Chapter One
âLook at this one!â Iris squealed.
Iris Campbell and her mom were sitting at their kitchen table, looking at a scrapbook Iris had made. The sparkly, purple book was filled with pictures, drawings, and funny messages all celebrating Irisâs first experience as a flower girl. Iris had shown this book to her mother probably five hundred times.
âRemember this one?â Iris pointed to another picture.
âOf course I remember. I took that photo, silly girl.â Irisâs mom smiled.
Iris grinned too. The picture was one of her favorites. It was of her and the two other flower girls, Rosie and Starr. They were eating wedding cake, and each girl had a smear of frosting on her nose.
âYou three had so much fun together,â said Irisâs mom.
Iris, Rosie, and Starr had become very close friends at the wedding. Unfortunately,they all lived in different cities. The girls had formed a club called Flower Girl World and promised to stay in touch. Iris had made everyone Flower Girl World stationery so they could write each other letters. And two different times, Irisâs dad had set them up on a three-way video chat.
âI loved being a flower girl,â Iris said, pausing on the picture.
âI have some exciting news for you,â her mother said suddenly. She went over to the refrigerator and pulled out a plastic bag filled with something pink.
âWhatâs that?â asked Iris.
Irisâs mom opened the bag, and the kitchen was filled with a smell as sweet as wedding cake. Inside was a delicate necklace of strung flowers.
âItâs called a lei. I made it out of plumeria blossoms,â Mrs. Campbell said.
Irisâs mom knew all about flowers. She owned a floral and craft store in Philadelphia, where she made beautiful flower arrangements for her customers.
Irisâs heart skipped a beat as her mother draped the lei around Irisâs neck.
âPeople get leis when they go to Hawaii,â Iris burst out. âAre weâ¦?â
Mrs. Campbell grinned. âYes, but thatâs only part of the surprise.â
Iris jumped up and screamed.
âWhatâs going on in here?â asked Irisâs dad, rushing into the kitchen. âDid we win the lottery?â
âWeâre going to Hawaii!â Iris bounded over to hug her father and nearly knocked him to the floor.
âHold on, honey,â Mr. Campbell said, laughing. âThatâs not the whole story.â
Mrs. Campbell chimed back in. âRemember when we went to San Francisco last year to see your cousin Jay and his new girlfriend, Malia Lee?â
Iris nodded.
âTheyâre getting married,â her mother went on. âThe wedding will take place at the Lee family home on the Hawaiian island of Maui.â
Iris screamed again. âSo weâre going to a wedding! Does that meanâ¦?â
âJay and Malia asked me to make the lei for you as a special gift. They want to know if you will be their flower girl.â
Iris threw her arms in the air. âAre you kidding? Yes!â
âMalia has two younger sisters. Leilani, the older one, will be her bridesmaid. The younger one will be a flower girl with you. Her name is Hana.â
Irisâs smile grew even bigger.
âOne last part,â her mother added. âThis is a very big deal.â
âLori, I donât think Iris can handle any more excitement,â Mr. Campbell said, winking at Iris.
âDad! Stop it! Mom! Go on!â
âWeâve been asked to arrive a few days early to help set up and decorate. We will be picking flowers, creating the wedding arch, making the leis and centerpieces⦠â
âOMG!â Iris was now jumping up and down and clapping.
âHoney, the wedding is six months away. Maybe you should save some excitement for later,â said her mother.
But Iris couldnât wait. She immediately ran out of the kitchen and up the
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