Flying Angels(11)

He took them back to their hotel at the end of the day, and the three of them swam in the pool. He teased and played mostly with Lizzie, and chased her under water. At one point, she opened her eyes and looked at him, and they were both smiling. They were breathless when they came up for air and he gently put his arms around her.

“You’ve changed,” he said softly to her.

“No, I haven’t. I just grew up.” He nodded and didn’t say anything when they left the pool. He said he’d be back to take them to dinner. Audrey had noticed the exchange between them, and she wondered if Will was going to start something with Lizzie. He had never had a serious girlfriend before, not that she knew of. But he seemed very taken with Lizzie. Audrey knew that Lizzie had had a crush on him for years. She would have liked nothing better than for the two of them to fall in love with each other, but that seemed like a lot to hope for, with only a week’s vacation together. But they were all having fun anyway.

   Lizzie dressed carefully for dinner that night, and wore a strapless white dress that showed off her figure, with her blond hair in a neat bun, a string of pearls around her neck, and sexy high-heeled silver sandals. Audrey wore a turquoise silk dress that showed off the tan she’d started working on the day before. With her fair skin, Lizzie had to be more careful that she didn’t burn. Audrey intended to be as tanned as she could get by the time they left.

They went to a small favorite restaurant of Will’s that night, and afterwards he drove them to a lookout point on Diamond Head to admire the view in the moonlight. Audrey had the distinct impression that he would have kissed Lizzie if she hadn’t been there, and she tried to walk ahead a little distance so they could have a few minutes of privacy to say whatever they wanted. She thought she saw them holding hands for a minute. But they let go as soon as she walked toward them. They had drinks on the terrace that night, and after a few sips Audrey said she was tired and going back to their room. Lizzie stayed for a few minutes and went for a walk on the beach with Will. She was back in their room half an hour later, and Audrey smiled at her when she walked in.

“Is my brother behaving, or shouldn’t I ask that question?” she teased her, and Lizzie smiled and nodded with a mysterious look.

“He’s a pretty wonderful guy, Aud.”

“I know, he’s my brother. I just want him to be nice to you and realize how great you are too.”

“He hasn’t done or said anything he shouldn’t,” Lizzie reassured her.

   “I hope not. This is only our second night here.” Audrey laughed at her.

The romance continued to blossom as the days unfurled like the petals of a flower. He took them to every place he thought they’d enjoy. Waterfalls, exquisite beaches, a forest of delicately scented tropical flowers, his favorite haunts and restaurants, Lau Yee Chai, his favorite Chinese restaurant, and the soda fountain at Benson Smith drugstore, a favorite meeting place for locals, and a nightclub where they went dancing. He invited one of his fellow pilots that night so Audrey had someone to dance with, and they all had a good time together. In part, he wanted Audrey to have a wonderful time, it was his way of thanking her for all that she had given up to take care of their mother. And he wanted Lizzie to have a vacation she’d remember forever. He didn’t know why he hadn’t noticed it before, but he felt as though he had met the woman of his life, and he didn’t want the week to end. He had never felt that way about anyone before. After only a few days, he could see spending the rest of his life with her, when he eventually settled down. But it was too soon for either of them. He was thinking of coming back to see her at Christmas, but hadn’t said anything to her about it yet. Two days before they left, on a late-night walk down Waikiki Beach in the moonlight, he kissed her, and she melted into his arms. Other than flying, he had never had a sensation like it before, nor had she. She told Audrey about it the next day, and Audrey beamed.

“If you two wind up together, I’ll be the happiest woman alive. But he still has a lot of flying to do. He’s not ready to settle down yet, but he will be one day.” She was hopeful that something serious would come of it.

   “I know that. I’m not ready either,” Lizzie said thoughtfully. “I want to do something useful with my life, other than emptying bedpans in a post-op ward. I want to do something that makes a difference in the world.”

“So do I,” Audrey said wistfully. But it was only a distant dream for her.

“You already are,” Lizzie said gently. “What you’re doing for your mother matters, Aud. You’ll always be glad you did it.”

“I know. Maybe one day I can use what we learned for others. When the time is right. And in the meantime, I want my brother to fall so madly in love with you that he never lets you go, and we can be sisters forever. Maybe he already has fallen in love with you,” she said hopefully.

“So he says,” Lizzie said with a cautious smile and a giggle. “Thank you for bringing me with you.”

“I wouldn’t have come without you. I love my brother, but it would have gotten pretty boring here very quickly without you, and he wouldn’t have taken just me to all those places,” Audrey said, and they both laughed.

They had to be at the base by noon to watch him fly in formation in the navy demonstration they were putting on that day. People were already lining the beaches in anticipation. Will had told them just where to go on the base, and two of his friends were supposed to join them and look after them.