by Bree Cariad
A little overcome, she nodded and unable not to, she pushed her bowl onto his desk and hugged him. He moved his bowl aside and pulled her close. She’d always loved his hugs but now she accepted it as a daughter would from her father and for the first time in a long time she cried for no other reason than that she felt safe and cared for.
Chapter 4
With no car available, DeLynn rode the bus to school over the next two days. The weather had turned ice cold and as she looked up at the sky on her way to her first class of the day on Wednesday, she could tell snow was on its way. Hopefully it would hold off until after she got home that afternoon. Her nine o’clock course was practically empty. There were only nine of the fifty-three students attending and the teacher did give them a quiz and the lecture was intense. Anyone who missed the day would have to borrow notes from someone.
After class got out, she had two hours before her next one began and shivered as she stepped out of the building into a blanket of white. Already over an inch deep, the snow was falling hard. By the time her second class was over, the roads might possibly be impassible. And that would be bad. And yet, she couldn’t miss this class. Heading to the library to study a little, she managed to finish one paper by the time she needed to get to her next class. When she realized the snow was now over three inches deep, she truly began to worry. Buses ran no matter what, right? she hoped as she trudged through the snow.
There was a distinct lack of cars in the parking lot as she passed, but she assumed they were elsewhere. Until she got to class. The lights were off so she flicked the switch and sat down to wait.
And wait she did. Nobody showed. Not one student. Not even the teacher showed up. By the time twenty minutes had gone by, she packed up her bag and went back outside, feeling a bit despondent that she had stayed all day for nothing. The bus stop was empty which wasn’t surprising as there didn’t seem to be anyone at school except for her. Well, she was probably being too judgmental. There was probably someone just as silly as she had been who had come for their classes.
Glancing up at the board, she felt a little uneasy when she saw the word DELAYED flashing across it. Delayed for how long? Wrapping her arms tightly across her chest for warmth, she jogged in place, her eyes darting up to the arrival sign every few minutes. When DELAYED disappeared she gave a sigh of relief. Until CANCELLED took its place.
“No,” she whispered in horror. Now what was she going to do? There was only one possibility and she hated having to do it. DeLynn would have to call Barrett and ask if he could make the drive to pick her up. With the roads in such bad shape that they cancelled the bus she hated to ask him to make such a trip. Putting her book bag on the small cold bench underneath the dreadful arrivals board, she unzipped a pocket to find her phone. Only to realize it wasn’t there. Confused, as she always put the phone in that compartment, she pulled everything out of each pocket only to come to a horrible conclusion. She had forgotten her phone at home in her rush to get ready this morning. “Drat.”
Managing to fight back the tears that wanted to fall, she put everything back inside and looked toward the school. Hopefully the student center was still open. There had to be a pay phone she could use. Wind tossed snow into her face as she fought her way back to campus, her teeth chattering by the time she arrived. The lights were dimmed and as she yanked on the door finding it locked, it was the last straw and she felt tears trickle out of her eyes. She should have just stayed home today.
“DeLynn? Are you all right?”
Startled at the voice, she turned to find Zach staring at her in concern. “The bus got cancelled,” she managed to chatter out.
“Is your truck not working?”
“Didn’t have it today.”
“Do you know anyone in Longdale?” he asked gently and she shook her head. “Come on. I was just about to head to my parents’ house. The highways are impassible or I’d take you home. Dad and Mum won’t mind you staying over tonight. I’m sure the roads will be dug out for tomorrow.” Not able to think of anything else, she nodded and let him guide her to the employee parking lot where his small truck was the only vehicle in sight. “I’m glad I stayed late today working with a student who lives in the dorms,” he said after they both got into the cab. “Or I would have been gone, too.” After turning on the engine, he flipped the heat on high. “It will take a couple minutes but heat is one thing this truck does well.”
The drive to his parents’ house took nearly an hour as he could only go ten miles an hour. “I hate to ask this,” she whispered about twenty minutes into the drive as she began to thaw, “but do you have a cell phone I could borrow? My parents will be frantic if I don’t show up soon.”
“Of course.” He pulled a small phone from his pocket and handed it to her. “Are you warmer now?”
“Yes, thank you.” She quickly dialed and put the phone up to her ear.
“Williams and Straynars,” her brother said as he answered the phone.
“Hey, Blaine.”
“Lynnie! Where are you? We expected you home twenty minutes ago. Mom’s going mental.”
“The road’s closed. Is Barrett close?” Her new father would be easier to talk to than her mother who tended to overreact.
“DeLynn, are you all right?” Barrett asked.
“Cold, but okay. They cancelled the bus and I found out that the road’s closed.”
“Find a hotel and have them call me. I’ll put it on my card. Do not stay out in the snow.”
Warmth from how parental he sounded settled into her chest and she cast a glance at the man next to her who was leaning forward so he could see the road through the intense snowfall. “Actually, I’m with someone from school. Zachary Styles. Our chaplain. He found me and is taking me to his parents’ house for the night.”
There was a pause. “Could you put him on the phone, DeLynn?”
Grimacing as he sounded so…calm—too calm—she passed it over. “Barrett wants to talk to you.”
He didn’t act like that was strange at all. “Sir?” he said as he took the phone. “Yes…I completely understand. I would have driven her home but the road’s closed…I promise. I’ll guard her with my life…Yes, sir…As soon as the roads are cleared tomorrow, I’ll run her home…Oh, you don’t have to do that…I understand…Until tomorrow then. I look forward to meeting you…” He handed the phone back to her. “Your father would like to speak with you again.”
“Barrett?” she asked, feeling a bit out of her element.
“He sounds like a nice man and everything I’ve found out about him puts him on my good side. I’ll take him at his word. Call me before you leave Longdale. Have a good night, DeLynn.”
“Thanks.” She handed Zach back his phone. “Sorry. Barrett’s very protective.”
He smiled. “That’s all right. I’m glad you have someone watching out for you.”
“Oh, I have that,” she said in amusement. “Before him there was my two little brothers Blaine and Evan and Barrett’s my best friend Deeka’s dad so he’s always watched out for me anyway. Are you sure your parents won’t mind you showing up with someone?” she asked hesitantly.
“Not at all. Though,” he admitted, “I hope you’re hungry. Mum prepares a full Hawaiian Thanksgiving dinner and as I intend to be at my new home all weekend, she planned for tonight.”
“You got your house?”
“Yep. Signed the papers just last week. Tomorrow through Sunday I’ll be cleaning and preparing it so that I can move in over Christmas break.”
“I bet you’re excited.”
“Very. My own home where I can put a nail anywhere I want. No sharing walls with neighbors. And a few acres of my own to do as I wish. I’m thrilled,” he admitted with a laugh. “And a bit overwhelmed.”
It was all that DeLynn could do to stop herself from offering to help. It would be fun and a good way to spend the weekend. If only the rules weren’t so…An idea struck her. “I don’t know what the plans are for the wee
kend,” she said quietly, “but if I have time, I’d be willing to come do whatever. Strip wallpaper or clean. Whatever.”
He looked at her in surprise before looking back at the road. “You don’t have to do that, DeLynn. It’s a thankless job.”
Giggling, she nodded. “Yeah, but doing it alone’s no fun. Maybe I could bring Blaine with me. He has a fascination with demolition. Don’t suppose you need a wall knocked down?” she teased making him laugh.
“Not yet.” He slowed the truck down to almost a standstill before turning onto a drive lined with houses, half of them with their Christmas lights up already. “Welcome to Kramten Hills,” he said, shaking his head. “So many have their lights up by Halloween. Dad refuses though. He thinks Thanksgiving is soon enough and I agree with him.”
Half way down the block, he parked in front of a two-story brick home. “Well, come on, food awaits.” She hopped out and followed him up the walk which had been recently shoveled to the front door. He knocked loudly twice before opening it. “You have guests!” he called, standing aside so she could enter first. By the time she had removed her coat and he hung it up in the hall closet along with her book bag, two people stood nearby watching them. It was obvious they were Zach’s parents. His father was tall and lean with laughing green eyes, short black hair, and the same smile that often graced his son’s face. The woman at his side was small and absolutely lovely. Black hair that fell straight to her waist, brown eyes, and beautiful mocha skin, she had a naturally curvy body that fit her. Her eyes went back and forth between her son and DeLynn in what was definite interest.
“Mum, Dad,” he said, leaning forward to kiss each of them on the cheek. “This is DeLynn Straynar. She attends LCC. Unfortunately they closed the road so she couldn’t get home so I offered your guest room for the night. DeLynn, these are my parents, Anderson and Konani Styles.”
“I hope I’m not putting you out,” DeLynn said nervously.
“Not at all,” Konani said in delight. “The more the merrier. And there is more than enough food. Come in. Come in.” She reached forward and grasped DeLynn’s hands, pulling her into their living room. The room gave the appearance at first of being large, but once she sat down on the sofa Konani took her too, DeLynn noticed that while the high ceiling gave it the look of being a large room, the room itself was cozy and comfortable. There were pictures everywhere of them.
“This is a lovely room.”
“Thank you. So, what are you studying in school?” Konani had a soft lilt to her voice and DeLynn thought she could listen to it for hours. She could tell now where Zach’s interesting accent came from. It was a combination of his father’s soft New Zealand accent and his mother’s Hawaiian inflection.
“Just general education for now. I’m not sure what I want to do.”
“There’s plenty of time. Zachary didn’t know what he wanted to do his first year either. So, tell me. Are you from Longdale?” she asked, her eyes bright.
“No. I grew up in Hyacinth.”
The woman sitting next to her turned and smiled smugly at the two men who had followed them and taken chairs across from the sofa. “Hyacinth? Isn’t that where you’re moving to?”
Anderson chuckled even as Zach grinned. “Yes, Mum. DeLynn will be one of my many neighbors.” Something in his expression told DeLynn there was an undercurrent, a conversation being held that was not about words so much as understanding between mother and son.
“Well, wonderful. I’m glad you know at least one person in this new town of yours.” Turning back to DeLynn, she continued. “Ander and I haven’t been to Hyacinth before. Zachary says it’s a lovely place.”
“I think so, but then I may be biased.”
A buzzer went off from another room and her hostess stood up. “The two of you got here at the perfect time. All the food is ready and that buzzer tells me the lau-lau is done.”
Zachary’s eyes lit up. “You made lau-lau this year?”
“Yes, I did. In fact, I made all your favorites. Lau-lau, Kalua pork, manapua, saimin, and haupia for dessert.”
He rubbed his hands together as he and his father stood up. “Looks like you were stranded in Longdale on the perfect night,” Zachary said, holding out his hand to help DeLynn to her feet. “Mum is a fantastic cook. Have you ever been to Hawaii?”
“No. I’ve never been out of Washington, actually,” DeLynn admitted, walking from the living room into their kitchen. Whereas at her house they had a table in the corner of the kitchen, the Styles dining table was the entire length of the room. Covered in festive decorations and bright flowers, it looked like it was set up for a major event or party.
“Oh, you should go,” he encouraged, pulling out a chair for her and then sitting down on her left. His father sat across from her and his mother joined them quickly with a large platter of what looked like lumpy leaves that she sat down between other platters of food DeLynn had never seen before. “We lived in Hawaii until I was nine and then in New Zealand until I was sixteen. The world is a marvelous place.
“Now, I’m going on the assumption you probably don’t know what anything is,” he said in a very kind voice. She nodded. “All right. Let me show you how to prepare. Do you eat pork?”
“Yes.”
“These are the lau-lau.” He picked up the platter and put two of the large leaves on his plate and one on hers. “You dig out the center as the outside leaves themselves aren’t edible. And this is Kalua pork.” He lifted a large platter of shredded meat. “On the island it’s cooked in the ground. Mum found a relatively decent way to do it here.” After putting a spoonful of the meat on each of their plates, he picked up a platter of rounded white puffs. “And this is manapua. It’s origins are Chinese, but it’s pretty much a Hawaiian staple. Pork filled dough. And these are saimin noodles.” Grabbing a small bowl, he spooned a helping of noodles and broth into it and handed it to her. “And don’t feel you have to eat it all. I know it’s a lot of food. Plus, you’ll want to leave room for the haupia.”
His mother laughed. “My boy loves to eat.”
“Yes, I do,” he agreed, opening the leaves on his plate and removing the interior while placing the outside leaves on a separate plate. Seeing his parents do the same, DeLynn cautiously followed their example.
The flavors and textures were different than anything she had ever had, but she loved all of it. “This is so good,” she said after tasting the lau-lau. “Mom’s from Irish stock, so we eat a lot of potatoes and meat. Dad loved Italian food so we also eat pasta. But I’ve never had food like this before. It’s wonderful.”
“If you’d like to learn how to make it, I could teach you,” Konani offered.
“Thank you. I’d like that.”
The discussion was lively and involved everything from international politics to Zachary’s job as chaplain. It was obvious that his parents were interested in everything he did and that the opposite was true as well. By the time dinner was through, DeLynn felt a little strange. The three of them had pulled her into the conversation but it hadn’t taken long before she wondered if Karen was right. Maybe she was a bit provincial. All three of them were world travelers and had seen far more than she ever would. How could she even hope to capture the interest of such a man?
“Listen to them,” Konani said, laughing at one point as Zachary and Anderson discussed the merit of some law being passed in a country DeLynn had never even heard of. “They can discuss anything. I was a simple girl from Hawaii when I met Ander. He came on holiday and stayed. It never occurred to me that by marrying him, I would get the world.” Standing up, she began to clear the plates from the table and DeLynn stood up to help her, impressed when the two men did as well. In no time at all, the rest of the food was packaged away in the fridge and Zachary pulled a large bowl out with something white in it.
“Haupia,” he explained. “The best dessert ever.”
DeLynn only took a small helping of the dessert as she was full from dinner, but she had
to admit he had a point. Everything she had eaten tonight was amazing. Unfortunately she was unable to hide a small yawn as they were finishing up.
“Oh, you look exhausted,” Konani said. “I apologize. Meals to us do tend to last a long time. Zachary, show her the guest room. DeLynn, it has been a pleasure to have you over. I do hope you’ll sleep well.”
“Thank you.” Zachary stood and held her chair as she did as well. “Can I help clean up?”
“Oh, thank you, no. Ander and I can handle that.” Konani waved her off and with a nod and a small smile, DeLynn followed Zachary from the room.
He led her down a hallway past the stairs to a door at the end. “The bathroom’s through there,” he said pointing to a door on the right, “and the guest room is here.” Opening the door to the left, he walked in and she followed him into a nice, warm room. The walls were a soft gray and the bed looked like what she expected from a high-class hotel. Completely color-coordinated, it even had a bevy of pillows.
“Thank you. It looks very comfortable,” she said, covering her mouth when she yawned again.
“Oh, wait,” he said, rushing from the room. A few minutes later, he came in with a few things, laying them on the bed. “Since you don’t have anything with you, I brought you an old t-shirt of mine to sleep in—I promise it’s clean—as well as a comb, new toothbrush, and some other items you might need. We’ll be up until midnight. If you need anything, don’t be afraid to ask.”
For a moment, it looked as though he might say something else, but he just smiled and walked out, closing the door behind him. Murmurs from the front room were more comforting than anything as she prepared for bed. There was a tinge of wonder as she pulled his shirt over her head and it slid down her form, going to mid-thigh. While sad it smelled of fabric softener instead of him, she was still thrilled to wear something he owned as she climbed into the comfortable bed. Curled up under the puffy blanket, she couldn’t imagine any other place she would rather be right in that moment.