“Welcome home, Gracie girl.”
“Thanks, guys. Let’s eat.”
Everyone got back to the act of eating dinner, and Gracie kept a careful eye on Becca. She’d sat down before Kaillar, and Gracie had seen the momentary look of panic on her friend’s face when Kaillar had accidentally brushed her shoulder as he slipped into his chair.
She seemed to be handling things okay, but it was becoming very apparent to Gracie that Becca needed some professional help. And not on her timeframe. She needed help in the here and now.
As dinner wound down, Scott and Chloe disappeared to one of the guests rooms so that mommy and baby could both take a nap. Melanie and Michael returned to their small cabin with a plate of leftovers and orders not to return until 10 o’clock the next morning when everyone would be heading either to the ski slopes, back to town, or into Denver.
Sarah convinced Becca to come spend the night with her so that they could eat popcorn and watch sappy movies, and Gracie was happy to see a smile on her friend’s face. Kaillar headed to the barn to get his skis ready for his work on the slopes the next morning, leaving Jessica, Justin, Mason, and Gracie in the house to fend for themselves.
Justin and Mason migrated towards the den and whatever football game happened to be still playing, and Jessica kept Gracie company. When she produce a tablet and brought up several stores in the Denver area that catered to off-the-rack wedding dresses, Gracie looked at her with a question in her eyes.
Jessica nodded her head, a happy smile on her face, “We were going to let it be a surprise once we got to Denver, but maybe we should both look at dresses while we’re there?”
Gracie started giggling, and soon Jessica had joined her. The sounds of their laughter brought their men back in and once again, they couldn’t seem to explain what was so funny.
Justin finally picked Jessica up and carried her out of the room, hoping that distance would help the two women get control of themselves. His actions caused another round of giggles.
Mason sat down next to Gracie, watching as she cried through her laughter and held her ribs because they hurt. “Is it something in the water, because I know you girls didn’t consume any alcohol at dinner?”
Gracie shook her head, “I’m just happy. I’m not sure if that’s what does it for Jessica, but I’m happy. Deliriously happy.”
Mason smiled at her, “I can see that.” He noticed the tablet on the ground, and picked it up, but the picture on the screen caused him to pause and look at her curiously.
“Jessica’s idea. It seems that she and your brother have agreed to get married, but were waiting to keep it a secret. That’s why he wanted to spend the night. So that they can fit the gown she chooses and she can bring it back with her.”
Mason looked thoughtful, “Is that something you’d be interested in doing?”
Gracie watched him, “We haven’t really talked about when and…”
“Today. Tomorrow. As soon as we can.”
“I might need a bit more time than that. How about next week?”
“That sounds perfect.”
“Then, yes. I’d like to look at dresses while we’re in Denver tomorrow.”
“Consider it done. You and Jessica can go dress shopping, and Justin and I will take care of packing up the rest of your things. Pick something pretty. Like you.”
Gracie blushed, and then she couldn’t think because he was kissing her. Life was perfect.
Epilogue
Adelaide’s Wedding Shop, Friday afternoon…
“I really like this one with the full skirt,” Jessica said, fingering the satin material of the ivory wedding dress. It had a sweetheart neckline, and tiny seed pearls attached in a delicate scroll pattern across the bodice and over the capped sleeves.
“That’s gorgeous. You should definitely try that one on.” Gracie was still trying to decide if she wanted to go traditional, or if she dared to find the dress she’d only dreamed about.
“Gracie?” Becca stood by her elbow, having decided that she would rather go dress shopping than sit at home by herself all day. Gracie was proud of her, and hoped to find time today to discuss her moving to Silver Springs and taking over for Sarah.
“Hey!”
“What kind of dress are you looking for?”
Gracie sighed, “I don’t know.”
Becca smiled at her, “I doubt that. Tell me about the dress you wear in your dreams.”
Gracie grinned, “But that is only a dream dress. And they don’t really exist.”
“Tell me anyway, okay?”
“Velvet. In my dreams, my wedding dress is white velvet. It had a scoop neckline and lone sleeves with those little strings that hook over your middle finger to keep them in place. And a long skirt that swirls around my ankles when I walk, but drapes along the ground behind me.”
“It sound gorgeous. Tiffany, do you have anything like that?” Becca asked the store attendant Gracie hadn’t known was standing behind her listening in.
Tiffany smiled, “I have the perfect dress for you. Head on back to the dressing room, and I’ll bring it to you.”
Gracie looked at her, hope shining in her eyes, “You really have a dress like what I described?”
“Go on back and you’ll see. It must have been made just for you.”
Twenty minutes later, Gracie emerged from the dressing room, and everyone stopped and gasped at the picture she presented. She was stunning in the dress, and a more perfect fit didn’t exist.
“Oh, Gracie! Look at yourself!” Jessica and Becca urged her.
Gracie took a breath and turned to face the three-way mirror. She gasped, and felt tears spring to her eyes. “It’s perfect! Just like in my dreams.”
Becca wrapped an arm around her waist, “Who was your perfect groom in your dreams?”
“Mason,” Gracie whispered.
“A match made in heaven. She’ll take it.”
“Perfect.” The store attendant was beaming as she walked away to start the paperwork.
“Now we have to find Jessica the perfect dress,” Becca said.
“Well, I don’t think I’m ever going to find anything as perfect as that one, but I have several to try on.”
“Then get to it,” Becca told her with a laugh.
Gracie changed back into her street clothes, and handed the gown over to be pressed one last time and then hung in a garment bag. Everything seemed to be going so well, and Jessica finally settled on a dress of her own that made her look like Cinderella ready for the ball.
They headed back to Jessica’s apartment, and were pleased to see the boys loading the last of the boxes into the trailer.
“All done?” Gracie asked in wonder, glancing at her watch. They’d only been at it for three hours, but what they’d accomplished would have taken her three days. “Thank you.”
“How about we go get some pizza?” Kaillar suggested, making sure that Becca knew she was invited as well.
“That sounds good. I know the perfect place just a few blocks down.”
“Great.”
Everyone started piling into the vehicles, but Becca’s phone rang, and she hung back to answer it. Gracie watched her walk away before putting the phone to her ear. Becca’s back stiffened, and then Gracie watched her phone drop to the ground.
“Becca!” Gracie sought Mason out, “Help her! What’s wrong? Becca! Mason, take me to her.”
Kaillar was closest and reached her first, catching her just as she fainted and would have hit the ground. “She’s fainted.”
Gracie waited impatiently while Kaillar and Justin checked her over. Kaillar picked her up, and settled her in the back of the vehicle next to Gracie. “What’s wrong with her?”
“I don’t know. Becca? Sweetie, open your eyes.” Gracie looked up with worried eyes, “Where’s her phone?”
“She dropped it.” Kaillar retrieved it and then handed it over to Gracie. The screen w
as shattered, but Gracie ignored that and pulled up her most recent calls.
“Who just called her?” Justin asked, Jessica hanging on his arm.
Mason looked over Gracie’s shoulder, “It say ‘Mom’.”
Gracie shook her head, “She doesn’t talk to her parents. Not ever.”
Becca moaned and began to come around. Gracie held onto her arm, and spoke softly to her, “Becca, you fainted. You’re in the car with me. Who was on the phone?”
Becca stared straight ahead, “My mom.”
“Your mom in Hawaii?” Gracie asked.
Becca nodded, “My dad’s dead. The funeral is Sunday, and she wants me there.”
Gracie’s heart broke for her friend and she wrapped her in a hug, “Oh Becca. I’m so sorry. Honey, what can we do?”
Becca wasn’t crying and that worried Kaillar more than the fact that she’d fainted. “She wants me to come for the funeral. I…”
“If money is a problem, I can lend you as much as you need..”
“No. I can…I just…,” she looked up at Gracie with tears and fear in her eyes. “I can’t go back there like this. Weak. I just can’t. Not by myself. I…”
Gracie felt so helpless. With her knee, there was no way she could handle a journey to Hawaii. No way to get around on a plane, or…
She looked up and met Kaillar’s eyes and saw the question there. She looked at Becca, who was unconsciously holding onto his hand. She nodded once, and Kaillar took over.
“Becca, darling. Do you want someone to go with you?”
Becca’s mind was almost numb, but she nodded anyway. She raised teary eyes to him, and he felt a piece of his heart break away. “I’ll take you home. Will you let me do that? Will you let me take you home to say goodbye to your dad?”
Becca shivered once, but she didn’t look away from him. “Yes.”
“Good. Justin, we need a ride to the airport.”
“Done. We’ll stop by her apartment and pack whatever she needs on the way. Jessica, would you mind finding the first flights out of here?”
“Not at all.” She reached across and squeezed Becca’s shoulder, “It’s going to be all right. We’re all here for you. It’s what family does. They help each other in the good times and in the bad.”
Book 3: Kaillar
Prologue
Four and half years earlier, Pe’ahi, Maui, Hawaii…
Becca Edwards sat silently as her soon-to-be ex-boyfriend parked his Jeep at the top of the beach. Without even looking at her, he slammed the vehicle off and jumped from the driver’s side. He grabbed his surfboard from the back, then stopped at the door to the vehicle, and she could feel him staring at her.
It took everything she had left in her to keep her eyes forward and not look at him. If I look at him, I’m going to throw up. Don’t look at him. Just ignore him and he’ll leave, and then you can deal with it.
“Becca, do yourself a favor and wash your face before you come down to the beach. You look awful.” He waited for her acknowledgement, and when it didn’t come, he slammed his fist on the side of the vehicle, the unexpected noise making her jump and emit a soft cry of fear.
“Whatever!” He grabbed his board, and headed towards the beach, and the blue water beyond.
Becca stared straight ahead, willing the tears brimming in her eyes not to fall. He’d already made her cry once; she wasn’t going to let him have the satisfaction of seeing her cry a second time today.
Dagan Carlson was an up-and-coming surfer, coming in second place in the World Championships the year before. This year, he was pushing himself to take on bigger and stronger waves, determined to come out on top at the end of the season.
Becca had met him at the end of the previous season, but since she wasn’t even out of high school yet, they’d done nothing more than flirt a bit. He was a star, and had gorgeous, bikini clad girls throwing themselves at him all the time. Something that had bothered Becca immensely.
They’d started emailing each other over the summer months, and then he’d announced that he was coming back to Hawai’i to train during the winter. She’d done everything in her power to persuade him to stay on the Big Island, and it seemed to have worked. He’d booked several bungalows at her parents’ resort for himself and his surfing buddies. Becca had been ecstatic when she’d heard the news.
She’d done what she could to keep track of him once he arrived. Her brother, Kevin, and his best friend Kalino had helped in that regard. At the age of fourteen each, they were the reigning Island Junior Champions, and showed great promise for taking on the bigger waves once they became more mature. Getting to surf alongside someone of Dagan’s caliber was every teenage surfer’s dream.
Hawaii was full of great surf spots, and since Kalino’s dad happened to own and operate a charter flight service, getting around the islands was cheap and easy. Today the boys were surfing at Pe’ahi. The islanders and surfers alike reverently referred to the waves that crashed upon her shores as ”Jaws” because if you weren’t prepared, she would chew you up, and you’d be lucky if she spit you back out.
The waves at Pe’ahi were some of the strongest and biggest in the world, and both Kevin and Kalino had been warned by their parents to stay inside on the smaller waves. The boys weren’t stupid, and there was no doubt in anyone’s mind that they would take great care in these more dangerous waters.
Becca had tagged along for the day after making plans to meet up with Dagan for an early lunch. He’d been island hopping for the last month, training, but also playing quite a bit. He’d taken an interest in Becca, and she’d returned it wholeheartedly, much to her parents’ dismay.
Her mother had been adamantly against her spending any time with the cocky surfer who was four years older than her daughter was. But Becca had a big case of puppy love, and hadn’t taken any of her mother’s warnings to heart. Warnings that had come to fruition just a short while before, forever changing her life in a not so pleasant way. Innocence almost lost, and trust and a belief in happily ever after seemed very far away right now.
Realizing that she’d been sitting in the Jeep too long, she carefully wiped the tears from her cheeks, wincing when she touched the spot on her cheek that would probably show a bruise in the morning. She swallowed carefully, her throat sore from where Dagan’s hands had wrapped themselves around it while he…
She took a deep breath, and then slipped from the vehicle. I should be grateful that park ranger came along when he did, or I’d have more than a sore cheek, split lip, and sore throat.
Dagan had been pushing her to move forward with their physical relationship for the last week, but Becca had held fast to her convictions. Convictions that Dagan hadn’t even tried to honor not even an hour ago. He’d become another person, shoving her down into the soft sand, and choking her as he tried to pull her clothing off her body. Come on Becca. I promise you’ll like it if you just try it. Don’t be such a prude!
Her thin cotton shirt and cut off jean shorts over her bikini were little barrier to his searching hands. She’d struggled, and he’d slapped her across the face to keep her quiet. She’d yelled anyway, bringing her knee up in an effort to get him off her, and that’s when the park ranger had called out.
Dagan had quickly risen to his feet, chuckling when the park ranger had looked at them as naughty children. Becca had been so embarrassed; she’d kept her face hidden until the ranger had left. She’d rushed back to Dagan’s rental Jeep, and demanded that he take her back to the beach.
Dagan had assured her they would have plenty of time to finish things later that evening. The surfers were planning to camp out on the beach so they could catch the early morning waves. Becca and the two boys had gained permission to do so as well, with a promise that Kalino’s dad would be heading back to the Big Island around suppertime should they change their minds.
Becca didn’t mention to Dagan that she was grabbing her brother and Kalino and heading strai
ght for the airport. Even if they had to wait on Kalino’s father to pick them up for hours, she wanted nothing to do with Dagan Carlson. Ever again. Whatever infatuation she’d had for him was gone, right along with her ability to trust.
As she walked down to the beach, searching for her brother, she found him, but she hadn’t realized how badly bruised her face had already become. Kevin knew she’d taken off with Dagan, and he instantly jumped to the right conclusion.
“I’ll kill him!” He’d turned, searching the beach, and then he’d taken off running for the water. For being her younger brother, he was fiercely protective of his sister, and with that went a lack of self-control that oftentimes scared Becca.
“Kevin! Don’t! Let’s just leave!” Becca chased him towards the water, “Kevin!”
He didn’t listen to her. Kalino came running over to see what had upset her so much.
“Becca! What’s wrong?”
When she’d turned to look at him, his eyes went wide, and his face took on a furious expression. “Kalino! Go after him!”
“No! Dagan deserves whatever he gets. Kevin’s going to kill him!”
“No! Dagan’s heading out to the big waves! You know Kevin can’t handle waves that big. Go get him. Please!”
Kalino immediately realized that Kevin wasn’t thinking with anything other than the fury consuming him. He grabbed his board, and started paddling furiously after his best friend. He reached the first break point, and then watched in horror as Kevin kept going.
Dagan was already sitting on his board, waiting for the next big wave to form, and Kevin was headed straight for him.
“Oh no! Kevin!” He cupped his hands around his mouth, and yelled until he was hoarse, and then he watched in horror as the wave formed and Dagan paddled for it. Kevin wasn’t in the right position to take on the monster wave, but he still kept going after Dagan.
The wave was the largest that Kalino had ever seen, more than fifty feet in height, and with a speed that had him fearing for his own safety some hundred yards away.
Three Brothers Lodge - The Complete Series Box Set Page 19
