At the sound of Dallis’ feet crunching over the pebble stones, Anwar spun to meet her gaze. He held his breath, trying to judge her countenance. However, when Dallis smiled at him, Anwar knew the outcome had been positive. In complete gratefulness, he looked up into the sky and blew a kiss. St. Elmo’s Valley would soon see the last of him, because he was on his way to a very affluent future.
Chapter Eight
Promptly at nine o’clock in the morning, Dana flounced down the hall toward Gregory’s office, leaving her mesmerizing scent trailing behind her. Gregory did not like being disturbed so early in the morning with what he considered trivial matters, but Dana couldn’t care less about her husband’s silly directives. Enough was enough. Time out for their little arrangement she’d had to put up with for the last three years.
How dare Gregory bring another man into their estate without informing her about it? She couldn’t sleep half of the night just thinking of how much her husband had disrespected her. It was the last straw. Dana wasted no time connecting her fist with the heavy oak door. She slammed close to a full minute before her husband stuck his head out, and peered angrily over his plastic-framed glasses. However, over the years, Dana had grown immune to Gregory’s menacing glares. She folded her arms, posturing herself in a defiant manner.
“I need to talk to you right now!” she spat in her husband’s face.
“Good morning to you, Dana,” Gregory said dryly. “It appears as if you got up on the wrong side of the bed.”
“You are so on target with your perceptions.”
“No need for the sarcasm. I will be with you shortly. I am in the middle of a very important meeting –”
Dana pushed into the door, almost hitting Gregory in his face with it. “Don’t swat me away as if I’m some annoying little fly. You owe me an explanation!”
“You did not have to embarrass yourself in such a manner,” Gregory spat beneath his breath. “As I have said to you, I am in a very important meeting.”
Gregory pulled the door open and to Dana’s amazement, there were three men sitting at a round table. Izaiah to one side, along with two representatives from the youth arm of the government. The men greeted her cordially, but it was clear by their tight smiles that they were astonished by Dana’s behavior. Right there, Dana wished the ground beneath her would open up so that she could fall in and disappear. Why did she allow her husband to pull her into this trap? Gregory knew that she was upset yesterday and that she would have approached him about the ‘mystery’ guest. Dana was too disconcerted to say anything else. She simply turned on her heel and walked away.
About half an hour later, Gregory joined Dana on the veranda. The Alsatians showed their appreciation of Gregory’s presence by jumping on their hind feet. But Gregory was too incensed with his wife’s intrusion to pay them any attention. Instead of sitting down next to Dana in one of the wicker chairs, he walked a little ways off and leaned on the wooden balustrade.
“It never ceases to amaze me the lengths you will go to upset me,” Gregory told his wife. “You act too much like a bloody fool.”
“Why don’t you say that loud enough for your precious little guests to hear,” Dana challenged. “Let them see how dreadfully you treat me.”
Gregory spun and pinned his wife with a menacing scowl. “Don’t forget that the failure in our marriage is your fault. Had you kept your legs shut from the gardener, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”
Dana stood up and closed in the space between her and Gregory. “Must you remind me of it every time we get into an argument? It’s been three years, Gregory and I’ve been suffering ever since. I make no excuse for my mistakes, but at least you could admit that you contributed to the erosion of our marriage.”
“Not on the scale you have hurt me,” Gregory said. “The fact remains, Dana, you cheated on me with a boy who was young enough to be your son.”
“And I have since repented and have reconciled with God. It is you who is still holding my sin against me. I no longer have a say in this marriage – if I could even call it that.”
They both grew silent, seeming always to reach an impasse at this point in their deliberations. Sometimes Dana believed that a divorce would have been easier to deal with than the coldness of her husband. Apart from their intimate family and friends, no one knew that they slept in separate rooms. Everyone thought that they had the perfect marriage. But they were both big on appearances, which they were more than willing to keep up in the public eye.
“Who is the young man that you brought here, Gregory? I don’t understand the secrecy.”
Gregory stared at his wife with a strong level of mistrust. “Why do you keep asking? Are you interested in putting your hand into his pants, too? You know, he’s just a few years older than the gardener was at the time.”
Dana’s expression fell at her husband’s words. Before, she would have folded up and cried. Now, she had learned how to fight Gregory at his same level. She hardened her stare and spat viciously in his face, “Rot in hell, Gregory!” She turned to leave, but decided to pause in her graceful stride to deliver some news she knew would get Gregory out of sorts. “I thought you should know, I took Asia to St. Elmo’s Valley to see Jorge…who knows, the way things are going between those two, they might be married before the month is out.”
Every hair on Gregory’s body stiffened to attention. “Now, why the devil would you go and do something like that?” he flung at his wife’s back. “If my daughter marries that sorry excuse for a man, it will be your fault! Dana! Do you hear me talking to you? It will be your fault!”
Dana allowed a smile to spread her lips, as the screen door slammed behind her. She knew her husband would not be able to sleep at all that night.
****
Later in the afternoon, Izaiah walked over to the main house, determined to have a one on one chat with Gregory about his evasiveness. Earlier he hadn’t been able to do so because of that impromptu meeting Gregory had made him attend in his office. For starters, the meeting had been too early in the morning for his taste, but nothing had prepared him for Dana’s fiery display of emotion. He was certainly surprised to see her in that light, almost as if she’d come to settle a score with Gregory.
Izaiah wondered what Dana had been so upset about. Her tone had been brutal when she’d approached Gregory. Some things were not hard to figure out. It could be that his presence at the estate was causing a stir. Usually, Izaiah could sense things like that. People’s moods and their behavior toward him. An uncomfortable feeling it was, but Izaiah had learned how to master the art of pretense. He would act as if he didn’t see or hear anything. It was clear that Gregory and his wife were having problems in their marriage, but that was none of his business.
He had come to Bliss Haven to do a job and there were some things that he needed to make clear to Gregory. For instance, he was not prepared to go through with Gregory’s request of befriending his daughter, even if it was for his own selfish reasons. Izaiah had had time to think about his decision the previous night while he lay awake on his back. Asia’s beauty was enough to make any man want to spend time with her, but he could not deceive her like that. If Gregory was impressed with his dossier, why couldn’t that be enough to give him the opportunity to prove his worth? Izaiah felt as if Gregory’s decision to test him should have been done in the interview and not in the evasive manner he’d been experiencing.
The floor plan of the home was so spacious that Izaiah almost took a turn down the wrong hall. Miss Rose spotted him, looking like a boy who’d lost his mother in a department store. Miss Rose was a short, rotund woman, but she moved with haste. Izaiah couldn’t escape her, even if he had tried.
“Boy, what you lookin’ for?” Miss Rose grinned, her huge plaits giving her a real funny appearance. “House too big for you, I see.”
Izaiah was too polite to laugh at Miss Rose. He asked in very professional tone of voice, “I am trying to locate Bishop Beaufort. Is he ar
ound?”
“He went through there.” Miss Rose pointed in the direction of the veranda. When she noticed Izaiah stalling in his stride, she prompted him with a question. “Yuh wan’ me to take yuh to him?”
“No, that’s fine. Thank you.”
“Yuh welcome, my boy.”
Miss Rose shuffled away, as Izaiah turned his attention to the veranda. Although the Alsatians were chained to the pole, Izaiah treaded carefully. The last time he had been attacked by a dog, the bastard had been tied to something, too. Because he did not want to have a repeat of that terrible experience, Izaiah left enough distance between him and the Alsatians – just in case he needed to make a break for his life. They were chained to his left, so he stayed to the far right, praying Gregory was close by.
However, in Izaiah’s haste, he accidentally bumped against one of the wicker tables. It screeched across the wooden floor and aroused the Alsatians from sleep. When the dogs saw that it was someone they did not know, they exploded into a barking frenzy. Izaiah froze, a look of horror covering his face. If Asia hadn’t showed up when she did, Izaiah feared he may have soaked his pants right there on the veranda.
“Down boys, down!” Asia hissed firmly and then began conversing with the dogs as if they were little children. “Mr. Cahoon is no stranger, you met him yesterday. Now, be nice…”
The Alsatians simmered down to Asia’s soothing voice, wagging their tails at her presence. When Izaiah saw that he had been spared to live another day, he picked up his heart from the floor and stuffed it back neatly into his chest. But he would have rather soaked his pants than to endure that imp-like smirk on Asia’s face. By the time she got near to him, she was laughing openly.
“Mr. Cahoon, it has been a while since I’ve seen a grown man so afraid of two, little pooches,” she teased.
Izaiah harrumphed, and tried to shield his embarrassment. “They are no pooches and they are certainly not little. Why are they chained on the veranda?”
“Would you rather they run free on the property?”
Izaiah’s eyes widened at the thought, causing Asia to laugh even more. Her little snorts were cute and infectious. In spite of himself, Izaiah started to laugh.
“You are enjoying this, aren’t you?”
“I certainly am,” Asia answered. “I haven’t had a good laugh like that in a while. Oh, wow, my tummy hurts.”
Izaiah gave Asia a few more seconds to compose herself before he tried to shift the spotlight off of himself. But Asia would stop her giggles for a bit only to let them loose right after.
“Go ahead,” Izaiah said. “I know I must look like a fool to you.”
“No, it’s not that...well, maybe.” Asia chuckled. “I am imagining you being pursued by the Alsatians, trying to get away from them. Now that would be a real funny scene.”
“Not if I fell down and got eaten alive,” Izaiah quipped. “Now, can we change the subject? My ego has been bruised terribly.”
“I’m sorry,” Asia said, but she still could not flush that scene out of her head. Her tummy was rolling with laughter, but she did her best to keep her giggles at bay. “I shouldn’t be making sport of such a serious situation. Why are you on the veranda?”
“I was looking for your father,” Izaiah said. “Miss Rose said that I would find him out here.”
The mention of her father seemed to push Asia right back into her sulky cocoon.
“Well, as you can see, he’s not here,” she spat. “What business do you have with my father anyway?”
“Quite a change in moods,” Izaiah said. “I’m sorry if I said something that you didn’t like.”
“It’s not what you’ve said; it’s what you’re not saying.”
Izaiah wondered how best to handle Asia’s inquiry. Gregory had not introduced him as the man to fulfill the youth minister’s position, so Izaiah was careful not to overstep Gregory’s ‘way of doing things’ until he sat down and had a talk with the bishop.
“Your father hired me to do a job.”
“What kind of job?” Asia fired back.
“What’s with all the questions?”
“This is my home,” she answered saucily. “I have a right to ask any questions I want.”
“If that’s your take on the situation, I can’t do anything about that. One thing I’ve learned as a young boy growing up in church is that one gets out of life what one puts into it…I am careful not to try and reform anyone.”
Asia was struck by Izaiah’s unusual reply. A mild rebuke to her impertinence, but she pushed away her conviction by refocusing her thoughts on another question.
“So, you are a Christian?”
“Growing up in a church does not make one a Christian.”
“Don’t beat around the bush,” Asia said.
“Fair enough,” Izaiah grinned. “Would it surprise you if I am a Christian?”
“I don’t know you that well, Mr. Cahoon, for you to be a surprise to me. I just think you have a problem with being direct in your approach.”
“Your father told me that you are studying psychology. Maybe that has something to do with the way you diagnose other people’s problems. I wonder, when you have a problem of your own, whose shoulder do you lean on?”
Izaiah’s comeback seemed to silence Asia’s sharp inquiry into his life. She suddenly realized that he was no pushover. She also realized that Izaiah was using a little psychology on her as well. Maybe her father had told him about Jorge, which would explain Izaiah’s strange question to her. It was intended to draw out her secrets. But she was not as naïve as her father thought. Asia would bet a million dollars that Izaiah’s presence had something to do with her father’s plan to keep her away from the only man she’d ever really loved. If that wasn’t the case, then they would have to explain why they were being so secretive about Izaiah’s ‘job’.
“Speaking about psychology,” Asia said, as she withdrew her steps toward the screen door. “I have a class scheduled within the next hour. Sorry I can’t stay and play these little silly games with you.”
“Wait up.” Izaiah was not prepared to let Asia leave him alone with the Alsatians. He fell in behind her, pretending as if he also had business to attend to. “Your father gave me instructions to take you wherever you need to go.”
Asia turned and smirked. “I’m a big girl. I can find ways to get around.”
“Well, I hope the next time we talk, it will not end on such an unpleasant note,” he told her.
“Mr. Cahoon, if I saw you a week from today it would be too soon. Have a nice day, I guess.”
Izaiah stood in the grand living room and watched Asia saunter away in a colorful maxi dress. Her long tresses had been fluffed against her back, giving her a look that was more mature than her nineteen years of age. If Izaiah wasn’t careful with his thoughts, he could easily dream of Asia all day, but he would not allow his emotions to get out of hand. He kept reminding himself that he didn’t come to Bliss Haven to cause trouble, but to simply do the work of the Lord.
Resignedly, Izaiah moved his steps forward toward the guesthouse, but at the last minute, he decided to do something that totally went against his principles. With the keys of the Wrangler still in his pants pocket, he made a one-eighty toward the kitchen exit. He hadn’t any intention to tour the island any time soon, but the way Asia brushed him aside made him want to get out and explore why everyone thought Bliss Haven was so interesting.
Bishop Beaufort had told Izaiah that it was his responsibility to take Asia wherever she needed to go, but Izaiah knew fighting head-to-head against a woman’s stubbornness could have a negative reaction. He would do it his way and pray that he didn’t aggravate Asia any more than he already had. Once outside, he got into the Wrangler and slouched behind the wheel. There, he waited for Asia to see what means she would use to get to the academy. Maybe you don’t want me around, Asia, because you are going to see that boy against your father’s wishes. Izaiah sighed nervously as he tried to reason
within himself that he wasn’t doing anything wrong.
Chapter Nine
Bliss Haven Christian Academy was located on a beautiful property, five miles east of the Beaufort’s estate. The academy was considered to be one of the top-rated Christian schools in the Caribbean, which provided students with a unique mixture of achievement, engagement and athletic accomplishment at the highest levels. It was surrounded by a quadrangle of culinary selections, fine dining and gift and specialty shops – all within walking distance of the academy.
Students could come and enjoy the fun-filled atmosphere and even find a quiet spot to catch up on their assignments. However, the “Quad” as it was commonly called around town, did not appeal to the students alone, but to everyone in Bliss Haven who was simply looking to have some time away from the distractions of life.
It was here Izaiah followed Asia, observing as she walked casually on the grey basalt toward a restaurant called, Big Fish. All the while she kept gazing at her watch. She climbed the three steps toward the entrance. But instead of going inside, she leaned against the wooden wall and looked out as if she was waiting for someone to show. Izaiah drew back behind a huge Poinciana tree to make sure Asia hadn’t caught him following her.
Although he felt out of sorts stalking the bishop's daughter, Izaiah had a greater need to settle his curiosity. He wanted to see the young man who’d been able to win the heart of such a gorgeous beauty. He was sure it was the reason Asia was here instead of being in class where she belonged. She was willing to risk her education just to be with the one she loved. Somehow, that made Izaiah a bit jealous.
He watched as the light breeze collared strands of her long hair and scattered them over her eyes, which were oval-shaped and mysteriously alluring. Izaiah shook his head in awe. He couldn't believe God had made a woman so perfect in beauty and in form. Every bit of her movement was poised and was filled with a grace Izaiah rarely saw in women these days. However, his vision was soon tarnished by the mystery guy he had been waiting to see.