Carol Clark - Burned

“He can’t wait to meet you, either.” More than you know, Regan thought.

Fifteen minutes later Steve escorted her outside. The cab had just pulled up.

“Have a good night, Regan.” He held the door of the car open for her. “And don’t worry. I’ll take good care of your friend.”

“She’s the best,” Regan said. “See you tomorrow night.”

“Put on your seat belt.”

“I will.”

“You can never be too safe.” He laughed as he pushed the button down to lock the back door of the vehicle.

As the driver pulled away, Regan waved to Steve who stood in the driveway and watched her depart. She then patted her purse, reassuring herself that his beer bottle was still there. Kicked out of college, she thought. Why? What else are you hiding?

K im stared at the spot on the living room wall where the shell lei had hung ever since they moved into the house. “Your mother will never cease to amaze me,” she declared. “Only she could get her hands on a royal Hawaiian lei that had been stolen and manage to set these events in motion thirty years ago.”

Will hugged her. “I know.”

Their son, Billy, was asleep down the hall. Will and Kim had enjoyed a quiet dinner. It was now nearly midnight. They were sitting on the couch sipping an after-dinner drink and catching up. He explained everything that had happened, and Kim actually took it quite well.

“I knew Dorinda Dawes didn’t like me. I can’t wait to see the newsletter with my terrible picture. But you were smart to leave it at the office.”

Will looked at his beautiful wife, with her long dark hair and almond-shaped eyes. They’d met five years ago when they’d both been alone on line to buy a movie ticket. On a whim each of them had decided to take in a five o’clock show. They got to talking, sat together, and from that day on they were a couple. Now, every year on the anniversary of the day they met, they always go to a five o’clock movie even if there is nothing they really want to see. He loved her and their son and the life that they shared. He never wanted to jeopardize it. But of course he had-by giving the stupid lei to Dorinda Dawes.

“Do you think your mother is really going to be able to keep her mouth shut tomorrow at the ball? How is she going to keep it a secret that the lei was in your family all this time?”

Will shook his head and rested it on her shoulder. “I don’t know. But she has to.”

“Just wait till she sees the lei, Will!” Kim exclaimed. “When it goes up for auction, she’ll be jumping out of her seat.”

“Jimmy hasn’t decided whether it will be auctioned off or not.”

“But didn’t you say he was going to wear both leis to the ball?”

“That is his plan.”

“Can you imagine when your mother meets him? Wearing HER lei?”

“I don’t want to think about it.” He snuggled closer to her. “My head is spinning with everything that’s going wrong around the hotel.”

“And now Bingsley and Almetta will be checking in.”

“I asked Ned to take care of them tomorrow afternoon. With any luck he’ll tire my mother out. Then we have to get through the ball. I hope someone buys the leis and takes them far, far away from here. Then maybe we can move on from all this trouble.”

“So this Regan Reilly is on the case.”

“Yes. She has to leave Monday, but she has already done a lot. I’m glad she’ll be here for the ball. One of the detectives in town is a friend of her fiancé. He’s sending over undercover cops tomorrow night to keep an eye on things.”

“The ‘Be a Princess’ Ball was supposed to be all about making the night a fairy tale. It’s turned into a nightmare.”

The phone on the table next to the couch rang. Startled, Will leaned over to answer it. “I hope this is nothing bad,” he said under his breath. “Hello.”

“Hi, darling!” Will’s mother cried. “We’re at the airport having a cup of coffee and a cinnamon bun before we board the flight. I can’t believe how early it is! But your father managed to find some crazy airline that flies out at the crack of dawn. I just wanted to say hello and tell you we’ll be there soon!”

“That’s great, Mom.”

“Anything new with our lei?” she chirped.

“They found it today,” Will replied, failing to mention that it was located in his office.

“Oh, my goodness! That lei certainly gets around, doesn’t it, dear?”

“That it does.”

“Don’t worry. It’s our little secret. But will I get to see it?”

“At the ball. They might auction it off.”

“I’ll have to talk to your father. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if he bid on it for me? We could have it back in our family where it belongs-unless some millionaire decides to spend a fortune on it.”

That’s all I’d need, Will thought. He looked at the hook on the wall where the lei had been hanging for years. As if his mother had ESP, she said, “You could hang it right back in that lovely little house of yours. It’s too bad you don’t think there’s enough room for us to stay there.”

Will ignored the last remark. “If Dad buys the lei for you, I insist you keep it,” he said, “and I mean insist.”

His mother considered this. “Well, I did feel like a queen when I wore it. Ohhh-they’re calling us to get on the flight. Bye, darling.”

The phone clicked in his ear. Will placed it in its cradle and turned to Kim. “You’ll be happy to know your favorite mother-in-law is on her way.”

As Kim laughed, Will’s stomach started to do somersaults. He was sure they wouldn’t stop until the lei was out of his life forever, one way or the other.

D orinda’s cousin Gus slept like a log in her sublet apartment. It was as if he didn’t have a care in the world. When he first lay down on the bed, he pressed on the mattress a few times with his hand and found it a little too firm for his liking. But Gus being Gus, he closed his eyes and went out like a light.

On Saturday morning he woke early. Confused for a moment about where he was, he did what he always did when he woke up in a strange bed and couldn’t figure it out. He counted to ten, got his bearings, and his whereabouts finally penetrated his skull. “Cousin Dorinda!” he cried out. “What a pity.”

The clock radio next to the bed read 6:12 A.M. “The old time change,” he said as he threw his legs over the side of the bed and stood. In the little kitchen he brewed a pot of Dorinda’s Kona coffee. As the joe slowly dripped into the glass container, Gus bent down and tried to touch his toes. He never succeeded, but it made him feel good to make the effort. He reached back up, then down again. Up and down, up and down until he felt dizzy.

The coffee was finally ready-dark and rich with a wonderful aroma. He poured himself a cup and promptly went back to bed. He rested the cup of coffee on the end table and grabbed the second pillow to prop up behind him. His eyes rested on a spiral notebook.

“What have we here?” he said to himself. He pulled it closer and opened it. On the top line, printed in large letters in Dorinda’s scribbly handwriting, was the title: THE ROMANCE OF THE PRINCESS BALL. IS IT A NIGHT TO FALL IN LOVE OR TO FALL IN LOVE ALL OVER AGAIN? Gus couldn’t make out the smaller print below. He grabbed his glasses off the dresser, took his coffee in hand, and sank back into the pillows with the notebook on his lap. He read with interest about how Hawaii was the perfect place for romance. Honeymooners abound as well as people who have been together for years. People meet and fall in love on the beautiful islands. Natives and tourists alike wear leis in a spirit of love and friendship and celebration.