Though he’d found it hard to warm up to her at first, her enthusiasm for being with Heidi put him at ease. “Great!” He glanced at his watch. “When can you start?”
“Today if you need me.” She smiled at Heidi. “How about a shave ice this afternoon?”
“Super!”
“Then horseback riding?” Faye’s eyes gleamed.
“On the beach?”
“Yep. I’ll need to change into jeans. You too. Your legs will get sore in those shorts.”
“Okay!” Heidi jumped up and put her hand in Faye’s.
Jesse felt like a load of taro had just rolled off his back. With Heidi so enthusiastic, he could leave the guilt behind.
The wind blew her hair into black streams behind her. Kaia wished she’d brought a scarf. Mano’s car was in the shop, and he reveled in the chance to drive their grandfather’s car. She clung to the door handle as Mano careened around the corner and pressed the accelerator of the convertible. “Slow down!”
He ignored her plea, laughing as she hit him on the arm. The old muscle car had seen better days, but their grandfather kept it in pristine condition. Everyone on the island knew Oke in the blue 1965 Plymouth Grand Fury. He generally took up more than his half of the road, but the island people respected him enough to get out of his way.
“Live a little, sis. You need some excitement in your life,” he shouted over the roar of the wind in her ears.
“I have plenty of excitement. Slow down, or you can take me home.” She didn’t want to go anyway. It was already five, and by the time the meeting was over, she’d barely have time to bolt down a teriyaki burger and get to the boat for her patrol duties. The thought of cruising along the inky water wasn’t something she was looking forward to. She’d tried to sleep today, but the bright sunshine wasn’t conducive to rest when she wanted to be at Seaworthy Labs working on her research.
Mano let up on the accelerator, and the convertible’s speed eased. At least Kaia felt she could breathe again. The wind had snatched her air away before she could suck it into her lungs. “How big is this meeting anyway?”
“About sixty. It varies. We should have good attendance tonight.” Mano’s broad hands handled the car with expertise, and he pulled into a tight parking spot.
“They meet at the old rice mill?” Kaia stared at the weathered structure outside Hanapepe. It sat in the middle of an open field surrounded by red dirt and scruffy shrubs. The grayed boards hadn’t seen a paintbrush in decades. The dozens of cars parked around it seemed out of place.
“It’s got plenty of room, and it’s private.” He got out of the car and headed toward the building.
Kaia hurried to catch up with him. “Where’s the fire?” she panted.
“The meeting has probably already started. I don’t want to miss anything.”
She followed him through the door and into the old mill. This was not her idea of a good time. Cane spiders tended to overtake abandoned buildings, and she hated the huge, aggressive spiders. She’d once had one nearly the size of her hula skirt chase her across the room even though she had a broom in her hand, and she wasn’t eager to repeat the experience, even though they weren’t poisonous.
Men and women milled around the rough wooden floors. The musty odor of grain and dust made her sneeze. No one seemed to notice them slip to the back of the crowd, which was intent on the man speaking from atop an old piece of machinery.
He waved his arms as he spoke. “The haoles brought their diseases to our islands, used our women, took our land, brought reli-gious ideas and ethics that eradicated the Hawaiian culture. But we can take it back, my friends. The United States has apologized for their atrocities; now we must insist they prove their sincerity with action. They must return the lands they stole and allow us to govern ourselves. As we make inroads with Congress, we need to work to repair our culture, to revitalize the old ways.”
Kaia listened to him expound on the virtues of a sovereign Hawai’i. She could see why Mano was enthralled. Even she felt a tugging in her heart. Hawaiians like the Oana family would stand to benefit if the old monarchy was resurrected. She and her siblings descended from royalty, all the way back to the last reigning queen, Liliuokalani. They could be part of the new government. Maybe that was the allure for Mano.
The man continued. “We could make our own trade agreements, keep what we make here, use the taxes we pay to the U.S. for our own islands. We can turn back the clock and return to the old ways, to our rich culture of aloha.”
She glanced around the mill and saw groups of men and women listening intently. There was a mixture of races as well, full-blooded Hawaiian, part Hawaiian, and even some haole and Japanese. The man’s appeal was apparently broad based.
“Who is he?” she whispered to Mano.