The security officers shifted restlessly. Tomi stood. “I think these men are ready for me.” He gripped Mano’s hand. “I heard from Afsoon this morning. She’s in Egypt. When she gets here, she can corroborate my story. Mahalo for everything, my friend.”
Reluctant to release his friend’s hand, Mano gripped it tightly. “Hang in there, Tomi. This will all be sorted out.”
“All thanks to you.” Tomi let go of Mano’s hand, then pulled him into a hug and slapped him on the back. “Talk to you soon.” He went out the door with his head held high.
Mano hoped Annie and her father would take the news of Tomi’s apprehension as well.
Wilson barked and ran in circles around Annie’s feet, then raced up the wall and back down again. “What’s with you?” she asked. The mongoose ran to the door and barked again. Someone must be here. Her hand went to her throat. Was Tomi’s interview over? The doorbell rang, and she quickly stepped to throw open the door.
“Hi,” Mano said. His eyes were bright above the royal blue and white aloha short he wore.
“Where’s Tomi?” She opened the door for him.
He stepped inside. “He’s in navy custody, Annie. Only until this is sorted out,” he added when her eyes filled with tears.
Annie couldn’t speak. She nodded and went into the living room. The hope she’d clung to all day ebbed away and left her feeling bereft.
Mano followed her. “It’s going to be okay. He’ll be home again before you know it.” He hesitated. “Be prepared for a dishonorable discharge though.”
She pressed her fingers to a pain at her temple. “I don’t even want to hear what Father says about it.”
“Where’s Leilani?”
“Out with friends.” If he kept staring at her like that, she was going to melt. There was a new awareness between them, so many things left unsaid. She longed to hear them, but the thought made her catch her breath at the same time. “I’d better get dinner started.”
“I’ll help you.”
She never before realized how delicious anticipation could be. They walked together to the kitchen, and she let herself imagine doing this with him every night in their own home. Don’t go there. She jerked back from the thought as if from a river of lava. She set him to chopping vegetables.
Mano set the table, then plopped onto a stool at the counter and watched her fix the beef stir-fry. “Smells good.”
“I don’t know where Father is,” Annie said, glancing at the clock on the wall. “He should be home by now.”
“Maybe he heard about Tomi in town.” He looked around. “Are you safe here?”
Annie tried to smile. “For now. But the lava is moving this way. There’s no telling if it will pass us by or destroy the land. But it looks like we’ll be moving on to another home regardless. We’ll be okay. God is in control.” She went to the phone. “I’ll call Father.” She dialed her father’s cell phone number, and her father answered. “Father, dinner is ready.”
He sounded flustered and annoyed. “You’re interrupting my research, Annie. I had a pizza delivered.”
She took a deep breath. It was time she made her stand. “Fine, we’ll eat without you. But I’d appreciate it if next time you’ll be delayed you give me the courtesy of a phone call.”
From the silence on the other end of the phone, she knew he was taken aback by her rebuke. “I may be gone when you get back. Mano’s here, and we may go for a drive or something.”
Her father began to sputter, but Annie said good-bye and clicked off the phone. “I did it,” she said. Her shoulders straightened as twenty pounds—maybe fifty—rolled off. “Let’s eat.”
Mano’s grin spread across his face. “I am Annie, hear me roar.”
She laughed. “Or at least meow.”
He squeezed her fingers and pulled her chair out for her. She was conscious of his gaze on her throughout the meal. “You’re staring,” she finally said as they had their coffee.
“You’re so beautiful.”
She was beginning to believe he saw her that way, miraculous as it was. No snappy answer came to mind, so she just stayed quiet.
“Let’s walk down by the water,” Mano said. “I have something I want to say to you.”
Was she ready to hear it? Her heart told her yes, but her head was still afraid of disappointing him. He deserved so much more than she could give him. His warm hand enveloped hers, and he led her toward the door. Wilson zipped out under her feet and ran ahead of them to the water.
They walked down to what Annie thought of as “their rock.” She perched on it, then patted the spot beside her. Wilson took her invitation and hopped up onto her lap, then burrowed under her shirt. Mano knelt in front of her. Her pulse began to gallop. Was he going to propose? If he did, what would she say?