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She glanced at her father in the kitchen as he cleaned up in the kitchen for the day. They usually switched off closing in the back, and today was his day. She whipped through cleaning the restaurant in a nervous frenzy and now had time to think.
Still, she didn’t know how to tell her dad about it all. All she knew was that she wanted to take the leap and try something new.
She straightened up a stack of cups for the third time before she wandered over to the piano to distract herself. Skimming her fingers along the keys relaxed her a little bit, and playing the beginning of an old jazz song she’d known for ages made the tension seep out of her even more. She slipped into the music, the smooth flow of it sweeping her away.
She had no idea how long she had been playing by the time Willis appeared at her side, watching her play with a smile on his face. The awe and love in his eyes made a lump appear in Hannah’s throat. She wrapped up the piece she was playing and rested her hands in her lap.
“You’re so amazing and talented, Hannah,” Willis said.
Hannah had a grip on her emotions before, but her father’s words blew down all of her defenses in an instant. She hiccupped and tears started falling from her eyes before she knew it. It was like she was so overwhelmed with the feelings inside of her that they spilled out in a flood. Willis came closer to her, resting a hand on her shoulder.
“Han, why are you crying?” Willis asked.
Hannah wiped her eyes and slid over so there was room for him on the piano bench. He sat down, putting an arm around her and pulling her into a side-hug.
It took Hannah a few moments, but Hannah gathered herself. She had to tell him—she couldn’t put it off any longer.
“So, remember that evening I took off of work and said I had something to do with a friend?” Hannah asked. Willis frowned, then nodded. “I was at Sandy and Daniel’s house with Luke, recording an audition video for the music school at Indiana University. And I just got a letter saying that I got in with a scholarship.”
“Oh, Hannah, wow.” Willis put his other arm around his daughter, holding her tight. “That’s incredible! Do you not want to go? Is that why you’re crying?”
“Wait, you’re not upset?” Hannah sniffed, rubbing at her eyes again.
“Why would I be? That’s amazing news. I’m so proud of you.” Willis rubbed her back in slow circles the way he always did when she was overwhelmed.
“It’s just… it’s in Indiana. I have to leave Blueberry Bay and you and The Crab…” Hannah sighed. “Will you be okay without me? I don’t want to leave everything to you or make life harder.”
“I’ll miss you, but it would hurt me more if I knew I was keeping you from following your dreams,” he said, kissing the top of her head.
The weight lifted off of Hannah’s chest, and any fog hiding her view of the future cleared away. She couldn’t wait to see what this next stage in her life would bring her.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Finally, the day of the luau had arrived and Alissa was almost overwhelmed with her excitement. After writing about it for what felt like ages, she knew the event in and out. On one hand, it was great—she knew exactly where to go for what, and which activities and vendors she wanted to go to first. But on the other hand, she almost had too many options.
“Where do you want to go first?” Dane asked her, squeezing her hand.
“I don’t know. We have so many options!”
She looked around the beach, where the center of the party was. To her right was the stage, where a few bands from the area were going to play some traditional Hawaiian music mixed with some fun crowd-pleasers. The first band was setting up already, testing the sound. Near them was a dance floor, where they were going to hula dance.
Games, themed activities, surfing, and a sandcastle contest were closer to the water, with groups of people already into the games. The vendors rounded it out on the far side of beach, the scents of more food than Alissa could possibly taste in one day drifting toward her when the breeze blew in the right way.
The whole beach was decorated beautifully too, with flowers, tiki torches, plants, and wooden masks peppered around the space, highlighting whatever activity was in a particular spot.
When she took a closer look, she saw her friends and people she had gotten to know since she moved to Blueberry Bay. Hannah and Willis were at The Crab’s booth, which was already busy. Michael was down near the water with his surfboard, giving a demonstration. Tidal Wave Coffee’s booth was running smoothly without him, serving up iced lattes and other coffee drinks made with macadamia nut milk and coconut milk. They even had a big sign advertising a boozy coffee drink that came in a fun mug.
“What about food first? Maybe a drink while we wander around?” Dane asked.
“Sure, that sounds good.”
Dane led her through the crowd, saying hello to people and looking right at home in his Hawaiian shirt and shorts. She smiled, taking in the back of his head as he guided them. All of his efforts to embrace the town were starting to pay off. He fit in seamlessly.
The way he had embraced Blueberry Bay wasn’t just good for him—it was going to work out wonderfully for the magazine, newspaper, and their lives together. He understood the people here and how the pace was slower, but that wasn’t a bad thing. It was just his way of life now.
They arrived at the bar, which was appropriately placed toward the entrance of the food area, and got in line. The drinks were also on-theme, but Alissa couldn’t decide what she wanted. The Blue Hawaii sounded good, though she’d never had one before, but so did the mai tai.
“What are you getting?” Dane asked. “I have no idea what I want, honestly.”
