Teri felt confused. She couldn’t deny or ignore the fireworks that had begun inside her. Though tiny, they were still real. But what about Mark?
Chapter Four
Have you been down to the beach yet?” Scott asked after Anita left.
“No, do you want to go for a walk?” Teri was surprised to hear herself being so bold, but she didn’t want him to leave. She wanted to keep talking to him, to test the waters and see what kind of depth might be there. Last night with Mark she had felt as if they had sailed in shallow waters, and what little of their relationship did exist was about to crash against the rocks.
“Now who’s the one with the pick-up lines?” Scott teased.
“I thought it might be fun to talk. You know, get caught up on everything, if that’s okay with you.”
“It’s more than okay,” Scott said. “Since Bob is the only other person I know on this whole island, you’re a welcome friend.”
“You know Dan and Anita,” Teri said as they turned and began to walk together toward the path that led down to the beach.
“Okay, make that a total of four people.”
They strolled along the beach for more than an hour, the conversation popping back and forth like a ping pong ball at a tournament. Scott told of his uneventful four years at college and how he had graduated with a history major. He had joined a cruise ship for two years and then ended up in Peru where he worked on a dig for almost three years. He returned to California to try to find a use for his college major but had given up. The best course of action seemed to be to sail to the islands with Bob so here he was. They had come on Bob’s forty-five-foot sailboat, Moonfish, in five weeks with relatively few mishaps.
“Sounds like a great experience. My last eight years haven’t been quite as exciting,” Teri said and proceeded to tell him about graduating from a Christian college with a teaching credential and moving to Glenbrooke, Oregon, where she had taught for the past three years. “I’ve been to Mexico on a missions project several times,” Teri said. “And I came to Maui for a week last summer. But that’s the extent of my world travels.”
“Let me tell you,” Scott said, “Maui no ka oi.”
“I only speak Spanish and English,” Teri said. “You’ll have to interpret your Hawaiian for me.”
“It’s a popular saying around here. Haven’t you heard it? It means ‘Maui is the best.’ ”
“I’ll have to agree with that. I love it here,” Teri said. “Peru sounds pretty exciting, though.”
They stopped walking and stood side by side, looking out to sea at the white masts of the sailboats skimming across the blue.
“Do you like to sail?” Scott asked.
“I’ve never been.”
“You have to go sailing,” he said. “What are you doing Friday morning?”
“I don’t know.” Teri wasn’t sure how to answer what she knew he was about to ask.
“Moonfish is docked close by. I can take it out anytime I want. Tomorrow I work, but I’d like to take you out Friday morning.”
“Okay,” Teri said without hesitation.
“Is six o’clock too early?”
“No, not at all. Do you want me to meet you at the harbor?”
“I can pick you up. Where does your sister live?”
“Napili. Do you know where that is?”
Scott smiled. “That’s where I live, too.”
They compared addresses and found they were three blocks from each other. “That makes it convenient,” Scott said as they headed up the trail back to the group of Halekuali’i employees. “I can tell I’m really going to like it here.” He slipped his arm around Teri’s shoulders, gave her a little squeeze, and then let go.
She felt warmed and thrilled about the thought of going sailing with Scott Robinson. But then Teri looked up and nearly froze. Mark was standing next to Anita several yards away. He was studying Teri and couldn’t have missed seeing Scott hug her.
Oh, no, what is Mark going to think? And what is Scott going to think when I introduce him to Mark?
Scott noticed Anita right away and said, “Is that Dan standing next to Anita?”
“No, that’s Mark Hunter. He’s a marine biologist who lives on a boat docked in Lahaina. You two might have a few things in common, that is if you’ve ever seen a whale up close.”
“Many times,” Scott said.
They were now a few feet away, and Scott smiled at Anita and then stuck out his hand to introduce himself to Mark. “I hear you know a thing or two about whales,” he said.
“I guess you could say that,” Mark said. He glanced at Teri.
“Did Anita tell you we went to school with Scott?” Teri hoped Mark wouldn’t view this as what it was. Then she wished he would see Scott as competition so that he would establish where he was. Did he want a relationship with Teri or not?
“Is Dan around?” Scott asked.
“He’s playing volleyball with some other guys over there,” Anita said.
“Do you mind pointing me in the right direction?”
Anita looked at Scott and then at Teri and Mark. Teri tried to give her a subtle message that said, Please let me be alone with Mark. Please leave with Scott.
“I was just heading that way,” Anita said. “Do you want to come with me?”
“Sure.” Scott turned to Teri. He gave her a look that was more tender than a woman would receive from someone who was merely an old acquaintance. “I’ll see you later,” he said and followed Anita to the volleyball court.
“So, you were able to make it,” Teri said to Mark once they were alone. She walked a few feet over to the lounge chairs where their towels were still draped across the back and sat down. She hoped she was coming across casual and natural and not as mixed up as she felt.
Mark sat in the chair next to her and didn’t say anything.
“Isn’t this a beautiful resort?” Teri said, trying to get the conversation going.
Mark nodded.
“Do you know when they’re going to start eating?”
“Pretty soon.”
“Good,” Teri said. “That’s good.” Oh, dear, this conversation is going nowhere. What happened? Last summer we really clicked. I don’t understand what’s going on here.
“I need to get back in a little bit,” Mark said. “I suppose I’ll see you at church on Sunday.”
Teri drew in a breath and said, “Sunday?” Why was Mark waiting so long to see her again? She had planned to spend all her time with Mark. But, of course, now her attention was divided with Scott in the picture. Sunday was four days away. She might be able to figure things out by then, especially if she spent some time with Scott on Friday.
“Okay, Sunday,” she agreed.
They made small talk for another ten minutes. It felt stilted and uncomfortable.
“I guess I’ll be on my way,” Mark said after one of several awkward pauses. “Well, I’ll see you later.” He smiled as he rose and said, “See you Sunday.”
Closing her eyes and releasing a heavy sigh, Teri prayed silently, Father, what is going on here? Nothing is happening the way I thought it would. What’s with Mark? And why is Scott suddenly entering my life? I don’t know what you’re trying to do. I didn’t come here on a manhunt. Or did I? I feel as if I’m acting like a teenager. My emotions are a mess. Maybe neither of these men is right for me. Oh, Father, just show me what you want me to do, okay?
Before she could whisper “amen,” Teri felt a splash of ice on her bare leg. She jumped and let out a squeal of surprise.
“Whoa, sorry there!” a man said as he tried to scoop up the ice cubes and put them back in his plastic cup. Sticky Coke dripped down her calf and soaked through the beach towel.
“I wasn’t watching where I was going,” he said with a definite accent. Australian, perhaps.
“That’s okay,” Teri mumbled, flicking the melting cubes onto the cement.
“If you don’t mind my saying so, it almost looked as if you
were praying,” the man said.
Teri looked up at him, shielding her eyes from the sun with her arm, and answered, “I was.”
His face, which was tanned and lined like a trapper’s or an explorer’s, wore the look of someone who had confronted a lion and walked away. He was older than Teri by quite a bit, she guessed. His brown hair was parted on the side, but a few maverick strands fell across his broad forehead. It was hard to determine his eye color because his eyes squinted when he smiled, revealing crows’ feet that stretched to his temples. And that’s what he was doing, smiling at Teri as he stood over her.
“Gordon,” he said, extending a hand to Teri. “Gordon Allistar. Nice to meet you.”
Teri didn’t know what to make of this guy. Did he spill the Coke so he could introduce himself?
“And what’s your name?” he asked, sitting down next to her as if he had been invited.
“My name?” Teri couldn’t help but tease this jovial fellow. “Sorry, it’s unlisted. So is my phone number.”
Gordon let out a hearty laugh. Teri wondered if people were staring at them, his laugh was so loud. But she couldn’t help smiling in response. When he laughed, his very soul seemed to participate in the event. His eyes squeezed shut, and his cheeks puffed up. He looked like a three-year-old in the middle of a tickle war.
“I take it you aren’t accustomed to being ‘picked up,’ as they say.”
“No,” Teri said as firmly as possible.
Gordon rose to leave. Teri felt proud of the way she had handled this pick-up artist. He gave her a slight wink and said, “You could very well be the one.”
“The one what?”
He strolled past her, his crazy smile still lighting up his face. All he said was, “Until.”
“Weirdo,” Teri muttered, glancing around her to see if other people were watching. They weren’t. At least not obviously. She kept her eyes on Gordon as he returned to the open bar and stopped to talk to the bartender.
She was still scrutinizing his every move when Anita and Dan returned with Scott.
“Did Mark leave?” Anita asked.
“Mark? Oh, yeah. Mark. Yeah, he left.” Teri focused in on Scott and shook the experience with the strange Australian from her mind. “Are we about ready to eat?”
“Yes, that’s why we came to get you,” Anita said. “Are you all right? You look kind of spooked.”
“Me? Oh, no, I’m fine. Some jerk spilled his Coke on my leg, that’s all.” She turned to Scott and said, “So, do you remember Dan from Kelley High?”
“Yeah, we were in wrestling together,” Scott said. He was so tall she had to look way up at him. He was certainly one handsome, powerful looking man.
Dan and Anita started to reminisce about the Kelley High Cougars, and Scott offered Teri a hand so she could stand up. She accepted it and stood. Then feeling self-conscious at his touch, she let go.
The four of them walked toward the food line. On an impulse, she turned and looked over her shoulder, back at the bar. Gordon was still standing there, only instead of talking to the bartender, he was leaning on one arm, watching Teri’s every move. When he saw her look at him, he lifted his refilled glass of Coke in a toast to her.
I can’t believe this! I feel as if I’ve stepped into a rerun of “The Love Boat.” Three attentive men in the same day. Well, take Mark off the list and make that two attentive men. One nut case from down under and one incredible man standing right next to me.
Chapter Five
I really should go,” Scott said, rising from the table on Dan and Anita’s patio. “This has been a great day. And can you believe we’re practically neighbors?”
Teri knew it must be close to midnight. They had been having so much fun she didn’t want the day to end. The four of them had stayed together for the entire luau at Halekuali’i. They had sat on woven mats and had eaten the roasted pig off of some kind of huge leaves. Dan and Anita had treated Scott and Teri as if they were a couple who were visiting their island, even instructing them on how to eat the traditional poi by scooping the gray, pasty food up with two fingers. Then came the hula dancers, which included the kahiko, or ancient hula dances, and then the Tahitian fire dancers. At sunset came the blowing of the conch shell and the lighting of the tiki torches.
They had ended up returning to Dan and Anita’s for coffee and more talking. Anita had pulled out her old yearbooks, and the four of them took turns telling high school stories. Teri noticed that she and Scott knew many of the same people, and yet in high school their paths never had crossed.
Scott stood and stretched. He still carried himself like a football star, although his face was now that of a man. In the yearbook pictures he had looked like a tough kid trying to prove something.
“I’ll see you at work tomorrow, Dan,” he said. “And again, the invitation is open, Anita. If you want to come sailing with Teri and me on Friday, you’re welcome to join us.”
“No, I really need to work. Thanks anyway.”
Scott turned to Dan. “We’ll have to find a time when we all have the day off. I’d love to take all of you out on the Moonfish.”
“That’s going to be pretty tricky,” Dan said. “I’ve been saving all my vacation time for a camping trip. We’re hiking through Haleakala, the volcano, in two weeks. I’ve waited two years to get reservations.”
“Reservations for what?” Scott asked.
“Some cabins are inside the crater. Three of them. They were built in the thirties, and they hold twelve people. Over the past few years they’ve become so popular, the park service holds a lottery to draw names to decide who gets to stay in a cabin. My name was drawn this year.”
“You have to be kidding,” Scott said. “You mean you can hike into the crater?”
“Yep. They say it’s unlike any other place you’ve ever hiked. A bunch of us at work have been entering the lottery off and on for the past two years. Believe me, nothing is going to stop me from going on this backpack!”
“Are all twelve places taken?” Scott asked.
“They are at this point. Would you like to get on the list if anyone drops out?”
“Yeah!” Scott nodded and looked as if Dan had offered him tickets to the Super Bowl. “Put my name down. I’m in the second one of your buddies drops out.”
“No problem,” Dan said. “I’ll check around at work tomorrow.”
“I’ll be there,” Scott said. “Keep me posted.” He turned to Teri and said, “And we have a date Friday morning on the Moonfish.”
Teri smiled. “I’ll see you then!”
Scott let himself out. Dan and Anita both stared at Teri.
“What?” she said.
“This is pretty interesting,” Dan said. “You have Mark on the line and Scott in the net. I didn’t know you were into competitive fishing.”
“Oh, right! Like I really went out searching for Scott. We happened to bump into each other. I went to high school with him, too, you know.”
Anita looked concerned. “What are you going to do about Mark?”
“What do you mean? Why do I need to do anything about Mark? He said he would see me on Sunday. So, I’ll see him on Sunday. In the meantime, I’ll go sailing with an old friend on Friday. Are there any ancient Hawaiian laws that say I can’t do that?”
“I think you need to talk to Mark before you go sailing,” Anita insisted.
“Why?”
“So you know where you stand with him.”
Dan listened to the two with a cat grin on his face.
“I don’t know that I want to know or that I need to know where I stand with Mark,” Teri hotly replied. “He’s not a very talkative person, in case you hadn’t noticed.”
“All the more reason for you to be up front with him,” Anita said. “He saw you with Scott today. We both saw Scott give you a hug when you were coming up from the beach. What is Mark supposed to make of that?”
“Why does it matter to you what Mark makes of it?” Teri spou
ted back. “Can’t I take things as they come? This is my life we’re discussing here, remember? What difference is it to you if I want to go out with two men in the same week? That is, if you want to call dinner last night a date. It seemed more like you two were babysitting Mark and me. Maybe I need to be alone with Mark once to see what’s really there. And maybe I need to be alone with Scott once to see if anything is there. It’s kind of hard for me to discover such things when you guys are always around.”
“Well, excuse us!” Anita said, pushing herself away from the patio table and marching inside. “You want to be alone? Fine. I’ll leave you alone. Good night!”
Teri heaved an angry huff. Why did she and Anita relate this way? Either they were intensely connected, like two eyes looking out of the same head, or they were complete opposites who saw everything differently.
“You two drive me crazy,” Dan said after a moment. “I’ve never known two people who could be so identical and so opposite at the same time.”
“She just wants to run my life,” Teri said. “We would get along great if she didn’t always have to be my boss. Or my mother. Or whatever it is she’s trying to be.”
“She’s trying to be a big sister.”
“Why can’t she just be my sister,” Teri said, looking up and searching Danny’s expression for an answer. “She is only fourteen months older. Why does she always have to try to dominate me?”
“I don’t know. Birth order, I guess. Why do you always have to be so defensive?”
Teri threw his logic right back at him with a casual, “Oh, birth order I guess.”
“You probably don’t want to hear this,” Dan said, “but may I offer a little big brotherly advice?”
Teri shot him a wary glance.
“Take it slow, Teri. From what I know of Mark, he’s levelheaded, is a strong Christian, and has a good reputation. All I know about Scott is what’s left over of his high school reputation. You and I both know it wasn’t the greatest. So, if things start moving quickly with Scott, will you do me a personal favor and take it easy until you know him better?”