Uneven Exchange (22 page)

“Thank you. Now let’s not talk about it anymore, okay?”

“No problem,” Alexandra said quickly. Then, trying to change the subject, she asked, “Have you decided on dinner?”

“Do you feel like
carnitas
?” he asked. “We could order the plate for two.”

“Ha! I know your plan,” she teased. “You think I’ll only eat a small amount so you can have more than just one serving.”

“Am I that obvious?”

“Yes, but you’re also that cute!” Alexandra laughed and then kissed his forehead. “Order the
carnitas
. I’m game.”

Rico picked up their telephone and dialed the appropriate extension to order dinner. In less than half an hour, an enormous platter of steaming-hot
carnitas
was rolled on a tray into their cabin. The shredded pork was accompanied by slices of avocado, lime wedges, cilantro, radishes, tomatoes, lettuce, refried beans, rice, and homemade tortillas.

“I just love Mexican cooking,” Alexandra exclaimed as she fixed her plate.

“It’s the best in the world,” Rico added. “How often do you get a chance to visit?”

“About three to four times a year.”

“That’s right,” Rico said. “You own a condo in Cozumel, don’t you?”

“Yes, I’m extremely fortunate,” she said with gratitude. “Plus, sometimes I also travel with my parents to Guadalajara.”

“Do you ever go anywhere else?”

“I try to make it to Hawaii every few years.”

“I’ve never been to Hawaii. Which island do you like the best?”

“Well, I prefer Maui and Kauai, but there’s a very special hotel on the island of Oahu. It’s called the Royal Islander and holds the honor of being one of the first hotels constructed on Waikiki beach. So even if I go to one of the other islands, I try and spend at least a few nights at the Islander. I’m sure you’d like it. The front is fashioned after an old plantation home, complete with a painted deck and white rocking chairs.”

“That doesn’t fit my image of Hawaii,” Rico said.

“I know. It didn’t to me either, at first. But then you quickly realize it goes perfectly with the relaxed feel of the islands.”

“How’s the food?”

“Somehow I knew we’d get to the food!” Alexandra teased. “It’s good, but I still prefer Mexico for food.”

“Now you’re talking!”

“But you should taste the coffee,” Alexandra added.

“By the look in your eyes, it must be great.”

“It is. You can’t beat a good cup of one hundred percent Hawaiian Kona.”

CHAPTER

TWENTY-EIGHT

DELAYED THANKSGIVING

Cardiff-by-the-Sea, California

Kevin

Kevin turned into his driveway, idled momentarily, and then pushed his garage remote. As he waited for the door to rumble open, he admired the home he shared with his family with a newfound appreciation. The moment they had stepped foot inside the house they now owned, Kevin and Casey knew it would be perfect. From the outside, it resembled a cottage-style beach house, with sunflower-yellow stucco and enamel trim painted an appliance white. But the quaint exterior failed to accurately represent the spaciousness of the interior. Inside were three substantial bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a sizable sun porch. Even during the winter months, the O’Neil family frequently dined outdoors.

The slam of Kevin’s truck cab door signaled his arrival. As he entered their home through the kitchen door, Randee and Tanner raced toward him to welcome their daddy with the enthusiasm of merry little munchkins. After being gone for over a week, Kevin felt emotionally overwhelmed at the sight of his children as he knelt to embrace them. While still on his knees, he looked up to wink at his wife. Casey stood leaning with one elbow on the kitchen counter. She was dressed casually in gray stretch shorts and a baggy, purple T-shirt. On the pocket, a golden logo advertised the name of their favorite Cajun restaurant in Palm Springs.

“Come, Daddy, hurry!” Tanner exclaimed as Kevin straightened to face Casey. “Come see my new trucks,” he urged while tugging at his father’s leg. The tiny boy wrapped his short arms around Kevin’s kneecap and struggled, without success, to move the grown man’s weight. As he pushed and pulled, Tanner’s sock-covered feet slid frantically over the slick kitchen floor.

Like a giant in a field of Lilliputians, Kevin peered down and just laughed. He then decided to give Tanner an impromptu ride by lifting his own foot high off the ground.

“Again, lift me again.” The boy giggled with delight as Kevin returned his foot to the floor.

“Maybe your sister wants a ride,” Kevin suggested while grinning at Randee. “Or are you too big?”

“Oh, Daddy,” Randee replied with indignation. “Of course I’m too big.”

Kevin’s eyes widened as he made a comical face. “Oh no, what was I thinking?”

Again, Tanner attempted to drag his father. “Come
on
, Daddy,” he pleaded.

“Yes, Daddy, come upstairs,” Randee agreed. “I want to show you my new soccer stuff.”

“No fair, Randee. I want Daddy to see my new trucks,” Tanner insisted.

“There will plenty of time to see everything,” Kevin assured them. “I’m going to be home all night, and all day tomorrow, so don’t worry.” Gently he pushed Tanner aside and moved closer to Casey. “But first,” he announced, taking Casey into his arms. “I need a hug from your mom. It’s good to be home,” he spoke in a normal tone, then whispered into her ear, “You’ll never know how much I missed you.”

“
You’ll
never know,” she returned his whisper before passionately kissing his lips. “I’ve waited all week to feel your strong body next to mine.”

“Then let’s skip dinner,” he teased, accidently speaking loudly.

“No dinner?” Tanner whined.

“But, Mom, you promised pizza!” Randee added.

“We’re having pizza, don’t worry. Your father is being silly,” Casey explained, trying to pull away from Kevin. As she stepped forward, he slowly slid his hand down the length of her back and up the hem of her long T-shirt. Casey shivered with pleasure as Kevin moved his hand, concealed by the bagginess of her shirt, along her skintight shorts. He stroked along the outline of her buttocks and stopped between her legs.

“Kevin Patrick O’Neil! Behave yourself.” Casey moved away from his grasp and pretended to be shocked.

“I was only having a wee bit of fun,” Kevin responded in a perfect Irish accent.

“What’s Daddy doing, Mommy?” Tanner asked.

Casey looked to Kevin for an explanation.

“I’m tickling her,” he said, making a ghoulish face at the two children. “Now,” he howled, “the tickle monster is coming after you!”

As they turned and ran screaming, Kevin stomped loudly in place.

“I’ll get you,” he yelled, waiting in the kitchen to give them a head start. He quickly wrapped an arm around Casey to pull her closer. “I’ll get you too,” he added before racing out of the kitchen.

“Is that a promise?” Casey called out.

“It certainly is,” Kevin shouted back from the stairs.

After the tickle party ended, Tanner dragged Kevin into his room and toward a line of toy trucks. He insisted his father sit cross-legged beside the convoy while he picked them up, one by one, to show off the newest additions. As Kevin watched his son, he smiled as a memory warmed his heart. From the first time Tanner began playing with his trucks at age two, until now, his current age of four, his son would place them bumper to bumper in a perfectly straight line, smack in the middle of his room, where they needed to walk. Each time Kevin or Casey would move the line to one side or the other, Tanner would instantly notice and move them back. Kevin, always goofing around, would turn a truck completely backward, just to see if his baby boy would notice. Although he would take great pains to make certain the line remained straight, and that the tiny bumpers were touching, Tanner could always tell. Casey pretended to be mad at Kevin for teasing their son, but Kevin knew she was a willing accomplice in his little game.

After being patient, Randee informed Tanner it was her turn to spend time with Daddy and finally managed to steal her father away. She proudly escorted him down the hall and toward her closed bedroom door.

“Well, this isn’t so bad,” Kevin announced as they entered. Casey’s idea of a clean room differed greatly from that of Randee. So, after many mother-daughter squabbles, each decided to give in a bit, on the condition the door would remain closed.

The first thing Kevin noticed was an extra-large herd of stuffed animals camping out on the foot of Randee’s bed. Looking up, he realized their previous place of honor, the bookshelf, now contained teen magazines, a soccer ball, and actual books.
Guess my baby girl is growing up
, he thought.

In order to show off her new shin guards, Randee decided to dress in full soccer attire. Kevin watched her pull and twist at her stretch socks, attempting to perfectly align the stripes. While waiting, he admired the colorful collection on her vanity and asked, “Is your mom still bringing you makeup samples?”

“Uh-huh,” she answered. “I got some really cool stuff yesterday.”

“Is it really cool?” Kevin asked, teasing her.

The brand of cosmetics Casey liked frequently included a sample gift with each purchase, and these always came in a uniquely shaped box or zippered bag. Randee was thrilled each time her mom brought home a new treasure. Kevin enjoyed seeing his daughter so happy, but he never did understand how she could get so excited. Whenever he whispered to Casey, “She’s too young to even wear makeup,” Casey would tell him to quit trying to understand.

“It’s a girl thing,” she would say.

Although Alexandra’s safety remained at the forefront of Kevin’s mind, the spirited animation of his children provided a desperately needed diversion. He softly kicked the soccer ball around to test Randee’s new equipment and then returned to the freeway of tiny trucks moments before Casey ascended the stairway. “Do you want pizza or a video?” she asked the children.

“Both,” they sang out simultaneously.

“Then you had better hurry and let Daddy shower and change,” she reminded them.

“Are we going out?” Kevin asked reluctantly.

“Yes and no.” Casey gave him a knowing smile. “I would have cooked, but I wasn’t sure what time you would be home.”

“Oh no, didn’t Sparky call you? I promise, I did ask her to call,” he quickly said.

“Yes, yes. Don’t worry, she called. But Natalie had no idea how long you would be with Jake Taylor, so I planned for us to pick up a pizza tonight. Tomorrow we’ll celebrate our own Thanksgiving with turkey, stuffing, and the works.”

“That sounds wonderful,” he said, drooling. “You know, I’m really sorry our celebration has to be two days late.”

“Hey, Thanksgiving is about family and togetherness, not about a day of the week. I’d wait two years just to spend a day of thanksgiving with you.”

“Mom, are you making yams covered with marshmallows?” Randee asked hopefully.

“I certainly am!”

“Yummy!” Tanner voiced his delight then jumped up and down, clapping.

“Honey, do you want us to go alone and pick up the pizza and the video?” Casey offered.

“What? You mean I might miss our special time together looking at the video machines?” Kevin asked sarcastically. “Whose turn is it, anyway?”

“Mine,” Tanner shouted at the same time Randee quietly answered, “Tanner’s.”

“Oh goody,” Kevin said while laughing. “I wonder what sea mammal will win out this time?”

In order to stifle the constant disagreements between their children when it came to selecting movies to rent, Kevin and Casey decided Tanner and Randee would each alternate taking turns. The rules were simple. All movies had to be G rated, and the child not selecting had to go along with the choice of the other. Suggestions were acceptable, but a disagreeable attitude would result in a loss of turn. Naturally, the agreeable attitude had to start with the parents. This meant Casey and Kevin would smile lovingly as Tanner reached for yet another story about a boy and his pet dolphin, whale, or sea otter.

When they were tucked comfortably into their Volvo station wagon, Casey drove to the store while Kevin leaned over the front passenger’s seat and chatted with his children. “So, Tan the Man,” he baited, “what movie are you going to pick?”

“
Dolphin Tale
,” the boy responded quickly.

“Again?” Kevin asked, knowing that by now, he and Casey could probably recite the lines.

“Pick something else,” Randee whined.

“You’re not allowed to complain,” Tanner reminded his older sister.

“I’m not complaining,” she insisted. “But don’t you want to see something new?”

“No,” he responded stubbornly.

At the age of eleven, Randee was rapidly learning the art of manipulation. “I guess you missed the commercial for that new movie,” she said.

“What new movie?”

“Oh nothing,” she quipped. “Besides, I want to see
Dolphin Tale
again. It’s a great movie.”

“No, you don’t,” Tanner spewed.

“Sure I do! Don’t you, Daddy?”

“Of course,” he agreed, playing along. “We can see the new movie some other time.”

“Tell me, Daddy! Tell me. What new movie?”

“Ask your sister,” he said.

Casey laughed, knowing her husband had no idea of the movie’s name.

“She won’t tell me,” Tanner whined.

“Sure she will. Tell him, Pumpkin.”

“Oh, okay,” Randee said, pretending to be reluctant. “It’s about a boy and a girl who travel far, far away, just to save their father from a plane crash in the snow.”

“Do they save him?” Tanner asked.

“Only with the help of a very special dog,” Randee answered. She then added the clincher, “And the dog is part wolf.”

Tanner’s eyes widened. “Wow.”

“Do you want to rent it tonight for your turn?” Randee asked. “Or you can wait and I’ll rent it on mine.”

“No, you can’t rent that one. It’s my turn, and that’s what I pick.”

“Well, okay.” Randee winked at her father. “I guess you can rent it, but it might not be available. You better ask if we can get it on demand.”

“Can we? Please?”

“Of course we can,” Casey answered. “Let’s check the video machine first though. That way we can keep it a few extra days.”

Randee O’Neil’s convincing performance dramatically shortened their time at the video machine. The new movie was available, and they were home with the pizza in less than thirty minutes. At home, Casey even relaxed her rules about eating in the living room and allowed the family to munch on pizza, then popcorn while enjoying their movie.

After tucking their children into bed and kissing each one good night, Kevin and Casey snuggled on the sofa. Rapidly, the compassionate kisses and gentle touching turned into a more urgent yearning. Kevin pushed Casey back onto the soft pillows and stretched out next to her. After leaning to one side, he slid his hand up under her shirt and touched the bare skin of her taut stomach. Casey quivered as he moved his hand beneath the waistband of her shorts and inched his fingers downward.

“Honey, not here,” she half whispered, half groaned.

“I can’t wait.”