“Right.” I let myself out into the hot humid heat and looked around.
The house wasn’t spectacular. Although nice, it was the property that had me mesmerized. Situated on a bluff at the top of a cliff, was a sweeping view of the Caribbean Sea. Two additional houses that looked as though they’d been built by the same contractor sat connected by flagstone walkways. Compared to the other two dwellings, the main house was massive with a sweeping stone staircase and a tiled front yard. I caught a glimpse of a gazebo out back. I didn’t have to be a realtor to know this property cost a fortune, hardly the place I’d expect to find the family of a woman working as a maid.
An older woman wearing a loose-fitting dress and bright orange head scarf came out to greet me.
“Miss Davis...?” I said by way of greeting.
“Who are you?”
I held out my hand. “Zachary Taylor. I’m here to see Charlotte. Charlotte...Davis? If you could just tell her I’m here I’d be most...”
The woman narrowed her eyes at me. “Charlotte Davis?”
“Yes Maam. And you are her...?”
It was then that a screen door to the big house swung open with a bang. Out stepped a girl of about fifteen years old. She hopped down the long stone stairway, long curly hair bouncing behind in a ponytail. She was the spitting image of Charlotte.
“Ma Ma,” said the girl bounding down the stone path. “Company Ma Ma. Why didn’t you call?”
The woman looked at me, then back at the girl waving an arm out in front, her brows pinched. She pointed toward the big house. “Child, you get back inside that house.”
“Well that wouldn’t be very friendly, Ma Ma. Who is he?”she asked, ignoring the fact that I weren’t standing right in front of her.
“He’s nobody, child. Now get back inside like I tell you.”
“Nope. We need to greet our company properly or what kind of people would we be?” She grabbed my arm and started swinging it back and forth. “So happy to make your acquaintance.”
“Hi, I’m Zachary Taylor,” I managed to unclasp my hand, then proffered it toward the girl. Offering me a warm smile, she shook it as if I were the only person she’d seen in weeks. “Don’t mind Ma Ma. She’s just suspicious of everyone, but she’s really pretty fond of visitors. Aren’t you Ma Ma?”
“Mr. Taylor. We’re not expecting anyone today,” said Ma Ma.
“Oh. I’m afraid I don’t have an appointment. Didn’t realized I needed one. I’m from New York,” I said as if that explained my rudeness.
“America, Ma Ma! Did you hear?”
Ma Ma appeared unimpressed.
“And who might you be?” I asked the young woman.
“I’m Trisha. Trisha Amelia Blackwell, but you can call me Trish.” She tipped her head to the side. “You’re not Jamaican. Are you here on business, Mr. Taylor? Because my mother and stepfather aren’t home at the moment.”
“I’m here to see Charlotte...” I hesitated. “Charlotte Davis?”
“Who?...Oh. Oh.” She burst out laughing.
“And what is so funny?” I asked confused.
“The only Charlotte here is my sister, but...”
“Let me guess. Her name isn’t Davis.”
“No. Is that what she told you? Never mind, I can see the answer all over your face.”
I SPENT THE REST OF the afternoon, being introduced to Charlotte’s aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents and some I wasn’t certain were family. Everyone except Charlotte’s mother and stepfather who, I was told, were away on business. Ma Ma was the girls’ nanny; she lived next door in one of the smaller houses, though she’d raised both Trish and Charlotte since babies.
When Trish excused herself for a phone call briefly, I took the opportunity to find out all I could about the amazing dishes spread before me.
We dined on oxtails, fried plantains, and jerk pork on a grill filled with pimento wood. All of it slow-cooked outdoors. I’d never tasted anything so delicious.
“Mmmm,” I said, relishing the distinct flavors slipping along my tongue. “You know I pride myself on being able to detect any kind of spice in just about any recipe, but this... I detect onion, thyme, and ginger, but there’s one spice I simply can’t pinpoint.”
“Dried pimento berries,” Trish supplied. “Do you like it?”
“I do. It has a certain zing to it.”
“I’ll give you the recipe before you leave.”
“Thank you.”
She waved a fork at me. “So what was my sister doing in New York anyway?”
“I was hoping you would tell me.”
“All I know is she had a falling out with Ma, which wasn’t unusual. Those two were always at each other but... I don’t know, obviously this time was different because the next day she disappeared. We’d no idea where she went. Why on earth would she go to New York? What was she doing all this time?”
I looked up, swallowed hard before I said, “Cleaning the building I work in.”
Everyone at the table stopped eating. Ma Ma shook her head and left.
Trish bit her bottom lip. “I guess Ma Ma feels insulted.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean...”
“Oh, it’s not you. She’s just still peeved that you didn’t have an appointment. She runs a very strict schedule around here. Sometimes it’s suffocating.” She rolled her eyes.
“Well, I promise the next time I come...”
“Ooh, you’re coming back. That’s wonderful.”
“You never know,” I said, not wanting to disappoint. I found Trish’s enthusiasm endearing. She was like the little sister I’d never had.
“There’s something I don’t understand,” I said. “Was Charlotte cut off from your family?”
She dabbed her mouth with a napkin. “Nothing like that. Come.”
I followed her out of the gazebo to the front of the house by the sea where we took seats side by side.
“When I was six, our father died. He was murdered in his sleep in a hotel room in Greece. My mother and he had been sleeping apart that night. Something they never do. She’d taken a sleeping pill so she never heard anyone enter the suite. A bomb could have gone off and Ma wouldn’t hear it. If she had...”
“If she had, your mother may have been killed too.”
“Maybe, but she never saw it that way. Not for a very long time.”
“That must have been horrible for her. For all of you.”
“It was. She blamed herself, stayed in her room day and night, forbid us to leave the island, and took us away from all our friends. She kept Charlotte and me under lock and key for years. Years! Kinda like that Disney movie Frozen? You know the one.”
“Sorry, I don’t have kids so I...”
“Trust me, it was bad.”
“What changed? You don’t seem like you’re kept as prisoners any longer and you said your mother remarried, that she’s on a business trip or something.”
“My stepdad happened. His name is Harvey. He got rid of all the alcohol on the island, convinced our mother to visit a therapist. She was better.”
“But not for Charlotte?”
“No,” she said, her eyes losing some of their spark. “Charlotte was resentful. I guess she had a right to be after all those years. I was younger. Anyway, Charlotte and mother had a huge fight after our parent’s wedding. Insisted she was leaving Jamaica. Mother threatened to disown her if she did. The rest is history.”
“And she was too proud to bank on her family name,” I supplied.
“It’s the way I see it, yes.”
I was beginning to see the trees through the forest. “I still don’t understand why she didn’t tell me.”
“Maybe she was going to. You love her, don’t you? Or you wouldn’t have traveled all this way looking for her.”
I reached over, took her hand in mine, patted with the other. Being here with Trish made me feel closer to Charlotte somehow. “I do. Yes. Yes, I love her.”
Trish smi
led. “I love my sister as well. She was there for me, for all of us, when Ma could barely get up in the mornings. If it weren’t for her, I never would have survived. When you find her, tell her I miss her, that we want her to come home.”
Home. Where was that?
“You’re pretty grown up for a girl your age.”
She laughed. “That’s what everyone tells me.”
“When did you say your sister was returning?”
“Oh, she’s on a plane already headed back to New York.”
“What?”
“That was the phone call I just got.”
Chapter 24
Charlotte
After trying and failing to use my debit card, credit cards, and the key to my safety deposit box with all my jewelry, I had no choice but to call Mother.
“Charlotte dear, how nice to hear from you. I’m sorry we aren’t home to greet you properly but I’m sure you didn’t come all this way to see me anyway. You came for the money, haven’t you?”
“You changed all the pass-codes,” I said indignantly. I felt like a little kid who had her favorite toy placed on a high shelf. I hated that.
“For safety, dear. I’ll text you the passwords after our phone call.”
“Oh. So you don’t intend on keeping my money hostage.” I was a little shocked. I’d prepared myself for a battle.
“Why would I do that? It’s your money, not mine.”
“Right.” Still suspicious, I said, “If you’re going to give it to me anyway, why did you change the passwords?”
“So that you would call me of course.”
“Mother, I’m at the airport and I need those pass codes. I don’t have a dime on me. I can’t even pay for a cab right now.”
“Don’t lie to me, Charlotte.”
“What?”
“You are not at the airport. Trish called and I know you’ve already been to the bank. I’m guessing you’ve already landed in New York. And by the way, your sister...your only sister...is devastated that you didn’t see her while you were here. Really, Charlotte, do you hate all of us that much?”
“I don’t hate anyone.”
“Well, that’s good to hear.”
“But I need my money. I have plans for that money.”
“Tell me something. Why has it taken you this long to access it then? How the hell have you been living?”
“I...I got a job.”
“I see.”
“That’s all you have to say? You don’t want to know what I’ve been doing for the last six months?”
“No.”
“Oh.” I was a tad disappointed. Was looking forward to some good old fashioned sparring. Apparently, all the fight had gone out of my mother. At least where I was concerned. Was that because she didn’t care? Had written me off. Whatever. She did say she would give me the pass codes.
“I’m glad you called, Charlotte.” I heard sniffling and then she excused herself. It sounded like she blew her nose. When she came back to the phone, I didn’t know what to say. “Your money is safe. It is your inheritance after all. You’re not talking, Charlotte.”
“I thought...”
“That I’d cut you off because of our little tiff? Please. What kind of mother would I be if I was that spiteful? In fact, I’d invested a small portion. Didn’t seem smart to not do that. Last report I got was...” Her voice trailed off. “James do you remember the last numbers on Charlotte’s stocks? I’ll get that in a moment for you, dear.”
She sounded clear-headed. Happy. I seriously believed she’d turn into a lush again after I left. Just like she did after father died, but she hadn’t by the sound of it.
“Charlotte...is something wrong?”
“So you’re just going to hand over all my money right now? Like nothing happened.”
“On one condition.”
Here we go. I knew this was too easy.
“What’s that?”
“You take your sister on a tour of the Big Peach.
“Say what?”
“The Big Peach. Isn’t that what they call it over there? Hold on, Charlotte.”
Her voice sounded muffled all of a sudden. “James, you say something? Why would they call...? Oh. I meant the Big Apple. Take your sister on a tour of the Big Apple. Show her the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, whatever. Can you do that, Charlotte?”
“Yeah, sure.”
“Good. She’ll be thrilled. You know she was devastated when you left like you did.”
“You told me that already and all I can say is I’m sorry.”
“The dog was too,” Mother continued.
“Dog?”
“Sorry, the cat. The cat was upset.”
“Huh, okay.”
“And the dolphins. You know they just don’t come around like they used to. I just don’t know how to blow that damn whistle you used to get their attention.”
“So the dolphins missed me?”
“Of course. They love you, Charlotte.”
“The dolphins love me,” I said with a laugh. “How could I be so insensitive to leave them?”
“Damn right.” We both burst out laughing.
“I’ll text you the passwords.”
“Thank you.”
“You can access however much you want whenever you need it.”
“Okay.”
“Minus the investments. That would take some time. Unless you’re as smart as I remembered and want to leave it where it is.”
“Mother I...”
“Charlotte, I know. You don’t have to say it.”
When I didn’t respond she added, “Leaving those dolphins like you did. Such a travesty.”
“Tell them I’m sorry,” I said.
“We both made mistakes. Both said things we didn’t mean. Well, I meant what I said but I’m sure you might want to take back a few words.”
My spine stiffened and I bit my lip.
“I’m so sorry I’m not there. It would have been nice to go swimming and maybe snorkeling like we used to. Were you able to swim in New York? No. you’re not near the ocean, are you?”
“No.”
“Pity. Will you come back?”
“I will. Yes.”
“Shall we set a date right now?”
“I’m...I’m enrolling in school soon, so it will have to..”
“Charlotte, honey, it’s been six months. Why don’t we set a time to call each other once a week? We can settle on a face to face date in the future then?”
“I’d like that.”
“When is your day off?”
“I’m off every weekend.”
“Great. I’ll call you this Sunday, and the following Sunday you call me.”
“That could work.”
“Tell me what’s been going on with you all this time, Charlotte. No, don’t tell me. You met someone.”
“I did but...”
“He doesn’t know who you are, does he?”
“Of course not, Mother. You of all people told me to never play up my wealth if I wanted a man to like me for myself.”
“Did I say that?”
“You did.”
She laughed. “Well you can only take that so far I’m afraid.”
“What do you mean?”
“Men always figure it out. Maybe it’s the breeding. Maybe it’s our intellect. You’ve always been exceptional, Charlotte. Ahead of everyone else around you always.”
“Yeah, well look how far it got me?”
“How far, dear?”
I was not about to tell her I worked as a maid. She wouldn’t understand.
“Actually I closed a huge merger deal plus saved millions of dollars for the company I worked for.”
“I’ll bet that man of yours was proud.”
“Naturally,” I boasted.
“But I lied to him. After telling him I could never be with someone who lies, I was the one doing the lying.”
“Are you ashamed of who you are, Charlot
te?”
“No. Not ashamed. I’m proud of the Blackwell name.”
She laughed. “If he can’t see that you were wrong but that you’re sorry now, then he’s not a man worthy of your love. If I learned one thing in this life, it’s that we always forgive the ones we love. You taught me that.”
“I did? When?”
“When you told me I was the most selfish bitch on the face of the planet.”
“Oh my God. Mother I am so sorry.”
“Forgiven, Charlotte. Now go home to New York and tell your man that. I’ll text you the pass codes now.”
“Oh and Charlotte...”
“Yes.”
“I knew where you were all along.”
THE NEXT MORNING, I made a beeline for Zac’s office, paused outside his door, then told myself fuck it, and barged in without knocking. “Oh! Oh, I’m so sorry.”
A distinguished-looking gentleman in his late fifties looked up from his desk. “Can I help you?” he asked, appearing slightly annoyed.
“Oh. Um. No.” Caught off guard, I closed the door quickly. So quickly that I caught my long leather purse strap. “Oh. I...I...Sorry.” I wrestled the strap free, managed to sling the strap over my one shoulder and walk, not run down the hall when what I really wanted to do was sprint out of the building. I headed for the exit, tears filling my eyes.
Zac had been fired!
This was my fault. I did an about face. No more lies. I needed to make things right. Marching to Mr. Remington’s office, I knocked lightly on the half-open door. When he told me to come in, I was ready for a fight. How dare he fire Chase? He worked on that merger just as much as I did. Actually more so.
“He quit,” Chase said, smiling a little too brightly.
“What?”
“I heard you in his office. Zac wasn’t there, was he?”
“No.”
“He quit,” Chase repeated.
“Quit,” I said stupidly. “Why?”
“Why does anyone quit a job? “He said this...” He motioned with his arms, indicating his company. “This wasn’t where he was meant to be.” Then he shrugged. “Didn’t you talk to him?”
“I haven’t talked to Zac in two weeks.”
The Christmas Fix Page 15