Holiday Spice & Everything Nice

by Conn, Claudy

  Annie’s hands flew up in the air and huffed, “Well, of course. It makes total sense now.”

  Lena ignored her outburst. “I think we should have a little talk with the kid.” She hollered at the boy. “Warden! Come on up and have a soda.”

  The theme from the Twilight Zone hummed through Annie’s head. The poor kid was about to get drilled by his new boss. Hoping to save them from being sent to the loony bin she asked, “Do you think it’s wise to interrogate someone who is supposed to bring you luck and love?”

  Lena settled back into her chair. “Brittany was the one who swam with the dolphins. She’s the one who will be lucky in love. Ooh! Grady was with you. That means the two of you were doubly blessed. It’s a match made in heaven.”

  Brittany brushed that idea off. “He’s cute and all, but it’s not in the cards.”

  The innkeeper tapped the tabletop with the tip of her finger. “You just arrived in Hawaii and are unfamiliar with our ways, but it’s not wise to argue with the dolphins.” Warden drew near and Lena gave him a welcoming smile. “Go on inside, dear, and get whatever you like.”

  A goofy grin appeared on his face. The young man gave the ladies a quick bow and hurried into the kitchen.

  When Warden was safely out of earshot, Lena turned toward Brittany. “Annie says you know a thing or two about landscaping. What do you think of all my overgrown plant life?”

  Brittany bit her lip. “It could use a lot of help. When I saw it yesterday, I could tell someone put a lot of thought into its design, but that it hadn’t received the tender loving care it deserves for quite a while.”

  “Want a job?” Lena asked.

  “Yes.”

  Lena rocked the house with her famous laugh. “You’re easy. Don’t you care how much I can pay you?”

  “I would do it for free. I can’t wait to get my hands on it.”

  “I have one condition,” Lena said seriously, “the kid stays and you teach him. You have to become the horse whisperer of plant care. Gentle and caring. Warden doesn’t have a clue what he’s doing, but that doesn’t mean he can’t learn. No more screaming at the poor boy.”

  • • •

  ANNIE LEFT THE two women to hammer out the details of Brittany’s employment and walked into the kitchen to see how Warden was making out. When what to her wondering eyes should appear, but a new beau and Erika, looking so dear. The couple had sodas in their hands and stars in their eyes. Annie was grateful Erika and Warden weren’t standing under the ball of mistletoe hanging in the doorway. Terence would want her to break up the tête-à-tête, but it was nice to see Erika smile again.

  She honestly thought it was going to take much more than simply introducing Erika to a more appropriate suitor to get her mind off Grady. She’d been pining for so long. Annie forgot that Erika was still thirteen and the heart of a young teen could change with the wind. If, as she suspected, Warden was a real live person and not some magical being sent by the dolphins to infuse luck and love on them, then Larry’s experience in fatherhood was proving more valuable than she expected.

  Annie tried to recall if she and Larry’s daughter, Marissa, had been that flighty with the boys back at La Jolla High, but she honestly didn’t think so. They went to all the dances, dated football players, planned and participated in both the junior and senior proms, but the boys hadn’t been anything special. No one stood out in her memory as a first love. Neither she nor Marissa had a steady boyfriend back then. The only boy who made an impression was the dark haired deity with the salacious smile, the boy from the yearbook Summer Sutton passed around the choir class as she spoke about her old school here on Oahu. The man Annie eventually married.

  Annie smiled to herself. Maybe there was such a thing as magic.

  She hadn’t enjoyed an experience with the dolphins, but she made a mental note to ask Terence if he had.

  Warden stepped in a little closer. His bright eyes bored deep into Erika’s. Annie thought Warden the nerd and Erika the blossoming beauty made a cute couple. The young man stood about six inches taller than the young lady he was moving in to kiss. Obviously, the pull of the mistletoe was much stronger than Annie believed.

  Forgetting they hadn’t been properly introduced, Annie walked around the corner and sang out lightly, “I see you met Warden.” She ignored the pink blush rising up on both their faces and continued, “You better get out there, Warden. Lena and Brittany are mapping out your future. I’d get a move on if you want a say in how you’re going to be spending the next few months of your life.”

  Warden shot Erika a confused look and turned graciously back to Annie. He held out a polite hand and grinned. “I’m sorry, you are?”

  Annie gripped it firmly and leveled a warning glare directly into his eyes. “Annie Javier, Erika’s mother.”

  Warden reared back, but recovered quickly. “Mrs. Javier, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” He gave Erika an apologetic grin. “I guess I better go.”

  Erika bit back a snicker. As soon as the door closed behind him, she covered her mouth and spun around, giggling. “You’ve been taking dad lessons.” She deepened her voice and mimicked her father. “You better get out there, kid, and away from my daughter before I cut the circulation off your fingers with my death grip of a handshake.”

  The girl was full of it today, but she was dead wrong if she thought her behavior was acceptable. “I hung back as long as I could, but when it looked like he was about to kiss you, I had to step in. What were you thinking?”

  Erika’s laughing eyes sparkled. “I was thinking that I would like to be kissed. You told me to open myself up to other boys. Well, I found one.”

  Annie rubbed her chin and prayed for patience. Just as she was about to give Erika the lecture of her short life, she caught the mischievous glint in her eye. “You knew I was there the whole time, didn’t you?”

  Erika’s shoulders began to shake. When she couldn’t hold the laughter in any longer, the sound of pure joy poured out. “You should have seen your face.”

  Annie wrapped her arm across her daughter’s shoulders. “You’re playing with fire. If Warden wasn’t in on the joke, then you didn’t play fair with him. Don’t lead him on if you aren’t interested.”

  “He actually seems pretty nice. Don’t worry. The next time we talk, I’ll explain everything and make sure he knows he was moving way too fast.” She grabbed Annie’s hand and pulled her toward the staircase. “Can you help me a minute? I’m supposed to flip the mattress in the small room at the end of the hall, but I’m afraid I’m going to break something.”

  Annie groaned and shook her head. “That’s your job, not mine.”

  Erika dropped Annie’s hand and headed for the lanai. “That’s okay. I’ll ask Warden if he wants to come upstairs with me.”

  Seeing the error of her ways, Annie headed for the stairway. “Point taken. I’ll be happy to help.”

  When they had the mattress standing on its axis, Annie imagined the argument that was going to erupt when Terence found out Larry was playing matchmaker. Trouble was brewing on the home front, and Annie thought she might have to give the spinner dolphins a piece of her mind. This couldn’t possibly be what they intended.

  • • •

  IT HAD TAKEN Larry Wright years to get to a place where he could let Terence storm about without engaging. The two men had very different views on how Erika should be raised. All his blustering was for nothing. In the end, neither of their opinions mattered. Eleanor and Annie typically had the final say. Terence hadn’t caught on to that one simple fact. The younger man was still running on the false assumption that he had some control. The ladies were sly about their persuasion. They would gently plant a seed and let the idea grow. Before you knew it...presto, he and Terence would be on the same page.

  Terence didn’t like that Larry hired a lawn boy to help Lena on the same days Erika was scheduled to work. Larry didn’t have any idea what Terence was going on about. He was teasing Annie when he suggest
ed they introduce her to another boy. Larry wasn’t even acquainted with any teenage boys on the island.

  If Larry had his way, which he didn’t, Grady would be kept as far away from Erika as possible. With the new business venture going forward, Grady was about to become even more entrenched in their household. Terence couldn’t see that his baby girl was growing up, and he certainly wasn’t willing to accept that there wasn’t a thing he could do to stop it.

  Larry sympathized with the protective dad. He went through similar issues with his older daughter Marissa, and in some ways, with Annie. He could honestly say it was easier this time around. Not because he cared any less about Erika, but because his grip was a lot looser. It was torturous trying to hang on to something which would inevitably slip through your fingers as easily as the beautiful Hawaiian sand.

  His role in their odd partnership was more for support. Larry was there for backup when Terence and Annie needed it. Last week when Erika told them both a bald-face lie and snuck out, he stood right by Terence’s side when they tracked her down, hauled her home, and grounded her. The Javiers faced the brunt of the young teen’s emotional highs and lows. Larry and Eleanor were more like trusted friends. They offered comfort and support. When Erika came to their house, she came to visit. When she went back down the street, she was going home.

  Little by little, with Eleanor’s help, he grew to enjoy the time he had with his daughter and rejoice in the time he didn’t.

  Larry could tell by the tone of Terence’s voice that his tirade was winding down. In a few moments, he might even be reasonable. He could see Eleanor outside the window talking on her cell phone. She and Annie were probably figuring out a strategy to get this problem worked out.

  Larry wasn’t worried, as problems went, this wasn’t much of one. He was completely innocent of the crime he was being accused of. He doubted Terence would believe him, so Larry chose not to defend himself.

  Terence pointed a warning finger so close to Larry’s nose, his eyes crossed. “Stop manipulating our daughter!” he shouted. Then he turned his six-foot-plus frame around and stormed out.

  Eleanor saw his departure and rushed inside.

  Larry braced himself.

  “Lawrence Wright,” she began, “I can’t believe you would do something like this.”

  Larry scratched his head. He looked at the love of his life and said sincerely, “I didn’t.”

  “But...” Eleanor stumbled, trying to wrap her head around the misunderstanding. “Annie told me a kid named Warden showed up at Lena’s yesterday. The boy said you hired him to do some yard work around the B&B.”

  Larry couldn’t honestly say he disliked the idea. The family knew him well, and he could see how easy it was for them to blame him. If he was acquainted with anyone Erika’s age, he just might have been the culprit.

  He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “I wonder how much I’m paying him.”

  Eleanor’s fist connected lightly with his bicep. “This isn’t funny,” she scolded. “Are you sure I shouldn’t have you checked out for Alzheimer’s?”

  “Pretty sure,” he replied, rubbing his arm. “But keep an eye on me anyway.”

  7

  “IS THIS HOW you do it?” Brittany asked as she carefully cut out one of the beautiful ornaments Erika designed. Not being the crafty type, Brittany couldn’t fathom how the plain blue paper would transform into one of the delicate beauties she coveted on the Javiers’ Christmas palm.

  The teen leaned across the kitchen table. She studied Brittany’s work and scowled. “The lines have to be perfectly straight or it won’t line up correctly.”

  “Am I helping or hindering?” Brittany asked with a sigh. Her butchered edges would never match up. “I don’t want to make more work for you. Should I stop?”

  “Do you always give up the first time you don’t succeed at something?” Erika remarked coolly.

  Brittany was struck by the question. Even more, she was surprised Erika would be the one to ask it. She was only thirteen, but she was more than simply bright, she was insightful. Not wanting to sound flippant, she gave Erika’s question some thought before she answered. Brittany drummed her fingers on the table. She was about to reveal a piece of her life she didn’t particularly want to revisit. “I was never given a choice. Failure was not an option. Until the day I hopped a flight to Oahu, my life was not my own.”

  Erika looked into Brittany’s eyes and a glint of understanding glimmered. “You’re referring to your parents. Annie doesn’t talk about them. The first time I heard about you was when Dad woke me up and told me you were asleep out on the porch swing.”

  “I wonder how he knew who I was.”

  Erika’s X-Acto knife slipped when she giggled. She quickly discarded the ruined ornament and pitched it in the trash. “Seriously? Are you honestly going to sit there and tell me you can’t see the family resemblance? You and Annie are practically twins.”

  That was something Brittany found extremely hard to believe. Annie was beautiful. She had glamorous friends back in high school. She went out and earned a college degree without any help from their parents, and she ran a top rated design business when she lived in San Diego. Brittany dug in the dirt and planted plants. It was the only thing she was good at. She supposed she could thank her father for that, but the way he treated her made it impossible to feel grateful.

  Erika must have seen the disbelief written on Brittany’s face because she pulled out her cell phone and snapped Brittany’s pic. Then she found a photo of Annie and placed the two side by side. Holding the phone up, she asked, “Now can you see it?”

  Annie smiled brightly. Her auburn hair, blue eyes, and straight teeth were perfect in every way. Brittany saw they shared the same hair color, but nothing else struck her as twin-like. She examined the photos a bit more closely. Annie was bright and cheerful. Brittany’s grimace and furrowed brow displayed a vastly different attitude. Her sister was light and happiness, Brittany was nothing but a major grump.

  “Minor similarities at best.” She shoved the phone back in Erika’s direction.

  Erika flipped through her gallery of pictures. She found the one she was searching for and slid the phone back across the table. “This is one of Annie when she and Dad were about to ground me. She was hopping mad.”

  The image which floated across the display shocked Brittany to the core. She was looking at a slightly mature version of herself. The lines in their brows even held the exact same pattern. Annie’s face was heart-shaped, while Brittany’s was more elongated. The shade of their blue-green eyes were also a little different, but they were so close to a match, Brittany knew she was nitpicking. The biggest similarity was the furious glare they both possessed. It was exactly like their mother’s.

  Brittany shuddered and pushed the phone away. “Stop it. You’re giving me the creeps.”

  Erika shoved the phone back in her pocket and let her off the hook. “You don’t have to help me if you’re not having fun. I love this kind of stuff. Annie sells it off the Coffee Cart for me. We sold out this morning. She won’t take a cut of the profits no matter how hard I try to push them on her. I earned sixty dollars today. For someone who’s supposed to be a wonderful business woman, she’s a sucker for the people she loves.”

  “Are you complaining?” Brittany snickered.

  “No, but she’s been by my side the entire time. She helped me figure out how to make them, and now she’s doing all the selling. Until I get out of school for winter break, I’m only working production, but I’m raking in all the profits. I just don’t think it’s fair.”

  Erika was homeschooled. She didn’t have any set hours to get her work done. Brittany wondered why she didn’t go down with Annie and the Coffee Cart and sell them herself. “Why don’t you start school later in the day?”

  “Have you met Larry and Eleanor?”

  Brittany hadn’t and shook her head negatively.

  “They are my learning coaches and I’m not allowed to
deviate from our set schedule. The school is not like it used to be either. There was a time when I logged in and watched a recorded version of the class, now I have to attend them live. The teachers take attendance and everything. Too many learning coaches weren’t following through with their responsibilities and students were falling behind. The teachers have a lot more oversight to deal with,” Erika stated matter-of-factly. “With Larry and Eleanor watching my every move, I was always ahead of everyone else. The new system slows me down, but I guess we aren’t like other families.”

  The eyebrows on Brittany’s face rose. “I agree. You aren’t like any family I’ve ever known.”

  “Are you making fun of our uniqueness?” Erika said with a straight face.

  Brittany didn’t fall victim to Erika’s humor this time. “Probably.”

  Erika caved and patted Brittany’s hand affectionately. “You’re catching on, Auntie.”

  The frown that suddenly crossed Erika’s face worried Britt. They were having such a nice time, but Erika’s entire being turned serious.

  “I know you and Grady like each other,” the young teen began. “I wasn’t going to say anything. I was going to let you figure it out for yourself, but there is something you should know before you get in too deep.” She gathered up all the card stock and pushed it off to the side before she continued. “I like him, but I’m not saying this because I don’t want you to see him. I’m saying it because we’re family.” Erika closed her eyes and blurted out, “Grady sees a lot of girls, but never for very long. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

  Brittany released the breath she was holding. That wasn’t news to her. Grady hid his phone far too often for her to believe she was the only girl in his life. She was much more concerned about how her seeing Grady would affect Erika. “We won’t take our relationship any further if it bothers you. Grady and I have already talked about it, neither one of us wants to hurt you.”