Bamboo and Lace (30 page)

Lily sat thinking on all of this until she realized that Ashton was watching her. Lily immediately knew why.

“I didn't answer your question, did I?”

“No, and you don't have to. I'm just trying to figure out if I need to apologize.”

“You don't.”

“I wish it were that simple.”

“Why isn't it?”

“Because I can't take your word for it. You don't expect anything from anyone, so you might not have the right view of how I just treated you.”

Lily was growing upset; she even came to her feet.

“That's just plain insulting,” she said, her voice low with anger.

“Why is it insulting?”

“You're saying I don't even know my own mind.”

“I didn't mean to say that. I'm sorry it came out that way. I meant to say that your bias might not let you be as honest with me as you need to be.”

Lily had to think on this, but her thoughts were in a muddle. In the midst of them, Ashton stood.

“For the record,” he went on, “it's good to see you get angry. I was sure you were capable of great passion. It's nice to know I was right. It gives me great hope.”

“Hope for what?”

Ashton smiled hugely, his board going under his arm.

“I'll tell you about it someday.” This said, he shoved a stick of gum in his mouth and handed one to Lily.

“Ashton,” she began in her normal voice, not even looking down at the gum, “I feel I need—”

“Don't even go there,” he said, his voice not at all teasing.

Lily blinked.

“Were you about to apologize to me?”

Lily gave a small nod.

“I'll make a deal with you, Lily,” Ashton began, his voice completely back to normal as well. “You can get angry at me, and when I think you were unjust or that you sinned against me, I'll tell you so you can make it right. Prior to my telling you that I think you were wrong, I want you to speak your mind to me, even if you feel angry. Deal?”

“Deal,” Lily said, not thinking she had a choice.

“I'm off,” Ashton stated. He turned toward the sea but then paused and looked back. “Unless we still need to discuss this.”

“No, that's fine” was all Lily could muster just before Ashton gave a wave and jogged across the sand. Realizing her legs would no longer support her, Lily let her body sink back down to the chair, wondering if there had ever been another time when she was quite this emotionally exhausted.

“Okay,” Peter called. “Watch this one.”

Peter did a silly jump from the diving board to his uncle, who waited for him in the deep end.

“That was a good one. A nine at the very least.”

“Let's dive for rings!”

“Okay. Where are they?”

“I'll get 'em.”

Gabe lay on his back, his eyes on the sky as Peter made quick strokes to the edge of the pool and then scrambled over to the hot tub for the rings. He was back before Gabe was ready to move, but he forced himself to dive with his nephew when all his body wanted to do was sleep.

“Gabe?” Peter said when he had tired of that game; they had played at least a dozen since getting in the pool.

“Yeah?”

“Do you think we can eat lunch out here?”

“I'm sure we can. What sounds good?”

“Can you barbecue hamburgers?”

Gabe laughed, finally understanding why Peter's voice had been so hesitant and hopeful.

“I doubt if we have any meat thawed, buddy, but we can check.”

“Do we have hot dogs thawed?”

“Even if we don't, hot dogs will work if they're frozen.”

Peter's answer to this was to throw his arms around his uncle's neck; only Gabe's strong legs kept their heads above water.

“So drowning me is my reward for agreeing to barbecue?” Gabe gently teased Peter, holding him close in the water.

“I love you, Gabe,” Peter said, leaning back to look into his uncle's eyes.

“I love you, Pete. You're my favorite nephew.”

The little boy smiled. “I'm your only nephew.”

That we know of
were Gabe's private thoughts as he remembered his sister's condition and gave the little boy a kiss.

“Shall we go see if we have some hot dogs?”

“Yeah! Chips, too, and Pepsi.”

“Works for me.”

The twosome made their way from the pool to dry off. Peter climbed onto Gabe's back for a ride to the kitchen, both with the makings of a feast in mind.

Chapter Seventeen

“Here you are,” Gabe said as he stepped onto the veranda and found Lily just coming back from the beach.

Still feeling very weary, Lily only looked at him, not certain how she was supposed to respond and wishing that the walk she'd just taken along the shore had done something for her turbulent emotions.

“We're having lunch by the pool if you want to join us.”

“Thank you.”

Gabe looked at her. The words were said in a wooden voice, and Gabe had never seen Lily looking so tired.

“Are you all right, Lily?”

“I don't know.”

“Can you tell me what's wrong?”

“I think I can. I mean, Ash wouldn't mind, I'm sure, and I would really like your advice about what to do.”

“Okay.”

“I got angry with Ash, and he was pleased.”

Gabe's face lit up with delight. “You got angry at Ash?”

Lily had all she could do not to burst into tears. Her hand came to her mouth, and all she could think was
Please help me, Jeff. I'm so lost and confused right now. Someone please help me.

“I'm sorry, Lily,” Gabe was swift to say. “Here, sit down and tell me what happened.”

Lily took a moment to collect herself and then told the story. She ended with, “Gabe, I'm so confused. Why would Ash wish me to be angry with him?”

“He doesn't want you to be angry with him as much as he wants you to feel free to have your say. It's about how much we value you.”

“It's like you tried to explain to me in the kitchen the other night, isn't it?”

“Exactly. You have very few rights where you come from, Lily. In my opinion, Americans have too many rights, but a balance is needed here. You don't have to lower your eyes to show that you have respect for us—I think you've learned that—and in the same vein, you can also say that you don't wish to do something or that a comment hurt your feelings. We're not going to make you feel like you don't matter.”

Lily nodded slowly and heard her stomach rumble. She then realized that Gabe had offered her lunch. Had she kept him from his? Lily was ready to ask when she realized this was just the kind of thing he was talking about.

“I'm afraid to be a bit of bother to anyone. Did you know that?”

Gabe nodded, his gaze growing a bit tender over his pleasure that she was seeing this for herself.

“I don't know why exactly. I mean, I know my father cares for me, but you've used the word
value
, and that has given me much to think about.”

“The time is going by swiftly,” Gabe forced himself to face that fact and admit. “You have only about a month left with us. We want this time to be great fun. We want you to be able to return to Kashien so full of good memories and our good care of you that you'll never forget. But mostly we want our relationship with you to be all it can be. You've seen the way we treat each other. We want you to be part of the family too.”

“Thank you, Gabe.” Lily made herself answer and not chatter on about how much they had already done for her. If she lived to be a hundred she would never forget that they
had
made her feel like family, if only she could relax and enjoy it.

Gabe nodded, not sure he could say anything more.

“Did you say something about lunch?” Lily ventured forth to ask.

“Yes, I did. We're out by the pool.”

Lily stood.

“I think I'll go have a little something to eat.”

“Sounds good.”

Lily led the way, and Gabe was thankful. His emotions were tumbling a bit, and it was good to have a few moments with no one looking him directly in the face, especially Lily.

By the time they arrived at the pool, Gabe had things under control.

Lily woke slowly and stretched like a cat. Still out by the pool, she had fallen asleep in a lounger, thankfully in the shade. A turn of her head told her that Bailey was still asleep in the lounger next to her.

For a moment Lily remembered the conversation they had shared before dozing off. Lunch was over, only the women were by the pool, and Bailey had seated herself next to Lily's lounger, surprising her with a question.

“If you could do anything you want this afternoon, Lily, what would it be?”

“Oh, let me see…” Lily thought a moment, thinking that a nap sounded good, but so did something else. “I would walk through that grocery store again.”

Bailey laughed.

“You really liked it, didn't you?”

“I did, Bailey,” she admitted with a shy smile. “All those shelves full of new things! I found it fascinating.”

“Well, the resort store is not as large certainly, or as full of groceries, but you'll have to walk over there and have a look around.”

“There's a store within walking distance?”

“Sure, right at the office.”

Lily's mouth opened in her characteristic “oh.”

“Have you not been to the office store?”

“I haven't even been to the office.”

“You'll have to go. You might even find a little something to take back to your father.”

“What does the store carry?”

But Lily remembered the way Bailey smiled and got a teasing glint in her eye, telling Lily that she would have to go and see. Lily was thinking about doing just that when she suddenly wondered what time it was. Depending on what Wang planned to make for dinner that night, he might already be in the kitchen.

Moving as quietly as she could, Lily left her chair and then the pool area. She took a moment to freshen up before heading to the kitchen, and when she arrived, she saw that her hunch had been correct. Not only was Wang already working, he welcomed her help. Lily settled in for a delightful afternoon of cooking and learning.