“How are you doing?” he asked softly. Or was it cautiously? The way an innocent man would approach a woman who had bitten off his head over the phone at their last encounter. He removed his baseball cap, as if being respectful, and ran his hand through his straight hair. Lauren couldn’t take her eyes off his strong hands. Those fingers had typed beautiful words to her, words that linked their souls and melted their hearts together. And now, here they were, only a few feet away from each other, and she couldn’t make a single sound come from her constricted throat.
The server arrived with the beverages and handed a 7-UP to Kenton. “Is this for me?”
“Yes,” Jessica said. “Is 7-UP okay?”
“Perfect. Thanks, Jess.” He sat down in a chair directly across from the speechless Lauren.
“Actually, it was Lauren’s suggestion,” Jessica said.
Slowly, Kenton lifted the glass to his lips. Even more slowly, he allowed his gaze to rest on Lauren.
Teri reached over and punched Kenton in the arm. “So, how ya’ been? You better have a good excuse for not coming to our reception.”
“I do,” he said.
“Would you like to share it with the rest of the class?” Teri said in her teacher’s voice.
“No.”
“Your turn,” Teri said, turning to Jessica. “My interrogation skills are slipping.”
“I didn’t think you were going to come to Hawaii,” Jessica said softly to her brother-in-law. “Kyle told me about the other offer on the newspaper. I’m sorry it didn’t work out. That would have been a perfect situation for you, and Kyle and I would have loved having you in Glenbrooke.”
Kenton looked down at his glass and swished the ice cubes around. “Actually,” he said without looking up, “the buyer who was in first position for the paper pulled out. I closed the deal this morning and decided to put some of my accumulated vacation days to good use and celebrate my new career.” He looked up, glancing only briefly at Lauren, and letting his gaze rest on Jessica. “Looks like I’ll be invading your restful burg by the end of September.”
“That’s wonderful!” Jessica said, rising and going over to the chair where he sat and giving him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “I’m so excited for you.”
Lauren couldn’t help but notice how shy Kenton was. Or was it humility? He had obviously chosen to leave a prestigious journalism position and had bought a small town newspaper where he would be the editor-in-chief and probably the only staff writer. This is what he had been talking about. And now he was moving to Glenbrooke.
“Congratulations,” Teri said. “You made a good choice. And guess who else is moving to Glenbrooke?”
Kenton sipped his soda, his eyebrows answering Teri that he had no idea.
“Lauren.” Teri coyly looked at Lauren and then back at Kenton. “It looks as if she’ll start teaching at Glenbrooke High this fall.”
Kenton returned his gaze to Lauren, nodded his congratulations, then immediately looked away and wouldn’t look at her again.
Kyle and Gordon stepped into the lobby. Their wives handed them their drinks.
“How long have you been here?” Kyle asked, standing beside Kenton’s chair.
Kenton rose and checked his watch. He did it with such a smooth, man-of-the-world fluid motion that the simple gesture nearly took Lauren’s breath away. These were the common, everyday habits she had longed to know about him. She knew inside his head by heart. Now she could meet the flesh and blood part of KC.
“Only about forty minutes. By the way, bro, I bought the paper. I’m moving to Glenbrooke next month.”
Kyle’s expression showed how pleased he was. He spontaneously embraced his younger brother, and the two men briefly slapped each other on the back. Now that they stood side by side, Lauren could see the resemblance, mostly in the build and the way they carried themselves. Their jaws were identical, and they both had the same high forehead. She found it impossible to stop staring at Kenton. He still hadn’t looked back at her.
“Anyone else hungry?” Gordon asked.
“I am,” Teri said, followed by a round of agreement from the others.
“I made reservations here for us at 7:30.” Kyle said. “That gives us an hour. Think you can hold out that long, Gordon?”
“Not a problem.”
“We can always raid the little refrigerator in our room,” Teri said. “I’m ready for a shower.”
One of Gordon’s mischievous grins appeared on his face as he said, “I’m with the woman in the shower.”
“Gordo!” Teri said, swatting at him.
“I think we’ll be leaving now,” Kyle said, offering his hand to Jessica. “We’ll meet back here in an hour.”
Lauren ducked out and made a quick detour to the hotel gift shop. If she was going to have a formal dinner with KC, she was going to look her best. Last night she had worn the only nice evening dress she had. It was time to put her Visa to good use for this emergency.
The sales clerk directed her to a rack of semi-formal wear at the back of the shop. Filing through quickly, Lauren selected every dress in her size and slipped into the dressing room. She had just put on the first one when she heard familiar voices outside the slatted changing room door.
“And you’re telling me you don’t know her name?” Kyle’s voice asked.
“I only know her as Wren,” Kenton answered.
“May I help you find something?” the clerk asked.
“Yes,” Kyle answered. “We need something for sunburn and a coat and tie for this guy.”
“Those are along the back wall. The lotions are over there.”
“Thanks. So, what are you going to do?” Lauren could hear them coming closer. She tried to peek through the slats.
“I wish I knew,” Kenton’s voice sounded rich and deep, exactly as she had imagined it. “Do you know what it’s like to have your heart ripped out, and the woman you love vanish?”
Lauren bit her lip and felt the tears welling up in her eyes.
“Yeah, I do,” Kyle’s voice sounded tight. Lauren thought of Lindsay and her inscription in Pilgrim’s Progress.
There was a pause before Kenton said, “I guess you do.” Now Kenton sounded choked up. “Wren was the other half of me, Kyle. She held the other half of my heart in her hand, and I don’t know where she is. I called all the hospitals in Portland asking if there had been any car accidents involving twenty-five-year-old women in rental cars. Is that crazy, or what? There weren’t any, but I was determined to find her. I’m going to find her, too.”
“What if she doesn’t want to be found?” Kyle asked. “You like skinny or fat?”
“I don’t care if she’s skinny or fat or one-eyed! It’s her soul I fell in love with.”
“I was asking about ties,” Kyle said. “There are four black ones here. Do you like skinny or fat ties?”
“That one,” Kenton said.
“Here. Try on this jacket. If it doesn’t work, I have one you can borrow.” There was a pause with some rustling sounds, and then Kyle said, “That’s not going to work.”
“Are there any others?”
“Doesn’t look like it. You can borrow my black one.”
“I guess I’m destined to live my whole life off of your hand-me-downs.”
“That’s what you get for being born last,” Kyle teased. “You know, I have to say something. I hear what you’re telling me about this woman, Wren. I’m sure she’s a nice person, and there’s some logical explanation for why she didn’t show up. She could have ended up in Fairbanks, even! That’s what happened to Lauren on her way to Gordon and Teri’s wedding. And speaking of Lauren, I wish you two hadn’t gotten off on the wrong foot. I think she’s terrific.”
“You search and rescue guys always go for the swooners.”
Lauren’s heart sank. Kenton’s opinion of her, the real her, was obviously not very high.
“I think you would like her, if you gave her a chance,” Kyle said. “Jess
ica told me she’s coming off of an unresolved relationship and—”
“Will you kindly listen to what I’m saying?” Kenton said. “You’re not paying attention. I’m deeply in love with Wren. I couldn’t think of even looking at another woman.” They moved past her dressing room, and Lauren held her breath, watching his shadow pass by.
“Is that all, sir?” the clerk asked.
“Yes. And this bottle of sunburn soother. Oh, and can you add a couple of these Dove chocolate bars? My wife has a thing for Dove bars. Our baby will probably be born with wings.”
“Either that or it’ll come out with acne,” Kenton said dryly.
Their voices trailed off as they left the shop. Lauren had been leaning against the slatted door so hard as she strained to hear them that it suddenly popped open, and she nearly spilled out onto the floor.
“Do you need some help back there?”
Lauren caught herself and closed the door. “No, I’m fine, thank you—I think,” she muttered under her breath. She quickly tried on the next dress and nearly laughed aloud. It resembled the silver dress Mindy had worn to Leon’s birthday party at Jake’s.
“Definitely not!” Lauren told herself. Her hands were shaking as she tried on the next three. She settled happily on a simple black one that made her feel elegant, even with the sand in her hair.
Back in her room she kicked into high gear, showering and dressing. She paid extra attention to every detail. Attaching her small diamond stud earrings, she discovered more sand in her ears that the shower hadn’t found. Just then there came a quick knock on the door.
Oh, no! They’re ready and I’m not!
She scurried to the door in her bare feet and opened it to a hotel staff person who held out to her a perfect white gardenia tucked in a clear florist box.
“Compliments of Mr. Buchanan,” he said.
“Thank you,” Lauren said, receiving the single, exceptional flower and searching for a card. As the man turned to leave, she asked, “Excuse me. Do you happen to know which Mr. Buchanan?”
The man smiled and shook his head. “No ma’am.”
Chapter Thirty
Of course it’s from Kyle, Lauren reasoned as she returned to the bathroom and pinned the gardenia to her new dress. Why would it be from Kenton? He thinks I’m a swooner. Kyle probably bought one for each of the women.
The contrast of the white gardenia on her black dress was stunning. She felt stunning. Her face looked tanned with a splash of sunburn pink across her cheeks. Her eyes were clear and bluer than usual because of her tan. Her hair had cooperated nicely: bangs, thin and billowy across her forehead; the usual fly-away strand tucked neatly behind her ear. And best of all, she felt great inside. You did this, didn’t you, Father? You brought him here, and you’re going to work everything out. I know you are.
Entering the great room a few minutes late, Lauren noticed the others already there, seated in the same area where they had been an hour ago. Only everything was different. Instead of a bunch of beach bums, they all looked like guests on Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.
Kenton was the first to see her. He rose to his feet. Was that a look of astonishment on his face? Delight? Before she could get an accurate reading, he looked away. Kyle and Gordon also rose, and Gordon was the first to speak. “My, don’t you clean up nicely!”
Teri looked gorgeous in her new-bride glow. It didn’t matter that she had on the same apricot-colored dress she had worn to dinner the night before. Without makeup and with her hair down, flowing freely over her shoulders, she could take on any mermaid in the sea.
Jessica wore a stunning two-piece royal blue outfit and sat with her feet on the footstool and that peaceful expression on her face, looking even more royal than this afternoon. Both Jessica and Teri wore gardenias identical to Lauren’s.
“Shall we?” Kyle said, standing before his wife and offering her his arm. He wore a white dinner jacket. Kenton wore the black one with a white shirt and the new black tie. He hung back, letting the two married couples proceed to the dining room arm in arm.
Look at me! Come on KC, offer me your arm.
But he didn’t. Without making eye contact with Lauren, he motioned for her to walk ahead of him. So, single file, they trailed the others into the dining room. Their table was waiting in the corner. The husbands pulled out chairs for their wives, and Kenton did the same for Lauren. She was seated across from him at the rectangular table.
“Thanks for the gardenia, Kyle,” Lauren said once they were all seated. “It’s beautiful.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Aren’t they beautiful?” Jessica said. “I love the way gardenias smell.”
Lauren glanced over at Kenton, and as she did, he immediately looked down at his menu. Her heart sank. She wanted him to look at her, to smile at her, to talk to her, to fall in love with her the way she had fallen in love with him in writing and now in person.
Yet the entire meal he wouldn’t look at her. She would feel his gaze on her, but the moment she would try to make eye contact, he would glance away.
The conversation flowed in and around them like bright Maypole ribbons crossing each other. Just when it seemed an opening presented itself for her to reveal her identity to him, the Maypole dancers would turn the opposite direction, and the previously woven ribbons of thought would come undone.
Finally she turned to him and said, “What’s your middle name?”
He looked at her and appeared to be caught, unable to pull away from her gaze, even though he appeared to try. “My middle name?”
Lauren nodded, and the others were silent, curious over her unusual question.
“Carlyle,” he said.
A smile danced across her moist lips as she repeated, “Kenton Carlyle.” Neither of those names were on her list of possibilities in her notebook. It was the first time she had said his name aloud, and the sense of connectedness, the mystery solved, pulsated through her, infusing her with wild hope and anticipation. Now what should she say?
The waiter appeared, displaying the dessert tray and taking their orders. When he came to Lauren she said, “I’d like some Irish Breakfast tea. That’s all.”
She cast a subtle glance at Kenton as he said, “I’ll have the same.” He caught her eye but again refused to really look at her.
The tea arrived. As the others chatted, Lauren meticulously poured enough cream into her cup to just cover the bottom, then tore open a packet of cane sugar and poured half of it into her cup. She watched Kenton’s wonderful, strong, smooth hands out of the corner of her eye as he poured the whole packet of sugar directly into the teapot and added the cream after the tea was poured into his cup. She knew he had been watching her hands as well. How many times over the past year had they each gone through this tandem ritual across the miles?
Pouring the amber tea into her cup, Lauren drew up all her courage and, looking across the table, she said, “Kenton?”
Instead of answering, he stood, his head turned away from her, and said, “Excuse me.” Then smoothly and swiftly, he disappeared.
Lauren felt as if the wind had been knocked out of her. A familiar fear began to edge its way to the center of her heart; the fear that once he knew who she was, he would leave her. And now, when he didn’t even know her yet, he already had left. Lauren felt her hopeful heart shriveling up inside her. KC may have fallen in love with Wren, but Kenton obviously had no room in his heart for Lauren the swooner.
Chapter Thirty-One
Where’s my brother?” Kyle asked nearly five minutes after Kenton had left the table. “Is he making phone calls? I don’t think I’ve eaten an entire meal with him once in the past eight years without his beeper going off.”
Lauren had waited quietly, sipping her tea. Crazy, uncontrolled emotions ripped about inside her. One moment she was ready to run from the dining room, catch a cab to the airport, and leave everyone and everything behind. The next moment she wanted to run though the hotel calling f
or Kenton until she found him. She would wrap her arms around him and beg him never to leave her. Guilt found its way into her tortured mind. This is what you deserve, the accusing voice said. You abandoned him, and now he’s left you. But Kenton didn’t know she was the no-show at the falls. She was simply flesh and blood Lauren to him, and he wasn’t attracted to her the way she was to him. Perhaps it was better to find out this way.
“Lauren?” Kyle’s voice shook her from her waking nightmare. “I meant to tell you that I invited Kenton to join us for golf tomorrow morning. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Actually,” Lauren said, clearing her throat, which had grown suddenly tight, “I think I’d like to sleep in tomorrow morning. Why don’t the two of you go ahead?”
“You sure?”
She nodded. “I’m pretty tired. I think I’ll turn in early tonight. Thanks for a fabulous day and a delicious dinner.”
Kyle and Gordon both rose as she pushed back her chair. “Good night, everyone. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Lauren didn’t encounter Kenton on the way to her room, as she hoped. She spent a long, tortured night, allowing her imagination to run through every possible scenario. Then she remembered something she had read in My Utmost for His Highest, the devotional book she and KC had read through together, over the miles. She wished she had the book with her now, or at least her own Bible. All she could remember was something in the first entry they had both read, March 22, about maintaining a heart that burned for God. That’s how she had felt that morning in the gazebo. Every emotion had been cleansed and fine-tuned, ready to line up with her heavenly Father’s will.
Now, only twelve hours later, her spiritual renewal was being put to the test. Instead of her usual pattern of thinking, worrying, and then stuffing, Lauren knelt in prayer and stayed on her knees, unaware of the time. She read from the hotel Bible, turning again to the Song of Solomon. At last, some time in the dark, still night, she fell asleep.
When the brightness of the new day roused her, Lauren found she had slept until ten. Good thing I didn’t go golfing, she thought, rubbing her eyes and noticing that the red message light was lit on her phone. Jessica wanted Lauren to know they were all planning to meet in the lobby at eleven and drive down to Manele Bay for the day.