Bamboo and Lace (6 page)

“Not Jeff—his sister, Lily.”

“Oh. How come?”

Bailey looked into his huge black eyes and melted a little over his sweetness.

“Well, Jeff has to work out of town, and she needs someone to be with her.”

“What's her name?”

“Lily.”

The little boy nodded, and Bailey was filled with a fierce protectiveness. She asked him to bring several books from the loaded shelf in the living room and decided to stay right where she was and read to her children.

Lily moved around the corner of the kitchen wall when she heard the front door open. Trying not to drop her eyes, she found herself smiling, so glad was she to see her brother. She had not wanted to call him, but he had been gone for hours, and she had started to wonder if something was wrong.

Forcing her eyes up, she saw from his face that something was wrong. Feeling compelled to ask but knowing she must not, Lily remained quiet, wanting to drop her eyes in the worst way.

“It smells good in here. Have you been baking?”

“I made cookies,” Lily said simply, not going into detail about all she had learned in the process. “I hope I didn't use something you need.”

“I'm sure not. Have you got some coming out now?”

“No. They're done.”

“Good. Come in here and sit down. I've got news that neither one of us will like.”

Lily did as she was told and sat in stunned silence as her dream trip fell to pieces around her feet. This was Thursday, which meant they would only have a few more days. Lily hated the thought of getting back on that plane so soon. If they had had the whole three months, at least she could have left with a heart full of memories. It was too soon, much too soon, unless…

“I'll just go with you.”

“You can't. I can't even tell you where I'm going.”

Lily nodded and began to second-guess making the trip in the first place.

“Should I call the airport about my ticket?” Lily asked. It would do no good to cry. That would only make Jeff feel worse and not change a thing.

“Do you remember all the times I've written you and Father about Gabe and his family?”

Lily nodded.

“Well, I've just come from seeing Gabe, and they want you to come and stay with them.”

Lily nodded, her face serene, but in truth she was experiencing her second shock of the day.

“They'll teach you to swim and do all the educational things that Father wanted, and then when I get back—I've already called my boss and confirmed it with him—I'll take off work for the rest of your visit. We'll have time to just relax.”

Lily smiled in his direction, not wanting him to be upset, but also aware that a deep sadness was mirrored in her eyes.

“All right,” she said, thinking she should voice her agreement and not expect him to see it in her smile. “I'll go stay with Gabe and his family.”

“Are you sure you're okay with that, Lil?”

“If that's what you want me to do, I will.”

What you want me to do.

Jeff had cried in the car on his way home. He thought he could again. Lily had been raised to be subservient to authority, especially to men, and flexible in all situations. At times he struggled with these aspects of her upbringing, but never as much as now. Right now he hated it.

“Is that what you want me to do, Jefferson?” Lily asked again, not sure what the look on his face meant.

What I want you to do, Lily, is not be the sweetest person I've ever known. What I want you to do is to get angry at me and make it easy to leave. What I want you to do is explain to me what God's plan is for this, because I feel as though my heart has been ripped out of my chest.

“Listen to me, Lily. I was so upset about this that I went to see Gabe before coming home. It wasn't that I was afraid to face you, but I'm more upset about this than I guess I'm letting on.”

Lily nodded. This she understood, since she was trying to hide her pain and planning to cry all the way back to Kashien.

“So when I went to Gabe, he suggested you stay with them. I love these people—you know that from my letters. I wouldn't think of leaving you with anyone else. They will take great care of you, and even though your stay won't look the way I've been imagining it, we will still have four weeks together in November.”

Lily nodded, telling herself to be brave. Jeff was being brave. Why should she demand any less from herself?

“That's fine. What day will I go there?”

“Not until Sunday,” he said, knowing he would have to take her at her word. “You and I have a lot to do in the next few days.”

“Like what?”

“Well, first we're headed to Honolulu to do a little shopping.”

“For what?”

“Your swimsuit.”

Lily made an “oh” with her mouth, even though no sound escaped. Jeff had not eaten breakfast, so after he wolfed down a bowl of cereal, the two hit the road. Had Lily known what she was in for, she would have been tempted to defy him and stay home.

Evan Markham came back into the house just ten minutes after the meeting broke up, the thought in the back of his mind still niggling enough that he wasn't going to ignore it. He found his wife and children almost as he had left them and knew just what he must do.

Making a trip to the bookshelf for two books, Evan approached the threesome. He waited for his wife to finish the sentence she was reading and look up at him. Evan's eyes, however, were on Celia.

“You there, with the face,” he pointed at her playfully. “You sit right here.”

Celia, in her adorable, pudgy way, crawled from her mother's lap and into the chair her father indicated.

“Okay, CeCe,” Evan said as he put the book in her lap. “You sit in this chair and look at this book.”

“'Kay.”

“Now, Pete,” he continued, turning to his son, “this is your chair and your book. I think this is the one with bears.”

“If I finish this, can I get another?”

“Yes, but then get right back into your chair.”

“Okay.”

Evan saw the second child settled before turning to his wife.

“And you,” he said, pointing to Bailey, “head upstairs to our room.”

This was far from the first time he had done this, so Bailey went wordlessly to the stairs and started up.

“All right, you two,” he addressed his children one more time, “you stay in your own seats. No wrestling. We'll just be a little while.”

Evan took the stairs two at a time and ended up just a step behind his spouse. As soon as he followed her into their bedroom and shut the door, he spoke.

“All right. What's going on?”

Bailey hated being so transparent to her husband but still said, “I don't know what you mean.”

Evan heard the playfulness in her tone and kept his light too.

“Come on now. Out with it.”

Bailey turned to look at the man she had been married to for almost seven years. She adored him and knew the feeling was mutual.

“I thought wives were supposed to be creatures of mystery.”

Evan shook his head. “You're going to have to work harder to pull that off with me.”

Bailey stared at him and didn't answer, but Evan still knew what was on her mind.

“If you didn't want Lily to come, you should have said so.”

“Then Gabe and Ash would have wanted a reason.”

“What is the reason?”

“Do you really not know?” Bailey looked crushed.

“Tell me; don't just get upset with me.”

“Evan, we've been waiting to get pregnant, thinking that when you slow down, it will happen. Now I'll have another woman in the house to take care of, and I'll be the busy one. I thought we both wanted another baby.”

“We do, but I don't think Lily is going to be any extra work for you—not if she's anything like Jeff has described.”

Bailey looked thoughtful as she mentally agreed with him. Lily was a grown woman, not a child who would need looking after.

“And you're doing God's planning for Him again, Bailey. Leave it to Him. You know your job, and that's all you're expected to do.” Evan added, “You just attack me every night at bedtime, and we'll leave the rest to the Lord.”

Bailey's light laughter filled the bedroom, and Evan came to take her in his arms. He held her close, and Bailey sighed when her head rested against his chest.

She realized then that she had had her mind on herself to the point that she hadn't even prayed for Lily and Jeff. She knew right now they needed it more than she did.

Lily came from the first dressing room, her face a dull red, her eyes down.

“How was it?” Jeff asked, trying not to laugh at the horror on her face.

“I can't do this,” she said, her voice so low that he had to bend to catch it.

“Lily,” he tried, but the laughter in his voice made him stop and start again. “Tell me how it looked.”

“A lot of me showed.”

Again Jeff wanted to chuckle.

“Well,” he began, trying to be pragmatic and wishing he had asked Bailey about this, just as he had when he bought Lily's clothes, “was the suit cut high on the leg?”

“Yes!”

“Show me here on the side of your pants.”

Lily indicated the top of her thigh, by no means the high-cut area.

“You thought that was high?”

“My whole leg showed!” she whispered in panic, and Jeff had to cover his mouth and take a moment to recover.

He had picked out a very modest suit, a swimmer's suit with a high front and comfortable back, not having many exposed areas that would make it immodest.

“How about the neckline—how high did it go?”

Lily's hand went almost to her collarbone.

“And the back?”

“I don't think I looked.”

“Go put the suit back on and come show it to me.”

She looked as though he had suggested she undress on the spot.

“I don't think I can do that, Jeff.”

“It's all right. Hardly anyone is in here right now, and you won't be swimming on the beaches of Waikiki.”

“That makes a difference?”

“I'm just saying that even if the suit turns out to be all wrong, we don't know anyone in here, and you'll just pop out, show me, and pop right back. There's no reason to be embarrassed.”

He could see she wanted to argue but did not. He watched as she moved wordlessly back to the dressing room and wondered if she would ever come out again.