Steve looked in satisfaction around at the group of young people gathered at his table and said, “I knew it! I’m proud of you guys! Willing to give up part of your vacation to paint and scrub, landscape and build—I don’t know too many kids your age who would willingly spend their time in paradise working. Good for you!”
“Hey, Dad,” Skeeter said, “I’d do anything just to have the chance to dance the hula again with Princess Pineapple here!” He grabbed Robyn by the hand, pulled her to her feet and the two of them broke into a spontaneous comical version of the hula as they hummed “Hawaiian” music at the top of their lungs.
The rest of them broke into gales of laughter! One thing was certain—wherever the Camerons and friends went, they were sure to have fun! They could hardly wait to get to Hawaii and find out what fun and adventure awaited them there! Aloha, Hawaii!
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CHAPTER TWO
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Castaway Cove
A flood of memories washed over Kristi as she peered from the window of the little Cessna 207 as it winged its way between Oahu and Palekaiko. A year ago they had been in an identical small plane as it made its way to Ka Moku Ahi, or the Island of Fire. They had met Leilani that day, and in the year since, the girls had become good friends despite the distance between them. She was really looking forward to seeing her Hawaiian friend again.
“There’s Palekaiko!” Steve called out a little while later. I can see the airstrip from here!”
Kristi looked out her window again. Palekaiko probably wasn’t much bigger than Fire Island had been, but the similarity ended there. Fire Island had been deserted and totally undeveloped. She could see small buildings below on Palekaiko, and a few roads along the perimeter of the island, running parallel with the wide beaches that encircled it. The heavy trees in its interior hid most of the island’s structures. She wondered where Castaway Cove was located. She could see several inlets from the air. The little resort had to be on one of them.
Leilani and her grandmother were waiting at the airstrip with armfuls of leis to welcome their guests when the small plane landed. Steve taxied down the short runway and brought the Cessna to a halt not far from where they stood. Kristi could see Leilani hopping nervously in place as she waited for her friends to appear.
Steve jumped out of the plane first and opened the door for the kids. Kristi was the first one out, with Robyn and Anna close on her heels. “Leilani!” they screeched, running toward her with arms outstretched. A few seconds later the four girls were a tangle of arms and ponytails as they collided in a group hug.
“Girls!” Skeeter shook his head in disgust. “You’d think they were long-lost sisters the way they’re carrying on!”
Rachel heard him as she climbed out of her seat in the cockpit. “Well, in a way they are, Skeeter. You don’t understand the deep bonds girls can make with one another, even in a very short time, and even when they’ve been separated—especially when they are sisters in the Lord. I think it’s sweet!”
Skeeter snorted, but as soon as there was a break among the girls, he was right over there to give Leilani a bashful hug. His face turned slightly red as she placed a lei around his neck, but he didn’t protest. Wearing flowers wasn’t exactly his thing, but since it came from Leilani…
Mrs. Manoa was not forgotten, either. The petite woman was soon surrounded by teenagers. She laughed in delight at their enthusiasm, and tried in vain to answer their questions as they all talked at the same time.
Rachel tried to make herself heard over the babble of voices. “As you can see, they’ve got lots of energy!” she said to the older woman. “I hope you have enough work for them to harness some of that energy!”
“I can’t thank you enough for offering to help us get Castaway Cove ready for business,” Mrs. Manoa said. “I just hate the thought that you all will be spending your vacation working, though!”
“Oh, there will be plenty of time for fun, I am sure! And we’re hoping you and Leilani will join us!”
A large brightly painted SUV stood near the airstrip. “Castaway Cove” was painted on its sides amidst all the airbrushed surfboards, palm trees and crashing waves. “I figured we would need transportation for our guests soon anyway, so I bought it as soon as I knew you were coming,” Mrs. Manoa explained as they all admired the wild vehicle. “It’s a little crazy, I know, but that seems to be what most tourists like. They want to feel like they’re on vacation, even if it’s only their ride from the airport!” She motioned to the beat-up old pickup truck that was parked behind it. “Sorry we can’t fit all of us in at once. I brought the old truck my uncle left with the property and I thought maybe we could put the luggage in it and have Steve and one of the boys drive it back. Castaway Cove is only twenty minutes from here.”
A few minutes later the luggage was loaded and they all piled in for the short ride to the resort. There was no trace of the old “shy” Leilani. She bubbled over now with excitement and eagerly pointed out every little detail of her new hometown and the island of Palekaiko. “That’s my school!” she said pointing to an old clapboard building. It was weathered, as were most of the other buildings in the small town. A veranda ran around the outside of the small schoolhouse with doors leading into classrooms on each side of it. “There are just four classes in the whole school!” she said. “There are only sixty kids on the island, so they combined grades in each of the classrooms. The high school meets in one room—all ten of us!”
The girls and Skeeter exclaimed in surprise. Leilani continued, “I’ve already met most of the other high schoolers and the teacher. He’s pretty cool—a surfer dude who doesn’t mind the low pay and having to teach four grades at once in exchange for living in Paradise, as they like to say here!”
“Actually, the only church in town meets here in the schoolhouse, too,” Mrs. Manoa added. “We’ve been here just a couple weeks, so have only been to the services twice, but so far the people have been very friendly and welcoming. Best of all, the church is pastored by a missionary, Pastor Jon, who seems to really love the Lord and preaches the gospel. It is such a blessing to feel that the Lord definitely led us here and is meeting all our needs.”
There wasn’t much to see as they drove through the small town. A general store and café were on one side of the street, and a tiny clinic and one-pump gas station were on the other. “It almost reminds me of a town in the olden days,” Rachel said. “Time seems to have passed them by here!”
“And that’s just the way these people like it!” Mrs. Manoa said. “The small tourist trade that they do here supports most of them, but they aren’t too eager for the word to spread about this little corner of Paradise! Those tourists who do come are looking for something off the beaten path and different than most of the well-developed tourism of Hawaii. It is more rustic, and back-to-nature I guess you would say.”
“So don’t expect anything fancy at Castaway Cove!” Leilani laughed. “Especially right now! I don’t think Great-Uncle Paulo ever did a thing to fix up Castaway Cove in all the years he owned it!”
“I can’t wait to see it!” Kristi exclaimed. “I can see why this island reminds you of Fire Island, Leilani. There are people here, and buildings of course, but this beach and the rainforest beyond the beach do look a lot like the island we were on a year ago.”
“There’s even a waterfall like the one we found on Fire Island! Castaway Cove is on the other side of the island from the town, but you can cut through the rainforest, instead of driving along the beach like we are now, and it doesn’t take you much longer to go that way. You just can’t drive since there are no roads in there.”
“We’ll be there in a couple minutes,” Mrs. Manoa said. “The resort is set above the beach a bit on a small cliff. I think Uncle Paulo thought it would be safer from hurricanes and tidal waves there. It’s kind of the best of both worlds—panoramic sweeping views of the beach and ocean, and surrounded by trees and lush vegetation at the same time!”
“It sounds like—paradise!” Rachel said.
Leilani laughed. “It is—or it will be after we get the place fixed up a bit! Once we’re ready for business, we won’t have any trouble filling Castaway Cove with visitors!”
“Well, I’m glad we’re here to help then!”
“Me, too!” the teenagers all echoed.
Robyn spotted the old resort nestled on the cliff before the rest of them. “Is that it?” she asked pointing to the thatched roofs that were visible beyond the cliff’s edge. Wooden steps led up the cliff from the beach, but there was no way up in the vehicles that hey could see.
“Uh-huh! We just have to go up the drive from the beach—which is an adventure in itself!” They understood what Leilani meant a minute later as the SUV and truck rounded a curve at the base of the cliff and they slowly snaked their way up a narrow, winding track with several hairpin turns. There was nothing between themselves and the beach below at one point where the sides of the road dropped away.
“You say there’s another way to town on foot through the rainforest?” Rachel asked as she clutched the dashboard with white knuckles. “I’m thinking a nice long hike through the steamy, bug-and-snake-infested forest might be better than going back down this little “driveway!” She glanced behind her to make sure the old pickup truck was still following them.
Mrs. Manoa chuckled. “You’ll get used to it!” she said cheerfully. “Wait until we get to the top! You’ll see that it’s well worth it!”
She was right. Gasps of delight and awe rose in the vehicle as her guests caught their first glimpse of the spectacular view from Castaway Cove. For a moment they didn’t even notice the run-down buildings that sat in a cluster back from the edge. The beautiful bird’s-eye view of the sand, surf and sky looked like something from a picture postcard. Gradually, though, their closer surroundings sunk in. The trucks came to a stop and the Camerons and their friends eagerly jumped out.
A cottage stood in a clearing with several smaller cabins gathered around it. They were weather-beaten and a little ramshackle, but the visitors could see that once they had been painted in the brilliant blue, aqua, coral, pink, yellow-orange and lime green of the tropics. Bamboo railings lined the small verandas that wrapped around each small building, and wooden shutters in contrasting colors outlined the windows. Bougainvillea, hibiscus and jasmine flowed over the roofs and railings and down the walls in a riot of color, and filled the air with a delicious scent.
“Aloha! Welcome to Castaway Cove!” Leilani said softly as they stood surveying the scene before them. “Aloha!” her grandmother joined in.
“Oh, Leilani! It’s so pretty!” Kristi and the other girls exclaimed.
“It’s absolutely charming!” Rachel breathed. She turned to Mrs. Manoa. “It’s beautiful just the way it is!”
“I agree, but a fresh coat of paint wouldn’t hurt, and there are a number of repairs that need to be made before we can open. We’ve done what we could in this last week to refresh the cabins you’ll be staying in—new linens for the beds, a good scrubbing and so forth—but you’ll see that they’re still pretty rustic.”
“Well, rustic, in itself, has its own charm. And from what you’ve told me, the tourists who come to Paradise Island aren’t expecting much more than that anyway.”
“We’ll take a look and see what really needs to be done,” Steve added, “but I agree with Rachel—keep it simple and homey with just enough of the tropical element—the colors, flowers, surroundings, etc—to please the tourists. We’ll help all we can this week to make it just what you want it to be, Mrs. Manoa.”
“Thank you so much, but as I said, I won’t allow you to sacrifice your entire vacation to help us! We can get some local help, too. There are always folks around here looking for a little part-time work.” Leilani’s grandmother turned to her and said, “Leilani, why don’t you take the girls and guys to their cabins and show them around, and I’ll take Rachel and Steve to theirs. There is still time before dinner and the show to enjoy a little of the beach once they’ve settled in and changed their clothes.”
“The show? What show?” Skeeter asked.
Leilani laughed. “Grandmother calls our spectacular sunsets “the show,” and she’s right! Once it starts you’ll want to stop whatever you’re doing and just be still and enjoy it! Come on, guys! I can’t wait to show you around!”
The young people grabbed their luggage out of the back of the pickup and eagerly followed Leilani. She stopped first at the faded yellow cottage furthest from the house. “Dan, Pete and Skeeter—we’re putting you in the Banana Cabana. Don’t laugh!” she giggled, as the boys hooted and high-fived one another. “I thought up the names for the cabins myself! I want to paint signs to hang above the doors this week! The girls will stay in the Hula Hut, and then there is Coconut Cottage, the Pineapple Palace, Hibiscus Hideaway, and the Seashell Shack. I know, I know!” she said as the others laughed. “It may be a little corny, but I thought our guests would get a kick out of it—just like you did!” she pointed out.
Kristi, Anna and Robyn couldn’t resist taking a peek inside the Banana Cabana. The furniture and fixtures inside the cabin were old, but someone had gone to a lot of trouble to clean and shine them up and rather than looking dilapidated, they looked more like well-loved antiques. The comforter and draperies were obviously new. The tropical print of banana leaves on a light aqua background was cheerful and contrasted nicely with the soft yellow on the walls. Kristi laughed and pointed out the tiny monkey faces peering out unexpectedly from among the banana leaves. The whole décor was rustic and whimsical, and yet still classy.
“Leilani, this is the perfect place to put these guys!” she said. “You and your grandmother have already done a wonderful job of making this a welcoming place in just a week or two! I can’t wait to see our cabin—and all the others, too!”
“Well, the only ones we’ve had time to get ready so far are the three you all are staying in,” Leilani confessed. “We’ve been trying to make our own cottage into a home—and the resort office and dining room—at the same time. Come on—I’ll take you over to the Hula Hut right now.”
They left the guys in the Banana Cabana and crossed over to the little pink cottage. A porch swing hung from the rafters on the veranda and a rocking chair stood nearby—the perfect spot for enjoying “the show.” The girls walked inside and gasped with pleasure. The furniture was much the same as that in the boys’ cabin—traditional island style, old and well-used, but still in good shape after having been restored. Soft green walls and creamy linens and drapes with bright pink tropical flowers, island scenes and little hula girls brightened the room and carried out the theme.
“It’s darling!” Anna said, clapping her hands in delight. “I love the little hula girls!”
“Me, too! It really puts me in the mood!” Robyn giggled as she broke out into her unique comical version of the hula.
“If you all don’t mind, I thought I’d sleep out here with you,” Leilani said shyly. “You know—so that we can take advantage of the short time you’ll be here and kind of have a slumber party every night!”
“Whoo-hoo! That’s a wonderful idea!” Kristi said, giving her friend a quick hug. “There’s plenty of room with two double beds. You sleep with me, Leilani, okay?”
They put their luggage in the closet for the moment and debated whether or not to change into their swimsuits right away. “I would kind of like to see the rest of Castaway Cove before we go down to the beach,” Kristi confessed. “Which cabin are Mom and Dad staying in?”
“They have Hibiscus Hideaway. It’s straight across the yard from here—the coral-colored cottage. It’s really pretty and I thought your mom would like it—lots of tropical flowers and that deep coral that she seems to love so much.”
“Oh! Speaking of coral…did you notice I’m wearing the necklace you sent me, Leilani? I love it so much! It’s so beautiful! Thank you again!”
“You’r
e welcome—again! Well, are you all ready to go on, then? I’d like to give you a quick tour of our house. It’s a little torn up right now because we are doing some remodeling to make the downstairs more suitable for running a resort, but you’ll get the general idea.”
“Let’s go!” Kristi said.
They crossed the lawn between the cottages and the main house. They could see the boys already out on the beach, running in and out of the surf with a beach ball. “We’ll be down in a few minutes!” Kristi yelled to them from atop the cliff. They looked up and waved, and then went on with their game of keep-away. It looked like Skeeter was getting the worst end of it.
They heard the voices of Steve, Rachel and Mrs. Manoa as they passed the Hibiscus Hideaway, but they went on. “Come on in,” Leilani said as they went up the few steps to the house. Unlike the brightly colored cabanas, the main house was painted a soft, weathered cream. It had the same wraparound bamboo and teak veranda that the other smaller buildings had, and the girls noticed that Leilani and Mrs. Manoa had already furnished it, as well, with several comfortable chairs, a couple small tables and a swing. “It was the first thing we did,” Leilani confessed after Anna commented on it. “The view is our favorite thing about Castaway Cove, and we think it will be for our guests, too, so we wanted a nice little congregating spot where they—and we—can enjoy it together! People can bring a snack or meal out here to the tables, too, and enjoy the view while they eat.”
They went inside. Work was being done in the small entrance to the house. “We’ve knocked out a closet and opened up this space a bit so that we can make it into a little lobby with a front desk and so on,” Leilani said. She pointed to the small room to the right of the foyer. “This used to be a bedroom but it will now be a little gift shop and our office. Then, if you go through here,” she said as she led the way to the room on the left of the soon-to-be lobby, “we will have a dining room where we will serve breakfast and sandwiches and light meals,” she added. “We combined the living room and old dining room to make it big enough.” She looked around at the construction mess and sighed, “I know it doesn’t look like much now, and we wish it could have been done before you got here…”
Catastrophe at Castaway Cove (Kristi Cameron Book 8) Page 2
