The first shop she saw across the road was painted a rainbow of bright colors. Sundresses on wire hangers flapped in the breeze like banners. Two young women sat out front in white plastic patio chairs as one of them braided the other’s hair.
Sierra crossed at the crosswalk and leaned her bike against a palm tree next to the shop.
“Aloha,” one of the women said. “You’re welcome to go on in. If you see anything you like, let me know.”
Sierra entered the small shop that was part manufactured home and part add-on creative construction. She had seen plenty of structures like this in Brazil, but it was odd to see one on American soil. Clearly the building inspector hadn’t been out here for a while.
Inside the shop was a display case with gorgeous silver jewelry for reasonable prices. On every inch of wall space there hung either a painting, a hook with a variety of scarves, or a peg with small purses made from coconuts. One wall was covered with frames made out of Hawaiian license plates and hand painted T-shirts with dolphins and sea turtles. From the ceiling hung long beaded necklaces and strings of pastel-colored pearls.
Sierra loved everything about this shop. She took her time examining all the clever works of art. One pair of earrings caught her attention. They were made from small shells that hung in three dangling strings like tiny wind chimes.
Poking her head out the door, Sierra called out, “I found some earrings I’d like.”
The woman who had greeted her stood up and smoothed out her wraparound skirt before taking the stairs up into the shop. “Which ones did you find?”
Sierra pointed to them in the case, and the woman took them out. “These are the smallest puka shells I’ve ever seen. A Filipino lady collects shells on the beach and then makes them into jewelry for me. She just brought these in the other day. I think the storms are bringing up a lot of treasures from the sea.”
Sierra loved the earrings. She loved that they were made from “treasures from the sea” right here on the island. The price was more than she wanted to pay out of her limited funds, but for these earrings from this place, it was worth it.
“How do you say ‘thank you’ in Hawaiian?” Sierra asked the woman.
“Mahalo. Or, mahalo nui loa, which means ‘thank you very much.’”
Sierra went for the shortened version and repeated “mahalo,” which was about as ambitious as she thought she could be considering her challenge with languages. Slipping back onto her bike, she stayed on the inland side of the road and pedaled her way to two more shops where she enjoyed just looking.
The rain had stopped. The sun felt warm on her head as she pedaled her way back to the house. She was thinking of what a pleasant day this had ended up being. It wasn’t because she had her future figured out, because that certainly wasn’t true. It wasn’t peaceful because she and Mariana were getting along so great, because that relationship still felt like a time bomb waiting to go off. And it definitely wasn’t because she felt as if she and Jordan had a future just waiting to open up for them with a dazzling display of fireworks.
What Sierra felt good about was being in the moment.
Her mom’s reminder to delight oneself in the Lord had stuck with Sierra, and she had decided that morning she was going to find ways to experience that delight while she was in Hawaii. It was working. She was thoroughly enjoying what she had in front of her right now, as she rode the bike under the gorgeous palm trees and felt the wind on her face. This was her vacation. Right now. Today. She felt protected by God and very much loved by Him. All her life He had led her in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Sierra had every reason to believe He was going to continue to lead her.
The best part was that she felt confident she was going to like whatever it was He led her to next.
Chapter Thirty-One
Jordan missed Sierra.
He knew that was crazy. She had only stood by him for a bit, yet he missed her presence.
Shaking away thoughts of her, he went back to work. The competition went into the late afternoon, and Derek didn’t come up again on the roster. Depending on how the scoring went tomorrow morning, he could have another chance at the lineup in the afternoon. If he didn’t make that cut, then he was out.
As soon as Jordan heard that and took a look at the lineup for the remainder of the day, he headed back to the beach house with Derek so Jordan could edit and upload his quota of shots on Bill’s site. He knew it was going to be a lot of work, but at least he could do it sitting down.
“Did you connect with any sponsors?” Jordan asked Derek as the two of them trekked slowly through the sand. Derek had his board under his arm, and Jordan carried his heavy camera bag over his shoulder. They were both moving a lot more slowly than they had that morning when they headed out for their big day.
“I was pretty much shut out,” Derek said. “I think it’s all locked in for this year. I didn’t think the competition would be this tight. I’m not trying to be negative about it, just realistic. It’s not lookin’ good.”
“Then we go with what we have, and we do what we can.” Jordan stopped walking through the hot sand and turned to the ocean. “Look at this. All this. We made it this far, didn’t we? We never thought the day would come, but it did. This was our day. You had an epic ride, Derek. We seemed to have slid right past that with your tow-in. I have it all on film. Wait till you see. Even you won’t believe it’s you. You did it. You surfed Sunset.”
Derek stood next to him and nodded slowly. “You’re right. I haven’t even stopped to think about that.”
“Like I said, wait till you see the photos. Mindy is going to love it. She’ll be so happy for you.”
Derek began walking again, slowly. “You know the saying they have about this place? They say that the North Shore will make you or break you.”
“I’m glad it didn’t break open your head today.”
“Yeah. Although, I think I might have cracked a rib. I’m hurtin’ pretty bad.”
“Do you think you should have it looked at?”
“No. I think I need to call my wife, eat something, have a look at your photos, and then sleep.”
Jordan was glad to see Sierra’s car in the driveway when they returned to the house. He wasn’t so thrilled when he saw Mariana’s car there as well.
The two guys used the garden hose to wash the sand off their feet and the saltwater off Derek’s surfboard. Jordan had a look around the other side of the house and noticed a strip of yellow guard tape had been placed across the bottom of the stairs. Apparently the inspector had been there and condemned the stairs. That meant he and Derek couldn’t retreat to the upstairs apartment if things turned uncomfortable with Sierra and Mariana. He wasn’t too worried, but after Mariana’s prank last night, he was prepared to move back upstairs—rickety staircase or not—if he needed to.
The guys entered the house and heard the shower running. Jordan looked around. One of the women was showering, and one of them was probably out on the beach. He decided to get moving on the editing and uploading while Derek went hunting in the refrigerator.
“We need some food here,” Derek said. “Who bought the carrot sticks? That’s not food. We need to go to the grocery store.”
Jordan ignored his friend and went to work transferring the photos from the camera to his laptop. As soon as all of them were safely uploaded and saved, he went searching for the shots of Derek. “Do you want to see these?”
Derek came over, chomping in an exaggerated way on a handful of carrot sticks.
“Dude,” he muttered.
Jordan smiled. “That’s you, dude. See what I mean?”
“It doesn’t feel like it looks when you’re out there. It doesn’t seem like a sheer cliff. Wait, go back. Look at that one!”
“I know. That’s you, Derek. These turned out good.”
“You have the skills, man.”
“So do you, Derek.”
“Whoa! Look how clear that one is. Perfect.” Derek
had stopped chomping. He leaned in closer. “That really is me, isn’t it?”
“Yup.”
“I did it, didn’t I?”
“Yes, you did.”
“Have you sent these to Mindy yet?”
“No. I have to send them to Bill first. Then she can go on Surf Days’ site and see them as soon as he uploads the ones he wants.”
“You can’t just send them to her like you always do?”
“Nope. It’s part of my agreement.”
“That’s a bummer. I’m not going to ask you to cheat for me, though.”
“That’s good,” Jordan said. “Because you know I wouldn’t do it. I can’t. My word has to mean something.” He was talking more to himself than to Derek. What he didn’t expect was the response that came from behind the closed bedroom door.
“That’s interesting,” Mariana’s voice called out. “So, if you give your word that you’re going to take my friend to dinner and then you end up going out with a bunch of guys, that’s not because your word doesn’t mean anything?”
Jordan froze. He had explained to Sierra that he had a meeting last night. She said she understood. Did she say something to Mariana about his going back on his word? Was that why Mariana played the prank on him?
“What are you and Sierra doing for dinner tonight?” Jordan hoped to quickly smooth over whatever misunderstanding had taken place.
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Mariana answered.
“Yes, as a matter of fact, I would like to know so that I can arrange to have my business meetings elsewhere.” As soon as the words were out, Jordan wished he could reel them back in.
The bedroom door opened, and Mariana came out in a short, strapless dress with her long hair hanging over her shoulders and still dripping from the shower. Derek’s mouth dropped open, and he put the bag of carrot sticks on the counter.
“Hello,” she said, giving Derek a sweet smile. “Who are you?”
“Derek. Jordan’s friend.”
“Are you single?”
“No, I’m very happily married.”
“I thought you might be. Well, welcome anyway.” Turning to Jordan she said, “So you’re saying that was a business meeting last night at Ted’s?”
“Yes, it was. I told Sierra. She understood. You don’t need to worry about her feelings being hurt or anything, if that’s what’s going on here.”
“The only thing I worry about with Sierra is that she’s too serious. She needs to lighten up. Maybe you do too, Jordan. I was only having a little fun last night.”
He couldn’t tell if her soft words were sincere.
Mariana came over to him smelling of fragrant island flowers. She put her hand on his shoulder. “Jordan, I’m sorry. I really am. I didn’t know. I thought you would enjoy the joke.”
Before Jordan could reply, the door opened, and Sierra stepped inside, her face glowing. “Aloha,” she said when her gaze fell on Derek in the kitchen. Derek’s gaze went to the kitchen table, and Sierra followed his line of sight. Jordan watched as Sierra’s countenance fell when she saw Mariana in her short dress, standing so close to him.
Instead of removing her arm from where it rested on Jordan’s shoulder, Mariana turned to him and said, “I hope you’ll forgive me, Jordan. Sometimes I go just a little too far.” With that, she went over to her purse and shoes on the bar stool, picked them up, and slung the strappy black shoes over her shoulder.
“Don’t wait up,” she said.
“Where are you going?” Sierra asked as Mariana brushed past her. Mariana paused on the doorstep to strap on her sandals.“Waikiki. Do you want to come with us and have a little fun?”
Sierra didn’t answer.
“I didn’t think so.” Marian pressed the clicker on her car locking system and left.
Chapter Thirty-Two
For a moment, Sierra stood by the open front door of the beach house debating if she should go after Mariana and try to convince her not to go to Waikiki.
She knew her independent friend would resist. This was how Mariana spent her vacations. After a trip, she would tell Sierra crazy stories about parties with new friends she had met at dance clubs. Whenever Sierra would scowl, Mariana would assure her that she knew her limits and was a good judge of character. Those two qualities kept Mariana from getting “sucked under,” as she called it. She could flirt, have fun, go just a little crazy, and leave before a party went bad.
Sierra hoped Mariana’s formula for avoiding trouble would work once again. She really wished the two of them had been able to talk today. After Mariana’s accusation about Sierra not being a fun companion, Sierra felt she needed to defend herself or at least prove they could do lots of fun things together. She knew the vacation hadn’t gone the way Mariana had hoped. But to Sierra’s way of thinking, Mariana hadn’t given Sierra a chance to show that she was fun to be around. The bike ride would have been the perfect way for Sierra to make her case. At least it would have been Sierra’s idea of fun.
“Are you okay?” Derek asked from the kitchen.
Sierra broke away from her contemplation. She could hear Mariana’s car exiting the driveway and released a wobbly breath. “Yes, I’m okay. I’m concerned for my friend.”
“Is she going to be all right?” Jordan stood from the table and went over to Sierra by the open front door.
“I hope so. She knows her limits, and she’s a good judge of character.” Sierra knew she was repeating those two points to convince herself, not Jordan.
“Is there anything we should do?” Jordan asked.
“No. I don’t know. She’ll probably be fine. She always is.” Sierra closed the door and pulled off her cowboy boots and socks so that she could feel the cool tile floor on her bare feet. “Mariana is determined to make her own decisions and live life her way.”
“Aren’t we all,” Derek said.
The three of them stood quietly in a triangle, exchanging half glances.
“I’m going to grab the shower,” Derek said. “Unless you were hoping to get in there right away, Sierra.”
“No, go ahead. How was the rest of the day for you guys?”
“Good,” Jordan said. “I took some great shots of Derek. Would you like to see them?”
“Sure.”
Sierra followed Jordan to the laptop, relieved that the awkward moment with Mariana was put aside and that it didn’t dominate the conversation. She hoped that when Mariana returned that night, the two of them could have a heart-to-heart talk and settle their tiff. The best way Sierra saw that happening was by the two of them making a plan to do some fun things together during the few days they had left. Sierra was thinking that going for a sunset cruise might be fun. She had seen a flyer advertising cruises, whale-watching excursions, and a snorkeling sail during which they could see turtles and tropical fish. She and Mariana needed to book something like that. Then the fun would begin.
Sierra leaned in behind Jordan as he clicked through a set of photos that caught every second of Derek’s impressive ride on the monster wave. “Wow. Those are amazing, Jordan. You really are gifted at catching just the right angle.”
“It has a lot to do with the light.”
“I was meaning to ask you. Do you have a website?”
“Yes, but it’s outdated. I need to overhaul it.”
“What about a brochure or a flyer or something? Do you have something printed that you can hand out to people when you meet them? That way they can see some of your work immediately, and they’ll have your contact information. Then they can go to your website for more pictures.”
“That’s a great idea. I’ve never had anything like that. A flyer would have been helpful with the sponsor I met with last night. I felt so unprepared. I didn’t know how to make a pitch to him the way I’ve seen Derek do with sponsors. He’s a natural at it.”
“Well, let me know if you need any help with doing something like that. One of my first office positions in Brazil was helping the graphic de
signer who did all the visuals and printed materials for the mission and the church we went to. He was good. I learned a lot.”
Jordan looked up at Sierra. “Thanks. I just might take you up on that. Although, it could be challenging to communicate about details like that via e-mail. I suppose I could find someone where I live who could pull together something for me. It’s a great idea. Thanks, Sierra.”
“Sure.” She pulled back and headed for the kitchen, processing his response. It made sense for him to work with someone local, but was he trying to say that he didn’t plan to stay in touch with her after they went their separate ways?
She didn’t want to read too much or too little into Jordan’s comments. That had been one of her biggest problems way back in her fledgling relationship with Paul. She didn’t want to operate now under a teenage set of relationship evaluation points. The only problem was her relationship with Paul was her sole reference point.
“Are you hungry?” She hoped the change of topics would keep her emotions buoyant. She had been so happy that afternoon on her bike ride. All her feelings about Jordan and her future had been hopeful. Now she was concerned about Mariana, frustrated about their lack of communication, and reading finality into Jordan’s comments about their brief connection. It wasn’t looking good on any front.
“Yeah, but I can wait,” Jordan said. “I have to edit and upload these photos for Bill at the magazine.”
“I see.” Sierra closed the refrigerator door.
“Do you want to go out later?”
She looked over at Jordan and saw that he was watching her, eyebrows raised, waiting for a reply.