The Greatest of These by Greg Wendleton (booksvooks txt) 📕

the plane landed at LAX, which ship would be the chosen vessel. Based on his direction from the UN, he was fully aware of the desired destination. To simplify the messaging Chad had coded each ship with one of three words based on 1 Corinthians 13:13. Faith, Hope and Love.

Chad crawled silently into the king-sized bed in their one-bedroom cottage and snuggled tightly against his beloved wife’s back and wrapped his right arm over her right shoulder and kissed her gently. She stirred and whispered, “Do you have your plan in motion Mr. Bond?”

“Oh, I do Ms. Moneypenny, oh, I certainly do.”

CHAPTER NINE

At first light Jamie and Chad untangled themselves from the twisted sheets and Jamie slipped away into the bathroom and turned on the shower. Determined to look her best on this most special of days, she stepped into the steaming spray of water and felt the invigorating warmth seep deep into her muscles. She just knew that they would find a home on Maui to call their very own.

While Jamie showered, Chad made a fresh pot of coffee in their kitchen and then sat down at his laptop computer. After he took his first sip of caffeine, he stared at the three routes that he had confirmed the previous night. It was almost noon in Chicago and the cargo was being loaded on the jet at the freight terminal within the O’Hare airport complex. It was time to finalize his action plan so that the crews in Los Angeles would know which ship to take the real cargo to and which harbor it would be headed to. Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe wasn’t going to cut it. This was a decision based upon logical thinking.

The choice the logistical expert arrived at was the Port of Laem Chabang in Thailand. A long-time friend to the United States and centrally located for Southeast Asia. Product could be moved throughout the region easily and provide protection to fifty million people in this mixture of dense urban areas and vast, rural, underserved sections of the region.

With the destination finalized he texted “The Greatest of These is LOVE” to the necessary entities. Chad sighed deeply and finished his coffee. Feeling the fresh buzz, he walked to the bathroom and stepped into the shower that Jamie was just getting ready to step out of.

“Leaving so soon?” whispered Chad.

“Only because we have an appointment at 10:00am in Lahaina” Jamie playfully whispered back.

Chad shrugged his shoulders, then said “Oh, I forgot about that detail.”

“Like hell you did Mr. Wilhite! I’ll be ready to leave in thirty minutes. Mark my words buster.”

And she was.

The route to Lahaina was fairly straight forward, Highway 36 to Highway 30, that should take them about forty-five minutes. It was about thirty miles to traverse the island and then hug the coastline of the western shore. It could be a tricky drive though and it was wise to pay attention to the road and the other drivers. Fortunately, they arrived a little before the scheduled appointment and found a busy cluster of activity for a Monday morning.

A quick check in with his team confirmed that everything was progressing on schedule at O’Hare International’s freight terminals. The FedEx jet was being loaded and would be ready for departure by 3:00pm Central Standard Time. That would have the cargo jet arriving in Los Angeles at about 4:00pm Pacific Standard Time, two o’clock this afternoon in Hawaii. If the schedule worked as planned the cargo would arrive at the Port of Los Angeles after sunset and the loading would take place under the cloak of darkness. Another aid in disguising the true ship and ultimate destination. He would check-in with his team this afternoon to track the progress of this massive undertaking.

Chad and Jamie walked through the door of the Paradise Realty office and asked for Scott Crowley. Moments later, a cheerful, bespectacled man in his late fifties appeared from a corner office. “Welcome to Maui and to Paradise Realty. My name is Scott and it will be my pleasure to assist you in your home search.”

“Hi, we’re the Wilhites. I’m Chad and this is my bride, Jamie. It’s good to meet you.”

“Well, come on into my office and let’s chat about what you are looking for. Can I offer you something to drink? We have water, tea, coffee, Coke and Diet Coke.”

Chad looked at Jamie and she responded, “I’d love a Coke, if it’s not too much trouble.”

“I’ll have the same, thanks.”

“No trouble at all. Have a seat right here and I’ll be back in a flash with those Cokes.”

No sooner had they taken their seats than, true to his word, Scott was back with two cold Cokes. He set them down on napkins and offered glasses. Not needing them, they started small talk and then more pointedly about their wish list and budget. Desiring at least two bedrooms, a pool, and a view of the ocean with a maximum budget of $1.5 million dollars, Scott had his marching orders. Within a matter of minutes, he had printed out about a dozen listings. He could set up appointments for today, starting right after lunch.

It was getting close to eleven but too early for lunch. So, they made plans with Scott to meet at Fleetwood’s on Front Street at 11:30am; they could start their tour at 1:00pm. Jamie and Chad decided to leave their rental car parked at the Paradise office and walk along Front Street, window shopping and whale watching in the Auau Channel. It was a clear day and Lanai was easily visible off the coast. The whales were active with males breaching the surface, showing off for the ladies. It put them in the perfect mindset for their afternoon of house hunting.

Scott arrived at 11:30, as scheduled, and they were seated quickly. Lunch was spectacular. Jamie had the House Cesar Salad, Chad the Lobster Tacos and Scott had the Ahi Poke. As they ate, they discussed the homes in