Under Brittany Spencer’s watchful eye, I became an expert at the day-to-day run of the house. I had successfully hired a complete staff—a Bahamian chef, a housekeeper for each house, an accountant. I would take reservations and check guests into the property, at least until the task became too overwhelming for me to handle, at which time I would hire a front desk clerk. My job would be to oversee the staff and ensure that the property ran smoothly.
Meanwhile, my days had been filled with bringing the new staff up to speed, putting the finishing touches on the interior of each house, and also planning the celebration of the Grove’s Grand Opening, which was right around the corner. So far, I’d hired a local Caribbean band and the caterers. Christmastime in the Bahamas was festive, and the palm trees out front had been decorated in multicolored lights. Poinsettias and holly adorned the inside of the house. Invitations had been mailed, and RSVPs were slowly trickling in. Hundreds of people would attend the elegant affair, including every one of my siblings. Even Denny would make it home in time.
I’d been so busy I barely had time to spend a single evening gazing at the stars with Jackson. He’d been busy, too, working well into the middle of each night just to meet the Grove’s construction deadline. It wasn’t long after our trip to Miami and Key West that the Talbot House was completed and work had begun on the third house, Samson Place. A tranquil and serene retreat for lovers, the beachside home had everything desired for a romantic week in the Bahamas—jetted Jacuzzi bathtubs, cozy canopy beds with sheer drapes suspended from the posts to create an intimate scene. Guest packages would include breakfast in bed and complimentary bottles of wine or champagne.
Samson Place would’ve been the perfect place for Jackson and me to spend our days and nights. Perhaps we should’ve started construction on this house first. Although we weren’t in love in the beginning—in fact, we weren’t even in like. But love had certainly developed over time. The theme for the Samson Place would’ve been a great tribute to the love that we eventually found for each other. However, it was a love that we’d both become uncertain about as the time drew closer for Jackson to return to Key West.
We had managed to stay connected during the busy times, sending text messages to each other several times a day, just to say hi. We made promises of things we’d planned to do to each other by nightfall, only to fall asleep in each other’s arms by the time the night actually came, too exhausted to fulfill those promises. But it was nice to simply be held through the night. Just knowing that he was there beside me made me feel safe and gave me great comfort. What would I do without him in the days to come?
I tried to wish the thoughts away, but the truth was I’d grown accustomed to spending every night with Jackson and awakening to his handsome face each morning. I needed him like the air I breathed. Our lives had become too intertwined, and I was so in love with him. We both knew that renovation at the Grove wouldn’t last forever. We knew that the day would come when he’d have to return to his home. After all, he was a businessman, and another contracting job awaited him in Fort Lauderdale. And after that, there’d be another. His life was there, not here in Eleuthera, and it was time I faced that truth. It was nice to live in the moment. That way you didn’t lose time worrying about tomorrow—you got to enjoy every single smile, laugh, kiss, touch—all the things you might miss if you were busy worrying about things that were out of your control. But the flip side of that is when the moments end, you’re left with emptiness and pain.
As much as I had prepared myself for that dreadful day, nothing had prepared me for what I felt now when I saw Jackson’s bags resting at the front door of the Clydesdale. Materials and tools had already been packed up and shipped back to the States ahead of him, and many of his employees had returned as well, including Jorge, Diego, Tristan and Lance. I missed our smoke breaks together, even though I never smoked a day in my life. I had thoroughly enjoyed our vivacious conversations. I missed them, but not nearly as much as I would miss the gorgeous copper-colored man with the curly locks, a dazzling smile, boisterous laughter and the ability to make my body feel things that no other man ever could.
He stood at the top of the stairs staring down at me for a few moments. And then he made his way down. “My flight leaves at six,” he said.
“This is harder than I thought it would be,” I told him.
“For me, too,” he said, “but we’ll commute for a while, until we tire of it.”
“What happens when we tire of it, Jackson?” I didn’t particularly like his choice of words.
He placed a gentle hand against my face. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I don’t mean to sound so insensitive about it, but I’m a realist and I have to be honest with myself.”
“So when you get tired of the commute, does that mean you fall in love with someone else—someone who’s more accessible?”
“I can’t see loving anyone else but you,” he said. “And what about you? You’ll be fraternizing with all these rich, successful businessmen who will be frequenting the Grove. What happens when you fall in love with one of them? You’ll forget all about poor old Jackson Conner. He was just your little boy toy, a willing participant in your little trysts.”
“You don’t believe that.”
“What am I to believe when the woman I’m hopelessly in love with tells me let’s just live in the moment?”
“What’s the alternative? Do I pack up and move to Key West—abandon my family and the Grove?”
“Of course not,” he said.
“And do you pack up and move to the Bahamas, leave your business and start anew?” I asked the hard questions. Life had taught me to be a realist.
“What we have is real, Jasmine Talbot, and it doesn’t come around that often. People like us are blessed to have found each other. We have to find a way.”
“I agree,” I told him. “I said I wanted a man just like my father. And I found him. And I said I wanted a family and children—as many as the grains of sand along the Caribbean Sea. I wanted to live in a beautiful, simple little house on the Eleuthera Islands. I didn’t know that when I found that man, he’d live somewhere else.”
“Your parents and grandparents made sacrifices for each other. That’s what they did in order to be together.”
“They certainly did.”
My mother had sacrificed her entire life and career for my father. Moved to the Bahamas without a second thought. I wondered if she’d ever regretted it. Or would she have made a different choice and regretted losing him?
Jackson kissed my lips by surprise. “We have time to think about it. No hasty decisions need to be made,” he said.
I stepped back and looked around. “You did an awesome job here. This place is beyond beautiful. Everyone thinks so,” I told him.
“We did it. We were a great team.” He grabbed my small hands in his. “You are the shining star here. Not me.”
“Will you return for the Grand Opening?”
“I don’t know that I can. I’ll be working in Fort Lauderdale during that time, but I promise to try.”
“Please try hard.” I couldn’t believe there was a question of him being here. And just after our conversation about sacrifices.
“I’ll do my best,” he said. “That’s all I can promise, sweetheart.”
I peeked through the window and saw the cabdriver parked at the curb, waiting for Jackson. Sadness overcame me, but I was brave.
“Call me as soon as you get home,” I told Jackson.
“I’ll call you as soon as I get in the cab.” He smiled and pulled me into his arms, hugged me tightly. And then he walked away.
I watched as Jackson tossed his bags into the trunk of the car and hopped into the backseat. My heart flooded with grief. I wondered if I’d ever see Jackson again, if the calls would become less frequent and if our love affair would become like all the others
I’d experienced in my life. I was used to men walking away, never to return. Tears filled my eyes as the taxi pulled away from the curb, and it felt as if my heart went with it.
Life at the Grove would be different.
* * *
I sat on the front porch with my mother and sipped tea sweetened with sugarcane. I needed to be close to my parents as I nursed my aching heart. Needed to experience their love, in order to make sense of my own.
“Things that are meant to be will be, child,” said my mother. “People who love each other find ways to be together.”
“When did you know that you loved Daddy?”
“The moment I met him,” she said. “And that’s the truth.”
“Weren’t you afraid to abandon your dreams to be with him? What if it didn’t work out?”
“I was very afraid. I took a chance traveling from Washington, DC, to Florida. I was pregnant and scared. I wasn’t sure if he’d taken up with some floozy or if he’d forgotten all about me. All I knew was that I was carrying his child and I loved him. And I knew that true love didn’t come that often in a lifetime.” She took a sip of her tea. “I had to take the chance.”
“I’ve finally found my career niche with the Grove. It’s where I belong. It’s what I want to do for the rest of my life,” I told my mother. “Are you telling me that I should abandon that for love?”
“I’m not telling you to do anything, dear.” She gently rested her hand against my face. “Only you can make that decision.”
“Who would run the Grove if I left?”
“You have five other siblings who have a stake in the place. One of them would have to step up.”
“How would I even know that Jackson would want me there in Key West? He’s a bachelor, and he’s used to living alone.”
“I didn’t know whether or not your father would have me either. But I took a chance.” My mother stood, kissed my forehead. “You don’t have to decide anything tonight, Jasmine. Take your time, and think it through. Get some rest. Stop thinking so hard. You don’t have to figure everything out tonight.”
I would definitely think things through, but I was smart enough to know that rest wouldn’t come easy.
Chapter 23
Jasmine
People traveled from all over the Bahamas and the US for the Grand Opening. Friends from college, colleagues of the Spencers, and even a few celebrities who frequented the Bahamas were in attendance. All of the Talbot children returned home for the lavish event. Alyson and Edward were the first to arrive a few days prior to the Grand Opening and helped to put the finishing touches on the event. Nate’s flight arrived from Atlanta on Friday morning, followed by Whitney’s that afternoon from the great state of Texas. And Denny returned home from officer’s training in the United States.
Everyone dressed for the occasion in tuxedos and evening gowns. I had chosen a formfitting, sleeveless red gown—the back of it completely open and revealing my bare skin. I’d picked it up at one of the famous boutiques in Miami during a weekend visit with Alyson. We’d become much closer since our lunch in Little Havana—chatting almost every day on the phone, texting funny, quirky things to each other and getting to know each other. While in Miami, we shopped for dresses and drank mojitos at the little café that had quickly become my favorite place, too. Sisterhood was everything I’d hoped for and then some.
Everything in place, I watched as guests sipped champagne and nibbled on hors d’oeuvres. People danced casually to the sounds of Caribbean music.
I spotted my brother Edward among the crowd and walked over to him. “Hey, you.”
“I’m so proud of you, Jazzy! You did an amazing job with this place,” he said. “It’s everything we dreamed it would be. It’s perfect.”
“Thank you.”
“You look gorgeous, by the way.” Edward hugged me tightly.
“So do you. I’m loving that tux,” I said. “Thanks for believing in me.”
“Honestly, I didn’t think she could pull it off,” Whitney said, interrupting the conversation. “I guess you proved me wrong, Jasmine Talbot.”
“I guess I did.” I hugged my baby sister and gave her a peck on the cheek.
“I knew she could do it all along.” My father walked up, moved in between us and placed an arm around each one of us. He looked stylish in his black tuxedo.
“Oh my God, you look so handsome, Daddy!” I exclaimed and told the photographer, “Get a picture.”
“Wait a minute!” Alyson rushed over. “Let me in the picture.”
The photographer snapped a photo of the four of us and then Daddy gave me a strong squeeze. “You are so beautiful and so brilliant. I never doubted you for one minute.”
“I know.” I smiled at my father, who had been my biggest supporter.
“I surely doubted her,” said Alyson. “But I have to admit, she did a fabulous job with the Grove. I’m sorry I didn’t trust you at first.”
“Water under the bridge,” I told her. “Let’s just make the best of things going forward.”
“I agree,” said my brother Nate, who came to see why so many Talbots were gathered in one corner of the room. “Did someone forget to invite me to the family meeting?”
“Are you still a Talbot?” I asked Nate. “Because we rarely see you on the island.”
“Old wounds, my dear little sister,” he said. “Sometimes they’re better left unopened.”
“I think I see your old wound over there across the room,” said Alyson.
Nate’s eyes followed her gaze. “Who invited her?” he asked.
“I invited everyone on the island,” I replied.
We all glanced over at Nate’s ex-girlfriend Vanessa, who was enjoying a glass of champagne and conversation with a group of people.
“You shouldn’t have invited her, Jazzy. Not without asking me. You, of all people, know the history there,” said Nate.
“I’m sorry.”
My mother walked up wearing a formfitting silver lace gown. “I think you all need to break up this little gathering and disperse. People are starting to whisper,” she said quietly.
I prayed that Nate wouldn’t remain upset about my inviting Vanessa to the Grand Opening. It wasn’t a deliberate attack on him, but a means for gaining more business. The Grove was marketed to everyone regardless of who they were. Word of mouth was an effective marketing tool, and Vanessa had friends.
Denny walked through the door wearing black pants and a red-wine-colored tuxedo vest. Even with his black Chuck Taylor sneakers, he still looked handsome. There was no doubt he had his own style and consistently pushed the envelope. My mother frowned when she saw his shoes. With a grin on his face, and his girlfriend, Sage, on his arm, he made his grand entrance into the party. Sage looked pretty in her red-wine-colored, knee-length dress that matched Denny’s vest. The two made a handsome couple. Since he’d asked me to bring the ring, I wondered if this would be the night that he proposed to her.
Suddenly the Caribbean band that I’d hired stopped playing music, and Nate took a seat at our grandfather’s grand piano. I was sure he wasn’t on the program to play and wondered what he called himself doing. If this was an attempt to get the attention of his ex-girlfriend, it was neither the time nor the place. And I wouldn’t stand for it. I’d worked too hard to put together a tasteful event, and I wouldn’t have it ruined because of his old wounds.
“What are you doing?” I mouthed to him.
One of the band members offered him the microphone.
“Jazzy, can you join me over here, please?” Nate asked.
I looked over at my other siblings, who were encouraging me to go. My father gave me a nod. So I made my way to the piano and stood next to Nate.
“What are you doing?” I whispered between clinched te
eth.
“I just wanted to say thank-you to my sister Jasmine for putting this wonderful event together. She’s done such an awesome job here at the Grove. She prepared a great business plan for us and put together a wonderful marketing plan. She oversaw the renovation and hired and trained our staff. She is definitely the woman of the hour and deserves a round of applause.”
People applauded me, and those who were seated, stood. It was overwhelming to receive such a response. I had never done anything in my life that deserved such recognition and it felt good. I’d accomplished something that I could be proud of. I glanced at my father, who stood across the room, a look of pride all over his face. It almost brought me to tears. But I was determined not to cry and ruin my makeup. It was a rare occasion that I wore any, and it wouldn’t be smeared tonight. Not like the night that Alyson and I had one too many mojitos.
Nate, who was also a very talented pianist, began to play a familiar tune. It was John Legend’s “All of Me,” the song that Jackson had sung on our front porch so many Sundays prior.
I heard Jackson’s sweet-sounding voice long before I saw him. A microphone in his hand, he stepped into the Grand Room wearing a sophisticated, steel-gray tuxedo. He stood across the room for a few moments, indulging in the sight of me as he sang the words to our beautiful love song.
Tears burned the side of my face, and I knew my makeup didn’t stand a chance.
After he’d sung the last note, everyone applauded. Jackson made his way over to me and whispered in my ear, “You look gorgeous.”
I was choked up, but managed to say, “I can’t believe you’re here.” I wrapped my arms tightly around his neck.
He spoke into the microphone. “I’m so proud of you, Jasmine. The Grove is absolutely beautiful. And the work that you put in...it really proves to everyone that you’re quite capable. Not that you needed to prove anything to anyone except yourself.”
An Island Affair Page 18