One Week in Your Arms (11 page)

I
n the hospital cafeteria, Marla found an empty corner table and claimed it. The lunch rush was over, leaving over half the tables unoccupied as employees returned to work.

She turned her attention to the compact chicken salad on her plate. Hospital food. She could have waited and had lunch at the hotel where the food would have been prepared by a chef. But it was here, in her own territory, that she felt safe. Hospital food was just fine.

And today it was comfort food.

She was thankful that Noah and Ella were doing well. They had been admitted to the pediatric unit, and they were receiving the treatment they needed. The pediatrician had ordered a battery of tests that would provide an accurate picture of Noah and Ella's health status.

Their father had arrived at the hospital while she was still in the emergency department with the children. With tears in his eyes, Mr. Warren had apologized for everything, and he had thanked her for taking care of his kids.

While the kids were in X-ray, she talked with Mr. Warren and she found out he had no extended family. He had been at a loss since the death of his wife. He was struggling to cope with his career and his children. He had stood before her and wept until he shook all over. He told her he had promised Mr. Blackwell he would manage his life better. He didn't want the children to be taken away from him, and he couldn't afford to lose his job.

Carson had put the fear of God in the poor man.

She tried to be as reassuring as possible and she'd called the hospital social services department to get assistance from a social worker, who could advise Mr. Warren on grief counseling and parenting classes and get him in touch with the appropriate agencies in his hometown.

“Sometimes things happen for the best,” she had told Mr. Warren. “What happened today may be the beginning of a new life for you.”

It was always so easy to mete out encouragement and positive affirmations. But not so easy to apply it to your own life.

Carson had put the fear of God in her, too. He had been brutal in his judgment of a man he considered an unfit father, and that had sent a jolt of terror through her heart. She really had never pictured him as being that sort of man or having such strong convictions when it came to fatherhood.

She could not bear to speculate on how he would react if he found out about Sophie.

On the other hand, Carson's concern for the welfare of two little kids had melted her heart. He had called her a couple of times to check on the children, and he'd had a baby doll and wooden train delivered to Noah and Ella. She wished he could have been there and seen their faces light up.

Her phone played a merry little jingle, which brought an instant smile to her face. It was Carson again.
Get a hold of yourself. Every time he calls, you lose it.

“Hi.” She managed a calm voice. After all, she'd taken drama in high school.

“How are the kids?” Carson asked.

“They're much better,” she said. “No fever and they have both eaten.”

“Is their father still there with them?”

“Oh, yes.” She took a sip of her water. Mr. Warren knew better than to leave. “He's with the kids, along with the nanny.”

“Good.” Carson sounded satisfied.

“Are you still playing golf?”

“We're out here doing something, but I don't know if you call it golf.”

She heard Truman in the background. “Speak for yourself.”

“Julia should be there shortly,” Carson said. While Carson and Truman played golf, she and Julia were going shopping and sightseeing. “Tomorrow we'll take a helicopter tour of the island and go to Hanalei Beach. Sound okay?”

“Yeah. It sounds great.” She smiled. It sounded like they were on a real vacation, but they weren't. “Any progress on your plans for the art center?”

“It's not coming along as well as I had hoped.” He explained to her that he was going to have to revise the project and she noticed the dejected tone in his voice. “I know Truman's right. I've been thinking about it, and it is probably too large scale to be profitable.”

“What are your options?”

“Make it smaller,” he said. “Truman called a land developer that wheels and deals with property in Texas. He'll be here Monday. Maybe we can work something out.”

“I hope so.” She knew he had his heart set on building the art center, and she did hope someday he could make it a reality. For himself and his mother.

“Well, I've got to go try to knock a ball into a hole,” he said. “See you at dinner.”

His final remark lingered in her mind as she finished her lunch.
See you at dinner.
It was a remark that a husband would say to a wife at the end of a conversation. She couldn't let herself go there. The moment she got that cozy, she'd be lost.

She decided to assign a ringtone to Carson's number. She chose an old classic, “What's Love Got To Do With It” by Tina Turner. She smiled.
Perfect
.

As she finished the task, she got a text message from Kayla.

What Paradise? I'm at the hospital.
She explained briefly what had transpired.

He's playing golf.
She didn't mention what had happened this morning.
How are things going there?

They've opened a new girls clothing store. Little Divas. I'm going to take Sophie there and buy her an outfit.
Kayla was Aunt Kayla to Sophie. Kayla had no children or nieces or nephews, so she and Sophie had adopted each other. And Kayla, who was a clothes horse herself, loved buying cute outfits for Sophie.

While she finished her lunch, Marla wondered if Kayla was right. Maybe she was a lost cause. She was a homebody. She loved Lafayette Falls. She had no desire to live anywhere else. She loved her family and her daughter. She felt happy and secure when she was with them.

Sure, the island was exotic and the Kingsford Resort was beyond majestic. Like a television commercial, it was the place of ideal vacations where reality was suspended. Plus she was with Carson. How many times had she dreamed of this?

Yet it was not right. She could never make it right.

But that didn't mean she couldn't have a good time the next few days.

Her next text message was from Julia, who had arrived at the hospital and was waiting in one of the hotel's SUVs. Marla got her things together and disposed of her lunch tray. Then, she slipped off the scrub jacket she wore over her clothes.

It was time to become a tourist and have fun like Kayla suggested.

She and Julia had gone to an art and craft show where she had bought beautiful shell necklaces for all the employees at the clinic. She picked out a lovely hand-carved Hawaiian vase for Nolana. At another vendor's stall, she bought tropical print silk scarves for her mother, Kayla, and a couple of other friends. She found a cute Hawaiian doll for Sophie. When you pressed the doll's arm, she said, “Aloha.”

During the shopping trip, Marla bought herself a wide-brimmed sun hat along with some splashy Hawaiian-print beach dresses, tank tops, and shorts, plus a fun pair of bright yellow sneakers. It was the kind of stuff that had tourist stamped all over it.

At the Kauai Museum, Marla learned of the legendary Menehune, mythical elf-like people who worked at night on the island accomplishing great construction feats such as roads and dams. They completed such tasks in only one night. She'd picked up a book on the Menehune she could share with Sophie.

She wished she had Sophie with her so she could experience the island firsthand. The array of colorful plants and trees, unusual birds, the sweet scent of flowers and fruit, the roar of waterfalls, and the constant salty breeze were such a joy for the senses. She reveled in it and asked the driver if they could put down the windows of the SUV.

A native Hawaiian, he was happy to drive slow and talk about life on the island, as she looked out the window like a little kid, eager to see everything. Even Julia, who had been to the island several times, seemed to enjoy the ride with the windows down.

Marla marveled at the old Kilauea Lighthouse. It was the first lighthouse she had ever seen, outside of photographs. Surrounded by ocean cliffs and emerald slopes, the white lighthouse with a red roof stood on Kilauea Point where Hawaiian seabirds thrived in a protected habitat. Marla used her phone to take photos of the historical setting, and decided she needed to purchase a camera when she got back to the resort.

By the next day, she had a digital camera and she was armed with a large floral tote packed full of tourist pamphlets and brochures. Carson shook his head and told her it would take two weeks to go to all those sites.

Along with the Crawfords, she and Carson took a tour by helicopter and she was thrilled by the flight over the lush Hanapepe Valley. When the helicopter descended into a narrow valley near the Jurassic Park Falls and landed, she couldn't contain her excitement as they started the short hike to the falls overlook.

“I can't believe we're at Jurassic Park Falls! This is great!” She led the way down the dirt path that cut through the jungle toward the falls. “I remember going to see
Jurassic Park
when I was a kid. I went with a bunch of my friends and we were all terrified. I never wanted to see another dinosaur movie again.”

She looked back at Carson, who had a ball cap pulled low on his forehead and sunglasses hid his eyes. He was smiling and so were the Crawfords. She knew they found her amusing. They were all seasoned travelers. Carson had been all over the world. They had seen places she would never get to see in her lifetime. “I guess y'all must think I'm from the backwoods.”

Carson laughed, and Julia spoke, “Of course not, dear. We love your enthusiasm.”

Her excitement bubbled up when she saw the three-hundred-and-sixty-foot waterfall. “Oh! Wow!” She covered her gaping mouth as water rushed over the top of a cliff and cascaded over the rocky mountainside into a lagoon.

“It is so beautiful! I've never seen anything like it,” she yelled over the loud roar of the falls and Carson nodded. She snapped photos with her new camera and hoped she got some good shots. She thought she'd like to have one framed. Then she took a picture with her smartphone and sent it back home to several of her friends and Nolana with a text message
: I'm at Jurassic Park Falls!

There were more photos taken at the falls. She took photos of the Crawfords and Carson. Likewise, Carson had his smartphone out taking pictures of her with the waterfall in the background. She posed with the Crawfords. Carson posed with Truman. She and Julia got together. Then she and Carson stood together, arms around each other as Julia made their picture.

The perfect fake couple on the perfect fake vacation.

She pushed that thought out of her mind as she boarded the helicopter. She was trying to make this a real vacation, and for the rest of the day, she marveled at astonishing sites like the Waimea Canyon, which had its share of stunning waterfalls hidden in emerald jungles. They flew over the uninhabited Na Pali where deep valleys and sharp cliffs were cut from a volcanic dome. She saw more waterfalls, and this time, a couple of the waterfalls had been crossed by rainbows.

At Hanalei Beach, the surf thundered as they spent some time on the crescent-shaped beach. She didn't see any shells in the golden sand and Carson told her that seashells were a rare find on the beaches of Hawaii compared to other places. She decided she would pick up a couple of seashells at one of the gift shops to take home to Sophie.

Their day ended with a traditional Hawaiian luau that included Hawaiian music and stories told by hula dancers and fire knife dancers while a feast of Hawaiian food was served.

Exhausted by the time she hit the bed, she had no problem going to sleep and she was glad when she awoke on Monday morning with no itinerary. She had been going nonstop for days. Flying to California. Flying to Hawaii. Packing. Unpacking. Shopping. Seeing the sights.

Doing nothing sounded like heaven.

After she showered and washed her hair, she slipped on one of her new tops, splashed with bright yellow and red flowers, a pair of black shorts, and her yellow sneakers. Maybe she'd check out the spa today. Get a massage. And go to the beach. Just sit there and watch the waves roll in. Be a total beach bum.

When she walked into the kitchen, she found Carson sitting at the granite-topped bar. A cup of coffee in one hand and a newspaper in the other. He was dressed in a white shirt with a striped tie and navy trousers. The aftershave he wore carried the essence of herbs and musk. For a moment, she imagined stripping him and having her way with him.

Instead, she said, “I see you're ready for your meeting.” He and the land developer from Texas were going to meet at nine. “I hope things go well.”