Bamboo and Lace (40 page)

“In hopes of what?”

“That you would notice Gabe.”

“Why, Bailey?”

Bailey laughed as she said, “Because you're perfect for each other. And since Gabe had already found you, we just needed you to notice him.”

Lily looked at her, her face a picture of pleasure and bemusement.

“I had no idea.”

“Well, we tried to be subtle, and in truth, Evan was the busiest one.”

“Evan?”

Bailey laughed at the now surprised look on Lily's face, but before either one of them could comment further, they looked up to see Gabe headed their way.

“Is this just girl talk?” he asked as he came to Lily's side.

“No, you can join us,” Bailey said, “especially if you're sharing
some of what's in that cooler.”

“We'll just have to see about that,” he teased, and Lily smiled at how laden down he was. He had his own mat, the cooler, a basket, and several towels. Lily thought she could see a book and some magazines as well. Clearly he had come for the day.

“How are you?” Gabe asked when his mat was next to Lily's and he'd passed bottles of juice to everyone.

“I'm fine. How are you?”

“Just dandy,” he said, throwing in a wink for good measure.

Lily smiled in pleasure and looked away in embarrassment. Bailey had been watching them but now picked up the book she'd brought along and began to read.

Lily looked out over the water for a time, but she didn't want to read with Gabe next to her. She just wanted to look at him and talk. She glanced his way to find him watching her.

“Will you go to dinner with me on Thursday night?” he asked quietly.

“Oh, certainly. To the Little Bay?”

“No, we're going to go someplace a little fancier.”

Lily hesitated. “Will I have something to wear?”

“Yes, that teal and blue dress you have will be fine.”

Lily nodded, feeling very pleased. Their eyes locked for a moment, until both shifted their eyes away.

“I learned to swim in this bay,” Gabe said, his eyes on the water, his voice thoughtful.

“How old were you?”

“Just a baby, I think. I don't remember it, but my mom talks about it now and again.”

“And when did you learn to surf?”

“I think I started that when I was maybe four or five.”

“Were you at all timid or frightened?”

“Not at that age. I was too young to realize how seriously I should take it. My dad knew the dangers and kept a tight rein on me, but I was raring to go at all times.”

“Were you ever hurt?”

“Not seriously. I tumbled off my board enough times early on to learn respect for those waves, and that's all it took. I was still dying to go surfing every waking moment, but I knew my limits.”

Lily was silent with awe—learning to surf at such a young age.

“It's all a matter of where you live,” Gabe continued to voice his thoughts. “Kids who grow up in the mountains of Colorado learn to snow ski as babies. On a horse ranch, you're in the saddle before you can walk. On the beaches of Oahu, you learn to surf.”

“I think I'll learn to surf someday,” Lily suddenly proclaimed.

Gabe shifted to get a better view of her face.

“Are you serious?” he asked.

Lily's smile was nothing short of cheeky. “No.”

As Gabe laughed, Bailey commented that Evan was headed their way. Lily frantically reached for her T-shirt. Stopping her actions, Gabe put a hand on her arm and spoke quietly.

“Your suit is very modest, Lily. You don't need to cover up.”

Lily looked into his eyes. “You're sure?”

“Very sure. Jeff helped you buy this, remember?”

Lily nodded.

“He would not mislead you, and you can trust me that I would tell you if something was inappropriate.”

Lily nodded and set the shirt aside, but she kept her hand on it. Evan greeted everyone, put a mat next to his wife, and reached for Bailey's hand. Lily had no sense that he was looking at her, but still she felt bare. Her figure compared to Bailey's was very small, but having her arms and neck so exposed and the suit fitting snug against her body was a whole new experience.

Lily found, however, that it didn't last. In time they were all eating, visiting, and reading, and Evan's presence soon became a complete non-issue.

The Tuesday night luau at the cove was for adults only this time. Deanne's parents, Hadden and Anita Talbot, were invited. Ashton was in attendance, as were Evan and Bailey, Harris and Barb Stringer, Wang, Zulu, who was one of the elders from church, and his wife, Aleka, Davis and Pam Merrill, plus Gabe and Lily. The group of 14 were in high sprits from the moment they arrived and enjoyed much laughter as they ate.

The last time they had eaten together the conversation had turned to romance and how the couples met. Tonight's discussion focused on when folks came to Christ. The mood of the party grew a little more serious then, but no less enjoyable. Time was taken for everyone to tell how he or she had come to a saving knowledge of Christ, the stories so diverse they could have been in a book. The evening passed all too swiftly, and before anyone was ready, folks needed to head home.

“We had a wonderful time, Evan,” Harris Stringer said warmly shaking his hand as he and his wife were leaving. “It won't be long until you're back to work.”

“Just a few weeks now.”

“Do you think you'll be rested?”

“I think we're getting there. We haven't told many people yet, but Bailey is expecting, so I've been asking her to take it easy. I find that she does that better when I do.”

“God knew what He was talking about with male leadership, didn't He?”

“Indeed.” Evan laughed. “Have a safe trip home, Harris.”

“We'll do our best. We'll see you at Bible study tomorrow night.”

Harris Stringer waited only until Bible study ended the next night to nab Evan and ask for a word with him in private.

“Evan, am I stepping over my bounds to ask if Gabe and Lily are getting to know each other?”

“No, I don't think so.” Barely managing not to smile, he asked, “What are you seeing?”

“Well, last night at the luau they seemed to be getting close, and now tonight they sat together.”

Evan could no longer hold his smile. Harris, a bit of a romantic, smiled in self-congratulations.

“I'm right, aren't I?”

“Yes, but I don't know how much they're sharing right now.”

“But I can pray,” the excited pastor said, nearly rubbing his hands together.

Evan could only laugh.

On Thursday evening, Lily checked her appearance for the last time before moving from her bedroom to the hallway and down the stairs. Gabe had said they were dressing up a bit, and for some reason this made her a little excited and nervous.

As she was descending the stairs, she heard a soft whistle and looked to see Ashton watching her from the sofa. Lily laughed.

“Were you hoping a taxi would come by?” Lily teased him as she reached the bottom.

“No!” The man was playfully outraged, coming off the sofa to be heard. “I was telling you that you look pretty!”

“With a whistle?” Lily was still teasing. Gabe had done this to her just the day before, and she had needed a full explanation.

“Well,” Ashton said trying not to smile, “it is a bit crude, but I meant well.”

“Thank you, Ash.”

The two smiled at each other in genuine friendship.

“Where are you two headed?”

“I think Gabe said something about Turtle's Bay.”

“He's probably taking you to the Cove restaurant at the Turtle Bay Hilton.”

“That's the place,” Gabe confirmed as he came down the stairs, looking very nice in dress slacks and an Aloha shirt. “Are you ready?” he asked when he reached Lily's side.

“I have to put my sandals on,” Ashton answered with as straight a face as he could manage. “And comb my hair.”

“I hate to tell you, Ash, old buddy, but you're not invited.”

“Why not? I'm a lot of fun.”

“That's true,” Gabe agreed. “You rate right up there with a toothache.”

The couple exited on Ashton and Lily's laughter, but they weren't in the car five minutes when Lily asked, “How does Ash feel about our getting to know each other?”

“I think he's fine with it. Why do you ask?”

“I just wanted to be certain.”

“Well,” Gabe returned wryly, “as of last weekend he wanted to know why I hadn't asked you to marry me yet. So if that's any indication, he must be all for it.”

Not only his words, but also his tone gave Lily the giggles— something Gabe had never heard from her. He enjoyed thinking about it for the next few miles, a little sorry that they didn't have farther to go.

Once inside the elegant restaurant, however, Lily's giggles were nowhere to be heard. Lily and Gabe were soon seated, and hovering at their side was a perfectly groomed waiter in a white coat. He took Lily's napkin from the table and placed it in her lap. All expression had left her face, and Gabe immediately saw the signs. Gabe waited only for the man to step away from the table to speak.

“Are you all right?”

“Yes.”

“Can you tell me what you're thinking?”

“I'm thinking that I don't want to do anything to embarrass you.”

Gabe slid his hand along the tablecloth so he could touch Lily's fingers. She relaxed a little.

“You're not going to embarrass me. If anything, I'm in great danger of having to confess the pride I feel over being with you. I wanted to come here because the setting is special. You can relax and enjoy this.”

“Maybe you should just order for me.”

“I can do that, or you can ask all the questions you want.”

Lily nodded and tried to do as he told her.

“It is fancy, though, isn't it, Gabe?”

“Yes, but they pride themselves on making your dining experience a memorable one, so just ask for whatever you need and you'll enjoy yourself.”

“All right.”

Gabe took his hand back, and Lily smiled at him.

“Still like me?” Gabe teased a little.

“Yes, but I should be the one to ask you that question.”

“Go ahead.”

“Do you still like me?”

His dark eyes studied her for a moment before saying, “Oh, yes,” very slowly.

At that moment the waiter returned with tall glasses of iced tea and began to explain the evening's specials. Gabe could tell that some of it was new to Lily, so when the man asked if they wanted more time, he said yes.

“Do they actually serve dolphin here?”

“Dolphin fish.”

The silent “oh” was punctuated by the relief he saw on her face.

“So what sounds good?”

For the next five minutes they discussed their options. Lily began to worry about the time and then realized that this was their night; there was no need to rush. With this in mind, she finally sat back.