Heart Matters (22 page)

Steven slammed the phone cursing vehemently.
Then he remembered Niki and called her. To his annoyance, some
incompetent help on the other side put him through to Shari. Her
lilting voice came back delighted. “Steve! What a surprise!”

He gritted his teeth then managed politely.
“How are you Shari? Er…I was looking for Niki. Do you happen to
know if she’s around?”

A sigh of regret reached his ears. “What a
let-down you are! Since it’s Niki you’re looking for, I’m sorry.
She isn’t in town. She took off with Sean and Jessica for
Hawaii…”

“Hawaii?!”

“Yes, she said she’d be at your place out
there.”

“Thanks, Shari, I have to hang up.” Steven
hung up despite her protests. He felt a surge of relief wash over
him. Jessica had not left him.

Later that day, he entered his office and
had his secretary cancel all his appointments. He told Burt
Connors, his vice-president to take over for a few days before
asking his secretary to get his private jet ready for Hawaii. He
hated being extravagant but this just couldn’t wait.

“Sir,” his secretary called out entering his
office with a large envelope. She placed it on his table. “This
came for you yesterday. It’s marked Private and Confidential so I
didn’t open it.”

Steven nodded absently, collecting papers
and shoving them in his laptop bag. “I’ll check it later, thanks
Susan.” He placed the envelope with the other papers and rose to
leave. He ran a tight schedule and he could easily catch up with
some paper work during the flight.

The magic of Maui, the second largest of the
Hawaiian Islands, was something that even the staunchest of
pessimists could not resist. Jessica in comparison was small fry.
The turquoise waters, the golden stretch of sand, the emerald palms
and the exotic flowers enthralled her. She had somehow never
visited these islands and their beauty now held her spellbound.

At the Kahului airport, a chauffeur-driven
road ranger awaited them to transport them to the Hart villa. The
travel was around three hours long and Jessica relaxed against the
comfortable seat to enjoy the ride. They took the highway 360 that
was known for the spectacular display of natural beauty. The rains
that fell on Haleakala, the island’s volcanic crater, cascaded down
the road covering it on either side with thick, jungle-like
vegetation. The highway twisted tortuously in and out of gorges,
past innumerable waterfalls, and over more than fifty tiny one-lane
bridges. Sean informed the cousins that the route was ablaze with
color all the year round, displaying orchids, rainbow eucalyptus
and African tulip trees with their orange blossom. Since they were
in no hurry, they stopped at rest houses at periodic intervals,
marveling at the stunning beauty of the island.

The Hart villa lay just beyond Hana, one of
the isolated towns on Maui. White-washed and a single storey high,
its front lawn boasted of an enchanting tropical landscape while at
the back, a swimming pool glittered happily. Beyond it, the grounds
stretched to disappear into tall, swaying coconut trees that rose
out of the sands and ended at a crescent shaped beach.

A uniformed butler opened the door for them
and Jessica was amazed to find a staff of six awaiting them. All
were locals and dressed informally. One housekeeper, cook, butler,
gardener and two parlor maids welcomed them with polite courtesy.
The house certainly needed looking after, Jessica decided, after
she entered it. On the outside, it had not appeared to be as
sprawling as it was from the inside. The structural design of the
villa was a semi-circle that ran equally from one end to the other.
Sean informed her that it housed besides a large lounge, a
dining-room and a kitchen; a study with a well-stocked library,
computer and internet access, an entertainment room complete with a
home theatre system and a dance floor on the ground level and
around ten rooms on the first level. Upon entering, the main
hallway held two staircases, one on the left and one on the right.
In the center, one door opened into the lounge. Beyond the lounge,
lay the dance floor. In the hallway, two other doors led to the
kitchen, dining-room, study and the entertainment room.

“Wow, if it isn’t The Great Gatsby’s joint!”
Jessica mumbled but Sean caught the remark and laughed.

“A bit excessive isn’t it?” he asked,
smiling without offence, “Actually Steve made this years back when
he made his first couple of millions. It was as if he really wanted
to do a Great Gatsby for his ex.”

Jessica winced at his words and wondered if
all men who were dumped as driven to make a point as Steven. She
was glad when the butler came to show to the master bedroom on the
first level, where she was obviously expected to stay for the
visit. It made her realize that she was Mrs. Steven Hart and the
official mistress of all the houses that he owned. Everyone chose
to show her that respect and it somehow warmed her heart.

One of the maids, Doris arranged her clothes
in the closet and showed her the general workings of the bathroom.
When she left, Jessica took her own time to admire the huge
bedroom. It held simple furniture with a large four-poster bed in
the middle, a dressing table and a seating arrangement complete
with cozy, cane chairs and a tea table. The bed sheets and cushion
covers had a light, floral pattern keeping in tune with the color
found on the island. It wasn’t Steven’s style but she guessed he
didn’t come here enough to care.

The room held large, French windows
decorated with sheer, white lace curtains that flitted here and
there as the tropical wind blew under them. The windows opened onto
a balcony that connected all the rooms on both the sides of the
villa. It overlooked the back portion of the house, giving a
breathtaking view of the swimming pool, the coconut trees and the
glittering ocean that lay beyond them. The balcony also had several
staircases that led directly into the backyard so that any guest
could access the beach at any hour.

It was late in the evening and Jessica
decided on a quick shower to wash off the journey’s exhaustion. She
opened the wardrobe for a change of clothing but the sight of
Steven’s clothes caught her off guard. She simply stood staring at
the informal clothes imagining them adorning his perfect form. She
had always seen him in business suits and dinner jackets and now
she longed to see him in a casual pair of cotton jeans. You can
keep longing all you want to, she told herself wistfully, this is
Hawaii and he was far, far away.

***

Jessica awoke early the next day, pleasantly
disturbed by the morning calls of the island birds. She washed up
quickly and slipped into a leaf green bikini over which she wore a
pair of cotton shorts and a red tee shirt. She chose beach sandals
for her feet and drew her hair back in a bobbing ponytail. Finally,
she draped a towel over her shoulder and headed for the beach
through the French windows.

Tropical birds screeched their welcome as
she passed under the gracefully, swaying coconut trees making her
smile happily. The unscheduled holiday was turning out to be a
blissful decision. For the first time in months, she was actually
feeling free of tormenting thoughts that usually besieged her every
living moment.

The beach was the most welcoming sight she
had ever seen. The turquoise waters glittered under the bright sun
and she shed her clothes to dive into their lukewarm depths. She
was a good swimmer and spent a good hour swimming before she came
out. The clear waters had fascinated her and she wondered if she
could go snorkeling sometime. She decided to enquire with Sean and
headed back to the villa toweling herself dry.

Keon, the butler, informed her that
breakfast was served on the terrace outside the dining room. She
found Niki and Sean smooching wantonly at the breakfast table and
politely cleared her throat. They broke apart to grin at her.

“Looks like you’ve had a good time,” Sean
remarked, pouring a cup of coffee for himself. “Care for some?”

“No, thanks, I’ll have some juice” Jessica
replied sliding into a comfortable cane chair. “I’ve been swimming
while you lazy people have been snoozing. This place is
Paradise
!”

“That you can bet,” Sean agreed, handing her
a cool tropical drink, “I get inspired when I’m here. I’ve done a
lot of paintings at the beach out there and yet every time I’m
here, I see it with new eyes.”

Jessica nodded, brushing aside her damp
hair. “I liked the one at Steven’s place.” Niki and Sean exchanged
a quick glance and she colored, “I..mean at home.” The penthouse
had never felt like home to her but she wasn’t about to let her
friends know that. She smiled brightly reaching out for a piece of
juicy pineapple. “So, what’s the itinerary? And Niki, why are you
so quiet today?”

Niki gave her a tired look. “Jet lag…”

“And what not,” Jessica teased throwing a
meaningful look at the couple, “Look, you two, don’t feel
uncomfortable around me. I know you’re in love, all right?” She was
aware they were sharing a single room but were being unreasonably
shy around her. “So tell me, what’s next?”

Sean chalked out a quick tour of the
sightseeing spots that were closest to the villa. They piled into
Steven’s land cruiser that he had ready in the villa’s garage and
drove out first to the eastern end of the Haleakala National Park.
The area was covered with heavy jungle growth and spectacular
waterfalls that drew loud gasps from Niki and Jessica alike. They
went further to the Oheo Gulch in the National Park where there
were many fresh water pools. It was also a popular spot for
tourists to enjoy a swim but they chose not to join in this
time.

The day passed by quickly with lunch at the
‘Mama’s Fish House’, an authentic Hawaiian food joint close to the
town of Pa’ia. They returned to the villa by late afternoon.
Jessica chose to retire to her room for a short nap that was
brought on by the drugging effect of the island’s heat.

When she awoke an hour later, she declined
to join Niki and Sean for an evening out despite their insistence.
She had noticed the longing looks Sean was giving his fiancé and
was aware that he was still very conscious of her presence around
them. They deserved to be alone to enjoy themselves.

They left close to six in the evening,
promising to return early. It was still daylight and Jessica
compelled by the fresh breeze from the beach headed towards it for
a leisurely walk and the sight of a tropical sunset. Just in case
she felt like a swim, she wore her bikini under the sarong around
her waist. She went bare feet wanting to feel the golden sand
underneath. The path was smooth and there was hardly any chance of
developing blisters.

A riot of hues was beginning to adorn the
glowing evening sky stunning her with its beauty. She untied her
sarong and dove into the welcoming waters. She swam about lazily
enjoying her solitude. Since the beach was private, she had no fear
of intrusion and felt as though the entire world belonged to
her.

Unintentionally, Steven’s face floated
before her eyes and she came back to earth with a thud. She wasn’t
sure why she was unable to shut him out of her thoughts. He somehow
managed to appear when she was least expecting; his handsome face
torturing her with a mocking smile. The exhilaration she had felt
abandoned her and she came out of the water feeling sober. She used
the sarong to wipe herself before tying it once again around her
waist.

Disturbed, she decided to walk the length of
the crescent beach and shove Steven’s thoughts away. She hugged her
bare shoulders close, not quite noticing the change in the breeze
from the sea. It had cooled rapidly with a strong wind beginning to
blow.

Jessica walked lost deep in thoughts. She
had no idea how she would ask Steven for the divorce or how he
would react. His accusing, fathomless blue eyes followed her and
memories of their disastrous wedding night came back to haunt her.
It had all been her fault. She had called out Adam’s name not
because she desired him but out of fear. How could she ever explain
this to Steven? He would never believe her. Who would believe that
a date rape that had happened almost a decade ago still played back
in her mind? Who would believe that despite her love for Adam, she
had not slept with him?

She stumbled suddenly a jab of pain running
up her left leg causing it to huddle underneath. It sent her
splashing on the edge of the water where she had been walking. She
sat up spluttering and reached out to her injured leg. She noticed
then that it had grown dark so rapidly that she could hardly see
her leg. She looked up at the sky and found it covered with thick,
black clouds. Good lord! Was this what they called a tropical
storm?

Her cold and clammy fingers fumbled as they
searched her leg for the injury. They traced it to the bottom of
her foot that seemed to be oozing blood. With a pang of regret she
realized she had ventured into the rocky area she had seen as off
limits in the morning. She had been so deep in thoughts that she
had failed to see the warning sign. She winced with pain, digging
her teeth in her lower lip to stop from crying out. Slowly and
tenderly she stood up, balancing only on one leg. The injured one
was folded behind in reflex to keep it out of the large waves
hitting against her.

She knew she had to get back to the villa
before the storm hit so she tentatively tried putting her injured
foot down. Stabs of pain immediately rose in protest and she had a
wild time regaining her balance on her one good foot. A sudden
light from a torch shone directly at her nearly blinding her. Her
eyes shut in retaliation while her arms remained spread out for
added balance. “Who is it?” she cried out over the sound of the
waves.