Ava ran her hands over the pillowcase and let out a heavy sigh. Hopefully, she’d get to the bottom of what was up with him while he was here recuperating. They’d have lots of time together.

  That is, if her best friend Alani didn’t sign her up for another gardening class.

  Christel waited impatiently for the garage door to open while holding three big plastic bags of trash in her hands. For a single woman, she created an unbelievable amount of refuse. Perhaps it was all the frozen dinner trays, or the cartons of milk gone bad because she simply couldn’t drink it fast enough.

  The door reached the garage ceiling and clicked, signaling it was safe to exit. Christel juggled the weight of the bags and wandered out to the curb where she’d place the trash for pickup later that morning.

  That was another thing she missed…having a husband to take out the garbage. She had just placed the bags at the curb when she heard a voice call out.

  “Yoo hoo! Christel, dear!”

  Christel immediately groaned. It was her chatty neighbor, Maggie. Today, she wore a brightly colored pair of cropped jeans in a floral print with a wide-brimmed hat in a matching pattern. In her gloved hands, she held a small metal hand trowel.

  “I was hoping I’d catch you outside today. I mentioned earlier that I’m cooking dinner on Friday night and I’m hoping you might reconsider and join us.”

  “Us?”

  Maggie grinned. “I’ve invited my new doctor friend. I’d love for you to meet him.”

  Christel’s mind raced. She didn’t want to hurt the old woman’s feelings. No doubt Maggie meant well, but her matchmaking was annoying. The last thing she needed was to have to make conversation with some ill-suited guy.

  “Uh, I don’t think so, Maggie. I promised my mother I’d do something with her.”

  “Oh, I understand.” Her neighbor shook her head. “When my Harry died, it took a long time to adjust.” Her face broke into an understand smile. “Maybe another time.”

  Christel nodded. “Oh, yes. Another time.” She let out a sigh of relief and waved to Maggie before heading back inside, determined to remember to glance outside the window for any sign of her neighbor before ever leaving the house again.

  But on Friday, she got home from work early and donned her most comfortable robe, the ratty one Jay used to tease her about saying it looked like the skin of a dead wooly animal. She didn’t care. She loved the way the soft worn fabric felt against her skin after her bath.

  After opening the refrigerator and finding little inside that interested her, she moved to the pantry and pulled a bag of microwave popcorn from its package. Not exactly nutritious but who would know? There was an upside to being single, she supposed. She never had to answer for any of her food choices.

  She had just pulled the freshly popped corn from the microwave and was pouring it into a bowl when she heard laughter. She moved to the sink and peeked out the window, surprised to see a guy walking up Maggie’s sidewalk.

  That’s right. Her neighbor’s dinner party was planned for tonight.

  A woman’s laughter rang out, which caused Christel to stretch for a better view. Yes, she’d become one of those neighbors—the ones who couldn’t seem to mind their own business.

  As the couple drew closer, she brows pulled into a deep frown. The man—Maggie’s doctor friend—was Dr. Matisse!

  And he was laughing and talking with an attractive woman. She wore fitted jeans, a white silky blouse, and a stylish pair of drop earrings that peeked nicely out from her long dark hair. Dr. Matisse wore a pair of light-colored chinos and a navy dinner jacket over top of a white button-down shirt.

  The laughing couple reached the front door and Dr. Matisse reached for the doorbell. His other hand went to the woman’s back as Maggie opened her door and bid them inside.

  A twinge of unexpected jealousy caused her stomach to pull in on itself.

  She huffed. That was the doctor her neighbor wanted to hook her up with?

  Her shoulders drooped as she marched to her trash basket and tossed the popcorn inside. It seemed she suddenly no longer had an appetite.

  8

  Katie closed the dishwasher door and wiped her hands on a towel. “Willa!” she hollered. “Hurry up. We’re running late.”

  “Geez, Mom. I can hear. You don’t have to yell,” Willa said as she made her way down the stairs. She grabbed her backpack from the hook by the door and slung it onto her shoulder. “And I need twenty dollars.”

  “I gave you money yesterday, Willa. Where’d that go?” Katie grabbed the rag from the sink and wiped the counter down.

  “Uh…let’s see. I had to pay for my volleyball uniform and lunch.”

  Katie’s eyes widened with suspicion. “That blew through fifty bucks?”

  Willa rolled her eyes. “Okay, I spent a little.”

  “More than a little, it sounds like.” Katie ran the rag under the running faucet. “Tell you what, you take the garbage out and I’ll give you ten. And that’s a lot for a single chore. Tonight, when your father gets home, we’ll talk about how you can earn more. Your parents aren’t a money tree, you know.”

  “I already watch Noelle all the time,” Willa complained. “No one else at school has to watch their little sister and do chores.”

  Katie folded the rag and placed it in over the sink divider. “I doubt that.” She turned and faced her daughter. “Look, we don’t have time to argue about this right now. You’re fifteen and it’s time you take on some more responsibility. Perhaps we can even find some summer work for you at Pali Maui. Until then, you’ll just have to endure some household chores.” She pointed at the overflowing garbage can she’d pulled out from under the sink. “That, for starters.”

  Willa groaned. “Dad would’ve given me the money without all these strings attached.” She lifted the full garbage bag from the trash container and made a face. “Ew…it smells.”

  No doubt, Katie thought as she pulled Noelle from her highchair. “C’mon, sweetheart. Let’s get you cleaned up.”

  A couple of minutes later, Willa returned still carrying the garbage bag. “Hey, Mom…there’s no room in the trash bin. So what do you want me to do with this?” She held up the bag, still wincing at the smell.

  Katie frowned. “That can’t be. Trash pick-up was just yesterday. No one has taken any trash out. Here…hold your sister.” She handed off Noelle and headed out to check the situation.

  Sure enough. The bin was filled. In fact, it was overfilled and threatened to spill out. From the scattered coffee-stained envelopes at her feet, it appeared some of it already had.

  Katie bent and carefully picked up one of the envelopes by grasping a clean corner. She held it up so she could get a better look. Upon examination, she huffed.

  The nerve of that man!

  She turned and marched back inside, picked up her phone off the counter and dialed Jon.

  “What’s the matter, Mom?” Willa asked.

  Katie didn’t answer. She simply held up a finger in a signal that she would answer after the call.

  Jon picked up on the third ring. “Hi, babe. What’s up?”

  Katie tightened her grip on the phone. “What’s up? I’ll tell you what’s up. That nasty man—Spud Whatever—well, he helped himself to our garbage receptacle. Filled it to the brim with his trash. That guy has a lot of moxie if he thinks we’re going to put up with that!”

  “Honey, calm down,” Jon said. “I’ll pay our new neighbor a visit and handle the situation when I get home. It could be that he—”

  “Don’t you dare make excuses for that awful man,” she scolded. “I knew he was going to be trouble.” She started to say more but was interrupted by a loud clatter in the background on Jon’s end. “What’s that?” she asked her husband.

  “Uh, just a little mishap in the kitchen. Look, honey…I’ve got to go. I’ll look into this tonight. Love you.” He hung up.

  Katie pulled the phone from her ear and stared at it. He didn’t really just hang up on her? Worse, she knew exactly how her husband would take care of the situation. He’d go over and be all nice and end up letting their neighbor off the hook.

  Well, that was not going to happen.

  She glanced at the wall clock and let out a huff. Some things were worth being late for.

  “Stay with your sister,” she barked at Willa as she headed for the front door.

  “Mom, we’re going to be late. Where are you going?”

  “Stay with your sister,” Katie repeated. “This won’t take long.”

  Minutes later, she was standing on Spud Weaver’s doorstep. She drew her hand into a fist and banged on the painted wood.

  Nothing.

  She pulled herself a little straighter and gave it another go…banged a little harder.

  Nothing.

  She went to bang a third time when the door opened. There stood their new neighbor wearing a badly stained T-shirt…and boxer shorts.

  The sight caused her to stammer. “Oh, I—”

  Katie couldn’t finish her sentence before her neighbor cut her off. “What d’ya want?” he growled. “Don’t you know it’s early? Can’t a man sleep in?” He peered out and glanced up and down their street. “Nothing seems to be on fire. So, what is it?’ He glared.

  Not to be deterred, Katie lifted her chin and glared back. “You put your trash in our garbage receptacle.” She pointed in the direction of the alley. “It’s full.”

  “Yeah…so.” He rubbed his belly and yawned.

  “It’s our trash bin.” She cleared her throat. “That’s rude…and unacceptable.”

  He laughed. “Oh, it is…is it?”

  Now it was Katie’s turn to growl. She jabbed her finger in his direction. “Let me make something very clear. You may think it’s just fine to disrespect other people’s property, but make no mistake…you’re bucking with the wrong neighbors. We won’t stand for it.”

  “That alleyway is public property, is it not?”

  “Yes, but—”

  “And your trash bin was on public property?” He rubbed his scruffy unshaven chin. “I guess that entitles me to use it. Besides, how did I know it belonged to you? Was your name on it?”

  Katie parked her hands on her hips. “Well, you are now on notice that it belongs to us. You are not to use it.” She took a breath, gaining steam. “And you are not to store your belongings on our property either. Am I making myself clear?”

  Spud let go of an amused chuckle. “Boy, you sure get yourself worked up over a whole lot of nothing.”

  Katie filled her chest with air. “Well, that’s all I have to say. Except that, when you answer the door, it’s polite to wear pants.” She turned and marched down his sidewalk.

  9

  “Then I just told him we were not going to put up with his antics any longer,” Katie said, reaching for a warm brownie still in the baking pan.

  Ava playfully slapped at her daughter’s fingers. “Can’t you at least wait until I get them on a plate?” It did her heart good to see all four of her children in her kitchen again. This was a sight she’d never, ever take for granted. Not for the rest of her life.

  “I call the other corner,” Shane warned while leaning over the counter from where he sat on Ava’s barstool, much like he had as a kid.

  It was Briscoe family tradition that each of her four children got one of the corner brownies when she pulled a batch from the oven. In a family with three older siblings, Shane had learned his siblings could not always be trusted.

  “So, what did your neighbor say?” Christel asked.

  “Not much,” Katie reported. “I think I got my point across.”

  “Bet the old coot didn’t see that coming,” Aiden said, laughing as he hobbled across the room on his crutches. He winced with pain.

  “Do you need some pain meds, honey?” Ava offered. “Maybe you should sit down.”

  He shook his head no. “Thanks, Mom. I’m good.”

  Ava knew she might be over-mothering her son. She wasn’t one of those helicopter moms who hovered over her children, but this was different. Or, maybe losing Lincoln had made her different.

  While it had been several weeks since the accident and Dr. Matisse was pleased with Aiden’s progress, Ava still worried. Her son was still having trouble sleeping. The alert on the security motion detectors Lincoln had installed in the main living area nearly always woke her as well. Early on, she got up to see if her son needed anything. This seemed to only aggravate him, so she’d stopped. She forced herself to back off and let him have his space, but that didn’t mean she didn’t remain concerned.

  Ava went to the cupboard for some plates. Shane winked at Christel. Disregarding his mother’s admonition to wait, he lifted a corner brownie. When the others all protested, he simply took a big bite. “What? Katie got hers?”

  Katie took pity and grabbed one for Aiden as well who stood teetering on his crutches. He favored her with a grin. “Thanks.”

  Ava watched from across the kitchen. She rolled her eyes and put the stack of plates she was holding back in the cupboard then rejoined her grown children at the kitchen island.

  Aiden awkwardly slid into a barstool, leaned his crutches against the counter. He took a bite of his brownie. Still chewing, he looked across the marble island top at his youngest sister. “So, let me get this straight. Your new neighbor filled your trash bin with his garbage and you marched over and gave him the what for. I bet he didn’t see that coming.”

  Katie beamed with pride. “Nope. I happily report I think it was a bit of a Frisbee to the head.”

  Shane reached for a second brownie. “Funny, you don’t look that evil.”

  Katie grinned. “Makeup helps.” She gave Shane a harsh look when he went for a third brownie. “Hey, slow down and leave some for the rest of us.”

  Ava reached for her own brownie, smiling inside. This…these family gatherings had seen her through the months following Lincoln’s passing. The people sitting in this kitchen were her joy and reason for living.

  She and her grown children had always been close but even more after Lincoln left them. Sometimes they all assembled to eat dinner together, or play some rowdy and very competitive board games. Other times they attended a ball game and cheered on Aiden and Shane who played on the same city league team in Lahaina. It also wasn’t unusual for them to meet out by the reefs south of Lahaina for some surfing.

  Aiden’s injuries had put physical activities on hold, which didn’t seem to be sitting well with him. He’d been in a mood ever since getting released from the hospital. Her son seemed short-tempered and was an all-around grouch, which was so out of character. Aiden was struggling with this new situation, she could tell. He missed all of the things he used to do, and he missed his work. It broke her heart to hear him wonder out loud about how long it would be before he could surf again.

  Dr. Matisse assured him that with proper rehab he’d be able to return to all his former activities eventually but warned it could take up to six months to heal fully. In the interim, there would be many follow-up appointments, X-rays to check progress, and an extended period of rehab.

  She really thought highly of her son’s doctor and appreciated all the wonderful care he had provided. Dr. Matisse had gone above and beyond to keep the family well-informed, especially in those early days. After Aiden’s release from the hospital, Dr. Matisse had even called Aiden on the weekend to check on him. Ava hadn’t known a doctor to do that in her entire lifetime.

  Christel stood. “Who wants milk?”

  They all said yes, nearly in unison.

  Christel moved across the kitchen floor. “Katie, help me, would you? I don’t have hands.”

  Her sister complied. “So, when’s your next appointment, Aiden?”

  Ava answered for him. “Tomorrow morning at ten o’clock. And I’m glad you brought this up because I have a conflict. Weeks back, I scheduled a meeting with that new corrugated cardboard manufacturer from Georgia. He’s only on island for the day or I’d reschedule. Can one of you girls possibly drive Aiden for his follow-up X-rays and doctor’s appointment after?”

  “Sure, Mom,” Katie answered as she placed glasses on the counter. “I’m sure I can clear my plate and take Aiden.”

  “Thanks, sis,” Aiden told her. “I hate to be any trouble.”

  “No trouble,” she assured him. “I just have to get the girls out the door and then I’ll pick you up.”

  Christel placed the carton of milk next to the glasses. “I’ll take him. I mean, you have a family to get ready each morning and all that. I don’t.”

  Ava raised her eyebrows. “I thought you wanted to be in on this meeting?”

  Christel shook her head. “No, it’s fine. I can negotiate pricing later if you decide to go with this new vendor.”

  Slightly puzzled, Ava reached for a glass. It wasn’t like Christel to skip any meeting, let alone one that had the potential to impact Pali Maui’s bottom line. “Well, okay. If you think that will work.”

  As a mother, she’d learned years ago not to second guess her children’s decisions.

  10

  Christel often pressed the snooze button on her alarm clock multiple times before finally pulling herself out of bed. Not this morning. In fact, she was awake long before the alarm sounded thinking about chauffeuring Shane to his X-rays and then for his follow up visit with Dr. Matisse.

  There was no particular reason for the possibility of seeing the doctor again to take up so much of her head space. Her motivation for taking Shane this morning was clear—she wanted to lighten Katie’s burden a bit.

 

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