Notes: Thanks to SuperSammy for getting carried away and finishing :-). And to Mari for her fabulous part one and gift idea. All for one, ladies!
Readers and REAL McRollers - Thank you for your amazing support. It is always appreciated!
Hope you enjoy!
Seventeen: Part 2 (A McRoll in the REAL World Story by Sammy and Ilna)
After parting company with Danny, Gabby, and Angie at the airfield, Steve, Catherine, and Grace headed to Kamekona and Esther's trucks for lunch.
"I was a little worried it was going to feel like my stomach was dropping the whole time," Grace told Kamekona and Esther as the two sat at one of the tables with them to hear about the morning's sky-diving adventure. "You know, like when you're on a roller coaster? But it totally wasn't like that at all. And it's weird, you'd think that because you're falling so fast, everything would be a blur, but it's the opposite. It's like everything comes into focus even more. Everything just looked amazing and beautiful from that high up."
"I think the same thing when I'm flying over the island," Kamekona said with a knowing smile.
Esther looked at Grace in wonder. "I still can't believe you did it. I'd be terrified. It took me months to even go up in the helicopter with Kamekona and I kept my eyes closed almost the whole time!"
"I can't say I wasn't nervous, 'cause I was, but mostly I was just so excited and I knew I'd be fine because Uncle Steve and Auntie Cath would be right there with me."
"You did great, Gracie," Steve said, giving her arm a squeeze.
"And I have the video to prove it," Catherine added.
She beamed. "I can't wait to go again."
"Maybe give it a week to let your dad's heart rate return to normal," Steve joked.
She chuckled, then her expression softened. "You know, I thought it would take a lot more convincing for him to agree to let me jump. I had a whole presentation ready with statistics and everything …"
"That's my girl," Catherine said with a smile, swiping a forkful of shrimp and rice off her niece's plate.
"But I didn't even need it," Grace continued after flashing her a quick grin. She looked at Steve. "I mean, he didn't say 'yes' immediately or anything, of course, but when I told him that it was something I really wanted to do and that you had a friend with one of the most highly rated skydiving companies in Hawaii and that you wouldn't even agree unless I was tandem-jumping with you … he grumbled and everything because he's Danno, but he said he'd think about it. And then he said 'yes,' like, the next day!"
Steve smiled at her exuberance, even as his mind flashed to the phone call he'd received and the solid two minute rant from his partner. He'd expected the rant after Grace had asked him about skydiving for her birthday adventure, but he, too, had been surprised that it hadn't taken weeks of convincing to secure Danny's agreement.
"He knew it was important to you," he said. "And if something's that important to you, he's going to try to make it happen."
"And he trusts you," Grace returned, her expression serious. "He might joke about you loving dangerous activities, but he knows you wouldn't take me to do something unless it was as safe as you could possibly make it."
Steve nodded. "That's absolutely one hundred percent true."
Catherine smiled at the exchange.
"Well, I'm still impressed," Esther said. "And I think this calls for a special dessert." She stood up. "Be right back."
"I hope you saved room," Kamekona said with a grin as his wife hurried toward the cupcake truck. "We got some input from the island's top cupcake baker for this."
Grace's eyes lit up. "Kaitlyn?"
Kamekona grinned. "The one and only."
Esther returned a moment later with a small tray of cupcakes. The one in the middle had a candle stuck in the pink frosting behind the large strawberry on top.
"Ohhhh," Grace said, a dreamy expression on her face. "Strawberry! My favorite."
Esther nodded. "With cream cheese frosting. Kaitlyn's idea."
"She's the best," Grace said. "Thank you for making them. This is an awesome birthday surprise."
"You're very welcome," Esther said. "We're honored you wanted to have lunch here during your birthday adventure."
Grace smiled warmly at Kamekona and Esther. "Well, I wanted the best shrimp plate on the island. Where else would I go?"
Kamekona grinned. "Couldn't have said it better myself."
"This is still my favorite spa," Grace said after they checked in with the receptionist. "Ever since we got our nails done here for my birthday when I was twelve. Do you remember?"
Catherine smiled. "Of course."
"We had gotten manicures together before but that was the first time here."
Catherine nodded. "I didn't find this place right away when I first moved to the island." She smiled, nudging her niece. "And now I have a lot of great memories here. Most of them with you."
Grace smiled brightly at that. "I remember feeling so grown up whenever we came here together." She looked toward the wall containing an array of nail polish colors and her smile widened. "Remember how when I was younger I always wanted us to get matching colors?"
Catherine couldn't hide a small look of disappointment. "Was that just when you were younger?"
Grace grinned. "No. But I was afraid you might think I was getting too old for the matching thing."
Catherine squeezed her niece's hand. "Never." Her mind went back to their first birthday spa experience together. She stepped over to the color wall and made her choice. "Red?" she asked, dangling the bottle of the same color they'd chosen all those years before between two fingers and giving it a little wiggle.
Grace smiled broadly. "Red."
"Are you ready for dessert?" Catherine asked as Grace finished off her last bite of ribs.
"I can't believe you got Chef Chai to cater us a whole meal right here on the deck," the teenager bubbled. "This is so awesome." She fingered the linen tablecloth and fine china. "It's like all the best parts of eating in a restaurant except you don't have to be nervous about dropping your fork."
Steve chuckled and looked at Cammie who was sitting a few feet away from the table hoping for just such an occurrence. "That was all your aunt's doing. She arranged dinner."
"I worked with Chef Chai on the governor's initiative to help local growers and I happened to mention to him that you had a birthday coming up and he was more than happy to help me arrange this," Catherine said. "Eating in his restaurant is great but it's usually very crowded so I thought doing it here on the deck might be a little more special."
"You were right." Grace beamed. "It is. But would it be okay if we have dessert a little later? I'm stuffed."
"It would absolutely be okay," Catherine replied with a grin. "In fact, my stomach thanks you because I'm stuffed, too."
"I guess that means it's time for presents," Steve said as he retrieved two neatly wrapped boxes from the counter behind him.
Grace's eyes sparkled. "Two? Danno is going to say you're spoiling me."
Steve smiled. "Considering that Angie will probably mysteriously return home with more toys than she left with he has no room to talk."
"This one first," he said as he handed her the larger of the two packages.
Grace tore off the paper and carefully lifted the lid to reveal a digital photo frame. Engraved across the top were the words Our Birthday Adventures. Grace's hand fluttered to her mouth. "This is amazing." She scrolled to the first picture. "Look how young I was the first time. Twelve. Can you believe it?" She moved through pictures from that first year. The hike to the petroglyphs, mini-golf, ice cream at Farrell's. "We had so much fun." The final picture from that year was of the thank you note she's written. "Dear Uncle Steve and Aunty Catherine, Thank you sooo much for the best twelfth birthday anyone ever had. You are the best, best, best aunt and uncle in the world and I love you! Love and kisses. Xoxoxoxo Gracie."
As he and Catherine watched Grace move on to pictures from her thirteenth birthday, excitedly reliving the each memory, Steve's mind was still on the thank you note. 'Love and kisses xoxoxoxo, Gracie.'
He remembered it like it was yesterday.
He smiled as he thought how she still loved it that he called her that when a lot of girls her age might think it sounded babyish and unsophisticated and would have asked him to stop. But not Gracie. It was something special between them that he treasured and hoped she never wanted to give up.
When they were putting the photo frame together he'd mentioned that to Catherine who had immediately suggested a second gift. The one that was waiting in the second box.
As she finished up with the pictures of her skydive that Catherine had added just that afternoon there were tears in Grace's eyes. "You guys are the best. We've had so much fun over the years."
"With many more years to come." Steve smiled softly and pushed the second box across the table.
"Ooooh," Grace said as she unwrapped what was clearly a jewelry box and opened the lid. Nestled against the black velvet inside was a gold necklace that held a pendant that read, 'Gracie' in cursive. "It's perfect!" She jumped out of her seat and hugged first Catherine, then Steve. "I love it." She held it out towards her uncle. "Will you help me put it on?"
"Of course." Steve secured the clasp and Grace returned to her seat still running her fingers along the letters.
"I love this so much." Grace's smile was bright enough to light up the entire deck. "Every year I think we've had the best birthday ever but somehow you find a way to top it when my next birthday comes."
Steve and Catherine returned her smile just as brightly.
Grace's face turned more serious. "I just want to say … you've given me a lot of beautiful gifts and adventures over the years, but my favorite is you being my uncle and aunt." Tears sprung to Catherine's eyes and Grace reached for one of each of their hands. Her grin grew even wider. "And giving me a cousin and now pretty soon another one. I totally promise we'll do whatever she thinks is fun and cool for her birthdays even though she's going to have birthday adventure with Danno … that was my idea you know." Her eyes danced mischievously.
Steve and Catherine clasped hands and smiled. "We know."
"And I know that Angie and whoever my new cousin is will love every second of their birthday adventures, just like I love every second of mine."
Hope you enjoyed!
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