Jamaica Dreaming (Caribbean Heat) (22 page)

“Hello.”

“Is everything all right? I had to let someone in at the gate…”

Of course. She’d forgotten the security gate.

“He said someone had called for a taxi. Are you, um—” He sounded so hesitant. “You’re not leaving, are you?”

“No. Earle left.”

“Oh.” There was a pause as he waited to see if she would say something else. “But, you’re not leaving?”

“No, I’m not. I’ll see you tomorrow. Remember that trip to Dunn’s River Falls you promised me when we were in Kingston?”

“Yes, I remember. I’d never forget anything I promised you. Of course, I’ll take you.” He hesitated. “Will Earle be coming, too?”

“No. He won’t.”

When Julissa met Sebastian out by the driveway the next morning, he looked her over as covertly as he could. She looked wan and spent and the tightness of her features and the pinched look about her eyes showed she’d had a rough night. She gave him a smile but it disappeared quickly. He was dying to ask her what had happened but it wasn’t his place. Maybe she would tell him, maybe she wouldn’t, but that was her decision to make. He couldn’t try to force it out of her, but he wasn’t sure how he should act. Was Earle no longer in the picture? Had they fought over him? He did his best to put his questions out of his mind but it was hard. Too hard.

“Will you be moving out of the guesthouse later?” he asked before he could stop himself.

“Sorry?”

“I mean, to join Earle?”

Disdain flashed across her face. “No. I won’t be joining him anywhere.”

Sebastian clenched his teeth to prevent any sound from escaping.

“You might as well know, we’re finished. The engagement’s over.”

Sebastian sent a mental prayer of thanks to all the ancestors, to the angels, to God, to anyone at all who might have helped bring this development about. “I’d be lying if I said I was sorry.”

She glanced at him, her expression faintly rueful. “You know what? Me, too.”

They drove in silence after this but Sebastian found himself racked with questions. Why had she broken off an engagement that had lasted years? Was it really a serious break–up or had they just had a lover’s quarrel? They drove the rest of the way in silence. Every now and then he’d point out some notable part of the landscape to her. Julissa would look and maybe ask a question or two before lapsing back into muteness.

They arrived at Dunn’s River just minutes after the attraction opened which meant there were only a few people there. The guides didn’t try to hide their open admiration of Julissa and she responded with amusement to their banter. As they began climbing the Falls, she loosened up further, delighted by the pools and the chilly spill of gushing water. She held Sebastian’s hand tightly, laughing whenever an unexpected spray hit her face. The higher she climbed, the more she seemed to forget her worries and the guides let her do as many slides and jumps into the various river pools as she wanted. At the end, Sebastian gave each guide a huge tip. They, and the climb up the Falls, had been worth it to see the happiness on Julissa’s face.

Afterwards, they bought some jerk chicken and festival and sat at one of the tables overlooking the Falls. Julissa seemed tired but, definitely, more relaxed. When they’d finished eating, they browsed through the little craft shops where she bought a small colorful painting. She also insisted on having her picture taken with a flower–bedecked donkey, pointing out to Sebastian that she’d never been so close to one before.

They left the Falls after four.

“I have a surprise for you,” Sebastian said when they were back in the Montero.

“You do?” She looked shaky for a second before regaining control of her expression. “Not sure I like surprises.”

Sebastian grabbed her hand. “This is a nice one, I promise you.” God, her hand felt so right in his, he wanted to keep holding it forever.

Julissa gave him a long look. “All right,” she sighed. “It can’t be any worse than…” Her voice trailed off and Sebastian realized she was thinking about Earle. He wondered again what the other man had done and toyed with the idea of tracking him down to find out, but that probably wasn’t the best thought of his life. Earle had hurt Julissa and, whatever the reason, Sebastian would want to shake him and punch his face in. Julissa had been Earle’s, but Earle had fucked up and now the love of Sebastian’s life was hurting. Sebastian would have done anything to spare her the slightest pain and anything to punish the person responsible for the darkness in her eyes. He kissed her hand. She looked at him and something flashed in her eyes, a spark of desire and longing, but then it was gone and she pulled her hand away and stared pensively out of the window.

Sebastian turned off the highway and onto a road that rose into the hills. The houses in the area became scarcer and grander. Finally, he pulled up in front of an ornate black iron gate carved with a snarling dragon. He dug into his glove compartment for the remote and the gates opened with a ponderous whooshing sound.

Julissa arched her eyebrows at him and Sebastian grinned back. He had thought hard about whether he wanted to do this but, in the end, he’d decided to go ahead. Whether Julissa ended up being part of his life or not, he still wanted her to meet two more of the people he loved.

“Who lives here, Sebastian?” Julissa asked as he took the winding driveway to th
e pale yellow house she glimpsed through the trees.

“My parents.”

Julissa gasped. “Sebastian, why didn’t you tell me? Oh, my God. And I’m not even properly dressed.”

“You’ve just been to Dunn’s River Falls. You’re perfectly dressed.”

“For the Falls, maybe, but not for meeting your parents. Why didn’t you say something?” She sounded really upset.

“I didn’t want you to say no,” he admitted. “I had this planned from before you came to the island.”

He glanced at her and saw the shock on her face. Sebastian parked the car near the entrance to his house but made no move to get out.

“I told you, Julissa. I fell in love with you the minute I saw you. What’s more natural than I should want to introduce you to my parents?”

She didn’t answer, but when she turned to him she had tears in her eyes. “I don’t know if I can handle this right now, Sebastian. I feel…” She took a deep breath. “I feel so raw.”

Sebastian leaned over and wrapped his arms around her and held her close. She felt as fragile as a bird as he inhaled the scent of rain and warm earth. He would have liked to crush his lips against hers, but knew it was the wrong time. Whatever she was going through, whatever she was feeling, she had to work through it on her own and come to him. All he could do was let her know he’d be there for her when she was ready for him. The front door of his parent’s house opened and his mother came out on the top step. The smile on her face faltered as her eyes met her son’s. He gave a little shake of his head and she nodded and went back inside, her expression worried.

“If you really don’t want to, we can leave,” Sebastian said into Julissa’s hair, trying not to let it show in his voice how much this meeting would have meant. Julissa quivered against his chest. He thought she was about to cry but she kept herself under control. He wondered how much the effort cost her.

“No, I’d love to meet them,” she said, her voice muffled. “Just give me a couple minutes.” She shifted on her seat, half–turning so she could slide her arms around his waist and burrow herself further against him. Sebastian stopped breathing, paralyzed by the piercingly sweet knowledge that the woman he loved was holding him tight. His heart overflowed. He wanted to tell her he loved her.

“If there’s anything you need, anything I can do for you, you know you only have to ask,” he said, his breath stirring her hair.
Anything at all, like beating your ex to a pulp with my bare hands.
Julissa didn’t say anything and he thought she wasn’t going to respond when she said “Holding me is good for now.”

“I’ll hold you forever if that’s what you want.”

“That might get uncomfortable,” she replied with a hint of a smile in her voice.

“Never.” Julissa in his arms would never make him uncomfortable. In fact, he wouldn’t mind sitting out here in his parent’s driveway all afternoon if it made her feel better.

Neither of them said anything else for a few minutes and then Julissa heaved a deep sigh and pulled away from him.

“All right,” she said. “Ready.”

“We can still leave if you want.” He didn’t want her to feel pressured in any way.

“No, we came all this way. Plus, they’re expecting us, aren’t they?”

He nodded, his eyes searching her face. She’d looked as if she were about to cry before but now she seemed calm again, though her beautiful chocolate eyes still held deep shadows.

Sebastian swung out of the car, strode around to open her door and held his hand out to her.

“Sebastian.” From the way his mother came out to greet him from the front living room, Sebastian knew she’d been waiting there for them.

“Hello, Mumma.” He gave her a kiss and a one–armed hug, still holding on to Julissa. “Wah a gwan?” His mother hated it when he spoke in deep dialect which was precisely why Sebastian often did it around her. He grinned cheekily at her look of exasperation.

“And, you must be Julissa,” she said, turning to the woman at her son’s side. “How are you, my dear?” But, looking at her, Mrs. Chung could tell that something was wrong, very wrong. Julissa was a stunning beauty, she could see immediately why her son had fallen head over heels in love with her, but something terrible must have happened to her. The younger woman looked shell–shocked. Her brave smile did nothing to banish the pain in her eyes. Mrs. Chung gave the girl a quick embrace. “I feel as if I know you already. My son has been singing your praises for weeks now.”

“Has he?” Julissa gave Sebastian a weak smile.

He squeezed her hand. “To everyone I know.”

That was what worried Mrs. Chung. Her one and only son had never fallen so hard for a woman before, not even for Yvonne, her ex–daughter–in–law. And now, he was clearly, hopelessly, entangled with a woman who was just as clearly damaged. Mrs. Chung sighed, irritated and sad at the same time. Julissa was stunning she had to admit, but why couldn’t he have found someone uncomplicated to give his heart to? But she kept her thoughts well hidden.

“Your father is in the garden,” she said now, ushering them through the house. “We’ll have dinner there.”

They emerged onto a wide verandah whose steps led down to a stone terrace with a huge natural–looking pool into which water splashed from an artfully–arranged waterfall. Beyond a low stone wall, the Caribbean Sea glimmered faintly in the light of the setting sun.

“What a lovely view to come out to,” Julissa said, drinking it in.

Mrs. Chung smiled, gratified. “We like our views, don’t we, Sebastian? It’s almost the same vista you can see from Sunview, but the angle is different.”

“Oh.” Julissa’s eyes flew to his face. “I’m in the guesthouse so my view is of the mountains, not the sea.”

“Ah.” Mrs. Chung didn’t know what to say to that and carefully avoided looking at her son. He hadn’t told her anything about his living arrangements, but she’d assumed Julissa was staying with him in his house. Not that he’d said anything to suggest they were sleeping together. In fact, now that she thought about it, he’d been pretty circumspect in what he’d said.

She led the way down to the terrace and then along a path that led to a gazebo built to take full advantage of the view and the breezes. Her husband was waiting for them with a big smile on his face and a wineglass in his hand.

“Hello, son.” The two male Chungs gave each other a quick man–hug.

Sebastian drew Julissa forward to introduce her while Mrs. Chung went over to Thelma, their maid, to check that all the food was laid out on the cloth–covered table.

Sebastian introduced Julissa to Thelma, too, before pulling out a chair at the table for her and sitting beside her. Mrs. Chung saw that he couldn’t tear himself from the girl’s side, but she also saw how Julissa seemed to lean on him, drawing strength from his presence.

After she’d been there for about half an hour, Julissa appeared to relax, but she often lapsed into long periods of silence. Her voice would trail off and the faint light in her eyes would disappear altogether. Minutes would go by as she’d stare into the flickering light of the candle in front of her or off into the gathering darkness around them. Sebastian and his father would carry the conversation on, with the older man pretending not to notice their guest’s lapse. Mrs. Chung, was usually the more gregarious of the two, but, that evening, she took a backseat and left the conversational heavy lifting to her husband while she observed the new woman in her son’s life. For her part, Julissa would periodically shake herself out of her reverie and do her best to join in, but then she’d fall silent again.

Watching her closely, Mrs. Chung realized that the younger woman never smiled. Sometimes, though, her face lost the tension that made her look like a sad and vulnerable child and, when that happened, Mrs. Chung glimpsed the inner radiance that had, no doubt, drawn Sebastian to her. Something had happened to the woman, something recent that went beyond the car accident that Sebastian had told his mother about.