The Hawaiian Discovery Read online

  “Umm … would you please hold on while I check on this?”

  “Yes, of course.”

  Ellen set the receiver on the entryway table and rushed back to the kitchen. “There’s a woman on the phone who wants to make a reservation for this Friday and Saturday night.” She moved closer to Sadie. “The only problem is, they have a baby, and we’re not set up to accommodate children here.”

  Sadie rubbed the bridge of her nose. “You could borrow a crib and set it up in the parents’ room.”

  “Jah, but what about the policy of no children?”

  “Did you tell her that?”

  Ellen shook her head. “She sounded desperate for a place to stay, so I thought I’d get your opinion before I responded.”

  “What do you think Mandy would do if she was here?”

  “I’m not sure, but I believe she might make an exception.”

  Sadie patted Ellen’s arm. “Then my advice is to follow your convictions.”

  “Okay, I will. After all, it’s only one little child. What could it hurt to let them stay a few days?”

  CHAPTER 2

  Ellen was surprised when she heard a vehicle pull in at ten thirty Friday morning. Check-in for guests wasn’t until three in the afternoon, and she wasn’t expecting any deliveries.

  Going to the front door, she watched as a young couple got out of a minivan. The dark-haired man opened the sliding back door and took a small boy out. As the family headed for the B&B, Ellen stepped out and greeted them on the front porch. Thinking they might be lost and in need of directions, she asked, “May I help you?”

  “I’m Tammy Brooks, and I made a reservation with you earlier in the week.” The blond woman gestured to the man beside her, holding the little boy’s hand. “This is my husband, Ned, and our two-year-old son, Jerry. We’re a few hours early, but if it’s possible, we’d like to check in now.”

  Ellen rubbed her forehead, wondering what to do. The Brookses’ room wasn’t quite ready. Worse yet, their child was not the baby she had expected.

  She continued to massage her temples. How would Mandy handle this is if she were here? She probably wouldn’t have to deal with it, because she would have said no in the first place.

  “Well, your room isn’t ready, but I suppose it would be all right if you wait in the living room while I make the bed.” She glanced at the little boy. “Will your son be okay sleeping in a crib? I set one up in your room, because when we talked on the phone you said he was a baby.”

  Tammy shook her head. “No, I said we have a little one.”

  “Sorry. I assumed you meant a baby.” Ellen couldn’t remember when she’d felt so rattled. She had gone against the “adult only” policy, and now she would be hosting a couple with a toddler, not a baby.

  She opened the door wide and stepped aside so the guests could enter. “Please come in.”

  “I’ll go out to the van and get our luggage.” Ned looked at his wife. “You and Jerry need to get inside out of the weather.”

  “Yes, it is a lot colder here than I expected.” Clasping her son’s hand, Tammy led the blond-haired boy into the foyer. Ellen took their coats and hung them on the coat tree. They followed her into the living room.

  “This home is lovely. I like the Amish theme.” Tammy gestured to a quilted runner on the coffee table. “I guess it makes sense, with you being Amish, that you’d have this type of item here.”

  Ellen shook her head. “I can’t take credit for any of the decor. My friend, Mandy Williams, and her husband, Ken, own the B&B. I just work here.”

  “Oh, then I look forward to meeting them.” Tammy took a seat on the couch and lifted Jerry onto her lap. He leaned his head against her chest and stuck his thumb in his mouth.

  “Actually, Ken and Mandy are in Hawaii right now,” Ellen explained. “I’m in charge of the B&B until they get back.”

  Tammy heaved a sigh. “They’re lucky. I’d give anything to be on vacation in Hawaii right now.”

  “They’re not on vacation. Ken’s parents live there, and his father died of a heart attack recently.”

  Tammy lowered her gaze, stroking the top of her little boy’s head. “That’s too bad. I’m sorry for their loss.”

  “Yes, it’s been difficult for them.”

  “As I mentioned when I made our reservations, my aunt passed away. I’m sure there will be lots of tears shed during her funeral tomorrow.”

  Ellen slowly nodded. Saying goodbye to a loved one because of death or even miles of separation was never easy. She thought about the loneliness she’d felt when she and Mandy were in Hawaii, so far from their Amish family and friends. At one point, Ellen had begun to feel as if she was never going home. Mandy, however, seemed to adjust well to her Hawaiian surroundings. For a while, Ellen had wondered if her friend might end up staying on Kauai. She was glad when they both returned to their homes in Indiana. Then Mandy found Luana and Makaio’s missing quilt by a strange coincidence, so she returned to the island for a time. That was when Ken proclaimed his love for Mandy and decided to move to the mainland so they could be married.

  Ned entered the house with their suitcases, bringing Ellen and Tammy’s conversation to an end. “It’s clouding up out there.” He cupped his hands and blew on his fingers. “Might get some snow while we’re here.”

  “January and February are usually our snowiest months.” Ellen rose from her chair. “If you’ll make yourselves comfortable here, I’ll get the bed made up and then show you to your room.”

  When Ellen returned to the living room, she spotted Ned in front of the fireplace with hands outstretched toward the heat, while his wife slouched on the couch with her eyes closed. Ellen figured the poor woman fell asleep. She was surprised to see little Jerry kneeling on the floor in front of the coffee table. The little guy had his mother’s comb, and pulled it across the exposed part of the table.

  Ellen gasped when she looked down and saw a gash in the wood. She was sure it hadn’t been there before. Oh, dear, how am I going to explain this to Mandy when she gets home? Should I say something to the boy’s parents or let it go?

  She didn’t have to think long, for Jerry’s father turned around and grabbed the comb from his son’s chubby little hand. “That is a no-no, Son. You’re not supposed to get into your mommy’s purse.”

  Ned didn’t say anything about the scratch on the table. He either hadn’t seen the mark or chose not to mention it.

  Ellen decided not to say anything about the scratch, either. She would work on it later and try to buff it out. “The room is ready for you now.”

  Ned shook his wife’s shoulder. “Wake up, honey. Our room is ready, so you can take a nap on the bed if you want.”

  Her cheeks colored as she looked up at Ellen and blinked a couple of times. “Sorry for dozing off. Guess I’m more tired than I realized.”

  “It’s all right. If you’ll follow me down the hall, I’ll show you to your room.”

  When they entered the room with a king-sized canopy bed, Tammy commented once again on the Amish décor. “What a lovely quilt on the bed. Was it locally made?”

  Ellen nodded. “The owner’s mother, who is Amish, has made several quilts for the B&B. This one, however, my own mother quilted, so it’s special to me.”

  Tammy fingered the stitching along the top of the covering. “It must have taken many hours to produce something this intricate. I can’t get over how tiny and even the hand-stitching is. I do a little sewing, but could never tackle anything this big or with such a complicated design. What is this pattern called?”

  “It’s the log-cabin pattern.”

  Ned leaned close to the bed, as though scrutinizing the quilt. “Doesn’t look like a log cabin to me.”

  “Oh, the design is there all right,” his wife said. “You just can’t see it.”

  Squinting, he shook his head. “You can’t see what’s not there.”

  Deciding it was time to end this conversation, Ellen pointed to the
crib across the room. “Will that be adequate for your son?”

  “Since it’s a full-size crib, I’m sure it will be fine. We recently put Jerry in a small bed at home because he kept crawling over the rail and getting out of his crib.” Tammy picked the boy up and carried him across the room. “I bet you could use a nap too, little man.” As soon as she put him in the crib, he started to howl.

  Ellen hoped Jerry wouldn’t cry a lot while they were here. It would disturb the other guests, not to mention herself.

  She turned toward the door. “I need to get some things done now, so I’ll let you folks get settled in. Let me know if you need anything.”

  “Thanks, we will,” Ned shouted above the boy’s screams, which grew louder by the minute.

  Ellen wanted to cover her ears as she exited the room. Had she done the wrong thing by allowing this couple with a child to rent a room? Well, it was too late to worry about it now. She’d make the best of things and hope little Jerry didn’t cause too much of a disturbance while he and his parents were here.

  Ellen woke up Saturday morning, rolled onto her side, and looked at the alarm clock on her nightstand. It read 6:00 a.m. A few seconds later, Ellen heard the old clock chime faintly from the other room, confirming the hour. She felt tired and out-of-sorts because Jerry’s frequent crying kept waking her. She hoped the guests occupying two of the upstairs rooms hadn’t been disturbed too. If word got out that the Pleasant View Bed-and-Breakfast was noisy, business could suffer. The one thing Ellen could do for her friends during their absence was to make sure their establishment ran smoothly and without complications.

  After Ellen got dressed, she headed for the kitchen to get breakfast ready for her guests. This morning she planned to serve baked oatmeal, French toast, and a bowl of fresh apple, orange, and banana slices. Between the three items, Ellen felt sure everyone would have something they liked for breakfast. She would also serve apple and orange juice, as well as coffee and tea for the adults. For little Jerry and anyone else who wanted it, she had plenty of milk.

  Ellen glanced at the clock on the kitchen wall. It was six thirty, and Sadie should be here any minute. She heard a soft knock on the back door and, opening it, found Sadie on the porch, holding a wicker basket.

  “It feels good in here,” Sadie said when she entered the kitchen. “The temperature dipped during the night, and the ride over with my horse and buggy was chilly. I half expected to see snow when I looked out the window this morning.”

  “Well, I’m glad you’re here, because I could use your help with breakfast.” Ellen kept her voice low so she wouldn’t wake any of the guests.

  “I saw three cars parked outside, so I figured you must be busy.” Sadie put the basket on the table. “I made two apple pies last night. Thought you might want to serve them for breakfast this morning. They’d go nicely with the baked oatmeal you mentioned you’d be fixing today.”

  Ellen’s mouth watered. “Yum. I love apple pies, especially this time of year. Maybe I’ll forget about making French toast and serve the pies instead.”

  Sadie removed her outer garments and hung them up. “How’d things go after I left here last night? Did the little boy settle down and go to sleep?”

  Ellen shook her head. “He fussed and cried well into the night. I probably didn’t get more than a couple hours of sleep.”

  “I can tell. Your eyes look bloodshot, and there’s no spring in your step.” Sadie moved closer to Ellen. “Are you wishing now that you’d said no to the parents’ request to book a room here?”

  “Yes and no.” Ellen rested her hips against the table. “It’s nice to have more business in January, but at the same time …”

  Sadie leaned closer to Ellen. “Sounds like someone is up already. I hear a muffled conversation down the hallway.”

  Ellen retrieved a bowl from the cupboard and placed it on the counter. “I wonder which guest is up.”

  “Oh, there you are Miss Lambright; I hoped you were up.” Deep wrinkles formed across Ned’s forehead. “I’m afraid we have a problem in the bathroom.”

  “Oh?” Ellen tipped her head. “What sort of problem?”

  Ned glanced at the floor, and when he looked back at her, his cheeks reddened. “My son dropped my keys in the toilet then gave it a flush. Now they’re stuck inside where I can’t reach.”

  Ellen cringed. Walking along the beach in Hawaii sure sounded like a nice alternative about now.

  CHAPTER 3

  Island of Kauai

  Kapaa, Hawaii

  As Mandy approached the Palms Bed-and-Breakfast, she heard music drifting from the open windows and knew Makaio must be playing his ukulele. It brought back memories of times he’d taught her how to play the instrument. Makaio had even given Mandy a ukulele for her birthday when she and Ellen stayed with him and Luana. Mandy still played it during her free time, and the music always brought her back to the days spent on Kauai.

  Stepping onto their lanai, Mandy set the box she held on a small wicker table. She was about to knock on the door, when it opened and Luana greeted her with a hug. “Aloha, my dear friend. How are you today?”

  “I’m doing all right, but Ken’s still having a hard time. Between dealing with his father’s death and trying to keep the organic farm running, he’s pretty stressed out.”

  “Isn’t Ken’s brother helping?” Luana asked.

  Mandy shook her head. “Dan’s taken his dad’s death the hardest of all, and he’s sunk into depression. His wife, Rita, said it’s all he can do to get out of bed.”

  Luana’s dark eyebrows rose. “Does that mean Ken is doing all the work by himself?”

  “Pretty much. I’m helping him with the chickens as much as I can, and of course, doing inside chores to help Ken’s mom. As you can imagine, neither of us has any free time.” Mandy gestured to the box. “I brought the four-dozen brown eggs you requested.”

  “Mahalo. With all the guests we have scheduled in the next few weeks, the eggs will be gone quickly.”

  “Let me know when you need more. The layers are producing a lot right now.”

  “Good to know.” Luana gestured to the wicker chairs on the lanai. “Do you have a few minutes to sit and talk? I have some fresh papaya and pineapple cut. It might be a nice pick-me-up.”

  Mandy moistened her lips. “That does sound good, but I can’t stay long. Ken needs my help this morning, cleaning out the rest of the chicken houses.”

  Luana gently rubbed Mandy’s back and shoulders. “You know what I think?”

  “What’s that?” Mandy felt her tension ease a bit.

  “I think Ken’s mother should hire someone to work on the farm. She’ll have to do that anyway, once you and Ken go back to the mainland.”

  Sighing, Mandy sank into a chair. “It doesn’t look like we’ll be leaving here anytime soon. But you’re right—Vickie should hire someone—if for no other reason than to help Ken right now. He’s so tired at the end of the day that he can barely muster up the strength to kiss me goodnight.”

  Luana slowly shook her head. “That’s not good. Why, you two are still basically on your honeymoon. Instead of wading through piles of chicken manure, you should both be swimming in the ocean and enjoying the mesmerizing sounds of the surf.”

  “I wish we could spend time relaxing on the beach, but as you know, that’s not the reason we came to Kauai.” Mandy gestured to the cardboard container. “Would you like me to take the eggs inside for you?”

  “No, I’ll do it.” Luana picked up the box. “Just sit there and rest. I’ll be back with some delicious fruit.”

  When Luana went inside, Mandy leaned her head back and closed her eyes. She drew in a deep cleansing breath of air, relishing in all the pleasurable scents from vegetation blooming in the Palus’ yard. Back home, the only flowers around were the poinsettias left over from Christmas. So Mandy’s senses were piqued by all the colors and fragrances on the islands.

  The sound of birds chirping in the trees nearl
y lulled her to sleep. Luana is right. I do need some time to relax. Ken needs it too. I bet he wishes he had time to go surfing with his friend Taavi.

  When Luana returned to the lanai, Mandy opened her eyes and yawned. “It’s a good thing you came back when you did, or I’d probably be counting sheep.”

  Luana tipped her head to one side and chuckled. “Silly me. I took you literally for a moment there.” She placed a plate of fruit on the wicker table and handed Mandy a glass of guava juice. “I’m glad you had a few minutes to yourself. It’s not good to work all the time.”

  Luana plucked a piece of pineapple off the plate and took a seat in the chair beside Mandy. “I spoke to Makaio when I was inside and asked if he knew of anybody who needed a job or might like to work at the Williamses’ farm.”

  “What’d he say?” Mandy took a sip of juice.

  “Not off hand, but if he hears of anyone, he’ll be sure to let Ken or his mother know.”

  Mandy nodded slowly, before taking another drink of the succulent juice. She wished they sold guava juice in the stores at home, because their bed-and-breakfast guests would enjoy it as a nice change from the usual orange, apple, or grape juices she offered.

  “How’s Ellen doing these days?” Luana asked. “Is she managing the B&B on her own?”

  “When I spoke to her earlier this week, she said she’s been quite busy. But she’s managing okay with our friend Sadie’s part-time help.” Mandy shifted in her chair. “Ellen ran into a little problem last week, though, when she rented a room to a couple with a two-year-old boy.”

  “So I’m guessing your bed-and-breakfast has an ‘adult only’ policy like we have here?”

  “Yes, but Ellen made an exception and regretted it later. Would you like to hear what happened?”

  Luana nodded as she nibbled on a piece of papaya.

  “Well, in addition to scratching the coffee table in the living room with his mother’s comb, the little guy dropped his father’s keys in the toilet, and they got stuck.”