Banana Split (46 page)

“Hey,” he mumbled.

She handed him the plate of cookies. He pulled back the plastic wrap and quickly ate two cookies while still watching his show.

Sadie pulled his worn list of questions out of her bag and unfolded it on her lap. He glanced at it, straightened slightly, and then looked back to his show, more intent than ever.

“You left this at my house that night I found you in the courtyard,” Sadie said. “And I wanted to get it back to you.”

He didn’t say anything.

“Charlie,” she continued softly. “I know how to answer these questions now.”

He looked at her then, his expression guarded. The sounds of an animated explosion came from the TV.

“Can I turn that off?” she asked, pointing at the TV.

He nodded almost imperceptibly, and Sadie picked up the remote and clicked off the show before returning her attention to the note.

“Number one was how did I know your mom.” She smiled sadly at him. “I’ve gotten to know your mom through her friends and through you and through the good changes she was making in her life. She was a strong woman, Charlie. I think I would have liked her very much.”

He looked down at the plate of cookies.

“Number two was if I told any lies to the police. I didn’t. I told them exactly what happened that day I found your mom, and I’ve told them everything else, including how you helped me on the boat with Nat. I wrote the name of a police officer on the paper.” She turned the paper toward him, now filled with her handwritten answers as well as Officer Wington’s contact information. “He said that anytime you want to know more about what happened, he can talk to you about it. I know you haven’t always trusted the police, but Officer Wington is a good man.”

Charlie looked at her again, having dropped some of his guard.

“The third question was if your mom had a new boyfriend.” Sadie shook her head. “She only wanted to take care of you, Charlie, and she didn’t want anything else to get in the way.” Emotion was creeping up on her, and Sadie had to pause to clear her throat. “Four. Was Mom taking drugs? No, Charlie, she wasn’t. She had been clean since she lost you, and she was doing everything she needed to do to get you back. When the two of you played spies in the tree house after your last visit, she heard Nat talking on the phone and knew he was doing something bad. She tried to stop him. She died doing a good thing, Charlie—trying to help Nat and trying to help you. Nat didn’t understand that, but he didn’t want to hurt her either. When he told you he was sorry, I think he really meant it.”

Charlie’s expression softened, but he ducked his chin even lower, reminding Sadie of how much he’d really lost. His mother, Nat, and a little more of his innocence. The loneliness was familiar to Sadie, who had lost so many people she loved—people she couldn’t have imagined living without. But she
had
lived on, and she believed that life had a way of offering you new opportunities when others were taken away. She didn’t know how to explain that to someone so young. Hopefully, life would show him that was true. She moved on to the fifth question.

“She did talk about you that night, Charlie, and when things got bad, I have no doubt she wanted to be with you more than anything in the world.”

Charlie blinked rapidly against the tears forming in his eyes, and Sadie stopped fighting her own, wiping them quickly with the back of her hand.

“The last question, Charlie, was about when your mom was coming back.” Sadie took a deep breath and put her arm around Charlie’s shoulders. To her surprise, he leaned into her. She kissed his hair and then rested her head against his. “She’s not coming back, Charlie,” Sadie said, her voice cracking. “But she didn’t leave you on purpose, and she loves you as much now as she ever has.”

The emotion finally broke through and Charlie began to cry. Sadie held on tighter and closed her own eyes, tears dripping down her own cheeks. She thought about all that had happened, here in Kaua’i, back home in Garrison, in Boston, Oregon, Miami, England. So many tragic events that Sadie had been a part of it, but none of them had felt quite like this. More than ever she wanted the magic words that would make sense of this for Charlie, make sense of it to her, but there was no quick fix for the heartbreak that had happened in this tropical paradise.

They cried together for what felt like a long time, but then Charlie straightened and looked at the list Sadie still held on her lap. She passed it to him and he took it.

“Charlie, I don’t know why bad things like this happen, but I do know that while this is a horrible thing, you have good things in your life too.”

He looked doubtful and rubbed at his red eyes.

Sadie continued. “I have two children. They’re both adopted, and I love them so much. CeeCee loves you like that, and I know she’ll take really good care of you. She wants you to be happy. Mr. Olie and your new caseworker want to help you any way that they can, and even though you don’t know me very well, I hope I can send you some letters and postcards. And maybe you can send me some too.”

He shrugged, but didn’t look up.

After a few seconds, Sadie reached down and lifted his chin so he was looking at her. “Life is a gift, Charlie, a wonderful journey full of amazing things. You’re very young to have had to go through such a horrible tragedy, and I’m so very sorry for it, but . . .” She let the word hang between them. She forced a smile as she dropped her hand. He didn’t look away. “It’s because of you that everyone knows the truth now. It’s because of you that your mom was working so hard to be better. It’s because of you that us grown-ups are looking around and seeing what we can do better too.”

He blinked at her. “Pastor Darryl said my mom’s an angel now,” he whispered.

Sadie nodded, wanting to give Pastor Darryl a hug—an appropriate one.

“And she isn’t sick anymore or sad or anything. She’s all better now, right?”

“Yes,” Sadie said. “And she’s watching out for you, Charlie. Even though she isn’t here, every time you think about her and remember the good things, she’s there, feeling it with you and loving you still.”

“How do you know?”

“Because I have angels too,” Sadie said, her voice barely a whisper. “I feel them sometimes, and I dream about them, and I know that they come to me when I need them. People don’t go away just because they die, Charlie. I believe that with my whole heart.”

Charlie sniffled, trying to maintain a brave face and nodded, a look of hope on his face. Maybe one day, the hope that what Sadie was saying was true would become a belief of his own.

“Oh, Charlie,” Sadie whispered. “One day you’re going to be a grown-up man, and when you have a child of your own, you will remember what it felt like to be loved by your mother. I hope you’ll look at the choices she made—good and bad—and choose a road that will give your child what you have missed out on without denying them the beautiful things your mother gave you.”

She knew he didn’t really understand what she was saying. She hoped one day, though, he would remember her words and that they would mean something then. She wrapped both arms around his small shoulders, pressing her cheek against his hair. That he’d seen so much sadness in his young life was tragic; she hoped the worst was behind him and that he’d have the chance to experience joy as life marched forward.

She wondered if the hard times for her were behind her as well. It was hard to think it was possible, but she did know there was joy ahead, too. She needed to find a way not to get lost in the pain. Her children would help her, as they always had, and Pete and Gayle would help her too, and in his own way, Charlie would be a part of that as well.

“There is a wonderful life yet to be lived by you, Charlie Pouhu. Don’t let it pass you by.”

Aloha Cookies

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup shortening

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon coconut flavoring (optional)

1 teaspoon butter flavoring (optional)

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

11/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup quick oats

1 cup coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)

11/2 cups macadamia nuts, chopped

1 cup white chocolate or regular chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter, shortening, and sugars together. Add eggs and mix well. Add flavorings and vanilla and mix well. Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix well. Add oats and coconut. Mix until combined. Add nuts and chocolate chips. Mix until well blended. Drop by 1-inch balls (or use a 1-inch scoop) onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until just barely browned. Cool two minutes on cookie sheet before removing to cooling rack.

Makes 5 dozen cookies.

Note: Gayle prefers this with the coconut and butter extracts. Tanya prefers milk chocolate chips.

Acknowledgments

There was a time when the only people who knew what I was doing while I was hunched over the computer for hours on end were my husband, my kids, and my sister, Crystal. These days I wonder how I ever did this without an auditorium full of people helping me move forward and cheering me on.

Shadow Mountain once again did an amazing job with their production. Thank you to Jana Erickson for supervising all the details, Lisa Mangum (The Hourglass Door series, 2009–2011) for smoothing out my words and making me sound so good, Shauna Gibby for another mouthwatering cover, Rachael Ward for the fabulous typesetting, and everyone else who operated behind the scenes at Shadow Mountain to make this book what it is. I have an amazing pit crew—thank you so much.

Thank you to my writing group: Nancy Allen (Isabelle Webb series, 2008–2012), Jody Durfee, Becki Clayson, and Ronda Hinrichsen (
Trapped,
2010). Thank you for your continual guidance and help as I honed the story. I don’t know how I ever did this without you guys.

Much thanks to my beta readers: Curtis Moser, Tina Peacock, Melanie Jacobsen (
Not My Type,
2011), Krista Jensen (
Grace and Chocolate,
2013), my sister, Crystal White, and my aunt, Sandy Drury. My eyes were crossed by the time I sent the manuscript to you guys and you provided priceless feedback. Susan Law Corpany (
Lucky Change,
2010) was a priceless Hawai’i resource for me—mahalo.

Sadie’s Test Kitchen Bakers were once again amazing: Whit Larson, Annie Funk, Michelle Jefferies, Laree Ipson (Grandma Jensen’s Caramel Sauce and Homemade Hot Fudge), Don Carey (
Bumpy Landings,
2010), Megan O’Neill, Sandra Sorenson, Lisa Swinton, and Danyelle Ferguson (
(dis)Abilities and the Gospel: How to Bring People with Special Needs Closer to Christ,
2011). They are the brilliance behind the recipes and work so hard to ensure everything in this book is as good as we say it is.

To my amazing family, who have now seen me through fifteen published novels, thank you for every bit of the beauty and magnificence you bring into my life. I often say I couldn’t do it without their support; it is not a rote phrase meant to gloss over their contributions. From brainstorming ideas with me to fixing their own dinner to encouraging me when I lose my faith—thank you Lee, Bre, Madi, Chris, and Kylee for making the entirety of my life so worthwhile. May I give you wings the way you have given me mine.

And once again and always, thank you to my Heavenly Father who loves me and has given me such remarkable blessings.

The Story Behind the Story

Enjoy this sneak peek of
Tres Leches Cupcakes
Coming Fall 2012