The Hawaiian Quilt (12 page)

Wow!
Barbara cringed.
If Gideon were my boyfriend, he’d have been the first person I would have called to let him know what happened. What is Mandy thinking?

M
onday morning as Barbara and Sadie reclined on chairs near the pool, they talked about how they would arrive at Ensenada, Mexico, within the next few days.

Sadie yawned. “The sun feels so warm. I’m feeling sleepy all of a sudden. Think I’ll take a nap.”

“Go right ahead. I may end up falling asleep, too.” Barbara watched some of the people by the pool. By the time she and Sadie had arrived, nearly every chair had been taken. They’d been fortunate to find two lounge chairs together. A young couple with a small child took the last three seats. The curly haired boy threw his towel down and bounced on his chair. He sat only a few minutes, then jumped into the pool, splashing a good amount of water onto the deck, sending a spray of water on Sadie.

Her eyes snapped open, and she leaped out of her chair like she’d been stung by an angry hornet. The boy’s mother walked quickly over to Sadie. “I’m so sorry. My son gets pretty excited whenever he has a chance to be in a pool. I’ll make sure he stops splashing.”

“It’s okay. No harm done. The warm sun will dry my dress in no time.” Sadie sat back in her chair. “What a full trip this has been.” She looked at Barbara. “We’ve been fortunate to visit four of the Hawaiian Islands, and now we’ll get to see a bit of Mexico before returning to Los Angeles.”

Barbara nodded. “I only wish Mandy and Ellen were with us. They’re missing out on so much.”

“When they book their tickets on another cruise ship, I’m sure they will go from there to the Big Island, like we did.”

“Maybe so, but by then, we’ll either be home or close to arriving.” Barbara slipped her sunglasses on. The frames felt warm from being in the direct sunlight. “I still can’t believe Mandy didn’t call Gideon right away. You would think she’d want him to know what happened.”

“She was probably upset when they got stranded and wasn’t thinking clearly.” Sadie grabbed her glass of pineapple juice and took a sip. “Our friends are bound to be stressed out.”

“True. I’m glad it wasn’t us who missed the ship, because I’d be a basket case.”

“Me too.”

Barbara leaned her head back and closed her eyes. “When we get to Mexico, I’ll give Mandy another call. I’d like an update on how they are doing.”

Middlebury

Gideon left the upholstery shop and headed straight for the Freys’ house. His stomach churned as he thought about getting the phone number for the bed-and-breakfast. He needed to know how Mandy was doing. “Sure don’t understand why she hasn’t called me, though,” he muttered, pedaling as fast as he could. Since it wasn’t raining or snowing today, he’d ridden his bike to work.

It was hard to think positive thoughts right now, with his girlfriend being so far away. Once he talked to Mandy, Gideon hoped he would feel a little better.

Approaching the house, he parked his bike near the porch and set the kickstand. Then taking the steps two at a time, he knocked on the door. Several minutes went by. When no one answered, he knocked again. He figured Mandy’s father, who managed a meat-and-cheese store, would be home from work by now. Even if he wasn’t, Mandy’s mother should be around.

Gideon knocked again, with a bit more force. “Hello! Anyone at home?”

Still no answer.

Thinking someone might be in the barn, he headed in that direction. When he stepped inside, he saw Mandy’s brothers, Mark and Melvin, mucking out the horses’ stalls. It seemed a little odd that Isaac and Miriam had given all their children names beginning with
M
. But then he remembered Mandy saying her dad wanted their daughter and son’s names to start with
M
because his wife’s name began with that letter.

Redirecting his thoughts, Gideon walked toward the stalls. “Hey, Mark. Hey, Melvin. Are your folks around?”

Mark, the older boy, crossed his arms. “Nope. Dad’s workin’ late this evening, and Mom went to see the chiropractor.”

“Oh, I see.” Gideon leaned against the stall door. “I came by to get the phone number of the place where Mandy and Ellen are staying in Hawaii. Would either of you know it?”

Both boys shook their heads.

“Sorry,” Melvin said. “Guess you’ll have to come back tomorrow.”

“Oh, great,” Gideon muttered under his breath.

Mark moved closer. “What was that?”

“Nothing. Tell your folks I stopped by and I’ll drop by again when I get off work tomorrow.”

“You okay?” Melvin asked. “You look kinda down-in-the-mouth.”

“I’m disappointed.” Gideon turned to go, calling over his shoulder, “See you boys later.”

After mounting his bike, Gideon gripped the handlebars so tight his fingers began to ache.
This is ridiculous. I wouldn’t have to get the number if Mandy had called me
.

Kapaa

“You have a beautiful garden, Luana.” Mandy knelt on the grass beside a healthy-looking tomato plant. It seemed almost unbelievable all these vegetables could be growing in the middle of November. “It must be nice to be able to garden throughout the year.”

Luana smiled. “I suppose we take it for granted.”

“Have you always lived here on Kauai?” Mandy asked.

“No. Makaio and I were born and raised on the Big Island. We moved here to open the bed-and-breakfast a few years ago.” Luana checked the leaves of a bean plant.

“Why didn’t you open one there?”

“I suppose we could have, but after visiting Kauai several times, we fell in love with the island. And when the opportunity to buy this place came up, we couldn’t resist.” She moved over to the tomato plants and knelt down.

“It is beautiful here.” Ellen spoke for the first time since they’d come outside. She’d been awfully quiet this afternoon. Mandy suspected her friend might be homesick.

“We do get some rain here, of course, but without it, the flowers wouldn’t be so beautiful and it wouldn’t be this lush and green.” Luana pulled a few weeds. “If I had the choice of living any place on earth, I believe it would be here. In addition to liking the island, my husband and I love the opportunity to meet people from all over who come to stay at our B&B.”

“I’m sure the people enjoy getting to know you, as well.” Mandy held her hands loosely behind her back.

“I hope so. We do all we can to make our guests feel welcome.”

The roar of a vehicle interrupted their conversation. An SUV with camouflage paint pulled into the parking area for guests. Mandy picked some grass off her bare foot, then stood at the same time as Ellen.

A few minutes later, a young man got out, carrying three egg cartons. Her mouth fell open. It was the same young man she’d met at Spouting Horn and seen again on Sunday at church.

Luana waved him over. “Aloha, Ken. I’d like you to meet Mandy and Ellen. They’ll be staying with us until they’re able to purchase tickets on a cruise ship to take them back to the mainland.” She gestured to him. “Girls, this is Ken Williams. He and his family live nearby. They own an organic chicken farm, and they supply all the eggs and chicken meat we need.”

“We’ve met before, haven’t we?” Ken looked at Mandy and tipped his head. “I talked to you at Spouting Horn last week.”

Mandy nodded, feeling unexplainably shy.

Ellen remained quiet.

“I didn’t recognize you when I first got out of my rig, because when we met before, you wore an Amish dress.”

Mandy’s cheeks burned as she stared at her flower-print Hawaiian dress. “My friend and I were late getting back to the ship, and it left without us. So with our luggage still on board in the cabin we shared with two other friends, it left us with only the clothes we were wearing.”

“I took Mandy and Ellen shopping, and bought them both nice muumuus,” Luana interjected.

“I see.” Ken shuffled his feet a few times then handed Luana the eggs. “These are for you. When you need more, let me know.”

“
Mahalo
, Ken.” She smiled. “I’d better take these into the house and get them put in the refrigerator.”

“Would you like me to do it for you?” Ellen offered.

“No, it’s okay. I also want to check on Makaio. He’s doing some work on the other side of the house.” Luana gave Ken’s shoulder a tap. “If you’re still here when I get back, you’re invited to sit on the lanai with us for some coconut cake and iced coffee.”

He pulled his fingers through his thick, tousled hair and grinned. “I may take you up on that offer. Can’t stay too long, though. I still have several more cartons of eggs to deliver.”

When Luana headed into the house, Mandy stood with her hands clasped behind her back. It felt awkward not to say anything, so she asked if Ken would like to take a seat in one of the lawn chairs under the shade of a tree.

“Sure. It’ll give us a chance to get better acquainted,” Ken replied.

Once they were all seated, Mandy glanced over at Ellen, hoping she would start a conversation, but she sat quietly, with a placid expression.

Mandy cleared her throat. “I—I saw you at church yesterday. You were on the platform, playing a ukulele.”

“Yeah; I’m part of the worship team.” Ken took his cell phone from his shorts’ pocket and glanced at it, then put it back.

“Makaio plays the ukulele, too,” she added. “I’m surprised he’s not on the worship team.”

“He used to be, but he wanted some time off for a while.” Ken kept his gaze on Mandy so long it made her ears heat up.

He probably thinks I look strange wearing a Hawaiian dress, even though my normal head covering’s been replaced with the scarf Luana gave us
.

Just then, Luana dashed around the side of the house with a panicked expression. “Help! Help! Makaio fell off the roof!”

Lihue

L
uana paced the hospital waiting room, praying for patience. Her twenty-four-year-old daughter, Ailani, who was five months pregnant, sat in one of the chairs, picking at her cuticles—a nervous habit from her teen years.

Luana glanced at Ken, thankful he’d let Ailani know what had happened to her father. When the ambulance came and transported Makaio to the hospital, Luana rode along. Ailani’s husband, Oke, was still at work, but he should be here soon.

“Tell me again, Mama.” Ailani pursed her lips. “How did Papa fall off the roof?”

Luana stopped pacing and sat beside her daughter. “I’m not sure, but he was holding a Frisbee when he fell, so I assume he must have gone up there to get it.” She glanced toward the nurses’ station, wishing someone would come and tell them the extent of Makaio’s injuries.

“I’m sure we’ll hear something soon.” Ken reached over and clasped Luana’s arm. He always seemed to know what to say and had become almost like a son to Luana and Makaio. She hoped his parents appreciated the fine young man he’d turned out to be—always willing to help others, tender-hearted, hard-working, and a Christian in every sense of the word.
I hope the Lord sends Ken the right woman someday—someone who will make him as happy as he makes others
.

Luana’s contemplations were halted when a doctor came into the room. “Mrs. Palu?” He moved toward her.

She nodded, rising from her chair.

“Your husband’s leg is badly broken. He also has a slight concussion and numerous bumps and bruises. His leg will require surgery as well as a full cast, which he will need to wear for six to eight weeks. When Makaio is released from the hospital in a few days, he’ll need to use crutches and not put any weight on his foot until X-rays show it’s healed enough for him to walk on it.”

Luana’s shoulders drooped as she stared at the doctor in disbelief. If her husband couldn’t be on his feet, how would he be able to help out at the B&B? And because she would need to care for him, she wouldn’t have time to do everything necessary for hosting their guests. Ailani could help some, but she’d been quite sick to her stomach with her pregnancy and often didn’t feel up to working, even part-time. The idea of hiring help flitted through Luana’s mind, but with hospital bills to pay now, money would be tight.

“When can I see my husband?” she asked the doctor.