were saying, but she recognized Liamâs voice â followed by Hank and Delâs.
Bethany shook her head. How miserable it would be to have to stay with someone like that! Why couldnât the guy just enjoy his trip?
She turned at the slap of the screen door behind her and saw Malia standing there with a sleepy but startled look.
âWhat is going on over there?â
âI donât know,â Bethany answered with a frown as she quickly finished her stretching and stood up. She smiled wryly at her friend. âI just keep telling myself âGod works in all things.â â
Malia nodded thoughtfully. âRemember when we first met Jenna? We didnât know her story. I wasnât so sure how that was going to work out âbut God was.â
âThatâs so weird that you said that; when we first got here, I thought of Jenna and everything that happened with her! I couldnât see how great she was because of how she acted with her mom.â
Malia grinned. âTwo peas . . .â
âOne pod.â Bethany finished, with a grin of her own. âNow, hurry and stretch so we can go get some breakfast!â
Breakfast was laid out for them buffet style in the dining room. Bethany and Malia stood next to each other and surveyed their choices: eggs, sausage, bacon, fruit, bread, and yogurt.
âI canât make up my mind,â Malia said. âEverything looks so good.â
âYeah,â Bethany nodded. âMaybe we should just go with the fruit and yogurt this morning, so we donât bog down when weâre surfing.â
Tim came up behind the girls, his plate filled to the brim with eggs, bacon, and sausage.
âHello, clogged arteries,â he joked as he piled on the toast and butter. Bethany turned up her nose at him.
âI used to eat just like you, Tim,â their dad said, looking up from the coffee cart. âIf I tried to do that now I would weigh half a ton.â
âDonât worry, Dad, Iâll make up for you!â Tim said as everyone laughed.
The family gathered together at a table and, as was their habit, bowed their heads and blessed their food. When they lifted their heads, Bethany saw Liam and his cousins had entered the dining room just in time to view them praying. Liam rolled his eyes to his cousin as if to say, âCheck out this goofy bunch.â
Bethany felt Maliaâs hand on her arm and knew without Malia saying anything that she was telling her to remember their conversation back at the fale.
Even though Bethany wanted to say something, she was trying hard to keep her temper in check and remember the good that had come of what had been an uncomfortable situation with Jenna.
God, you are going to have to help me with this, she prayed silently.
âBoat leaves in ten minutes!â Clint said. The girls watched Liam and his cousins scramble for food as the Hamilton clan left to get their boards.
Within minutes, the boat dock was crowded with surfers and surfboards.
Liam strolled by the girls slowly, purposely eyeing Maliaâs surfboard. Unlike the boards of many sponsored surfers, it was clean of all logos but that of its makers.
âHow much did you have to pay for that?â he asked condescendingly. He acted as if Bethany wasnât there at all.
âI donât know,â Malia shrugged. âIt was a birthday gift.â
âI get mine free,â Liam said. âAs many as I want. If I break one, I just call my sponsor and get another.â
Bethany noticed the word sponsor was emphasized. She rolled her eyes.
âThatâs nice,â Malia said, glancing at Bethany. âBethanyâs sponsored too.â
âOnly because she was made famous by a shark,â Liam said with a nasty smile.
Okay, thatâs it, Bethany thought, gritting her teeth. Iâm going to . . .
âShe was sponsored before that!â Malia shot back.
âLoad âem up,â came
Learning to Kill: Stories