3 Weeks 'Til Forever

by Yuwanda Black

  They placed their breakfast orders, each requesting a coffee, which came while they waited for their food.

  “So do you go to the northern part of the island often?” Janey asked.

  “Actually, no. As you seem to know, it’s a bit more remote and most of the tours I do take me to the western part, where there are more tourist attractions, though they’re more outdoorsy than what you find in the main tourist areas. So I go maybe once every three or four months at most.”

  “I could come more often, but I only drive this far if I have a group of at least five. Most of the time when I come, I’m coming with regulars who return to the island year after year and like to make the same excursions with friends and family.”

  “So what made you want to come to this part of the island, and have you ever been before?” Redmond asked.

  “Yes, I have. Only once though, and it was a few years ago. I only stayed overnight and always wanted to come back because it is so unexplored by most tourists who come to Sol y Besos. Most of them stay behind the walls of their hotels in the main tourist areas.”

  “I just remember being transfixed by the unspoiled beauty I saw there. So, I jumped at the chance to feature the area when this client said they wanted some non-touristy content on the Caribbean.”

  “I knew I could find some unique stuff that wasn’t talked about on the one thousand and one other travel blogs, so that’s why I decided to book this trip.”

  “Thank you for rescuing my arse by the way. I can’t tell you how grateful I am.”

  “I could think of a couple of ways you can thank me for rescuing your cute little behind,” Redmond said, staring in the general direction of her seated bottom.

  “You promised to be a perfect gentleman on this trip Mr. Hillyard, and I fully expect you to keep your word.”

  “If I recall,” Redmond responded, looking straight into her eyes, “what I promised was that you’d never have to fear for your safety – from me or anyone else – on this trip. And that’s a promise I will of course keep.”

  “Now as for being a perfect gentlemen, I’ll say this, I would never do anything to you that you don’t want me to. How’s that for a compromise?”

  The undertones of the conversation had taken a definition serious turn, so to get back to a lighter mood, Janey responded in her trademark southern accent, “As I said Mr. Hillyard, I expect you to be a perfect gentleman.”

  Redmond stared at her for a few more seconds to underscore that he knew what she was trying to do, but he was dead serious about what he said.

  Letting her lead him back on to more playful ground, he responded, “As always, Ms. Coltrane, your every wish is my command.”

  There was that damn double entendre again, Janey thought. But she was grateful that he followed her lead.

  Keeping a lighter tone throughout the rest of their breakfast, Redmond told her about the people he was going to introduce her to. He offered some great insight into what to expect, so when they resumed their drive, she took out a pad and jotted down a few interview questions.

  As they pulled into the hotel, Janey marveled at Redmond’s diverse taste in music. On the drive, they’d listened to everything from country, to reggae, to zydeco, to R&B.

  She was surprised to learn that his favorite artist was Lionel Richie, not some popular West Indian artist.

  “Why Lionel Richie?” she asked.

  “It speaks from the heart and to the heart, and it cuts across musical genres – from R&B to country. It not only takes skill and originality to do that, you have to be sure of yourself. I like people who don’t doubt themselves, especially when it’s something as organic as talent.”

  There goes that ‘summing people up’ quality I loved so much about my dad, Janey thought.

  Out loud she said, “I love Lionel Richie too, especially for the lyrics in his love songs. You’re right, they sound like they come directly from the heart and he certainly knows how to speak to women’s hearts. I’d never thought about him in that light. That’s pretty profound.”

  When Redmond turned the van off, she hopped out and went inside the hotel lobby to check them in while he attended to their bags.

  “Hi,” Janey smiled at the reservation agent at the front desk. “I’m Janey Coltrane and I have a reservation for two rooms for three nights.”

  The agent quickly located her reservation. Brow crinkling, she said, “I’m sorry Ms. Coltrane, but we only have a reservation for one room for you for three nights.”

  Dispelling a quick rise of panic, Janey responded, “I made the reservation for two rooms, and even paid the deposit for two, as you can probably see on your screen there.”

  The agent said she indeed did see it, but that only one room had been reserved and the deposit had mistakenly been applied to her total bill for one room for three nights, instead of reserving two rooms for three nights.

  Continuing to apologize profusely, she continued, “It’s high season and we are completely booked. I’m so sorry, there’s nothing else I can do.”

  “Oh, wait,” the agent said. “We do have two rooms . . . but only on your last night. For the first two nights we don’t have an extra room. On the last night, we do.”

  The roller coaster of emotion left Janey with a distressed look on her face. At that moment, Redmond rounded the corner carrying their bags.

  Seeing how anxious she was, Janey quickly explained the situation to him.

  He told her that he was sure he could find someone in Hill Country to stay with and not to stress about it.

  Relieved, but feeling guilty because it meant he’d have to bring her back to the hotel later today after her interviews, then travel back to Hill Country probably late in the evening, then back to the hotel the next morning, she fretted over what to do.

  Overhearing their conversation, the agent said, “There are two double beds in the room. It’s rather large and has a terrace, so you can share quite comfortably.”

  Janey felt that she’d be an ass if she didn’t allow him to share the room with her. After all, that would be a lot of extra driving for him and even if he took more pay for it – which she instinctively knew he’d refuse – it just didn’t seem fair.

  Redmond was in the middle of insisting that it was no problem, that he’d stay in Hill Country, when Janey cut him off, saying, “Look, let’s not make this a bigger problem than it needs to be. If the room is big enough, let’s just share, ok?”

  Not wanting to hold up the reservation agent any longer, Redmond agreed as another couple and a family had come in behind them and the agent was apparently alone at the desk.

  They completed their check-in, went to the room and freshened up, then hopped back in Redmond’s van for the hour-long trip up into Hill Country where Janey could start her interviews.

  That first evening, Janey interviewed a local basket weaver. His family had been making and selling baskets from bamboo and palm leaves for “as long as he could remember,” he told her.

  The weaver was nice enough to let her video him as he started a new basket, in addition to patiently sitting for photos.

  Each basket was unique and they were so beautiful. Many had designs of island flowers woven into them and they were hand-painted in brilliant shades of yellows, blues, greens, reds and pinks. Of course, Janey couldn’t help herself and purchased a couple.

  The basket weaver’s wife insisted that they share a meal with them, which was a full three-courses. It started with a bowl of seafood gumbo, which had shrimp, conch and lobster. This paid homage to the variety of food the Caribbean sea provided.

  The main course of consisted of baked lamb with potatoes, which gave a nod to the island’s Greek influence.

  The final course, dessert, paid homage to the island’s African and Spanish influences. Churros was served. It’s a common Spanish dessert made from deep-fried flour dough, powered with cinnamon and sugar. It’s simple to make, and is simply divine.

  It perfectly complemented
the juicy cinnamon oranges, which are a common dessert found in Morocco.

  Served with ice cold ginger beer, Janey couldn’t remember when she’d enjoyed a meal so much. She hadn’t expected to have dinner in Hill Country. She thought that she would conduct her interviews then she and Redmond would find a restaurant close to the hotel for a meal.

  She was glad things had unfolded the way they had though because by the time they got back from Hill Country, it was going on midnight and almost every establishment, even those close to the hotel, was closed.

  Chapter 10: The First Night

  Exhausted, upon entering the room, Janey announced to Redmond that she was going to take a shower and head to bed.

  “Which bed do you want?” she asked.

  “Thanks for asking, but as you’re the ‘tourist,’ you can have the one closest to the terrace. That way, you can see the sea when the curtains are pulled back in the morning.”

  Yawning and thanking him for his thoughtfulness, Janey grabbed her small travel bag which contained her intimates and toiletries, then headed for the bathroom.

  “I won’t be long, I promise,” she yelled over her shoulder as she entered the bathroom.

  Looking at her tiny, but oh so womanly figure as she headed toward the bathroom, Redmond headed for the terrace to catch some of the night air.

  It was going to be much tougher than he thought to keep his hands off her, especially as she was going to be in a bed right next to him.

  It had been a few months since Redmond had been with a woman, and it had been years since he desired one as much as he desired Janey. In order to keep himself in check, he reminded himself that he had a daughter and he wouldn’t want any man to lay a finger on her if she didn’t wish it.

  While that thought cooled his blood a bit, he couldn’t stop the images of just how he’d like to make love to her from flooding his mind.

  True to her word, Janey was in and out of the bathroom in 10 minutes. He was surprised when she stepped to him on the balcony, letting him know that the bathroom was free.

  Dressed in white cotton night shorts and a matching, demure, button-down top, Redmond couldn’t help but think that with her face scrubbed free of all makeup, she looked like a teenager.

  “That must be some kind of record for a woman getting in and out of the bathroom,” he joked to her.

  “Business perk,” she said. “You learn what to pack and how to shower and dress quickly in my line of work.”

  “Does that account for your pajamas? Somehow it’s not what I pictured you wearing to bed,” Redmond responded.

  “Because I travel so much, I’ve learned that it’s prudent to wear practical pj’s when I’m on the road.”

  “When you’ve had to run screaming from your sleeping quarters, in the middle of the night, in a jungle, in a foreign country because you encountered a snake, you learn pretty quickly to leave the pretty stuff at home.”

  “Practicality is the name of the game, especially in nightwear, when I travel. … And you’re right, I do dress quite differently for bed when I’m at home,” she summed up.

  “Hmm, makes sense.” Redmond replied.

  “Too bad for me though, I was expecting a sneak peek at some Victoria’s Secrets.”

  “Ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh, Mr. Hillyard,” Janey said, pointing a slim finger at him, “remember your promise.”

  “I do remember my promise, Janey. I remember exactly what I promised. It’s you that keeps forgetting,” he said, closing the space between them in two steps.

  Gathering her in his arms, he smelled apricots and almonds, which were the scents of the body spray and shampoo she’d used.

  Whether she was too tired to resist or just didn’t want to, Janey didn’t know, but she stood still.

  Redmond simply looked down at her, imploring her to meet his gaze. After a few seconds, she did and was surprised to see the longing reflected there. He lowered his head to kiss her and she squirmed out of his grasp.

  Feeling the heat stirring in her, Janey didn’t trust where a simple kiss could lead, considering what had happened the first time he’d kissed her in front of her hotel. And that had been in public!

  Here in the intimacy of the hotel room, with nothing but simple cotton pajamas between them, Janey knew she had to hold Redmond to his word.

  Needing a (cold) shower more than ever at that moment, he let her slip away with a simple, “Alright Janey, have it your way . . . this time.”

  Redmond grabbed his leather overnight bag and went to take that cold shower.

  In spite of him trying to kiss her, Janey was surprised at just how at ease and safe she felt sharing a hotel room with Redmond. As she turned on the TV, she thought to herself how silly her initial apprehension had been.

  When he exited the bathroom a few minutes later, Janey was fast asleep. She’d turned out the lights and put the TV on the local news. But she obviously didn’t catch much because the silver-bluish light radiating from the television highlighted her angelic, sleeping features.

  So beautiful, Redmond thought as he turned off the TV and slid into his own bed.

  . . .

  “Aaaaaaaaaa!!!” Janey’s piercing scream woke Redmond.

  She had bounced from her bed to his, shaking like a leaf.

  “There’s a . . . a . . . in my, my . . . bed.”

  “A what,” Redmond implored, holding her to his chest and rubbing her back to try to calm her down. He reached for the beside lamp, illuminating the room in soft light.

  “A . . ugh, a . . . .a big liza . . . lizard I think,” she managed to get out.

  Sure enough, scurrying across the center of her bed was a big, fat albino-looking lizard. They were natives to the island and were harmless.

  Janey knew this and wasn’t scared of the little ones she saw every day on her hotel balcony. It wasn’t that lizards in general scared her, it was big, fat ones; and especially big, fat albino ones.

  She’d felt something crawling on her face, which woke her up. Once she felt it, she hopped like a cat on a hot tin roof from her bed to Redmond’s.

  Redmond quickly tracked the little fella down and set him free on the terrace, where he promptly disappeared over the side, apparently as scared of the situation as Janey was of him.

  Sitting in the middle of his bed with her knees curled under her, Janey had almost regained her calm.

  Embarrassed, she said, “Thanks. I’m not such a big baby, really. It’s just that fat lizards, especially those albino ones, scare the bejeezus out of me for some reason.”

  “It’s no problem …”

  “Know what? My daughter isn’t afraid of any creature she’s ever encountered on this island, except albino lizards. She said the color reminds her of an albino python she saw on a school trip once. Ever since then, she’s been afraid of them.”

  “Really?” Janey said, “You’re not just saying that to make me feel better?”

  “Yep, really. I didn’t make that up. I find it ironic that neither one of you are afraid of lizards, just a particular size and color of lizard.”

  Redmond couldn’t stop himself from chuckling.

  Janey threw a pillow at his head.

  “What’s so funny?” she said, half-jokingly and half mad.

  “Oh, I wasn’t laughing at that. I was just thinking that you have quite the pair of lungs on you. No one could ever kidnap you, that’s for sure.”

  Embarrassed all over again, Janey apologized again.

  “Do you want to switch beds?” Redmond asked. “I know it can be scary to get back in the same bed where you’ve just encountered an unwelcome bedmate.”

  “You wouldn’t mind, really?”

  “No problem,” Redmond assured her.

  Janey slid under the covers in Redmond’s bed.

  He turned out the light after settling himself in her bed.

  Janey tossed and turned, but it wasn’t entirely from her encounter with the lizard. The pillow smelled of Redmond, the shee
t she pulled up to her chin smelled of him, and she swore she could smell him from across the room.

  Hints of wood, vanilla, citrus and musk assaulted her nostrils, almost like he was right there in the bed with her.

  Unable to sleep either, Redmond fought valiantly but lost the battle and took the two steps to her bed. Reaching for her in the dark and without saying a word, he claimed her lips.

  Janey didn’t resist, knowing this was just the release her body needed.