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Joel studied Theo, who had enough sticks and twigs to fill a rainforest in his curly hair. It was looking like bath time would include a shampoo, and he knew curly hair could be particular depending upon the product and method, but how could he figure that out without bothering Ayesha? How could two kids be as taxing as a five-day hike in sweltering temperatures? And when did they get tired?Didthey get tired?
“Do you want him?” he asked.
Nik burst out laughing. “If I take him, do I get his mother too?”
“You’re toeing the line, my friend.”
“Says the man who is ‘just friends’ with Ayesha Savea.”
Joel shrugged, a chuckle pushing through his exhaustion. Nik, still laughing, shook his head.
Their laughter slowly faded.
Joel watched Nik’s gaze drift back to Josiah and the girl, whose body language suggested the pair had gotten caught up in another debate. Something about the other man’s expression told him it wasn’t only a wife he’d lost, and the pain appeared to be recent.
“Can I offer you some advice, Joel?” Nik asked, his voice slightly weaker. “Yes, it’s important to take time to heal, but…take risks when it comes to love. Neither of us is stupid, though my wife was known to call me hardheaded at times. I know you feel something for her.”
“You knew Curtis, right?” Joel asked. “Do you think he would have wanted Ayesha to do the same? To take risks when it comes to love?”
“Curtis loved Ayesha like Kaui loved Naupaka. He cared only for her happiness, so if she found a man to make her happy, I’m sure he would want her to be.”
“I don’t want to overstep any boundaries.”
“Joel, Curtis is dead. The boundaries are Ayesha’s. If she opens up to you, tells you that she wants to trust you with her heart…that’s when you go.”
Joel nodded. “You’re right. It’s a little sexist, isn’t it? Waiting for ‘divine permission’ from Curtis when she’s capable of knowing who she wants and doesn’t want in her life.”
“Jo! Douk!”
Joel looked up.
Theo did another “flip,” and enough branch pieces and leaves to fill the Black Forest joined what was already tangled in Theo’s hair.
“Time,” Nik said.
Joel looked over at him. “Time?”
“All that’s left is time to heal. When the healing’s done, my friend, it’s going to hit you hard. Please…don’t waste it.”
A shriek rose above the clamor.
Joel shot to his feet. “That’s Theo. How’d I know that was Theo? There’s like four million kids out here.”
In the middle of an asphalt path, Theo fell to his knees, bawling like his life was coming to an end. One denim-covered kneecap was centered in the middle of the “O” in a “ONE WAY” sign, while the other hugged the letter’s outside curve. He’d buried his face in his dirty hands, and a leaf fell from his hair with each tearful spasm.
Joel hurried over, picked him up, and checked for bruises and bleeding wounds. “Theo, what’s wrong? Did you fall? Did somebody hurt you? Talk to me, baby boy. What’s wrong?”
“Ma,” Theo hiccuped, “Ma.”
“You want Mama?”
Dirt smeared Theo’s face like war paint. “Co-Desh.”
“What?” He searched the smears for cuts. “What about Uncle Dez?”
“Co-Geish.”
He stopped searching, seized by an irrational stab of hurt. “Wait, you want Uncle Dez and Uncle Gage? Instead of Jo?”
