Teri hung up the phone and fought the apprehension she was feeling. The last time he had said he would be there in an hour he had arrived almost six hours later. What was it about men like Scott that exempted them from having to operate under the same time constraints and commitments as everyone else?
Teri wasn’t sure she liked that. Yet it was part of who Scott was. Maybe she was being too judgmental, like he had said on the sailboat.
Scott arrived within an hour with his arms full of Chinese food, flowers, videos, and a box of chocolate-covered macadamia nuts. It promised to be a fun evening.
And it was. Scott was his charming self, he and Dan conferred about the tamale home business, and even Annie seemed to warm up to him a bit when he handed her a little white box filled with her latest craving, sweet and sour shrimp. Everything seemed normal, like it had last Tuesday night at their tamale dinner. Teri erased her anger toward Scott that had built up during the last four days.
“You’ll be back to normal by next Friday, don’t you think?” Scott said.
“I hope so. I go to the doctor’s on Tuesday.”
“Why don’t we plan to sail again? Fridays are the best days for me, as long as we’re back before noon.” Scott had settled into the chair next to the couch. He had on a white T-shirt and deep purple shorts. His hands were folded behind his head, and his blond hair stuck out a little on the sides. He looked comfortable, as if he belonged there, as if he and Teri were already a couple and were going over their plans for the next week. She liked the feeling.
“Hey, Dan,” Scott called out to Dan, who was around the corner in the kitchen, “did I tell you I have those days off for the backpack trip?”
“Great!” Dan said, popping his head around the wall. “Teri, I don’t think I told you, but another guy dropped out so you and Gordon can both come.”
“May I ask a question here?” Teri asked. “Am I the only woman going on this trip?”
Dan looked as if he mentally were going through the list. “I guess you are. You don’t mind, do you?”
“I don’t know. Are you all planning to turn me into your token female chef and wood gatherer or something?”
“No, it’s an equal opportunity bunch of hikers. We’ll all pitch in.”
“Good, because I’m not interested in being anybody’s team mascot.”
“You can be my mascot,” Scott said playfully.
Teri shot a grimace at him.
Danny returned to the kitchen as Scott said, “Have you ever thought about how differently our lives would have turned out if we had dated in high school?”
She had thought about it, a tiny bit. But she was amazed that thought had entered Scott’s mind. “First of all, high school was a long time ago. Besides, I don’t think I was your type,” Teri said.
“Of course you were. Why do you say that?”
“Well, for one, the culture thing. Not many of you white guys on the football team dated us Hispanic girls.”
“White guys? I take offense at that label.”
She couldn’t tell if he was serious or not. “What do you want to be called?”
Scott thought a minute, and with a smile creeping up his face, he said, “You can call us what the coach called Rick Doyle and me: the Wonder Bread and Miracle Whip Boys.”
“I’ll remember that,” Teri said. “But honestly, don’t you think all your traveling has made you more open minded to other cultures? I don’t think you would have dated me in high school.”
“Sure I would have.”
Teri shook her head. “Think back. What girls from a different cultural background did you date?”
Scott seemed to take a long time to reply.
“I know it’s a stretch for you, Scott. Admit I’m right. You never would have considered dating me.”
“I still disagree, but what’s your point? Do you think I have a problem with our cultural differences? I loved your tamales, didn’t I?”
“Oh, never mind,” Teri said. Their cultural differences had been one of the many concerns she had thought about during her recent invalid days. Dan and Anita seemed well suited to each other because of their similar backgrounds. Teri hadn’t thought about the differences that much with Mark since he was so quiet. She actually knew little about his background and heritage. It made her wonder though, if some of the things that seemed normal and acceptable to Scott because of his background would seem unacceptable to her.
Scott’s face took on a more serious expression. “Teri, if you’re saying you don’t think we’re compatible because your tan is always going to be darker than mine, I think you’re a little ‘loco.’ I’m very interested in you. Haven’t you figured that out yet?”
He had done it again. That soft look in his gray eyes, that low rumbling voice, and his hand now reaching across to grasp Teri’s added up to one thing: she was smitten.
“We have good times ahead of us, Teri. Loosen up a little, will you? Let us happen, okay?”
Teri nodded.
By the next Friday, when she and Scott loaded up the Moonfish and prepared to set sail out of Maalaea Harbor, she was still feeling smitten by Scott. For six days she had been thinking about this trip. She had seen Scott twice that week, each time for about five minutes when he had stopped by to give Dan a ride to work. She couldn’t wait to be up and about again, and this sailing jaunt was her reward for following the doctor’s instructions so diligently.
When he had checked her a week after the accident, he was pleased to see how well her foot had healed. She suggested her grandmother’s aloe vera as the reason. The doctor had smiled and suggested the expert stitches and miracle of modern antibiotics had cured her.
Feeling as if she had lost an entire week of her precious vacation time, Teri had looked forward to this day of sailing much more than she thought Scott had.
“Okay,” Scott called to her from the stern of the vessel, as he motored slowly out of the slip. She was standing on the dock. “Do you remember what you do now? You cast off the bow.”
Teri grabbed the rope that held the front of the boat secure and unloosened it quickly. Then holding tight, she walked down the dock until the Moonfish was in position to exit the harbor.
“Hop on!” Scott called.
She hopped and landed on her injured foot. A streak of pain shot up her leg. “Ouch!”
“You okay?”
“Yes, I’m okay,” she called back, mad at herself for being such a baby.
“Can you grab the buoys, then? Those pads on the sides. They need to be brought in.”
Teri went to work, ignoring the twinge of discomfort in her foot and trying her best to remember all the things she needed to do to get the Moonfish into full sail once they were out of the harbor. She worked well with Scott, and she worked hard. It took serious arm strength to hoist the sails, and although she wasn’t flabby, she wasn’t in tip-top shape either.
Teri wondered if she would be able to keep up with the men on the backpack trip. They were leaving in two days, which was not enough time to work on getting into shape.
The sky was clear, and the morning air felt warmer than it had the first time they went sailing. Teri leaned her head back and felt the playful slaps of the wind against her face. She loved the invigorating sensation. No other feeling in the world was like it. The last time they had gone out, Teri had panicked when the wind filled the sails and tipped the boat so far to the side that she thought she would fall out if she let go of her seat. Today she rode with more grace. The sensation made her feel full of life rather than fearful of death.
Teri looked across at Scott. The wind blew his hair in all directions. The smile of an adventurer was hammered across his face like an insignia.
I’m sailing in Maui with Scott Robinson. I can’t believe this! This is better than I could have dreamed.
Chapter Fifteen
Do you have any idea,” Scott whispered into Teri’s ear, “how beautiful you are?”
The sailboat bo
bbed gently on the calm sea. The island of Maui looked miniaturized as they drifted on the sweet blue water, halfway to Lana’i. Teri leaned against Scott’s chest and felt his strong, sun-warmed arms wrap around her. He buried his face in her hair and said, “You smell so good. I could get lost in your hair, Julie.”
Teri froze. She pulled away and turned to look at him. “Julie?”
“Julie?” he repeated, looking as if he had no idea what she was saying.
“You just called me Julie.”
“No I didn’t.” He smiled and held out his arms for her to come back to him. “I admit it’s hard for a man to form his words clearly when his mouth is full of luscious hair. But you didn’t hear me correctly.” Scott shook his head, retaining his innocent look. “Julie?” he repeated with raised eyebrows. “Where do you come up with this stuff?”
Teri scrutinized his expression and decided he was either a very good liar or was telling the truth. Nothing in his cool demeanor hinted that he had slipped up.
“You know,” Scott said, drawing himself up to a seated position, “this is what we keep having problems with, isn’t it? You’re too uptight.”
“No, I’m not.”
“Well, it would sure help me if you could figure out what your problem is. It’s like you don’t want us to happen.”
“That’s not it, Scott.”
“Then what’s the problem?” His voice was loud and commanding like it had been in his car the night she had stepped on the fireworks. Her tears had angered him that night. She refused to cry now.
“I’m a cautious person,” Teri said, trying to sound strong and confident. “You don’t have a problem with that, do you?” Scott ran his fingers through his hair and didn’t answer.
Teri felt awful. The romantic mood was broken. Even though Scott seemed to be controlling his anger, she could tell he was mad at her. She sensed he was a smoldering volcano inside.
“Let’s head back,” Scott said firmly. He pushed himself up and went about his tasks with the sails as if he were a robot.
“I’m sorry,” Teri said.
He smiled back his thin acceptance of her apology.
She wanted him to come back to her and hold her and assure her that she was the woman he adored. The tension was awful. How could everything be so good and turn so terrible in a few short minutes?
Teri was convinced it was she. Scott was right; she was too judgmental, too rigid. Even in the middle of a wonderful, intimate moment, she was so untrusting she was actually hearing things.
That’s it! I’m changing. From this moment on, I’m going to be open, free, and trusting. The next time Scott takes me in his arms and kisses me, I’m going to kiss him right back, and good! I’ll show him I’m not an uptight prude. If I let this man get away from me, I don’t know what I’ll do. Another man like Scott Robinson will never be in my life again!
As convinced as Teri was of her course of action, her whole self had a hard time entering into the plan. She was raised to be modest and careful of how she used her body and her actions. It would take a little while for all the parts of her psyche to act on her decision.
Their sail back to Maalaea Harbor was silent and tense. Ignoring the problem between them, Scott talked about work on the drive home. He seemed to be comfortable and acted normal with her, as if nothing unsettling had happened an hour earlier. Maybe it hadn’t been as unsettling to him as it had been to her.
“Do you want to come to church with me on Sunday?” Teri ventured during a lull in the conversation. “You said you wanted to start going back to church.”
Scott looked straight ahead, waiting for the light to change. They were in Lahaina, right next to the huge, black smokestack of the sugar cane refinery. “Not this Sunday. Maybe next week.”
“What’s your work schedule like?” Teri took another stab. “Would you like to do something tomorrow or Sunday afternoon?”
“I’ll have to give you a call.” The light turned green, and they made their way through the late morning congestion and headed north toward Napili.
“I’d really like to get together and do something, if it works out for you,” Teri said. Then, draping her arm over the back of his seat, she started to rub his neck.
Scott cringed at her touch. “Sunburn,” he said.
She quickly pulled away her arm. “Oh, I’m sorry.”
“Why do you do that?”
“Do what?”
“Say you’re sorry all the time. It’s not your fault my neck is sunburned. You don’t have to apologize for trying to do something nice for me like rubbing my neck. Actually, I’m glad you’re loosening up a little. I like it when you make a move toward me instead of my always making the moves toward you.”
Teri kept that in mind. The minute they pulled in front of the house and Scott turned off the ignition, she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.
“Thanks for taking me out,” she said, looking into his eyes. “I loved being with you, and I’m already looking forward to the next time.”
Scott looked pleased, as if this were the kind of treatment he had been waiting for. He sat there, soaking it up.
“You’re right about my being too rigid,” Teri said, trying to make her brown eyes as expressive as they could be. “I’m going to work on that. You’ll see.” Then she tilted her chin up and invited him to kiss her.
It was a mutual kiss, one she willingly gave and one he willingly took. In this new balance, Teri felt a sense of power. Neither of them could deny the fireworks between them.
“That’s more like it,” Scott said, burrowing his nose in her hair. “I knew you must feel something for me. Why haven’t you kissed me like that before?”
“I need to go slowly, Scott. Very slowly. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
“Of course I understand. Why didn’t you say so? The way you’ve been pushing me away, I thought I repulsed you or something.”
Teri pulled away and looked at him, shocked. “How could you think that? Of course not, Scott. I’m very attracted to you. I’m sorry I made you feel I wasn’t.”
He lifted his finger and touched her lips the instant she said the word “sorry.”
“Oh, I did it again, didn’t I? I’ll work on it.”
“Good,” Scott said, straightening up. “I wish I didn’t have to go to work. I’ll call you when I get off.”
“Okay,” Teri whispered back. “Bye, Scott.” She pulled away and let herself out of the car.
He waved. She waved. Her heart was still pounding. Teri smiled all the way to the front door. As Teri opened the screen door, her sister was standing there with her hands on her hips.
“Hi,” Teri said cheerfully, walking past her and heading for the refrigerator for something to drink.
Anita followed her. Holding up both her hands, Anita looked at the floor and said, “I know you don’t want to hear this.”
“Hear what?” Teri popped the lid on a can of soda and skimmed past Anita on her way to the couch.
“I saw you and Scott in the car just now, and it concerned me.”
“Why? There’s nothing to be concerned about.”
“Teri, I want to know what’s going on with you and Scott.”
“Nothing is going on. We went sailing. We’ve spent some time together. We like each other.”
“It looks as if you’re getting very involved with each other. Do you really think that’s a good idea, Teri? He’s not the right man for you. Why can’t you see that?”
“Hey, I don’t know if he is the right one or the wrong one, but I have the right to figure that out on my own, don’t I? How many times do we have to go over this? You are not my mother. Okay? Repeat this after me, ‘I am not Teri’s mother.’ ”
“But I am Teri’s sister, and as such I’m telling you Scott Robinson is not the right man for you.”
“Oh, and you have this on good authority, do you? You know these things? What are you saying, Anita? That God talks to you, and he doesn??
?t talk to me?”
“Maybe so.”
“You’re crazy.”
“Am I? Then answer one question for me. Have you really prayed about Scott and asked God to show you what his best is? I know you’ve watched lots of movies since you’ve been here and read a couple of novels, but I haven’t seen you read your Bible. You used to be the one who never missed her quiet time when we were growing up. What’s happened to you, Teri?”
Teri could feel the anger bubbling up within her. “I’m not into your guilt game, Anita. You’re not my mother, and you’re not the Holy Spirit. Do you want me asking you when your last quiet time was? Or do you want me accusing you of not trusting God about your baby? You’re so quick to judge everyone else. You’re not perfect! Just leave me alone. Okay?” Teri jumped up and marched to the front door. “I wish I’d never come here!”
She slammed the screen door and began to march down to the beach. In all the years and in all the arguments she and Anita had had, this was the worst. Never before had she wanted to hit her sister, which is how she felt right now.
Teri broke into a jog and ran almost four blocks before she felt her sandal rubbing the scar tissue on her foot and sending shooting pains up her leg. She took the rest of the journey at a slower, more deliberate pace, blazing a trail down to the beach and heading for some black lava rocks that jutted into the water. She could see someone coming from the other direction who seemed to be headed to the same spot.
Don’t you dare think of going there! That’s my spot. I found it first!
Teri quickened her pace and scrambled up the low side of the rock, ignoring the other person. She stood on top, pushing herself to her full height, proving to any and all onlookers that she had staked a claim to this spot. Surely that other tourist would keep on walking. Nobody in his right mind would want to deal with Teri in the emotional state she was in at this moment.
“G’day, Teri,” came Gordon’s cheery voice behind her. “Imagine this! You’ve come to my favorite prayer closet.”
Teri spun around and gave Gordon a glare that would frighten even a pirate. But she never knew if he saw her glare or not, for at that precise second, Gordon slipped on the wet rock. In an effort to steady himself, he lunged for Teri’s arm. She tried to pull away. It was too late. In one ungraceful tumble, both of them catapulted off the rock and fell into the water.