Healing Tides by Lois Richer

toaster. Why?” Her jade eyes formed circles of curiosity.
    “Because she almost killed herself trying to pry bread out of our old one. She nearly brained me with the new one.”
    A long pause followed his words. Jared stared straight ahead, wishing he’d never left Agapé’s grounds.
    “You must miss her very much. And your son. I wish I’d known them.”
    With those quiet words the awkwardness vanished and they returned to being coworkers on an afternoon outing. Relieved, Jared described the overgrown vegetation they passed.
    “That’s `ilima.” He pointed to a bright-yellow flower. “Used to be `ilima leis were for royalty. Over there are a bunch of ti plants, Asian imports that are very important to Hawaii.”
    “Because?” she prodded.
    “The leaves make hula skirts.”
    She laughed but her glance shifted to the smooth white beaches.
    “Want to stop?”
    “Yes, I do. But no, I can’t.”
    “Waikiki it is,” he agreed. “You do know what the word means, don’t you?”
    She shook her head.
    “Spouting water. Don’t ask me why.” He merged into the steady stream of traffic heading to the city’s heart. “Finding a parking spot might take us a while. The sunseekers flood this place in winter.”
    “Ugh.” Glory grimaced at the high-rises looming on either side of the freeway.
    “They might not look like much but they cost a fortune. The price of land here is sky high.”
    “He jokes, too.” She panned a droll look. “Where are you going?”
    “Queen Kapiolani Park. It’s right across from the beach. We can eat lunch in the park, hit the beach and visit the zoo without having to drive anywhere. And the International Marketplace is only a few blocks away.”
    “Sounds good. Look at the surfers. Ouch!” She winced, rubbed her side as if she’d taken the fall.
    Jared found a spot and parked. A kids’ band was playing at the band shell, so they traipsed over to listen. Glory dragged him to the war memorial, demanding he name all the flowers surrounding it. Next, she found a massive banyan tree and grabbed his hand to run it over the dangling roots with hers.
    “What would you like to do next?” Jared asked.
    “Shop for Pono’s birthday gift.” Glory shifted her bag to her other arm.
    “It’s too warm to lug that bag around. I’ll lock it in the trunk and we’ll come back when we get our suits later. Okay?”
    She removed her wallet, handed over the bag. With everything secure, Jared led the way across the street.
    He pulled her out of the way of a man dragging a huge shopping cart, threaded his fingers through hers. “Quite the nail polish, Doctor.”
    “I like purple.” Glory glanced at their linked hands, then at him, one eyebrow tilted.
    “It’s easier to protect you. Just a block more to the International Marketplace.”
    She left her hand in his until they reached the famous outdoor shopping mall. Then Jared got caught up in Glory’s wonder as she perused the assortment of T-shirts, muumuus, Hawaiian shirts and shell jewelry.
    “It’s wonderful!” She laughed, eyes sparkling in the shady alley.
    He smiled as a hint of her fragrance, soft, feminine with an underlying hint of spice, captivated him. A moment later he shook his head when she held up a wooden caricature of King Kamehameha.
    “No.”
    “Party pooper.” Undeterred, she kept looking. “This?”
    She presented a T-shirt with a vivid orchid on the front.
    “Um, I was thinking more—”
    “Wait!” She turned the fabric to display a smart-aleck saying on the back, giggled when he rolled his eyes. “There’s a fudge stand. You could get a nice big box to go with it.”
    When he didn’t respond, Glory’s face lost its glow of excitement. She folded the shirt and put it back.
    “I guess tourist stuff isn’t all that special for someone who lives here.”
    “Actually, the shirt’s not a bad idea, as wrapping paper.” Jared picked it up, suggested a price, then handed over his money to the