Spring Broke

by Melody Carlson

  Anna nodded eagerly. “Then you assumed she wanted your baby more than she wanted you. But what if she was just too proud to say the truth?”

  “That sounds like my mom.”

  Anna grinned. “Mine too.”

  “Wow.” Lelani sat down again. “Do you think?”

  “I think you’ll never know unless you make the first move, Lelani.”

  “And apologize to her!” Lelani threw her arms around Anna now. “I think you’re a genius. Maybe you should get a job on the Dr. Phil show. Or start your own show. Let’s see. We could call it Ask Anna.”

  Anna laughed. “Well, don’t go selling ad space just yet. We still need to see if this plan works.”

  “Oh, I really hope it does. I would give anything to keep this thing from going to court, Anna. It’s not like I hate my parents. I don’t. I don’t understand them either. But if they could just see my side … if they could let me have Emma and give me some space to raise her … well, I think it could be fun having them as grandparents.”

  “Who knows? Maybe they’d like it too.” Anna wanted to add that she’d enjoy playing Aunt Anna to Emma too. But she knew that was pushing things. Despite her mother’s claim that Gil was in love, which Anna didn’t doubt, no commitments had been made. And Anna never felt totally sure that Lelani’s feelings for Gil were as strong as his for her. Still, Anna knew that Lelani had a lot on her plate. Perhaps there just wasn’t room for falling in love too. At least not yet.

  Twenty-eight

  Kendall

  Kendall really hadn’t meant to eavesdrop Thursday morning. She was only trying to find Lelani to let her know that her cell phone was ringing in the guesthouse. In case the attorney was trying to reach her. At first she thought maybe Lelani had taken a morning swim in the pool. She’d done it a couple of times, getting up early enough to avoid her mother. But it was a little late for that. So then Kendall assumed that Lelani had snuck into the nursery to spend time with Emma again. She’d done that several times too. But their visits were usually cut short because Ginger, the tattletale nanny, always ran off to tell Lelani’s mom.

  The back door to the main house was open, so Kendall let herself in, thinking she’d find Lelani in the nursery and get to spend some time with that adorable Emma herself. But, although the nursery door was cracked open, only Ginger and Emma were there, and it appeared she was getting Emma ready for her morning swimming—or drowning—session. So Kendall continued to prowl through the quiet house. Okay, maybe she was snooping, but then why shouldn’t she snoop? They were, after all, guests in the Porter home, shouldn’t they be allowed to look around? And this house was worth looking at too.

  Besides, Kendall reminded herself as she tiptoed down a hallway at the other end of the house, she had opted to stay behind today so that the two couples (Anna and Edmond, Megan and Marcus) could do some more sightseeing. Before she left, Megan specifically told Kendall to keep an eye on Lelani. If anyone asked, that was simply what she was trying to do. For all she knew, Lelani’s witch of a mother could be poisoning Lelani—she could be slipping a teaspoon of arsenic into the coffee, smiling as she handed her daughter a cup of the finest Kona.

  Just when Kendall imagined that scene, she heard their voices. Rather, it was Lelani’s voice. She was speaking calmly, rationally, just the way Lelani normally spoke.

  “So you see, Mother, I’ve been giving it a lot of thought, and I can understand that you might have thought you were helping me by hiring a nanny. When I rejected the idea, I might’ve sounded ungrateful. I might’ve even said some mean things that hurt your feelings. To be honest, I can’t remember my exact words, but I do remember being angry. And so I think I owe you an apology.”

  Kendall gasped. What was going on here? Why was Lelani caving like this? Had her evil mother cast some sort of spell on her, slipped her drugs, turned her into a Stepford daughter? What was going on?

  “Well, Lelani, have you started to come to your senses?”

  Kendall clenched a fist. Then she just waited.

  “All I’m saying, Mother, is that I didn’t handle things well. I didn’t appreciate that you were trying to help me.”

  “That’s all I was doing, Lelani. I could see you were unhappy. I just wanted you to get on with your life.”

  “But I didn’t see it like that. I thought you were trying to take my baby.”

  “Oh, dear, why would I want to do that? You’re my daughter.”

  There was a pause, and Kendall imagined Lelani’s mother as a spider, spinning her web, reeling in her prize.

  “I just wanted you to know that I really do appreciate you. And I’m thankful for what you’ve done for Emma. For taking care of her these past nine months.”

  “We’re family, Lelani. Why wouldn’t we care for our own?”

  “So you accept my apology?” Lelani’s voice was hopeful and vulnerable. “Do you understand that I really never meant to hurt you?”

  “I had always hoped that you’d come to your senses, Lelani.”

  “So I’ll be taking Emma back with me when I leave.”

  The silence grew so thick that Kendall thought she might gag on it. With her hand pressed over her mouth, she waited.

  “My poor Lelani.” Her mother actually laughed now. “It’s rather sweet that you’re suddenly experiencing all these maternal urges and motherly emotions. But you must understand that it’s too little too late. You must be able to accept that time has come and gone.”

  “No. I cannot see that.” Lelani’s words came slowly now, almost as if each one caused her real physical pain. Maybe they did. Kendall certainly ached inside. “I cannot accept that. I can accept that I was confused after Emma’s birth. I can see that I didn’t make good choices. I can even admit that I said some harsh things to you. But I cannot understand why you should hold that against me now. I am apologizing to you, Mother. Can you forgive me?”

  “If you are speaking of the kind of forgiveness that sweeps all that’s been done under the rug, no, I cannot forgive you. If you think your pretty words are all it takes for you to waltz in here and take Kala—”

  “Emma!”

  “No, Lelani, her name is Kala. The sooner you accept that, the easier it will be for everyone.”

  “Her name is Emma, Mother. And she is my child. Not yours. I am sorry for the pain I’ve caused you. And I am sorry that I will be forced to fight you in court, but apparently you give me no—”

  “What?”

  “I spoke to an attorney this week. She is ready to file petitions and take this to court. I have sworn affidavits attesting to the emotional abuse I suffered from you.”

  “You are bluffing, Lelani.”

  “I am not bluffing.”

  Alana laughed again. And this time Kendall couldn’t take it. She burst into the room, causing both Lelani and her mother to jump. “She is not bluffing, Mrs. Porter,” declared Kendall. “We’ve been living with Lelani for months now. We all know what you’ve put her through. We all know that you are trying to steal her baby. We’ve seen you treating her like—like this!” Kendall flung out her arms for drama. “I heard every word you just said and I am willing to write another sworn statement.” Kendall pointed her finger at Mrs. Porter now. “And another thing—I think we should take this to the news. I mean, you seem like a pretty respected woman in the town. And your husband’s businesses are popular. How would you look if everyone on this island knew what you were really like?” Kendall took a step toward Lelani’s mother. “Huh? How would you like to see this story all over the newspapers and—”

  “That’s enough, Kendall.” This came from Lelani. “I appreciate your trying to help, but I would never subject Emma to that kind of publicity.”

  Mrs. Porter stood and faced Lelani now. “You object for the sake of your daughter, but not for your ow
n parents? Your parents who have given you everything and—”

  “Everything?” Lelani took a step closer to her mother now. “I don’t want everything. I never did. All I ever wanted from you, Mother, was to be loved and accepted. But, as you say, maybe it’s too late for that. For now, the only thing I want from you is my daughter. I will not leave this island without her.”

  “That’s right!” Kendall stepped next to Lelani, standing tall. “And she has all her friends to back her on this too.”

  “I’m sure it will take all her friends. And a lot more.” Mrs. Porter pointed to the door. “I do believe you have trespassed into my house. I may be forced to call the police.”

  “Are you kicking us out?” asked Lelani.

  Her mother’s eyes narrowed. “Yes. I am kicking you out of this part of the house. You and your friends have until Saturday to evacuate the guesthouse.”

  “I’m sorry.” Kendall wished that Lelani would stop crying. “I shouldn’t have butted in.”

  “No, that’s not it. I actually appreciated it.”

  Kendall handed her another tissue. “Then can you please stop crying. You are seriously bumming me out.”

  “I’m sorry.” Lelani blew her nose. “I had just hoped that it would go differently.”

  “I don’t understand why you were in there apologizing to her. She should apologize to you, Lelani. That was nuts.”

  “Maybe.” Lelani sighed. “It seemed to make sense at the time.”

  “Yeah, well, that’s what I said about sleeping with Matthew Harmon and look where that got me.” She patted her ever so slightly rounded tummy.

  Lelani actually laughed. “That is so outrageously off the mark, Kendall. Only you would think what you just said made any sense.”

  “At least it made you laugh.” Kendall sat down next to Lelani. “Okay, like it or not, you are stuck with me for the day. What is something you like to do to take your mind off of something, well, nasty like this? If it were me, I’d say shopping. But then I promised Megan that I wouldn’t and so far I’ve only cheated once. Well, twice. But enough about me. What do you want to do to forget all that—”

  “Surfing.”

  “Yeah!” Kendall gave her a high five. “Let’s do it. I was really getting the hang of it last time. Where do you want to go?”

  “Right in my own backyard.” Lelani stood. “Well, what used to be my own backyard. Although my parents don’t own the beach.”

  Soon they were paddling out to where about a dozen other surfers were already enjoying the surf action and attempting to catch what looked like some pretty decent waves. Kendall couldn’t believe how good Lelani was at this. If Kendall was just one tenth as good, she’d be happy. But she wasn’t about to give up. She was, after all, in Maui. And this was her vacation. She was going to enjoy it and give it her best shot.

  Just then a big wave came up from behind them, and Kendall was ready. She got her board in place and she was riding. She pulled her feet under, just like she’d seen Lelani do again and again. Then she was up on her board, arms spread for balance, and moving through what felt like a good wave—she was flying! Then—smack! She was tackled from behind and knocked off her feet. She and the board went into the air, then tumbled into the water. It felt like she was in the spin cycle, whirling round and round until she couldn’t tell up from down and then, just when she thought her lungs were bursting, something smacked her in the forehead and the lights went out.

  The next thing Kendall remembered was a pair of big strong hands—was it God?—lifting her out of the water and laying her out on something hard and smooth.

  “Can you hear me?” said a deep voice. Again, Kendall wondered—was it God? Because she had been praying, or at least she thought she had.

  “You’re going to be okay,” the voice told her.

  She slowly opened her eyes to see a dark, kind face smiling down at her—the most dazzling smile she had ever seen—framed in blue sky.

  “You’re awake,” he said. “Now, don’t move. Help is on the way. You took quite a tumble. Your friend ran ahead to call for help.” He smiled. “Hey, did anyone ever tell you how beautiful you are?” He shook his head like he was dazzled. “Seriously, when I pulled you out, I thought I had rescued a mermaid.”

  She attempted a smile and then the world grew dark again.

  When Kendall woke up the second time, she was in a bed. And her handsome rescuer was nowhere to be seen. But a concerned Lelani was standing by. “Oh, Kendall,” she said. “How are you?”

  Kendall blinked at the bright lights overhead. “I’ve been better.”

  “You took a pretty severe bump on the head, which caused a concussion and rendered you unconscious. And your left wrist is fractured. But that seems to be about all. And at least you didn’t drown.”

  Kendall closed her eyes again. Her head was throbbing.

  “Are you in pain?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Let me run for a doctor. You can have some pain meds now that you’re awake.”

  “Thanks.” Kendall had meant to ask about her handsome rescuer—that is, if he was real and not just an incredibly well-built figment of her imagination.

  Lelani returned with a doctor who looked into Kendall’s eyes and ears and asked her some questions and finally told her that they’d keep her overnight for observation.

  “Overnight?” she complained. “But I’m on vacation. Tomorrow is our last full day.”

  “Sorry about that. But that was quite a hit you took to your head, Kendall,” he said. “And if you’re traveling home on Saturday, we want to make sure there are no complications before we release you.”

  Kendall frowned.

  “They’ll release you in the morning,” Lelani assured her. “That will give you almost a whole day.”

  “But I wanted to go to the luau with you guys,” she protested.

  “Tell you what, you’ll come back to Maui and I’ll take you to the luau, okay?”

  “Yeah, even if I do come back to Maui, which seems unlikely considering my financial affairs, where will we stay? It’s not like your mom’s going to be rolling out the red carpet.”

  Lelani smiled and patted Kendall’s good arm. “At least you still have your sense of humor.”

  “And my good looks?”

  “Yes. Definitely.”

  “Hey, speaking of that, what about that surfer dude who rescued me?” Kendall paused. “Please, tell me he was real.”

  “Killiki?”

  “Killiki?” Kendall smiled. “Seriously, is that his real name?”

  “It is. I’ve known him for years.”

  “Killiki … I like it. Anyway, what happened to him?”

  “He had to go do some work. He’s a plumber.”

  Kendall frowned. “A plumber?”

  “Hey, plumbers make good money.” Lelani nodded. “And they get to keep their own hours. Plumbing is an admirable profession on the island.”

  “Oh. Is he married?”

  Lelani threw her head back and laughed. “Only you, who has nearly drowned and suffered a concussion, would think to ask something like that.”

  “Well, is he?”

  “As a matter of fact, Killiki is single.”

  Kendall smiled. “Do you have his phone number?”

  Lelani laughed even harder now. “No. But it’s probably in the yellow pages. And, no, I’m not going to get you a phone book. I can tell the pain meds are starting to work. So why don’t you be a good girl and get some rest? That’s probably the best treatment for a head injury anyway. And, while you’re sleeping, you can dream of Killiki.”

  Kendall closed her eyes. “It’s a deal.”

  But when Kendall woke up, several hours later, she was not dreaming or even thinking abou
t her gorgeous Maui man. The only thing she could think about was her baby. She had totally forgotten about her baby! And Lelani, Dr. Lelani, had not said a word about it. Kendall’s hands were on her stomach, which actually felt flatter than usual, and she began to cry. What if she had lost her baby? They had said she almost drowned. And then she’d been unconscious. Wasn’t it possible that all that trauma had caused a miscarriage?

  If that was the case, she had only herself to blame. What an idiot. She didn’t deserve to have a baby! Tears were streaking down the sides of her face, cool wet tracks going straight into her ears.

  “Hey, beautiful,” said a familiar voice.

  She opened her eyes to see Killiki—he was for real!

  “Hey, are you crying?” he asked in a gentle voice.

  “Yeah.”

  “What’s wrong, Kendall? I thought you’d be happy to be alive.”

  “I am. Well, sort of. But I’m really worried.”

  “About your arm?”

  “No. Did Lelani tell you that I’m …” Kendall bit her lip.

  “What?”

  “That I am pregnant.” Now she was crying even harder. “Or maybe I was pregnant. I forgot to ask about the baby. And they gave me pain meds—and I’ll bet they wouldn’t do that if I was still pregnant because you’re not supposed to do drugs and—” Now she was crying like a baby.

  “Hang on,” he said, but then he disappeared. Who could blame him for running away? Not only had he rescued a blithering idiot, she was a baby killer too!

  Kendall was still crying, only not so loudly, when Killiki returned with the doctor in tow. “Tell her, doc.”

  “I’m sorry, Kendall—”

  “No! No! I don’t want to hear—”

  “No, I mean I’m sorry that I forgot to reassure you that your baby is just fine. It was the first thing Lelani told me when you were brought in. Everything checked out just fine. I’m just sorry I didn’t tell you. I assumed she had.”