Page 52 of The Seashell of ’Ohana

Tyler added, “And Ian told me that if I ever needed anything, he would be there for me, too.”

“He did?” My pitch rose.

Ian was like a brother to Lee. And Ian knew that Lee was planning to propose to Kate, but that didn’t mean he had to treat Tyler like family, too. Regardless of his motive, I appreciated his thoughtfulness. I hoped it wasn’t a false promise, and I hoped his kindness to my son didn’t depend on my choices. I didn’t know Ian that well, but he had shown me he was a good man, so far.

“I’m going to sleep now. Goodnight, Mom.”

“Hey …” I got off the bed and hugged him. “Where’s my kiss?”

He wrapped his arms around me and planted a quick peck on my cheek. “I love you across the galaxies and beyond, Mom. You’re the best mom in the whole wide world.”

This boy was my life. “I love you even beyond beyond.”

That had been Steve’s special way of telling Tyler that he loved him. Tyler didn’t remember, of course, but I had told him about it often, so he wouldn’t forget that his dad had loved him fiercely. In a way, the quirky phrase reassured Tyler that no matter where his father was, in this world or beyond, his love for him would be forever.

“Oh, Ty,” I said as he passed through the door.

He spun.

“Ian wants to take us zip-lining and horseback riding. What do you think about that?”

His mouth opened wide, then he punched his fist into the air. “Yes! Finally. I can’t wait.”

Chapter Twenty — Shopping

I dropped Tyler at Lee’s place and headed to the local outdoor mall with Stella and Kate. It had been months since I’d gone shopping, and I had to admit, I felt giddy.

Cottony clouds adorned the beautiful sky, and the warm sun bathed my skin. Just the right amount of flower-scented breeze kept the weather from being too hot as we went from store to store. No luck in finding that perfect dress, so far, for the auction, until we went inside a little boutique.

“What do you think?” I held up a knee-length spaghetti-strapped black dress. The fabric would lay over my curves but wouldn’t hug tight. A satiny underlayer was covered in lace.

“That’s going to look nice on you,” Kate said and pulled out a black dress similar to mine, though strapless and without the lace.

Kate was a little more daring than me. I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing anything strapless.

“Are you both going to a funeral?” Stella giggled. “All these colorful dresses, and you go for black?” She flipped through the circular rack, pulled out a silk dress, and placed it in front of her.

“Beautiful. Red looks good on you,” I said.

Stella shrugged sheepishly in a shy way that was uncharacteristic of her. Then she turned back to the rack. Kate tugged my arm and moved toward the dressing room.

Kate leaned closer to me, keeping an eye on Stella. “So, Lee told me we’re all going zip-lining and horseback riding. I didn’t know if Stella and Isaac were invited, so I wanted to check before saying anything.”

I shifted the hangers on the rack, searching. “I don’t know what’s going on between Stella and Isaac. Besides, it wouldn’t be fun for them, anyway. We’re accommodating the event around Taylor and Bridget.”

Kate took a red dress off the rack, compared it to the black one she held, and then put the red one back. “You’re afraid of heights. And you wouldn’t go zip-lining with your own sister. How in the world did Ian convince you to go?” Her tone was sharp, as if something offended her.

I flashed her an apologetic look. “We were talking about our bucket lists.”

“What?” She said it louder than she'd intended. Stella, about five racks down, narrowed her eyes at us.

Kate cleared her throat and ran fingers through her hair, embarrassed. She leaned in closer. “You have a bucket list? When? How come you never told me about it?”

“Well …” I scrunched my features. “I didn’t have one, and I kind of made one up when Ian asked me about it. I thought about what I would have put on my bucket list if I ever wrote it down. But it was in my head already, so I didn’t lie about it.”

Kate snickered. “You crack me up.”

“What’s so funny?” I elbowed her arm lightly.