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said. “We should find Keoke to let him know we’re here.”
    “You guys go ahead . I’ll catch up with you later.” Levi headed toward a group of women who were sitting near the pool, sipping brightly colored drinks.
    Zak wound his fingers through mine as we continued toward the house. There were a lot more people attending the party than I’d initially thought there would be. I wondered why Malie wasn’t attending as well, since she knew Keoke and was familiar with the island and so must have visited in the past. There was a stage set up at the edge of the grassy area. Zak had mentioned that there would be entertainment. I couldn’t wait to watch the fire twirlers. I’d seen a demonstration on television and it had totally amazed me that the men who participated never got burned. If it were me twirling fire batons, it would be safe to bet that I’d have the entire island engulfed in a firestorm in a matter of minutes. In addition to the fire twirlers, Zak had promised hula dancers, knife throwers, and Polynesian drummers.
    “Zachary.” An elderly Hawaiian woman who had to be in her late eighties greeted us as we walked through the front door and into the cool interior of the house. “Where have you been, child?”
    “Tutu , how are you?” Zak hugged the old woman.
    “What has it been , a year? Two?” the woman scolded.
    “I’m not traveling as much as I used to,” Zak explained. “I’ve decided it might be time to settle down and stay in one place for a while.”
    The woman looked at me.
    “This is Zoe Donovan. Zoe, this is Tutu, Keoke’s grandmother.”
    “I’m glad to meet you.” I extended my hand but was quickly wrapped in a hug. I found the woman was surprisingly strong for her age.
    “Aren’t you a pretty little thing ?” Tutu commented after taking a step back and looking me up and down.
    Normally , I hate it when people make reference to my diminutive size, but coming from this lovely woman, I could only smile at the compliment.
    Tutu turned to Zak. “I can see why you’ve been staying close to home. She’s lovely. I hope I’ll be invited to the wedding.”
    “Oh, there’s no wedding,” I said. “We’re just dating.”
    The woman smiled in such a way as to suggest that she knew things about me even I didn’t know before leading us f arther into the interior of the house.
    “Is Keoke around?” Zak asked.
    “He was here a minute ago,” Tutu answered. “I think he might have gone to check on the pig. If he isn’t there, you can most likely find him in the kitchen. He takes the food for these shindigs very seriously.”
    “Leia and Anton?” Zak inquired about the bride - and groom-to-be.
    “I haven’t seen either of them all day. I’m sure they want to make a grand entrance. You know Leia; she’s had a flare for the dramatic ever since she was a little girl.”
    “I gues s we’ll go and find Keoke then,” Zak said. He kissed Tutu on the cheek. “Save me a dance?”
    “Count on it.”
    “She seems nice,” I commented as we left the house by the side door and headed down the path to the BBQ pit.
    “She is nice. Very nice. I didn’t realize how much I missed her until I saw her standing in the entry. I really do need to make an effort to get back here more often.” Zak turned to me and kissed me lightly on the lips. “ We need to get back here more often,” he clarified.
    “I’d like that. It really is beautiful here , and the people are so nice. Did I tell you that Ellie and I met a woman by the name of Malie yesterday? She’s involved in the rescue and preservation of the animals in the area, much as I am in Ashton Falls. She really hit it off with Ellie, which is why she decided to opt out this evening. Her organization is having a planning meeting of some type tonight.”
    “ Malie is a friend of the family.”
    “ Which made me wonder why she isn’t here.”
    Zak stopped walking and turned to face the ocean. We had come to a slight rise that afforded