Bamboo and Lace (10 page)

“I think Evan. I'm drying. Hey, Lily?”

“Yes?”

“Could you please look at me, Lily?” Gabe requested for the first time. He wanted to shake his head all over again at how busy he had been.

“When I talked to Jeff about your staying here,” he said once eye contact had been made, “I told him we would teach you to swim and do all that stuff. Did he tell you about that?”

“Yes, he did.”

“Good. Tomorrow after lunch, Ashton is going to teach you to swim.”

Lily barely managed to nod.

“Does that work for you?”

“Certainly. Whatever you wish.”

It was not the reply Gabe hoped for. How did he explain to Lily that she could go home if she wanted to without sounding like he wanted her to leave? Gabe had no clue. Evan had told him some of the things that Bailey had said to Lily on Sunday, and he feared that adding his own voice would make it sound as though they wanted her gone.

“Do you have a swimsuit?” he asked, sticking to more practical matters.

“Yes, I do.”

“Okay then, that's all set.”

“Do you know how to get to the pool, Lily?” Ashton asked.

“I don't think I do,” Lily answered, realizing not for the first time how little she had been outdoors.

“Okay. I'll just meet you here tomorrow at 12:30. The beach towels are in that linen closet outside the bathroom door.”

“Okay.”

Lily's eyes had already gone back to the work she was doing, so the brothers were able to exchange a glance.

They were still asking themselves Bailey's question from Sunday afternoon: Should Lily have returned to Kashien?

Lily's whole body trembled as she looked at herself in the mirror. Her brother had told her the suit was very modest and that she looked nice, but it hadn't helped. So much of her showed! She wasn't used to her legs being exposed above the knee, or her upper arms, not to mention the suit fit like a second skin. The clothing she wore in Kashien was long and loose-fitting. Even most of the clothing that Jeff had bought for her tended to be along that line. There were some shorts, but Lily had shied away from them.

But time was creeping up on her. The clock on the dresser said 12:28. Taking a deep breath, she made herself walk to the door and out into the hall. The brightly colored towel from the linen closet was in her hand only a moment before she realized she could wrap it around herself. Her heart still pounded in her chest as she walked down the stairs, but at least most of her was covered.

“Lilyee.” Celia said her version of their guest's name as soon as she walked in the door, and Bailey turned to see her.

“Are you all set?”

“I think so,” Lily answered, but she was on her way over to Celia, who was finishing her lunch at the table.

“You missed this piece,” Lily said to the little girl as she pushed a scrap of bread into view.

Celia stuffed it in her mouth and smiled at Lily. Lily's heart did a little flip-flop.

“Where is Peter?”

“He's eating Daddy today.”

Lily knew there was a translation somewhere for that statement, but she didn't try to find it. Indeed, there was no time. Ashton showed up just a moment later, and they were on their way to the pool.

The swimming pool at the Kapaia Resort was spectacular. Set among palm trees and lush flower beds, the rectangular pool had wide steps that went into the three-foot end, which soon graduated to five, and then had a brisk drop-off to the nine-foot deep end, where one could dive from the board. The five-foot mark in the pool even sported a slide. And since the whole pool area was empty and clean, for a moment all Lily could do was stare.

“Okay, Lily, get in. I'll be right with you.”

Lily had been dreading just that but saw no hope for it. She moved slowly to a chaise lounge where she could place her towel, but then she glanced to see that Ashton's back was to her. Thinking that she had been given the perfect opportunity, Lily swiftly discarded her towel and almost ran for the cover of the water. She nearly gasped at the temperature change but didn't stop, even when it hit the level of her stomach. She wanted as much water over her as she could find. What she hadn't counted on was how swiftly the levels changed. Lily almost had the water where she wanted it when it felt like her foot was slipping off a cliff.

Not able to stifle the small cry of surprise and with nothing to reach for, Lily's head was underwater before she knew it. There was only water below and above her. Where had the bottom of the pool gone? Panic as she had never known consumed her. Her hair was in her face, and try as she might to find the surface, it eluded her. She thought she was going to die when suddenly strong arms lifted her.

Her head broke free of the water, and she gave a huge gasp. Coughing and panting in terror and pain, she felt herself being lifted and carried. Not until she felt the seat beneath her and a towel pressed into her hands did she open her eyes. Ashton was very close. Lily glanced up to see his eyes huge with shock.

“I'm sorry,” she gasped, eyes back down, her whole frame shaking. “I'm so sorry.”

“It's all right, Lily. Just sit here a minute. It's all right.”

In truth, Ashton was trying to convince himself as much as his pupil. When she had cried out and he had turned to see her going under, he had not immediately reacted. Not until he had realized that she was not coming up did he dive in to get her.

“I'm sorry,” Lily said again, her whole frame still trembling.

“You have nothing to be sorry about, Lily. It's my fault.”

Lily couldn't have disagreed more, but at that moment her father's face swam before her eyes.

You will not shame me, Lily.

With a Herculean effort, Lily willed herself to stop shaking. She glanced at the water but made herself stop thinking about what had just happened.

“Lily,” Ashton said from beside her, “you can't swim at all, can you?”

“No.”

Ashton put a hand to his face. “I can't tell you how sorry I am. I thought this was going to be some sort of refresher course. If I had known you couldn't swim at all, I would not have let you in the pool alone. I can't tell you how sorry I am.”

“Oh no, Ashton. It was all my fault.”

Lily would have gone on but stopped when he laid a hand on her arm. She felt his hand shake, and before she could think otherwise, she lifted her eyes to his. The face she saw shocked her with its sobriety.

“I'm so sorry, Lily. When I think of how easily you could have drowned, I—” Ashton looked away from her, and as Lily dropped her eyes again, she saw how wet he was. He still had his T-shirt on.

Lily used the towel then and dried off as best she could. She wished she had pulled her hair back with a tie, but she did her best to smooth it away from her face.

“I'm ready to swim now,” she told him quietly, so wanting to make things right. What a horrible thing to have happen the first time the Kapaias tried to teach her something. Lily purposed in her heart to do better.

Ashton looked at her profile.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

The swimming instructor glanced down just then and spotted a bottle of sunblock by the leg of the chaise lounge.

“Do you need some of this?”

Having gone back to thinking about what had just happened, Lily answered without even focusing on the plastic container.

“Will it help me swim?”

Ashton laughed at her joke and stood up.

“It sounds like you're as ready as you're going to be, Lily. Come on. I'll go in with you this time.”

Discarding his T-shirt, Ashton walked to the edge of the steps, and Lily made herself follow. When they finally stood in the three-foot area, Ashton directed her to the edge of the pool.

“Okay, the first thing I need to tell you is that I'll be between you and the deep end. You're not going to slip off again.”

“Okay.” Lily knew she sounded breathless but couldn't help herself.

“The next thing I need is for you to look at me every time I speak.”

Lily's eyes came up.

“Even if I don't call your name, as soon as you hear my voice, you look at me. Can you do that?”

After Lily nodded, he showed her how he wanted her to lean her forearms against the edge, put her legs back, and kick.

And with that, the lesson commenced. Lily was a swift learner, and her desperate need to have Jeff and her father be proud of her propelled her to keep on, even when she felt afraid. In less than an hour she had learned the survival float and was moving toward the five-foot area.

“I can't believe you never swam before,” Ashton kept saying. “You're doing a great job.”

“I'm a little worried about the deep part.”

“Well, I'll be right with you. In no time at all, you'll be jumping from the board.”

Lily couldn't help but laugh, but as the lesson grew more difficult, time faded away. Lily's head was in and out of the water so often, she lost all sense of the day. She was learning to breathe properly, kick her feet, and keep her hands perfectly cupped for her straight-arm strokes.

“How's it going?” Bailey called from the edge of the deep end. It was well after 3:00.

“Great. After trying to drown the woman, I think I might have taught her to swim.”

Lily laughed again.

“If you're going to stay out much longer, Lily,” Bailey said conversationally, “you'd probably better get some more block on. You're looking a little red.”

Before Lily could ask the question that was inside of her, Ashton spotted it too.

“You are red, Lily. We had better finish up for today.”

“All right. Thank you, Ashton.”

“You're welcome. You did a great job.”

Lily swam to the shallow end and climbed from the pool, still self-conscious about being in a swimsuit, but when she toweled off, she did notice that her shoulders and arms were tender. That faded, however, when she felt hunger gnawing at her insides. The bowl of fruit in the kitchen came to mind, and after thanking Ashton again and wrapping up in her towel, Lily headed that way.

After the snack, Lily went up to take a shower. She smelled of chlorine and wanted it out of her hair. She would have enjoyed learning about the workings of the pool, but there had been no opportunity to ask.

Lily had been in the shower just a few minutes when a wave of nausea hit her. She thought she might have eaten too fast and was glad when it passed. However, when she climbed from the shower and looked at herself in the bathroom mirror, this time without her suit, a feeling of dread covered her. She was red. Very red. And a dull headache had started to throb around her forehead.

By the time she got to her room she felt very tired as well. After dressing in her loose, comfortable clothing, Lily decided to lie down. In less than five minutes she was sound asleep.

Dinner was on the table before Bailey realized she hadn't seen Lily since the pool. From the living room, she could see that Lily's door was closed and thought maybe the swimming had worn her out. Nevertheless, dinner was on, and Bailey wanted to give her a chance to eat.