Finding Armando (Found At Last Book 2) Page 3
Selah promised Grace she would be on her best behavior. After we waved goodbye, the three of us took the dirt road to the lake. Once there, I spread out our blanket under a tall oak tree, and we sat in the shade. A cool summer breeze laced through the branches.
“The leaves are waving at us,” Selah said.
I replied, “Should we wave back?”
“Of course. We don’t want to be rude to Mother Nature.”
We all waved.
Selah said, “I found gold here once.”
“You did!” Jamison seemed impressed.
She nodded. “Mom says it’s a bottle cap, but I think it’s part of a buried treasure washed to the shore.”
“Then you’d better save it.”
“I put it in a special box under my bed.” She whispered, “Don’t tell anyone.”
I crossed my chest. “We swear.”
“Is the box where you put your fish eye?” Jamison asked.
She nodded again. “And my crown. Someday I’ll be an old queen.”
Jamison and I could relate.
“Or an actress. Or maybe a minister.”
I saw the connection between the three professions.
Jamison asked, “Where did you get the crown?”
“Since I’m a princess, my uncle made it for me from a kit.” She added matter-of-factly, “He died.”
“I’m sorry.”
Jamison asked, “Do you miss him?”
“Yes. He’s in heaven. With my father and my grandparents. My father was a famous author.”
I guessed this was another of Selah’s fabrications. “Do you remember your father?”
She groaned. “You don’t have to remember people for them to be in heaven.”
“I guess not.”
“Reverend Gertrude says heaven is a nice place and everybody is welcome.”
I realized Grace and Selah attended a liberal church like mine.
“My mom says you own this place now. How come?”
I explained, “Our friend met someone very special to him here. After our friend passed away, he left us some money. So we bought the resort and named it after them.”
Selah’s eyes widened. “Is your friend in heaven?”
“Since everybody’s welcome, he must be.”
She nodded. “Were your friends married?”
Jamison replied, “No, but they loved each other very much.”
Selah glanced from Jamison to me. “Are you two married?”
“Yes.”
“Do you have any kids?”
I explained, “We filled out some papers with an adoption agency, but we haven’t heard back from them yet.”
“What’s an adoption agency?”
Jamison took over. “It’s a place where people go to find children.”
“What about the children’s parents?”
“These children have lost their parents.”
“Are their parents in heaven?”
I replied, “Some of them, I assume.”
She scratched at a freckle on her neck. “Are adoption agencies in heaven?”
“No, but they’re doing good work.”
I thought about the Catholic adoption agency that refused to serve Jamison and me due to their “religious freedom,” yet they continued to accept government tax dollars. “It took a while, but we found an adoption agency with nice people who want to help us get a baby.”
“Do you want a boy or a girl?”
“We don’t have a preference.”
“My mom wanted a girl.”
I smiled. “Then she must be happy to have you.”
Selah nodded. Then she asked Jamison, “Do you know how to swim?”
“I sure do.”
She pointed at me skeptically. “Him too?”
“Theo too.”
“Do you want to go swimming with me?”
Jamison replied, “We’d love to.”
Once we all got to our feet, Selah came between us and took our hands. “You better stay with me so you don’t drown in the high water.”
Standing at the water’s edge, the three of us dipped our feet in until we were acclimated to the cool water. After walking away from the shore, we swam slowly toward the deeper part of the lake with Selah in the middle. Jamison and I were impressed with Selah’s swimming ability. As we treaded water, Selah chatted on about winning an Olympic medal last summer. I assumed she was referring to a swimming contest for children at the lake. When Selah grew tired, I placed her on Jamison’s back, and he swam her to the shore. I brought up the rear and met them at the blanket. After we all dried off, we lay on our backs, gazing up at the puffy clouds. Selah called them baby sheep smiling at her.
As we sat up to enjoy our smoothies, I asked Selah, “Who taught you how to swim?”
“My uncle. He taught me how to draw too. One of my pictures is hanging in a museum.”
More like on her mother’s refrigerator, I imagined. “What grade are you in at school?”
“Fourth grade in September. I skipped a grade.”
I was impressed. “You must be very smart.”
She nodded.
Jamison asked her, “Do you like living here at the resort?”
She nodded again. “You own a nice place.”
“We agree. Do you have many friends here?” I asked.
“Sure. Juan and Millie in the restaurant. And Haley and Boyd from school when their parents come here for vacation.” Smiling at us for the first time, she added, “And now you guys.”
Jamison seemed touched. “We’re happy to be your friends, Selah.”
Selah’s little jaw dropped at the sight of a sailboat skimming by us in the distance. “I’d be happy if I could go on that.”
“You’ve never been on a sailboat?” Jamison asked.
She shook her head and blond hair covered her pale face. “I’ve never been on any boat.”
Rising, Jamison said, “We need to do something about that.”
A few minutes later, the three of us skimmed across the lake in a paddleboat as Selah cried out joyfully. Then, giving our tired legs a rest, we enjoyed some time in a rowboat. Since it was Jamison’s turn to row, I sat next to Selah. We watched the birds singing in the trees, frogs leaping on lily pads, and ducks waddling in the marsh. She pointed to two large swans with a baby swan between them. “Their necks are long so they can see us.”
I asked, “Do you like swans?”
She nodded. “And they like us.”
“How do you know?”
She replied as if it were the most obvious answer in the world, “There are two adults and one kid. Like us.”
Jamison and I laughed.
“It’s good to laugh,” Selah offered. “When my uncle was sick, he said laughing made him feel better.”
I noticed Selah wasn’t laughing.
After we returned to our blanket, Jamison and I began packing our things.
Selah whined, “Do we have to go?”
Jamison kneeled next to her. “Your mom will be worried if we don’t get back soon.”
“Sometimes her appointments last a long time.”
I explained, “We’ve been gone awhile. I’m guessing your mom is waiting for us.”
She sighed. “Okay.”
We brought Selah back to the dirt road. She took our hands as the three of us walked to the employees’ living quarters. Selah explained, “We live on the third floor.” She led the way into the building and up the three flights of stairs to the last door at the end of the hall. I knocked on the door, and Grace opened it. Again, she seemed preoccupied.
Selah gave her mother a big hug. “We went swimming and on a paddleboat and a rowboat too!”
“That’s wonderful, sweetie.” Grace returned the hug. Then she turned to us. “Thank you.”
“We enjoyed it,” I said.
“Me too!” Selah added, “Jamison and Theo asked an adoption agency for a baby. But they didn’t need any papers to go with me t
o the lake today.”
Grace chuckled. “It sounds like Theo and Jamison spoiled you.”
“And ourselves,” Jamison said.
“Say thank you,” Grace instructed Selah.
Selah grinned at us. “Thanks, guys. Let’s do it again soon!”
“Now get cleaned up and dressed.” Grace glanced at her watch. “My shift starts in a half hour.”
I couldn’t help asking, “If you’re working tonight, how will Selah get her dinner?”
Grace explained, “The chefs allow Selah to eat in the kitchen. And she helps out by sweeping the floor.”
Jamison beat me to it. “Can Selah have dinner with us tonight?”
“I can’t impose on you again.”
“It’s not an imposition. We need to eat dinner.” I smiled. “And we’d like Selah to be our guest.”
“And Selah would like to be your guest.” Selah winked at Jamison. “We can watch what Theo eats.”
“Are you sure you don’t mind?” Grace asked us.
“Not at all.” Jamison said, “We’ll pick up Selah in front of the restaurant in a half hour?”
“It’s a date!” Selah said.
After Selah disappeared inside her apartment, Grace said, “I really appreciate this.”
“No appreciation is necessary,” I replied.
Grace ran a hand through her thin hair. “At the lake, did Selah mention her uncle?”
I nodded. “I can tell how much she loved him.”
“When did he pass away?” Jamison asked.
“Last year.” Grace sighed.
I rested a hand on hers. “I’m sure your church has been a help to you.”
“When we can make it. I’ve been so busy lately.”
Jamison held up his watch. “We’d better get ready for our date with Selah.”
“Thank you again!”
Jamison and I hightailed it back to our log cabin, washed and dressed quickly in dress shirts and slacks, and met up with Grace and Selah on the stone steps of the restaurant. Selah looked adorable in a raspberry dress. Grace reminded the girl to use her best manners at dinner. Then she thanked us, hurried toward the employees’ entrance, and disappeared. Again, Selah stood between Jamison and me, taking our hands. “I’ll show you the best place to sit.”
Once we were seated under a wood beam next to a glass wall, I enjoyed our view of the sun covering the mountains and lake with a veil of gold.
Selah said, “This table is named after me.”
“Table Selah.” I grinned. “It has a nice ring to it.”
Selah and Jamison agreed.
A short middle-aged woman introduced herself. “I’m Roberta. I’ll be your server this evening.”
Selah whispered to her, “Treat them right. They own the place.”
“Jamison Radames and Theo Stratis.”
Roberta smiled. “Thanks for the raise.”
“Thanks for your years of service,” Jamison said.
After Roberta gave us our menus, my mouth watered at the list of starter items. As I was about to order the gnocchi alfredo, Selah ordered a salad for each of us. For his entrée, Jamison selected chicken valentine. True to my heritage, I ordered chicken souvlaki. After Selah shot me a cautioning glance, I changed it to match hers: cedar-plank salmon.
Throughout dinner, Selah told us about her love for math, reading, science, history, soccer, music, and art. I’d never met a kid so well-rounded. At eight years old, her vocabulary was far more extensive than two recent US presidents’. When it was time for dessert, Jamison asked Roberta for the tiramisu. Before I could join him, Selah ordered banana frozen yogurt for both of us.
As we ate our desserts, Selah said, “Mom named me after my great-grandmother. She’s in heaven too. Who are you guys named after?”
Jamison replied, “My parents were pediatricians.”
She looked at him quizzically.
“That’s a doctor for kids,” I explained.
Continuing, Jamison said, “My folks named me after the doctor who delivered me.”
“How about you?” Selah asked me.
“I was named after my grandfather. We call him Papou.”
Selah leaned into me. “You’re lucky they didn’t name you Papou.”
Jamison and I couldn’t stifle our giggles.
Next, Selah asked us, “Where do you guys live… for real?”
Jamison replied, “In New York.”
She nodded. “My uncle took me to New York City once. I’m going to live in a tall building there when I’m older.”
I explained, “Our friend left us his house in Garrison, Upstate New York.”
“Your friend left you a lot of stuff.”
“He sure did,” I replied.
“What’s your house like?” she asked.
Jamison replied, “It’s a four-bedroom home.”
She cocked her head. “What’s in the other three bedrooms?”
“Sometimes my niece and nephew visit from Massachusetts,” Jamison said.
“We use the other room as an office,” I added.
“When the adoption comes through, one of the bedrooms will be the nursery for the baby,” Jamison explained.
“Like the resort, our house has a swimming pool facing a lake with mountains in the distance.” I suddenly cringed from brain freeze.
Selah shook her head at me. “Don’t put so much in your mouth at one time.”
“I’ll try to remember that.”
Selah asked, “Is your house like your cabin here?”
“Pretty similar on the outside,” Jamison replied.
“Can I visit you there?”
“We’ll have to ask your mother,” I replied.
“She’ll say okay.” Selah said matter-of-factly, “My mother gets tired a lot.”
Jamison replied, “Your mom works hard.”
“Do you help her around the apartment?” I asked.
Selah nodded. “I clean my room and make snacks.”
“That’s good.”
“Do you want me to cook for you guys sometime?”
I snickered. “I think the resort has that covered.”
“I won an eating contest here,” Selah said. “I ate three pieces of blueberry pie.” Turning to me, she added, “I’ll let you know if there’s another contest.”
Since we had finished our desserts, I said, “It’s time to get you back to your mother.”
“Can we go for a walk first?” Selah glanced at me. “To walk off dinner.”
After strolling around the lake with Selah between us, we landed back at the restaurant. Selah entered through the employees’ door. A few moments later, she reappeared with Grace, who asked us, “How was dinner?”
Jamison and I applauded her. “Wonderful!”
Grace beamed.
Selah added, “You did a great job cutting the veggies, Mom.”
“Millie missed you in the kitchen.”
“Tell her I had to watch Theo. He got brain freeze from eating his frozen yogurt too fast.”
Grace giggled. Then turning to us, she said, “Thank you again.”
“Theo and Jamison said I can visit them at their house in New York if it’s okay with you.”
Grace sighed. “We’ll have to talk about that.” She put an arm around her daughter. “For now, let’s get you back to the apartment.”
“Thanks for dinner, guys. See you soon!”
We returned Selah’s wave. As we walked back to our log cabin, Jamison said, “Selah is a captivating little girl.”
“Agreed. And Grace has taken care of Selah pretty much on her own—while working at the restaurant.” I smiled. “Asher and Phoenix have assembled a terrific staff.”
“No arguments here.”
We walked on in silence.
Jamison asked me, “What are you thinking about?”
“Asher’s story about Armando Caro.”
“I’m glad Asher felt comfortable enough to confide in us.”
“I think there was more to it than that.”
“What do you mean?”
“When I was alone with Asher, he mentioned still thinking about Armando. Now more than ever.”
“Okay.”
“He knows we reconnected Nolan and Giorgio.”
Jamison gasped. “You think Asher told us that story to get us to find Armando for him?”
“Consciously no. Subconsciously yes.”
“I thought you were an accountant, not a psychologist.”
“I took a few psychology courses in college.”
“So did I. That doesn’t make me a psychologist.”
When we arrived at our log cabin, we made our way inside to the bedroom’s walk-in closet. As we undressed, I said, “You don’t need to be a psychologist to see Asher is hurting, lonely, and still broken up about his past.”
“Then he should see a professional.”
“He probably has. But not the right kind of professional.”
“You think Asher should hire a private investigator to find Armando Caro?”
“No.” I grinned. “He has us.”
Jamison sighed. “We’re resort owners now, remember?”
“And part of our duties should be to ensure our staff members are happy and healthy.”
“Which is why we gave all the employees a raise and a better benefits package.”
I followed Jamison into the bathroom. “Asher needs more than money and benefits. Until he confronts Armando and finds out what happened in the Navy, he’ll be miserable, always wondering about the man he loved with all his heart.”
“Armando snitched on Asher.”
“According to the Naval officer who interrogated Asher.”
Jamison ran the water in the hot tub. “My muscles are sore from our workout today.”
“I know you’re changing the subject.”
He grinned. “Pretty ingenious on my part, don’t you think?”
“Actually, it’s pretty sneaky.” I sat on one of the white marble steps leading to the tub. “What if something like that had happened between us?”
“It wouldn’t.”
“But if it did, wouldn’t you want your friends to help you find me and learn the truth?”
He kissed the top of my head. “The truth is you are a hopeless romantic.”
“Who is concerned our new friend is a broken man because of a relationship which lasted eight years and still haunts him today—now more than ever!”