He actually had researched a few challenging Ko‘olau trails before the trip. “Maybe. But I’d rather be with you.”
Soon, he pulled into a gravel parking lot at what looked like a cross between a farm and a nature sanctuary. A small group mingled under a thatched hut beside a greenhouse.
Alexandre and Mei introduced themselves to Lani, the nonprofit’s head of community outreach, and the other volunteers: a twenty-something couple from California, and a mom and her two teenagers from Seattle.
“Today you’ll be helping us maintain these wetlands,” Lani said. “They’re an important part of the natural ecosystem that includes the nearby estuary, coral reefs, and kalo fields—or taro, as you probably know it—which is a traditional part of the Native Hawaiian diet.”
Under Lani’s direction, they loaded tools, work gloves, and potted native plants into wheelbarrows.
“We couldn’t have asked for better scenery,” Alexandre said to Mei as he pushed a wheelbarrow down a dirt path. The dramatic green mountains loomed before them.
Lani stopped beside a riot of greenery covering a stream bank. She pointed out the plants they were to weed, which was nearly everything, except for neke, a spiky fern, and pā‘ūohi‘iaka and kīpūkai, which both had tiny flowers.
Alexandre and Mei crouched down in the spot they’d claimed.
The ground was damp from the rain earlier in the week.
Alexandre barely needed the tools. He extracted the plants, and their roots, with a quick tug.
The scent of fresh earth filled his nose.
Sweat dripped from his face onto the ground.
Mei was sweaty, too. A bit of soil smudged her cheek, and wisps of hair escaped her messy bun.
She smiled at him every time their eyes met.
They filled bucket after bucket with plants, leaving behind fertile ground.
After everyone cleared their patches of land, Lani demonstrated how to plant the native species. They dug small holes, placed the delicate ferns in the ground, and gently covered the roots with soil.
At the end of the session, Lani thanked them. “Your work here will live on long after you leave. Maybe one day you’ll come back and see how your plants have grown.”
“Hopefully.” Alexandre and Mei shared a smile, though Lani’s words made him a little sad. Would they ever return? And if they did, would it be as a couple? Married to other people? Alexandre didn’t want to dwell on the unknown. He shucked off his work gloves and dropped them in the wheelbarrow.
The young California couple, Tessa and Nate, were taking selfies. They mugged for the photos, their cheeks pressed together.
“Want me to take one of you?” Alexandre offered.
“That’d be lit!” Tessa handed him her phone. She ran back to Nate and threw her arms around him. He leaned over and kissed her cheek.
Alexandre snapped a series of photos, capturing the emerald mountains in the background.
“Want me to get one of you two?” Tessa asked.
Alexandre glanced at Mei. Her eyes lit up. “Sure.”
They jogged to the same spot. Mei wrapped her arms around his waist. Alexandre draped an arm over her shoulders. He was tempted to kiss her, too.
Tessa grinned at the phone. “Adorable. You two are the cutest.”
Alexandre didn’t clarify that they weren’t a couple. Neither did Mei.
At their car, Alexandre hugged Mei again. He relished the feel of her against him, her lemon-coconut scent mingling with sunscreen, sweat, and fresh dirt. “Today was the best. My favorite part of the trip, so far.”
Mei beamed. “I’m so glad you liked it!”
Using all his willpower, Alexandre released her. They were starving, so they picked up banh mis. At a nearby state park, they found a bench on a grassy knoll overlooking the ocean.
Alexandre bit into his sandwich with a satisfying crunch. The airy baguette, pickled vegetables, rich paté, and creamy mayonnaise made the perfect bite. From their bench, he could see where they’d volunteered, a verdant area at the foot of the green mountain ridge.
“We had a nice group. The teens seemed into it. The other couple, too.” Whoops. He’d referred to Tessa and Nate as “the other couple,” as if he and Mei were one. Alexandre hurried on so Mei wouldn’t notice his slip. “They were cute. They seemed so happy.”
She let out a short laugh. “They seemed happy. But maybe they’re all smiles on the outside and miserable on the inside.” She frowned. “Sorry. I shouldn’t project on other people.”
“You and Joey.” Obviously. Alexandre couldn’t think of anything else to say.
“Yeah. Sometimes I get so angry. Not at Joey. At myself. For going along and telling myself everything would work out when I knew, deep down, that it wouldn’t.”
Alexandre crumpled up his sandwich wrapper. Good thing he’d finished eating before getting into a Joey discussion. “That’s human nature. We all want to believe in the choices we’ve made, so we dig in and try to make them work.”
“Well, digging in only works if you’re not digging into a horrible mistake. I’ve learned a lot about self-delusion and the value of listening to that little voice sooner, when it says you’re headed down the wrong path.”
“Petit à petit.”
Mei’s brows knitted in confusion.
“That’s an old French expression my mom used to say,” Alexandre explained.
“Petit à petit, l’oiseau fait son nid. It means, ‘Little by little, the bird makes its nest.’ I hadn’t thought of it in ages, but I started repeating it to myself once I decided to leave Oregon.
I knew that forgiving myself and rebuilding my life would take time.
But I could try, petit à petit.” Alexandre had never told that to anyone. He hoped it would bring Mei comfort.
“Petit à petit,” she repeated. “I like that. I’m going to make it my mantra.”
Puffy white clouds dotted the blue sky. With the sun shining down, the thunderstorms earlier in the week felt like a lifetime ago.
“Are you dating now?” Mei asked.
Alexandre startled, then composed himself. “I have been. I’m not seeing anyone, though.”
Mei nodded. She didn’t ask for details. Alexandre didn’t share any, either.
What would be the point of telling her about the Vassar drama professor?
Or the local entrepreneur who made goat milk soap?
Or the barista he’d had a brief fling with, leading him to avoid her café, which, unfortunately, served the best espresso in town?
“Have you dated?” he asked Mei.
“Not yet. Maybe soon. I already know next time will be different.” She laughed ruefully. But when their eyes met, Mei looked away quickly, as if she’d said too much.
Next time…with him? Alexandre was hesitant to ask. He didn’t want to sound callous, like, Sorry you dumped your fiancé three months ago. Are you over him yet?
His mind whirred. Should he make a move?
Mei was doing better every day, but she was still healing.
Alexandre certainly didn’t want to be a rebound for Joey.
Then there was that awkward moment after their near kiss during the hurricane.
Why do our siblings have to be married? Alexandre stifled a sigh.
That just added another degree of complication.
Still, their attraction was undeniable. His feelings for Mei were real, too.
“Next time will be different,” Alexandre said. “The right person will be there when you’re ready.” There. That sounded like the perfect answer. Reassuring and encouraging with enough subtext.
Mei seemed to get it. A little smile played on her lips.