Bamboo & Lace

by Lori Wick

  "We didn't know anything until she told you."

  "Well, I hope she has time for two dozen more questions."

  The conversation shifted at that point. People were getting drowsy at the same time the children were asking for lunch. Ashton hoisted himself out of the chair to do the honors. Bailey, who wanted only to sleep in the warm sun, thanked him with a wave.

  "Mom," Ashton called to his mother later that day, catching her when she was alone, "do you plan to ask Gabe what you asked me?"

  Gloria put a hand on his arm. "No, Ash, I don't. I'm even sorry I said something to you." "But you still think it's true?" Gloria thought for a moment. "I guess I do, yes." "So what will you do?"

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  "Only pray. I'll pray that Lily will notice Gabe if she's supposed to, and that Gabe will notice her. If this is not something the Lord wants, then no harm has been done. If they do get together, I can tell them someday that I prayed, and God wanted it more than I did."

  Ashton smiled at his mother before bending to kiss her cheek. They joined the others without further words.

  Carson and Gloria left on Saturday a few hours after lunch. It was hard to say goodbye, even though they knew that very soon they would all be together on the big island for Gloria's birthday. It had been a good visit. Everyone had enjoyed themselves and knew from past years that the days to Gloria's birthday would go fast.

  After they were gone, nearly everyone in the family moved on to their own pursuits. Lily didn't know where the other brothers had gone, but Evan played with the children while Bailey did some laps in the pool. Lily decided to write to Ling-lei, her father, and brother. It took longer than she expected, and when she came downstairs, it was to find Bailey sleeping on one of the center-room sofas, an open storybook next to her. She was so soundly asleep that she wasn't even aware of the way a drowsy Celia was sliding out of her limp lap.

  Deciding quickly what to do, Lily came forward.

  At almost the same moment, Evan came from the kitchen, having just finished a quick run on the beach. He came to a halt when he saw Lily lifting a drooping Celia and then pressing a finger to her lips as Peter looked up at her. Evan approached as Lily, who hadn't seen him, took the children quietly out the patio doors and onto the veranda. Once by the sofa, Evan found his wife asleep. He followed the threesome outside.

  "Hello." lily greeted him from the rocker, a sleeping Celia in her lap.

  "Hi, lily. Do you want me to take her?"

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  "She's fine, thank you."

  "Look at it, Papa." Peter had brought a seashell for his father to see. "It's perfect."

  "Yes, it is. I think you might need to keep this one for your collection."

  Peter went into gales of laughter.

  "It is from my collection!"

  Evan laughed too. "What is it doing out here?"

  "I was showing it to Grandpa Carson."

  "You rascal," Evan proclaimed before snatching him close and kissing his small neck until he squirmed. Evan let him escape after just a few seconds, and when the little boy moved away, Evan turned back to see Lily's eyes on him.

  "May I ask you a question, Evan?"

  "Certainly."

  "It's none of my business."

  "You can still ask."

  Lily hesitated only a second.

  "Does Bailey know she is expecting?"

  Evan blinked in a way that Lily found comical, but she didn't laugh. Their friendship was so new, but Bailey worked hard, and Lily wanted her to know about her condition as soon as possible.

  Evan, on his part, was desperately trying to catch up. He was on the verge of asking Lily whether Bailey had said something to her when he realized Lily's question made that impossible.

  "Let me get this straight, Lily," Evan tried, his voice low. "You believe that Bailey is pregnant?"

  "Yes."

  "Why do you think this?" "It's in her eyes."

  Evan studied her, and Lily dropped her eyes before she remembered to look up. Evan took some more time to think about what she was saying. He wondered if he would ever run out of fascination for this guest. At last one question slowed down enough to be caught.

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  Chapter 12

  "Did you do this with the women at home?" Lily nodded, her expression unreadable. "And were you ever wrong?" "Just once."

  Evan's eyes shifted to the sea. It was a calm day, the waves hitting the shore in a gentle rhythm. It was the kind of day Bailey liked to stroll on the beach, but she was asleep.

  Bailey never sleeps in the day! Evan's mind nearly shouted at him.

  "Tell me something, Lily," he asked, a small note of urgency in his voice as he turned back to her, "would it be a great inconvenience if I ran a quick errand?"

  "Not at all."

  "Okay. If Bailey wakes up, just tell her I had to run to the drugstore."

  lily nodded.

  "Can I come?" Peter asked, having heard from a distance.

  "Yes, Peter, that's fine, and thank you, lily."

  The gentlemen were gone a moment later, lily was more than happy to sit and rock Celia in her arms, but she did wonder what Evan was up to. Had she but known it, he had taken her seriously He would make his trip to the drugstore, and then tonight, as soon as he and Bailey were alone, he would tell her what Lily had said.

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  "She asked you what?" Bailey spoke to her husband in disbelief once they were behind closed doors that night.

  "You heard me right. Is there any chance its true?"

  Bailey stared at him, thinking that she had been more tired lately.

  "When is your period due?" Evan tried.

  "It was due yesterday, but it's not unusual if I'm a few days late." Bailey sat on the edge of the bed, her eyes still on her husband. "Maybe we should get one of those test things like I did with CeCe."

  "I already did."

  "When did you do that?"

  "When you were asleep this afternoon."

  Bailey smiled at him. "That was very sweet of you."

  I'm a sweet guy," he teased her. "So do you think it's true?"

  "I don't know. My breasts are a bit sore, but that could mean my period is coming."

  "Lily did say she was wrong once."

  Bailey looked amazed. "Tell me again what she said."

  Evan filled her in as best as he could remember and ended with, "She says it's in your eyes."

  All Bailey could do was shake her head and laugh a little. Evan left the chair he was sitting on, came forward, and gently pinned

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  his wife to the bed. He didn't say anything until he had first taken a moment to look into his favorite pair of large, dark eyes.

  "I hope it's true, Mrs. Markham."

  "And if it's not?"

  Evan's smile was mischievous. "We'll just have to keep trying."

  Lily could tell it was early without looking at the clock, but she was still wide awake hours before it was time to leave for church. Moving as quietly as she could manage, she rose and slipped into running shorts and a T-shirt. She saved her shoes and socks for the veranda, deciding to take Gabe's suggestion and head out toward the beach.

  And all went fine, right up to the moment she sat down to put on her shoes. Thinking she was all alone, the door's opening nearly frightened her out of her wits.

  I'm sorry," Gabe spoke quietly after he had seen her start. "Are you all right?"

  "Yes, I was just thinking I was on my own."

  "Well, feel free to tell me if you would rather run alone."

  "Actually," Lily began after seeing that he was in running garb as well, "I was going to say the same thing to you. I might slow you down."

  "I doubt it. Do you like to stretch a little?"

  "No, I just start slowly."

  She was so like her brother at times that Gabe smiled before saying, "Well, let's get going."

  They headed away from the veranda and started down the beach. Lily glanced at the empty cotta
ges as they passed them, realizing that running with Gabe meant she could ask some questions.

  "Is it noisier when you have guests, Gabe?"

  "Somewhat. We rarely have the beach to ourselves when we have guests, but it doesn't bother anyone. It's just a way of life. A lot depends on how many children the guests have. They naturally

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  tend to be more noticeable. If, however, we're booked with couples, we see only snatches of our guests."

  Lily, who could easily see how romantic this place could be, found her mind distracted for a few minutes. Romance was not something she dreamed about all the time, but for a moment she let her mind go. She always thought she would marry, but being 24 years old with no prospects made her wonder a bit. Nevertheless, she wasn't giving up hope. She knew that God might have someone for her yet.

  A glance to the side told her that Gabe's mind was on something too. Had she been running with Jeff, she would have told him that someday she might honeymoon right in one of these cottages, but it wasn't something she thought Gabe would wish to hear.

  "Have you been back to see Wang lately?" Gabe asked. "He was in the kitchen on Thursday, but I haven't been back to the restaurant. Is he doing well?"

  "Yes. I saw him yesterday, and he asked about you." "He's very kind."

  "Yes, he is. Did he do any matchmaking the day you visited?"

  Lily laughed. "No, but Jeff mentioned that to me. It's almost impossible to believe."

  "Believe it," Gabe told her dryly. "It's done with great reserve and subtlety, but it's still done."

  Lily shook her head and sped up a bit when Gabe increased the pace and changed their direction.

  "Is that how Ashton got engaged? Does Wang take credit for that?"

  "No, but he probably wishes he could. He put Evan and Bailey together."

  "I didn't know that!"

  "Ask them about it sometime. It's a fun story." "How often does he work on you?" Lily teased him with the first thing that came to mind.

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  Gabe shook his head good-naturedly before saying, "A little more all the time. He left things alone when I was battling with cancer, but now he's back in full " Gabe cut off when Lily came to a complete halt, her breathing coming hard as she stood and stared at him.

  "Gabe," she whispered, her eyes telling him she was upset, "it's been so long since Jeff's written of that. I completely forgot. How are you doing?"

  "I'm doing fine. I was just given a clean bill of health."

  "Do I need to apologize for anything I've just said?"

  "No!" Gabe stated emphatically, starting to run and catching Lily's arm long enough to get her restarted. "And if you start changing toward me, watching every word and checking for signs that I'm all right, I'll be forced to dump you in the ocean."

  "I won't change," she said quietly. "I'm just disappointed in myself for not remembering."

  "Don't worry about it."

  "Do you hate to talk about it?"

  "Not at all."

  With that Lily fell silent, but Gabe was coming to know her quite well.

  "All right, Lily, spit it out." "Spit it out?"

  "Yes. I know you have about ten thousand questions racing through your mind. Let's have them."

  Lily laughed a little but still asked, "Was it awful for you?" "At times, yes." "What was the worst?"

  "How sick I got from the treatments and being so tired all the time."

  "Was there a particular verse that helped you?"

  Without hesitation Gabe quoted, "I love the Lord, because He hears my voice and my supplications. Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore I shall call upon Him as long as I live."

  "The first two verses of Psalm 116," Lily said when he paused.

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  "That's right. The next two verses go on to talk about the cords of death and asking God to save us, but I just claimed verses one and two. I had no guarantees that God would heal me it might not have been His will but I wanted to call on Him for as long a time as I had, knowing He would listen."

  "Thank you for telling me, Gabe."

  "You're welcome."

  Again silence fell between them. Gabe glanced at Lily's face, which gave nothing away this time, but he was coming to sense more than see when she had something on her mind.

  "What? No more questions?"

  Lily laughed but did feel free to ask one more.

  "It was Hodgkin's lymphoma, right?"

  "Yes."

  "What do they do to give you a clean bill of health?" "They take a blood test and an X-ray." "Is it uncomfortable?"

  "No, but because of my treatment, I'm allowed only two X-rays a year."

  As she usually did, Lily caught on quickly and said, "So you don't want to break a limb." "Exactly."

  "Thank you for explaining it to me." "You're welcome."

  They arrived back at the house before Lily noticed where they were.

  "How long have we been out?" Gabe looked at his watch. "Almost an hour." "It goes so much faster when you run with someone, doesn't it?"

  "Yes, it does," Gabe said as he held the door for Lily to go inside.

  All was still quiet, but lily was hungry. She thanked Gabe for running with her and made her way to the kitchen. Gabe didn't follow. At least, not right away. Something had come to mind that

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  surprised him. He turned back to the patio door, his eyes on the beach, but his mind was on something else altogether.

  The test Bailey took the next morning was positive. Evan held his wife in his arms while she cried. The children were sure to be looking for them at any moment, but right now they needed this time alone.

  "Are you all right?" Evan finally asked.

  "I would be better if I wasn't so faithless."

  "Why were you faithless?"

  "I thought I was too busy and tired right now to conceive. I was sure it would never happen." Evan smiled down at her.

  "Why do we think that it's only our faith that makes things happen?" "Arrogance."

  "I think you're right." Evan gave her another hug and asked, "When shall we tell the kids?"

  "Not until we're ready to have everyone know. I'm not sure CeCe can keep this under wraps."

  "How about the guys and your folks?"

  "Today if we get the chance. That way if I act weird, they'll understand."

  "I'll call my dad tonight."

  These small details out of the way, the two went back to morning preparations, but Bailey did everything on automatic. Her heart was pondering this small new person in their life and the day they would finally meet.

  "Okay, the tune we're using this morning," Pastor Stringer said as the morning service began, "is 'Jesus the Very Thought of Thee.' You'll find the words on your worship sheets. Let's stand and sing."

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  The music piped up as Lily found the song, but she never got past the first few words of the second line. Her eyes looked in horror at the words on her paper, not needing an explanation to understand the pastor's intent.

  Jesus the very thought of Thee, Bores me, I must confess; Putting You first in all my life Interests me even less.

  I'll give you time on Sunday morn Then I will sing and praise; But after that, my time's my own Mondays through Saturdays.

  Demand no more of me, O Lord There is so much to do; I have a life, I can't afford To waste it all on You.

  "It's not exactly what you thought it would be, is it?" Pastor Stringer asked softly when the music died down and his congregation stood soberly before him. "But it's often the way we think. In no way do I wish to mock the original song, but I know for my own life that sometimes I need these wake-up calls. Please be seated." Pastor Stringer gave everyone a moment to settle.

  "We're going to keep talking about God's expectations for us this morning," he went on, and Lily opened her Bible to the passage where he directed. She had only a vague sense of his preaching in this book before and, with that sense, Lily felt disgusted wi
th herself. What have you been doing each time you've sat in this church, Lily Cathleen? That this was only her second time to attend a Sunday morning service did not immediately come to mind. She was determined to be hard on herself, and that was the end of it!

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  She remembered in time to be hard on herself later and not to miss a word of the sermon again.

  Sunday dinner was a feast. Lily bit into the ham, which tasted of pineapple, and let her eyes slide closed. For a moment she didn't even want to chew.

  "Lilyee's praying!" Celia announced in a voice that would not have helped her had it been true.

  Lily's eyes came open as she stopped herself from laughing. Seeing the merriment in her eyes, the other occupants of the table joined her.

  "I take it you think the ham is good?" Ashton questioned.

  "It's delicious," Lily answered once her mouth was empty.

  "Thank you," Bailey said with a smile. "It's my mother's recipe."

  "Speaking of our mother," Gabe put in, his own plate giving evidence of how much he liked the meal, "did anyone mention to you, Lily, that we'll be going to visit Mom and Carson in ten days?"

  "No, they didn't. Is there something I can do while you're away, or do you just want me to keep things going as usual?"

  "You're going with us" at least three people said at the same time.

  Lily's eyes got a bit round over this announcement, but no one bothered to elaborate. Evan wanted to talk about the sermon, and the table talk was soon off on that.

  When everyone had commented, Evan added, "I especially liked what Pastor did with that song."

  "That was an eye-opener, all right."

  "He has perspicacity," Lily said quietly, thinking how much she had enjoyed the service too. She kept eating after this, so it didn't come to her attention that everyone at the table was staring at Gabe, and that Gabe was staring at her.

  Since some time in high school, Gabe had loved to use that word. And for years, whenever any of his siblings or Evan teased

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  him about getting married, he would say that he would marry the first woman he found who knew what "perspicacity" meant.

  "What was the word?" Peter asked, causing everyone to feel rescued.