Rescue Me

by Rochon, Farrah

  “Really?” Renee turned to look up at him. “Congratulations.”

  “It would have been impossible without your help,” Alex said.

  “I wouldn’t say that,” Renee lied.

  “Who are you trying to kid?” he said. “I know that paper was awful; I’m just happy it’s behind me. I have just the final to get through before I’m done with that class, and one more semester before I get my degree.”

  The pride Renee heard in his voice nearly brought tears to her eyes. He didn’t need that degree he was working so hard to obtain. He owned a successful business, and probably made more money than 80 percent of Americans who graduated from college, but he’d set it in his head that he would finish the degree he’d given up on.

  “You’re such an inspiration,” Renee said, pressing a kiss to his chest. She heard his swift intake of breath, and felt his chest give. “Oh, sorry. I forgot we weren’t going there.”

  “God,” Alex breathed, letting his head fall back on the sofa. “I can’t wait until we do.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  As he stared at the people trudging through the airport’s security checkpoint, Alex questioned his wisdom in keeping Renee’s presence on this trip a secret from the rest of his family. He’d nearly confessed several times over the past few weeks, but could never scrounge up the courage to come clean.

  It had been a long time since he’d felt this nervous. Alex shifted from one foot to the other, the constant opening and closing of the automatic doors adding to his agitation. Of course, he could move away from the doors and solve at least one of his problems, but his head was filled with too many visions of this entire situation going horribly wrong to have something as simple as common sense creep in.

  “Daddy, I’m going with Grandma,” he heard Jasmine call from where she waited at the airline’s check in counter with his mother.

  “Alex, are you coming to the gate?” Mama asked.

  “I’ll be there in a minute,” he said.

  “We board in twenty minutes,” she reminded him.

  The fact that they boarded in twenty minutes was causing an ulcer to form in Alex’s stomach. He’d tried calling Renee three times, with no luck. He didn’t want to believe it, but Alex was coming to the realization that he was being stood up.

  Had he moved too fast? It had been a bold move, asking a woman he’d only known a couple of months to come away with him and his family, but it had not felt too fast at the time. It had felt right. Perfect, even.

  “You don’t have to wait for them,” Mama said. “It’s better if we get to the gate now.”

  “Daddy’s not waiting for Uncle Eli,” Jasmine said.

  Alex shot Jasmine a stern look and shook his head.

  “Ooh, sorry, Daddy,” she said.

  “What’s going on?” Mama asked. “Jasmine,” she said when they both remained quiet.

  “Nothing,” Jasmine answered.

  “What has Grandma told you about lying?” his mother warned.

  “Daddy said it’s all right to lie,” Jasmine said.

  “You told her what?” his mother shot at him.

  “Good morning.” The sound of the voice behind him could not have been sweeter to Alex’s ears. “Sorry I’m late,” Renee said.

  “Hey, Ms. Moore.” Jasmine let go of his mother’s hand and wrapped her arms around Renee’s waist in a quick but strong hug.

  “Hi, Jasmine. Hello, Alex.” She turned to his mother. “Hi, you must be Mrs. Holmes.” Renee stuck out her hand.

  A blanket of confusion shrouded Mama’s face. “I am,” she answered.

  “Mama, this is Renee Moore,” Alex said. “You should probably check in,” he said to Renee.

  “I printed my boarding pass from home,” Renee said. “And I checked my bags curbside.”

  “We’re here.” Eli came charging through the automatic doors with Monica right behind him. “Why are ya’ll standing here? The plane will be boarding in another fifteen minutes,” he said. He stopped short when he saw Renee.

  Everyone stood in a circle, staring at each other as if they were all on display at a museum.

  “I decided to bring a guest,” Alex said. “That’s okay, isn’t it?”

  They all agreed at the same time.

  “Come on.” Alex took the small leather bag from Renee’s hand and pulled the strap over his good shoulder. “Let’s get to the gate.”

  “You didn’t tell them I was coming?” Renee whispered as they trailed behind the rest of his family.

  “They know now,” Alex said.

  When they arrived at their gate, the plane had already begun boarding. Knowing his mother hated sitting at the back of the plane, Alex had purposely chosen two seats in the rear for him and Renee. Ushering Renee quickly past his mother’s row, he deposited Jasmine in the seat next to Mama.

  “Alex.” His mother grabbed his hand.

  “Jasmine will fill you in,” he said.

  “Alexander Wesley Holmes,” his mother hissed.

  He decided to give her the quick version. “She’s a teacher at Jasmine’s school. I’ve been helping to fix up her house, and the two of us have been seeing each other.”

  “But … when?” She looked so confused, Alex felt sorry for her.

  “Wait until we get to the islands,” he said.

  Alex knew she’d have a lot of questions once they landed. He’d spent the past few days trying to figure out how he should answer them. It all depended on how he and Renee decided to address their relationship. They had a couple of hours to figure that out.

  “I can’t believe you,” Renee said when he sat down next to her.

  “It’s easier this way,” he said.

  “For who?”

  “Definitely for me,” he said. “This will probably be the most agonizing plane ride my mother has ever had. I give it about five minutes after we take off for her to make her way back here.”

  “The flight attendants won’t allow her to walk until we’re at our flying altitude.”

  Alex settled back in his seat and buckled his seat belt. “You don’t know my mother.”

  “What are you going to tell her about me?” Renee asked.

  “What do you want me to tell her?”

  “It’s up to me?”

  “I guess it’s up to both of us, but I want you to be comfortable with all of this. What would make you comfortable? Saying you’re my girlfriend?”

  “I’m okay with that if you are.”

  He was more than okay with it. Just the thought of claiming her as his girlfriend—his woman—sent a dose of desire shooting through his bloodstream.

  “How do you think they will take it?” Renee tipped her chin up toward the front of the airplane.

  “They’re good people, Renee. A little pushy. A little noisy. Okay, a lot noisy. But they’re good people. Just be prepared to have every question under the sun thrown at you.”

  “Oh, that’s comforting.”

  “Don’t worry, I’ll be there to run interference. Besides, Jasmine’s probably told her everything she knows about you.”

  To Alex’s surprise, the flight attendants were able to keep his mother seated for the first twenty minutes of the flight, but as soon as the light on the seat belt sign went dim, Alex saw her pop up from her seat ten rows ahead of them. She came charging down the aisle like a woman on a mission.

  Renee gripped his hand. Alex gave it a reassuring squeeze, relishing the softness of her palm.

  “Hi, again,” his mother said, reaching over and extending her hand to Renee. “We didn’t get much of a chance to talk earlier.”

  “I know, sorry about that,” Renee answered.

  “Alex, why don’t you join Jasmine for a while?” his mother said.

  “Not a chance,” he answered. “You’ve got five days on an island with Renee.”

  “I just want to chat for a bit,” she said.

  “It’s okay, Alex,” Renee said.

  Alex shook his he
ad, but rose. “You were warned,” he said to Renee.

  Mama slapped him on his good arm. “Stop it. You make me sound like a monster.”

  “You can be a bit scary before breakfast,” he said.

  Alex found Jasmine watching Shrek on the seven inch portable DVD player Eli had given her for Christmas the year before.

  “Grandma took your seat,” she said, shaking her head.

  “Just for a bit,” Alex answered. “What did you tell Grandma about Ms. Moore?” Alex asked, pressing the pause button on the movie.

  “I told her that you and Ms. Moore are boyfriend and girlfriend, but that you don’t want anybody to know.”

  “If we agreed that I didn’t want anyone to know, why did you tell Grandma?”

  She shrugged. “I always tell Grandma stuff. And Grandma’s smart. She would have figured it out.”

  The logic of a six year old.

  “Grandma said she’s happy you have a girlfriend. She said you’re too young to be by yourself.”

  His mother’s reaction didn’t come as a total shock. She wanted more grandchildren and his seeing Renee was one step closer to achieving that goal. Alex had figured his widowhood had been a free pass to escape his mother’s constant badgering and matchmaking, but he knew his reprieve was coming to an end.

  “You think I should go and save Ms. Moore from Grandma?”

  “Probably,” Jasmine said. “Daddy?” She looked up at him, the seat nearly swallowing her.

  “Yeah, Pumpkin?”

  She motioned for him with her finger, and Alex leaned in closer. Jasmine put her mouth up to his ear. “At Uncle Eli’s wedding, please don’t dance with Ms. Moore.”

  “Why?” Alex asked.

  “Because if she sees the way you dance, she probably won’t like you anymore.”

  “Thanks a lot, Jazz. You sure know how to make Daddy feel good.”

  “You’re welcome,” she said, his sarcasm flying right over her head.

  “I’m going back to my seat. I’ll see you when we land.”

  “Daddy? Are you going to marry Ms. Moore?”

  The unexpected question gave him pause. Alex’s first instinct was to say no. He and Renee had only known each other for a short time, and even though the thought had flitted across his mind for a millisecond, marriage was so far off his radar it wasn’t even a blip on the screen. But just because he wasn’t about to marry her now didn’t mean it wasn’t in their future. Who knows where they would be a year from now?

  It was also time for him to start being more honest with his daughter. Renee was right, Jasmine was able to handle more than he gave her credit for.

  “Maybe after we get to know each other better, and if Ms. Moore wants to get married.”

  “I think she does,” Jasmine said with an all knowing confidence that brought a smile to Alex’s face.

  “How are we doing here?” His mother came from the back of the aircraft, the smile on her face a mile wide.

  “How are we doing here?” Alex threw the question back at her. The fact that he had not heard Renee screaming her head off made him feel marginally better.

  “Alex, I love her,” Mama said, unable to maintain the cool facade. “She’s so sweet. I can’t believe you haven’t introduced her to the family.”

  “I told him he should marry Ms. Moore,” Jasmine said loud enough for the entire plane to hear now that she’d stuck the DVD player’s earbuds in her ears.

  “I agree,” Eli added from a few rows up.

  “I’m going back to my seat,” Alex said. When Alex reached his seat, the smile on Renee’s face was priceless.

  “Sorry about that,” Alex said.

  “At least I know I’ve won over the family,” she said.

  “This isn’t an audition,” Alex said, realizing how harsh the words sounded as the smile drained from her face. “That came out completely wrong,” he said. “I meant that you don’t have to prove anything to my family. I hope you don’t think that’s why I brought you here.”

  “I hope you brought me here because you wanted my company,” Renee said. “But I don’t mind getting to know your family, Alex. I want to get to know them better. Do you understand what I’m trying to tell you?”

  “I think I do,” he said, picking up her hand and placing a kiss on her fingers.

  “Alex, it has been a long time since I’ve felt this way about anyone. If ever.” Just like that, she’d put it all out there for him. The ball was in his court. “And since you’re looking completely freaked out right now, I’m thinking that was the wrong thing to say,” she said.

  “No, no. It wasn’t.”

  Damn. He was in uncharted territory.

  “Here’s the thing, Renee. I’m not even sure what this is I’m feeling. I thought I was in love with my wife, but what I’m starting to feel for you is stronger than what I felt for her even when our marriage was good. I’m not sure I even know what it feels like to truly be in love, but this is as close as I’ve ever been.”

  “So, what do we do with this newfound knowledge?”

  Alex brought her hand up to his mouth again. “We can see where it takes us.”

  Renee was able to avoid further interrogation from Alex’s family for the remainder of the flight. When they landed at Princess Juliana International Airport on the Dutch side of the island, Alex quickly loaded both Renee and Jasmine into a taxi, leaving Eli and his beautiful fiancée, Monica, to follow them along with their mother. Renee stared in awe as they traveled along the road to the villa Eli had rented on Baie Rouge on the French side of the island.

  “Daddy, the water’s so blue,” Jasmine screeched. “I can’t wait to swim.”

  “You can swim as soon as we settle in. Uncle Eli said the place where we’re staying has two swimming pools, and a private beach. But I don’t want you going near the water without an adult around, okay, Pumpkin?”

  “I promise,” she said. “Ms. Moore, do you know how to swim?”

  “Yes, I love to swim,” Renee answered.

  “I have a pink bathing suit with flowers. It’s new. I brought my old one with the strawberries, but I don’t think I’m gonna wear it.”

  “I’m sure you’re going to look very cute, no matter which bathing suit you wear.”

  Jasmine nodded. “I’m always cute,” she said.

  “And extremely humble,” Alex chuckled.

  “That, too,” Jasmine agreed.

  Renee couldn’t help but laugh. The thought of how easily she could picture both of these people in her life shocked her. She could envision driving Jasmine to school every day, the two of them baking cookies in that enormous, unbelievably beautiful kitchen in Alex’s house. She could see herself welcoming Alex home in the evening with a kiss, then treating him to something a lot more intimate once they tucked Jasmine in bed for the night. Not only could she envision those things, but she wanted to experience them.

  Not for the first time since she’d accepted his invitation did Renee wonder if this was a bad idea. Spending time with Alex on this island, known for its intimate coves and romantic, secluded beaches, could only cause her to sink deeper in whatever it was she was starting to feel for him. She knew all too well what could happen when a woman allowed herself to become too emotionally attached to a man. That binding, all consuming obsession had prevented her own mother from leaving her father, despite everything he’d put her through.

  “Renee?”

  “Yes,” she said, shaking her head of the memories she did not want to stir up while living in paradise.

  “We’re here,” Alex said.

  Renee allowed Alex to help her from the taxi. She stared up at the estate before her and nearly stopped breathing.

  “Are you kidding me?” Renee said.

  “This must be it. I told the driver L’Oasis. He announced that we were with the Holmes party when we stopped at the gate, and they let us in.”

  “But this is … it’s unbelievable.”

  “That’s Eli
for you,” Alex said. “For what he probably spent to rent this sucker for a week, he could have thrown the big, fancy wedding Mama was hoping he would have back in New Orleans.”

  “Let’s go to the pool,” Jasmine said, pulling Alex’s hand.

  “We need to wait for Uncle Eli,” he said. Just as the words left his mouth, another taxi pulled in from the winding road. “Here they are,” Alex announced.

  The rest of Alex’s family alighted from their cab. The two men went for the luggage, but Alex’s soon to be sister in law slapped him on his uninjured arm.

  “Don’t you dare,” she said.

  “I was going to use my left hand,” Alex argued.

  “Get away,” she hissed. “You put that down, too, Eli. The cabdriver will bring these in.”

  “Actually, you have a butler who will bring these in for you,” a short, caramel colored woman with long, braided hair and an island accent said as she came from seemingly out of nowhere. “Welcome to L’Oasis.” She spread her hands wide. “Here are your keys. You will have a butler, maid, and the services of our chef from seven a.m. to nine o’clock at night.”

  “We won’t need the chef,” Alex’s mother piped in.

  “Yes, we will,” Eli said. “You are not lifting a finger while we’re here,” he warned her.

  She mumbled under her breath, and rolled her eyes at her son. Renee decided she liked Margo Holmes. In a way, she reminded her of her aunt Lorna. From their brief conversation on the plane, Renee could tell Margo had Alex’s and her granddaughter’s best interests at heart.

  “Follow me into the villa, if you please,” the hostess encouraged.

  Few things literally left her breathless, but Renee acknowledged she would have to add the entryway to L’Oasis to her short list. It was mesmerizing, with a fountain and a high, domed ceiling made of frosted glass.

  “Lord, have mercy. Eli, how much did this cost you?” his mother asked.

  Renee was dying to know the same thing.

  “You’ll never know,” Eli answered.

  “The bedrooms are all ready, with all of your amenities. If you require anything additional, please let me know. Damien, your butler, will put your bags away if you will just let him know which bags belong in which room.”