Bamboo and Lace (14 page)

Gabe hesitated. “Can I do something for you first?”

“No, thank you. I just need a moment.”

Gabe took her at her word, although it took some effort, and returned to the table. He made himself carry on, but the horrible helplessness and blame was returning. He had told Jeff they would take care of her, and he'd let his friend down.

It did much for his heart to see Lily eventually come back to the table and eat some of the cheese he had cut. It wasn't much, but he figured her stomach might still be upset.

And he was right. Lily would have enjoyed a little more food, but her skin still smelled like the hospital, and that was making her feel a little ill. She would have liked a bath but knew how much she would have to use her arms to get in and out of a bathtub. Without giving it much thought, she asked, “Did the doctor say if I could swim or not?”

Gabe had all he could do to keep his mouth closed.

“You can't go out in the sun, Lily,” Evan informed her.

“Oh, that's right.”

“Did you want to swim?” Gabe questioned.

“Not really,” she answered, wishing she had kept her mouth shut. “I can still smell the stuff they put on me, and I wasn't sure I could stand a shower or bath.”

“If we could make the pool work, we would get you out there, Lily,” Gabe told her before he realized he had the answer. “I know! We'll cool the water in the hot tub and have you get in that. It's small and easier to manage.”

Lily wanted to ask if he was certain, but she kept quiet, partly because he was old enough to tell her the truth, and partly because the pain was crowding in again.

“Hey, Lily.” Bailey came to the kitchen to find her. “Someone set a little bag of medicine on the dining room table. Have you been keeping up with this stuff?”

Keeping up with this stuff
was a new phrase to Lily, so for a moment she didn't answer.

“Is it mine?” she asked at last.

“Yes,” Bailey said and handed it to her.

Lily remembered as soon as she looked inside.

“If those are pain pills, Lily,” Bailey went on to say, not wanting to sound like a mother but no longer willing to assume anything where this woman was concerned, “you're probably in need of one. You've been home for almost four hours, and that's about how long they last.”

Lily could have sighed with relief. At the hospital they had led her to believe that she would feel a little better every day, and here she was feeling quite miserable again.

“Thank you, Bailey,” she said simply and began to read the instructions. She rose to get a glass of water, hoping and praying as she took the pills that relief was on the way.

“It's time for the tube top.” Bailey surprised Lily when she came to her room after dinner to find her.

“Why is that?”

“Aren't you going in the hot tub?”

“Yes.”

“It's like this, Lily. Trying to get the suit over your shoulders and miss your burns will kill you.”

The older woman gave her a moment to compute this. It didn't work.

“I'm afraid I still don't understand.”

“You have strap marks on your shoulders, right?”

“Yes.”

“Well, trying to get the suit in just the right place never works until after you've rubbed your burn more than you want to. And I would have to guess that you don't want your burned shoulders rubbed at all.”

“No, I don't.”

“You can just wear the tube top and some shorts. I'll go out with you. Don't worry about the guys. They'll leave us to ourselves.”

Lily knew it was time to acquiesce.

“Maybe it is for the best.”

“Come down whenever you're ready to go.”

“All right. Thank you, Bailey.”

“No problem,” she said with a smile and went on her way.

They're so kind and caring, Lord. I still feel like an interloper, but not because of them. Help me to be a gracious receiver. I had determined to come here and contribute to the household, and now that I can't, my pride has surfaced.

Lily found utter peace as she continued to stand in her room, dressing slowly in her swim outfit and confessing her sins to the Lord. She saw how much she had been moving on her plan and not His. She had not been thankful, and by constantly second-guessing all of her actions and words, she was making herself ill.

Is God in charge here or not, Lily? When did He call and tell you to take over? Be yourself with these people! Say the things you're thinking and stop fearing their rejection. What kind of friends would Jefferson have if they treated you with scorn because you might say the wrong word or thought?

Confession made, pep talk over, shorts in place, and tube top stepped into, Lily moved to the door. She stopped for a towel in the hallway and then went below, thinking that no amount of physical pain could compare with being at odds with God, her Creator.

“It simply doesn't work,” she said quietly.

“What doesn't work?” Bailey asked from the bottom of the stairs.

Lily had not even seen her, but she still admitted, “My being in charge. I'm just not that good at doing God's job.”

Bailey laughed and added, “And you know the worst part? I have to relearn that almost every day.”

“I know just what you mean.”

The children accompanied Lily and Bailey to the hot tub. It was right in the pool area, which was now quite shaded, but Lily had never noticed it. And it was large. It looked as if eight adults could sit in the molded seats very comfortably.

“I'm going to get out and look all around this place one of these days,” she said as she followed her hostess. “I didn't even know this was here.”

“We'll do a grand tour as soon as you feel up to it.”

“Have I thanked you, Bailey?” Lily stopped and asked. “Have I told you how much I appreciate all of this?”

“Yes, Lily, you have. You not only say the words, but we can tell you're thankful.”

“Our memory verse on Sunday was about thankfulness,” Peter suddenly told them.

“What was it, Pete?” his mother asked as she stepped aside to let Lily go in.

“‘Oh give thanks to the Lord.' ”

“Where is it found?”

“I forget.”

“1 Chronicles 16:8?” Lily asked.

“That's it!” Peter said, his little mouth rounding in surprise. “Do you know that verse?”

“I think I do. Does it go on to say, ‘Call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples'?”

“I don't know. We just learned ‘Oh, give thanks to the Lord.'”

Lily also wanted to thank the little boy. Talking with him had taken her mind off getting into the water, and so she had simply done it. It was not completely comfortable, but getting better all the time. The temperature was at almost the same level as her skin, and so other than her back, shoulders, and arms, she could barely feel it.

“Do you want to be splashed?” Celia suddenly asked. She was standing on one of the built-in benches next to Lily.

“Well,” Lily began, a little confused.

“Another time, CeCe,” her mother intervened. Then she explained to Lily: “Our rule on that issue is that you only splash people who want to be splashed.”

Lily nodded and turned back to the little girl.

“As soon as I can go swimming again, you can splash me. How will that be?”

Celia nodded. “I do splashing good.”

Thinking that Celia looked adorable in her little blue swimsuit, Lily smiled and shifted her back so her shoulders could sink below the water a bit more. At the same time, her head went back against the curved seat. She closed her eyes, and for the first time since she woke with the burn, Lily let herself relax.

Chapter Eight

“You know,” Lily suddenly said, her head coming up to find Bailey sitting on the side of the tub across from her, “this tub is going to get that antiseptic solution in it, the wash they used on me in the hospital. I know the short shower I took didn't get it all off.”

“That's okay. Ash will add some chlorine and it'll be all set.”

“May I ask you something, Bailey?”

“Anything.”

“What does everyone do around here? How do you make this work?”

While Bailey helped Celia find a toy to play with, she answered, “Gabe is the official manager of the Kapaia Resort. He makes the main decisions and takes the heat if anyone is unhappy. He deals the most with the public, and he has his own office in the rear of the resort office so he can field problems with guests or reservations or whatever.

“Ash manages the grounds and all the groundskeepers, along with all the cottages. He sees to repairs or makes sure they're done, whatever is needed. Evan sees to the restaurant and all equipment.”

“What type of equipment?”

“Well, not everyone comes with tennis rackets and balls, but we have four courts, so he rents those out and keeps them up. He manages the beach area, snorkeling equipment, paddle boats— you name it.”

“And the restaurant too?”

“Yes. We have a great staff, but he oversees the manager, who does most of the ordering, the hiring, and the firing. Evan also handles any changes to the menu, business hours, or building.”

Lily was amazed.

“But right now is your time off?”

“Yes. We don't book any guests in September or October. Some of our competitors say we're crazy, but we found that staying open 12 months a year when we're family owned and operated as we are was just wearing everyone out. We've only done it this way for four years. It definitely takes a toll on the money side of things, but it's well worth it for the rest and family time.”

And during your time off, you got stuck with me.

Lily hated the thought and didn't know where it had come from, but she worked to swiftly push it aside. As her brother had reminded her, this was where God wanted her.

“Can we swim?”

“You mean in the pool, Peter?”

He nodded in excitement.

“Not unless your dad comes out with you.”

“Can I go ask him?”

Bailey glanced at Lily. Her head was back and her eyes were
closed again.

“In a little while.”

“I'm going to peel, aren't I?”

Bailey looked over to see that Lily's head had come up and she was staring at her.

“Like a snake.” Bailey had no choice but to tell her, laughing just a little.

Lily was still inspecting the skin on her arm when Gabe came toward them. He had a cordless phone in his hand.

“It's for you, Lily. Jeff.”

“Oh!”

Lily started to reach for it but stopped.

“I can talk in here?”

“Sure,” Gabe said, a smile coming to his lips. “It would probably be best if you didn't drop it in the water as I have in the past.”

Lily smiled at him as she took it.

Gabe went back to the house, but now it was Bailey's turn to stare at Lily. For the first time, Lily was talking on the phone to her brother and not tearing up in the least. It looked as though she was finally going to make it.