“I know,” Sierra agreed. Before she could say anything else, someone rapped long fingernails on the closed door.
“Come in,” Christy called. But the door opened before the words were out of her mouth.
Marti gave the room a quick surveillance and seemed surprised. By Sierra’s standards of cleanliness, there was nothing wrong with the room. But Christy must have sensed something different, because she immediately said, “We’ll clean it up.”
“Oh, I’m not worried,” Marti said, dramatically stepping over the wet bath towel Sierra had left wadded up by the futon bed on the floor. She realized how rude that must appear to Marti. “The maid is coming the day you all leave, so I’m not worried about a thing.” She added, “I wanted to ask you, Christy darling, if you had a preference of where to go for dinner tonight.”
“It doesn’t matter to me,” Christy said. “Sierra is staying home with us. Do you have a preference, Sierra?”
“What about the restaurant advertised on the airplane banner—the Good Planet?”
“Wonderful choice,” Marti said, casting her fickle approval on Sierra for the first time. “Let’s plan to leave here in, say, fifteen minutes.”
“We’ll be ready,” Christy said.
“How about you, Sierra dear? Will you have enough time to change or should we plan on twenty minutes instead of fifteen?”
“I’m ready to go now,” Sierra said, not liking this woman one bit.
“Really?” Marti raised a finely shaped eyebrow.
Sierra didn’t know how to answer without sounding rude. She was used to Tawni’s occasional comments on her taste in fashion, but for this woman Sierra barely knew to show her obvious distaste was incredible. A half dozen stinger phrases raced through Sierra’s mind. Her mother had told her once that it wasn’t a sin when those thoughts came to her, but what she did with them determined whether or not they would be classified as sinful. Sierra decided not to take any chances, and she let each of the rude comments fly out the back side of her brain as quickly as they had flown in.
As the bad thoughts were on their way out, another one flew in. It was Todd’s comment on the patio when he had said that Marti needed Jesus.
“I’ll be glad to change,” Sierra said, amazed to hear such words come from her own mouth. “Do you have any suggestions of what would be appropriate?”
Marti appeared to be so off guard that she only smiled and said, “Wear whatever you like, dear.” With her dignity still intact, Marti turned. As she exited the room, she called over her shoulder, “Downstairs then, in fifteen minutes.”
Christy looked surprised. “I wish I’d learned to do that years ago. I admire you, Sierra.”
“You wouldn’t if you knew what I was really thinking.”
thirteen
SIERRA LEARNED some hard lessons that night and the next day. She learned it’s best to sit and listen when you’re the guest, especially when Marti is the one treating you to dinner. It’s also helpful to pretend to be asleep when your sister and friend come in from their night out. They will divulge plenty of information while brushing their teeth, which is easier to hear when they’re not looking at your face, reading your expression, especially since they both had a wonderful time. All Sierra could do was wish she had been with them, with some terrific guy paying lots of attention to her.
Marti had made an appointment for Tawni with the modeling agent on Monday. When they returned late that afternoon, Sierra, Christy, and Todd had just come up from the beach and were sitting on the patio with Christy’s mom. Christy reminded Todd for the second time to take his next pill.
Sierra had settled comfortably into a patio chair next to Todd when Marti and Tawni stepped onto the patio. Sierra felt sure she would soon have her own pill to swallow: the news that Tawni’s career into fame and fortune was about to be launched.
“Before anyone says anything,” Tawni said, “I’m not going to pursue this. There’s too much required for a job in modeling. I’d have to move and completely commit myself to making it. I’m not interested in doing that.”
“Really?” Sierra wasn’t sure if she sounded as shocked as she felt. She never doubted that Tawni had what it took to be a great model and that she would probably be successful at it. But Tawni had never been much of a risk taker. Unless she was 100 percent sure of something, she rarely took a chance. She must have had serious doubts about succeeding at this, and her insecurities had taken over, drowning out the possibilities.
“He said she was a natural,” Marti said, not trying to hide her disappointment. “I knew she was. Maybe you people can talk some sense into her.”
None of them said a word. Marti threw up her hands and said, “I tried. No one can say I didn’t try.”
“And I told you I appreciated it,” Tawni said. “It’s just not for me.”
Marti didn’t respond.
“Bob called while you were out,” Christy’s mom said. “I told him we would go over to the hospital as soon as you came back. Whenever you’re ready to go, I’m ready.”
“I’m ready now,” Marti said. “I probably should have been there all afternoon.” The two women left, giving instructions that the group was on its own for dinner that night.
“Did Jeremy call?” Tawni asked.
“He said he would stop by after five,” Todd said. “A bunch of us are going Rollerblading, in case you two want to come.”
“Sounds fun. But you’re not going, are you, Todd? Not with your arm still bandaged like that.”
“I probably shouldn’t,” Todd said with a look of frustration. “Christy will get all over my case.”
“Why do you say that?” Christy challenged him. She didn’t look like she was teasing. “You talk as if I’m treating you like a baby.”
Sierra saw a fight brewing. Tawni excused herself and went inside. Sierra wanted to, but the leg of her patio chair was wedged with Todd’s, and she couldn’t scoot her chair back from the table unless he moved his first. At the moment, he was busy.
“Aren’t you?” Todd replied.
“No, I’m not treating you like a baby. I’m trying my best to do whatever I can to help you.”
“I know.”
If Todd had left it there, Sierra imagined the argument would have been diffused, and they could have gone back to their casual, friendly conversation. But he had to add, “Just like your aunt.”
Christy’s face turned deep red. “What is that supposed to mean?”
Todd’s jaw seemed to stick out defiantly as he retorted, “I can take care of myself.” Then, toning down his voice, he glanced at Sierra and pushed his chair back, saying, “Excuse me. I need to take my medicine.” He strode into the house, slamming closed the patio’s sliding door.
Sierra felt uncomfortable. She knew Christy must feel awkward, too. “You okay?” Sierra ventured.
Christy looked as if she were about to cry. “Can you believe it? We’ve never had a fight like this before. I’ve never seen him act this way.” Tears glistened in the corners of her eyes.
“He’s in a lot of pain with the burn, I’m sure,” Sierra said. “The medication can do weird things to him, too. It did for my grandma after her surgery. She said a lot of strange things and snapped at my mom all the time the first week she was home from the hospital. I’m sure Todd didn’t mean anything by it.”
“No, he did. And he’s probably right. I have been acting like my aunt, trying to take care of him. It’s just that there’s no one else to do it. His dad works all the time, and his mom is remarried and lives in Florida. He’s been on his own for years.”
“Well,” Sierra ventured, “then maybe it’s hard for him to get used to having someone else do stuff for him. He’s probably not used to having you around all the time.”
“But I’m not around. We only see each other on weekends. I thought we were so close,” Christy said, wiping away a tear from her cheek. “I guess our relationship isn’t as far along as I thought. Don’t fall in lo
ve, Sierra. It complicates even the best friendships.”
“I may be way off here,” Sierra said, “but if you two only see each other on weekends, then this is probably really good for you. I mean, it’s Monday, so you’ve seen each other for longer than usual, and the circumstances have been pretty stressful.”
Christy nodded.
“I’m just saying that this is giving you both a chance to strengthen your relationship by working through this problem. That’s not a bad thing, is it? I mean, all couples have arguments. Why don’t you go talk to him? I’m sure you can work this out.”
“I think you’re right, Sierra,” Christy said. “We’ve talked about this before. Ever since we came back from Europe, we’ve had this fairy-tale feeling about our relationship. We’ve been saying that we want God to test it and see if it’s real and strong and lasting.”
Sierra smiled and reached over to give Christy’s arm a squeeze. “Didn’t anyone ever tell you not to pray for stuff like that? The answer is always trials. Sounds like that’s what’s happening with you guys. You pray for God to strengthen your relationship, and look at what you get.”
“You’re right,” Christy agreed. After a comfortable pause, she said, “I’m glad you’re here. Thanks for coming down. You know, I really appreciate your encouragement. How did you become so wise?”
“Well, it wasn’t from personal dating experience, that’s for sure,” Sierra joked.
“Your chance will come.” Christy rose gracefully. “Don’t wish it on yourself too soon, though, okay?”
“As if I had a choice,” Sierra muttered as Christy left her alone on the patio. Fortunately, Katie showed up a few minutes later to ask Sierra if she wanted to go Rollerblading with them that evening.
Sierra agreed to go. Todd and Christy stayed behind, saying they were going to have dinner with his dad. From the expressions on their faces, it didn’t appear that they had worked out their differences yet.
The gang rented Rollerblades at a little shop by the pier and buddied up as they raced along the miles of sidewalk separating the rows of beachfront houses from the sand. Sierra tried to be cheerful as she saw Jeremy reach for Tawni’s hand and the two take off laughing. She watched Doug tie Tracy’s skates for her and smiled to see how much shorter Gisele was than Larry. Katie persisted in telling Antonio they were skating on a “sidewalk” not the “boardwalk.”
Sierra tried to find a buddy for herself. She felt as if she were back in grade school and the time had come to pick teams, but she was one of the last to be picked. Only, this had never happened to her. She was always the team leader and did the picking. For a few minutes, she considered writing notes to all those less athletic kids whom she had picked last all those years.
“Are you ready to go?” a friendly voice asked her. It was Heather, a thin, shy member of the gang whose wispy blond hair was whipping across her face in the evening breeze. Heather pulled a few strands out of her mouth. “Your name is Sierra, right?”
“Right. And you’re Heather?”
She nodded. “I bet you’re a pro at this. It’s not my favorite activity, so if I make a complete fool of myself, you can go on without me. I’ll understand.”
“I’m sure you’ll do fine,” Sierra said. “Keep telling yourself to glide. Don’t try to pick up your feet. There you go. Exactly. Come on, we can catch up with those Ricky Racers.”
For the next two hours, Sierra had a blast laughing with Heather, playing tag with the other couples, and showing off her coordination skills by skating backward. She nearly collided with a man and his terrier but was able to inch past them by leaning way back. The wind felt cool against her sunburned cheeks. She didn’t mind a bit that it was whipping her hair into knots.
As the sun set, Sierra decided this had been a memorable day. In the morning she had given surfing a try and had managed to stand all the way up for three seconds before crashing into the water. She would have tried some more, but her arms ached at the shoulders, and anyway, there was always tomorrow.
The gang returned the skates, and all decided to go over to Balboa Island for hot dogs at some place Doug liked. Sierra piled into the backseat of Larry’s car along with Katie and Antonio. The hot dog place turned out to be a tiny stand that only sold hot dogs, frozen bananas, and “world-famous” Balboa Bars—creamy vanilla ice cream bars dipped in chocolate. Tracy teased Doug about being a real gourmet. Then everyone else teased him when he ordered six jumbo hot dogs and had no problem wolfing them down. He even went back for dessert.
Sierra managed to eat one of the jumbo dogs, but it didn’t settle well, so she decided against dessert. When everyone was finished, they walked en masse down the shop-lined street, peering in the windows and laughing all the way.
Sierra hung out with Katie and Antonio, smiling when she saw Antonio slip his arm around Katie’s shoulder. But his action also made her suddenly feel out of place all over again. They still included her in their conversation and acted as if they enjoyed having her with them. Still, they were becoming a couple, just like her sister and Jeremy, who were strolling with their arms around each other.
The next day, Todd and Christy joined the group on the beach late in the afternoon, but Sierra couldn’t tell if they had settled things between them. The baseball cap she was wearing to shade her already peeling nose from the sun also shaded her view of the couple. She hoped they were getting along okay.
Just then, Doug and Antonio came up from the water with their boards under their arms. As Doug dropped his boogie board next to Tracy’s towel, it knocked sand all over her. Immediately, she sprang up, wiping her eyes.
“Are you okay?” Sierra asked.
“I think I have some sand in my eye,” Tracy said. “Can you see it?”
“Look,” Doug said. “Here it comes.” The sound of an airplane whirred in the distance.
Sierra leaned closer to Tracy, flipping the brim of her cap so she wouldn’t bump Tracy’s forehead. “Try opening your eye,” she said.
Tracy’s eyelid fluttered, and she said, “I can feel it. In my right eye.”
“Trace,” Doug said. “Look up. You have to see this.”
“Just a second. I have something in my eye.”
“Look to the left,” Sierra said.
“Do you need some eyedrops?” Heather asked. “I have some.”
“I see it,” Sierra said. “Right along the lower lid. Don’t blink.”
The airplane engine roared closer. “Come on, Trace,” Doug said. “You can’t miss this!”
Now Todd was shouting at her too, “Tracy, look at the plane!”
“Just a minute!” she yelled, taking eyedrops from Heather. Two other girls huddled around her, asking if they could help.
“You’re going to miss it!” Doug yelled. He stepped over, took her by the arm and pulled her up to his side. “Look!”
Tracy blinked, and in an irritated voice said, “What are you doing, Doug? I have something in my eye!”
“Just look at the plane for one second!” Todd yelled.
“Tracy, read the banner!” Larry called.
Sierra turned to see what the men were so worked up about. The plane was nearly past them, but the words on the banner were clear. It read, “Tracy, will you marry me?”
fourteen
INSTANTLY, the whole group was crowding around Doug and Tracy. Tracy was crying, and Doug had his wet arm around her shoulders. He offered her his T-shirt to wipe her eyes, but she opted for the corner of the big T-shirt she was wearing over her bathing suit.
“Now you know what I was talking to your dad about last weekend,” Doug said. “He’s all for it. Of course your mom is, too. So are my parents.”
“Tracy, I’m so happy for you!” Heather said, wiggling into the huddle, and hugging her.
“Just a minute, Heather,” Doug said. “She hasn’t told me yes yet.”
Everyone grew quiet, moving back slightly to give the couple some room. Tracy looked at Doug with tears st
ill streaming down her cheeks. “Well,” she joked nervously, “at least it got the sand out of my eye.”
Doug looked at her patiently, waiting for her answer.
Sierra wondered if the crowds of people on the beach staring at them because of all the commotion had any idea what was going on. The onlookers didn’t bother Doug a bit. He stood like a rock, unwilling to move until Tracy gave him the answer he and everyone else in the group wanted to hear.
Tracy’s expression grew soft. She looked into Doug’s eyes, and tilting her heart-shaped face toward his, she whispered, “Yes, yes, a thousand times yes … you big lug!” Then with a playful thump on his chest, she said, “What if I hadn’t looked at the plane?”
“I guess I would have had to pay the guy to come back tomorrow,” Doug said. “Either that or find some other Tracy on the beach who was paying attention.” He wrapped his arms around her, and they hugged.
“Isn’t he going to kiss her?” Tawni said quietly to Sierra.
Jeremy was the one who answered. “No, not until their wedding day.”
“You mean they’ve never kissed?”
“Doug’s never kissed any girl,” Sierra said.
“You’re kidding!” Tawni said. “Isn’t that taking purity a bit far?”
“Tracy doesn’t think so,” Sierra said quickly. “And neither do I.”
“That’s because you’ve never been kissed,” Tawni said. “You wouldn’t know.”
Sierra blushed and felt like sinking into the sand. How could Tawni say that in front of Sierra’s friends? Fury began to boil inside. It was one thing to decide you weren’t going to kiss anyone, like Doug had, and a completely different thing to have your sister announce that no one had even tried to kiss you.
Sierra felt as if she didn’t belong with this group. Here they all were, going to college and becoming engaged, while she stuck out like a two-year-old. She wished she were home, planning her first big date with Randy and taking her time to grow up.