Hurricanes in Paradise (16 page)

“Sure.”

Riley was way past panicked. If she had screwed up the time or the place, she was going to fire herself. But she had put it in her phone as soon as she and Laine had decided where to meet so something like this wouldn’t happen. She stopped in the spa and checked the fitness center on her way back to The Cove, but Laine hadn’t been either place. She called Mia twice on her way there to see if she had heard from her. That was when Mia told her that Gerard had seen Laine in her bathing suit, apparently headed out to her cabana.

“Oh. Okay. I’ll go out there and see what’s going on.” Riley’s aggravation was evident in her walk. She headed straight to Cain and over to Laine’s cabana. Laine was laid out on one of the lounge chairs overlooking the ocean. Her eyes were closed when Riley arrived.

“Can I help you, Riley?”

Riley was glad Laine’s eyes were closed because then she wouldn’t see the flush of anger that had settled over Riley’s face. “I was just checking on you. I had been waiting on you at breakfast and wanted to make sure you were okay.”

Laine never opened her eyes. “I hope you’re not irritated. I changed my mind. I grabbed some breakfast and decided to come out here.”

Riley swallowed and made every effort to relax her voice. “Okay, well, that’s fine. This is why we got you the cabana, so that you could enjoy it. Anything else I can do for you this morning? Would you like me to schedule lunch for you somewhere?”

“Sure, plan on meeting me back at that restaurant for lunch. I’ll be ready to eat around noon.”

“Okay, noon it is. I will meet you there then. If you need anything else, just give me a call.” She hoped the tightness in her voice wasn’t betraying her.

“I won’t need anything else, Riley. Just lunch.” And with that she turned her black-bikini-clad body away. It was clear Riley had been dismissed.

* * *

Tamyra stared at her phone. There hadn’t been another call since the one yesterday. That had allowed her nerves to settle slightly. She had talked to her mom for a little while when she had gotten up to let her know she was okay and would be home Saturday night. Her mom’s relief was evident. She walked out onto the balcony and removed her bathing suit from the railing. She let the sun wash over her and warm her skin. Her eyes closed as she lifted her head toward it.

“I know I’ve been really mad at You.”

The warmth increased on her skin.

“But I just wanted to thank You for Winnie.”

A breeze swept over her.

She opened her eyes and blinked them at the blue sky. She was certain the sun winked.

* * *

Tamyra walked across the glass bridge as the waterfalls that flanked it welcomed her to the soothing world she was about to enter. All the elements of nature that ran throughout The Cove seemed to converge at the Mandara Spa. Winnie’s kids had given her a day of spa treatments, and she had asked Tamyra to join her. Tamyra enjoyed the company. And with the way Winnie talked so incessantly, it gave her brain little time to consume itself with her stuff.

The hostess greeted her and led her up a spiral staircase at the edge of the foyer. Winnie had already gotten to the “relaxation” part of the relaxation lounge when Tamyra arrived. She sat sprawled out on a large lounge chair, white terry cloth robe covering her body, bottled water in her right hand, head leaned back, eyes closed, and the gentle sounds of her snoring filtering through the otherwise-tranquil atmosphere.

“I think we found her,” Tamyra said to the young woman.

“Good. They’ll take you back for your massages in a few minutes. Your wraps will be after that, and then you can soak in the pool for a while, grab some lunch, and we’ll finish you off with your manicure and pedicure.”

“I can’t think of a more perfect day.”

She left Tamyra with her companion.

“Sleeping beauty,” Tamyra whispered.

Winnie snorted and rolled over, the water bottle falling from her hand and rolling underneath her chair. The commotion of it all woke her from her sleep. “Oh, my. Please tell me I wasn’t sawing logs.”

“Not quite. More like a gentle puffing.”

Winnie sat up on her chair. “I puffed?”

“Kind of puffed. Sputtered. Something like that.”

“Huh? That sounds a lot more feminine than what I imagined I did.”

“Well, I’m glad I could bring you some peace regarding your snoring habits,” Tamyra laughed. “How long have you been here?”

“A while. I wanted to make sure I could get here without Albert seeing me.”

“He seemed harmless.”

Winnie squinted at her. “He’s a man. Have you ever met a harmless man?”

Tamyra’s skin bristled but she was rescued.

“Ladies, we have your room ready,” a petite Bahamian said as she entered the lounge. “Follow me this way. You can get a robe in there if you’d like.” She pointed to the women’s locker room.

“Sure. I’ll be right behind y’all.” Tamyra slipped out of her clothes and into a robe, then moved down the hall to the door where Winnie had disappeared. Winnie was already laid out on her table, face looking down at the floor through the hole that held her head.

“We’re about to be pummeled.” Her words came out slightly muffled.

“I thought massages were supposed to be relaxing,” Tamyra said as she laid her robe on the chair beside her table and climbed underneath the sheet.

“I asked for the Swedish massage. And from what I hear, those Swedes can kill you.”

The door opened, hopefully bringing in their masseuses. “You ladies ask for Swedish massage?” Their Asian accents were evident.

“How do Asian women know how to do Swedish massages?” Winnie asked.

Tamyra laughed.

“We’ll show you.”

And show them they did. For sixty straight minutes they kneaded and rubbed, and at moments Tamyra was certain her masseuse had rearranged her muscle tissue. Winnie groaned on more than one occasion and not from pleasure. It was clear she was getting what she asked for. Tamyra couldn’t help but grimace a time or two, but by the way the lady stayed at her shoulders, it was evident that the stress of the last two months had taken up permanent residence there.

An hour and a half later both of them were slathered head to toe with mud. Tamyra turned her head to look at Winnie. Winnie must have sensed it because she turned at the same time. Tamyra burst out laughing, the mud on her face cracking all over. “You look like a raccoon.”

“I don’t know why you think I look so funny. You look the exact same way.”

“What would your kids say if they could see you now?”

“I can’t say it.” She started giggling.

That made it even funnier. “Come on, why can’t you say it?”

“Because I’ve never said a cussword in my life. I’m Baptist, remember?” she spat out through her laughter.

Tamyra was trying to hold her face still. “You’ve got to tell me.”

“I can’t. It’s horrible. Sam would die.”

That cracked Tamyra up uncontrollably. Winnie couldn’t contain herself either. “Sam’s already dead,” Tamyra announced. Laughter spewed from her gut.

Winnie let out a whoop as her hands flew up in the air, the laughter preventing her from breaking her seventy-two-year no-cussing streak. And with that, the mud that was all over each of them cracked like a seismic plate shift in the earth, making the one hundred and fifty dollars of mud they had slathered over their bodies worth every penny. Whether it had done anything for their complexions or not, it had already done wonders for their souls.

9

Monday afternoon . . .

Laine’s body was sprawled across a large, sand-colored sectional. Her head was propped up by vibrant orange and yellow pillows, giving her an unobstructed view of the pool. She was tempted to sleep out here. One of twenty cabanas that ran along the perimeter of the pool, it had everything she could need. There was an entertainment center behind her with a flat-screen television fully equipped with a DVD and CD player. There was a daybed, a beautiful bathroom, a patio dining table, and a magnificent view of the Atlantic Ocean. With the teakwood louvered doors open, she could see all the way to the end of the world.

The cabana butler had already brought a tray of fruit, a sandwich, and a glass of wine and placed them on the sea grass–woven ottoman that sat in front of her. And from her throne she was able to watch the rich try to get richer, the tan try to get more tan, and the lovers try to fall more in love. Had she only had to endure the first two, she would have enjoyed herself a little more. Her iPhone sat at her side; her assistant had already called four times this morning, and she had sent her to voice mail. Laine was surprised her assistant kept trying to call her after being ignored for two straight days.

She had avoided Riley too. After last night it was easier for her to gain back her control by being the diva she could tell Riley already assumed that she was. Laine had no intention of having lunch with her and knew it when she said she would meet her. Ate a hole in her gut too. Despite what Riley thought about her. But she couldn’t help it. The last thing she wanted was just the two of them at a lunch where she would be reminded of how completely inadequate she really was. She already knew that. She pulled one of the pillows from behind her head and threw it over her face. If she could smother herself without having to suffocate, she’d press it in and not let go.

Unfortunately that pillow over her face caused her to miss Riley heading her way. She heard Riley clear her throat.

“Yes,” she said from behind the pillow.

“I see you’ve been taken care of for lunch.”

Laine tried not to squirm beneath the pillow. But she knew if she kept her head under it, she’d look like a two-year-old trying to hide from her mother instead of like the prolific author that Riley was responsible for catering to. She moved the pillow back under her head as she fluffed it on the sides.

She looked straight at Riley. “I decided I wanted to eat out here. I needed the fresh air.”

“Laine, please don’t think because of last night you have to avoid—”

Laine cut her off. “I don’t avoid anyone.”

She could see Riley steel herself slightly. “Well, I do understand—”

“I don’t need your understanding. I simply need your assistance in gathering the information that I came here for. That’s all.” The words came out icier than even Laine knew she was capable of. She saw the change in Riley immediately.

“Okay, then, how can I take care of you for dinner?” Her words now carried an edge of their own.

“I invited Miss Winnie and her friend to dinner. We’d like to go to Café Martinique tonight.”

“Would you like me to make the reservation for just the three of you?”

Laine could sense this was what she really wanted to do. “No, I want you to join us. It’s your
job
, remember.
I’m
your job this week.”

“Well,
all
the guests are my job, Laine. But it will be my pleasure to join you. I’ll make reservations for six.”

“Yes. For
six
.” She stated it because she needed it to sound like it was her idea. She was officially a two-year-old.

“I’ll see you at dinner.”

Laine watched as Riley made her way across the walkway and through the lounge chairs of the guests. Men’s heads turned and followed her petite figure, outlined to perfection in flowing white trousers and a short-sleeved, buttoned-up black shirt with a ruffled collar. The two-inch white wedges she wore gave her legs a longer look than her height afforded her. And that black hair. The perfect curls made Laine tug at the back of her short blonde locks.

Laine pounded her hand against her head.
You’re horrible,
she chided herself.
She’s been nothing but nice and you’ve been a jerk. You are a jerk.
She mumbled the last line to herself. “She doesn’t deserve that no matter what you think of her.”

She reached over to the patio table and grabbed an apple. She bit into it with determination, hoping that wouldn’t curse her more than she already felt, because apples sure hadn’t done Eve any favors.

* * *