Chance on Lovin' You

by Eboni Snoe

  “I thought perhaps we’d walk around the island.” Cay looked down the street. “Do some sight-seeing before we take off and do some island-hopping.”

  “Oh, so we’re going to go to some of the other islands as well?” Sasha was truly surprised.

  “Why not? We’ve got the transportation.” Cay studied her face.

  “Sounds exciting.”

  “Does it really? You seem a little nervous.”

  “I’m not nervous,” Sasha lied. “It sounds great to me.”

  “Good. We’ll go to Nassau for lunch, and then have dinner and spend the night on Abacos. We’ll return to Magic Key in the morning.”

  “My, my, my, you sure know how to impress a girl,” Sasha quipped.

  “You’ll love Abacos,” Cay continued. “It’s got a little of everything. Atmosphere, fine dining…” He tried to see Sasha’s eyes behind her sunglasses. “Perhaps you can get a massage and be pampered a bit before coming to bed tonight. Would you like that?”

  “What woman wouldn’t?”

  “I want to know if you would like it, Sasha. Not any woman. You.” Cay made his feelings plain.

  “I’m awestruck,” Sasha replied softly.

  “Don’t be.” Cay pulled her close to him on the heavily trafficked street. “I want you to enjoy yourself. To look forward to it.”

  “I’m looking very forward to all of it,” Sasha replied huskily.

  “So am I,” Cay said.

  Sasha’s knees felt as if they would give way, so she disengaged herself from his arms. “Is this the kind of life that the rich and famous live?”

  “I’m not famous,” he replied.

  They began to walk down the street.

  “Okay then, the filthy rich.”

  “Why must I be filthy? Why can’t I just be rich?” Cay asked.

  “I don’t know. Somehow it just seems a little obscene. You have enough money that you can take a mini-vacation at the flick of an eyebrow, while there are other people who are trying to figure out what they’re going to eat tomorrow.” She thought about the very tough days she and her mother had shared.

  “I didn’t choose to be rich, Sasha. My family was already wealthy when I was born. But to tell you the truth, if I had to make a choice, I would be born rich again. Are you holding a grudge against me because of it?”

  Sasha thought for a moment before replying, “I don’t think so.”

  “Do you feel I should apologize for it? That I shouldn’t” —he looked up at the sky, as if searching for the right words— “do or buy the things that are accessible to me because of my money?”

  “No,” Sasha replied softly.

  “Then what is it?”

  “Maybe it’s because your money is the same money that might be used to buy me out of the Bethel property.”

  “That decision hasn’t been made,” Cay replied. “But it’s not like you wouldn’t have a choice in the matter.”

  “What sort of choice?” she challenged. “There’s only a certain amount of turning down of money I’m capable of doing. The thing that bothers me about it is that I would consider selling my dream of a different kind of future for money. The very same thing that makes you believe you can do, say, or have anything you want.”

  A group of schoolgirls in uniforms walked by laughing and talking.

  “I don’t believe I can do, say, or have anything I want, and I don’t think this is the place to discuss this,” Cay said as a woman with a bag of fruit bumped into him. “As a matter of fact, I don’t think we should discuss it at all while we are in the Bahamas. We came here to get away from all that,” he reminded her.

  Sasha looked to the side.

  “How about it? Let’s call a truce until we return,” Cay prodded.

  Sasha looked at Cay’s outstretched hand. She wondered if she wanted to fight with him to put some distance between them. She wasn’t sure. All Sasha knew was that she was being sucked into Cay Ellis’s world of wealth and privilege, being swallowed up whole. She could envision herself residing there happily ever after. But in real life it didn’t go that way. In real life he would simply chew her up and spit her out. Sasha feared she would end up being “something to do” in Cay’s life, and that was something she could not take.

  Sasha wanted to relax and embrace what Cay offered. She knew it was the only way to get what she wanted: a bona fide relationship. Not a month of tolerating a man for what he could do for her, but a relationship with a future. And Sasha knew if she wanted a future she had to take a chance on chance. She had to believe in something or someone outside of herself. Sabotage was not an option. She pulled the hat down on her head. “An Ellis-Bethel truce?” Sasha asked.

  Cay nodded.

  “All right,” she replied. “I’ll give it a try.”

  Chapter 21

  “The office is closed, ma’am.” The young woman hiked the purse strap up on her shoulder. “We close at five o’clock.”

  Sherry ignored what the secretary was telling her. “Is Attorney Williams here?”

  “Yes, ma’am, but like I said we—”

  “Tell him Ms. Ellis would like to see him.”

  “Ma’am, we are do—”

  “Just do what I said, please.”

  The secretary leaned over the desk and picked up the telephone. “Attorney Williams, there’s a Ms. Ellis here to see you.” She waited. “I tried to tell her, but she insisted. Ma’am, what’s your first name?” She looked at her watch.

  “Sherry. Sherry Ellis.”

  “Her name is Sherry Ellis.” She paused, listening. “I’ll tell her. And Attorney Williams, the day-care center is closing early today, so I need to leave now. That’s if it’s all right?” She nodded, “Thank you. I’ll see you in the morning.” She hung up the telephone. “Just have a seat over there, Ms. Ellis. Attorney Williams has another appointment, but he said he’ll see you on his way out.”

  “Thank you,” Sherry replied.

  The secretary headed out the door, and Sherry left the outer office and entered the hallway. She walked past the first empty office, then stopped in front of Jason’s door. He was gathering up papers from his desk and placing them in his briefcase. He looked startled to see Sherry in his office.

  “Hello, Jason.”

  “Hello,” he replied. “You should have called before you came by. I’ve got another appointment.” He threw a couple of files inside the case. “I told the secretary to tell you to wait in the outer office.”

  “She told me, but I’ve never been good at following instructions.”

  Jason glanced up from packing, then looked down again. “I assume you have the buyout offer with you.”

  “As a matter of fact, I don’t,” Sherry replied.

  “Why not?” Jason stopped packing. “Cay hasn’t changed his mind, has he?” There was a distinct nervous edge to Jason’s voice.

  “So you do really want to settle this out of court,” Sherry observed with satisfaction.

  “I just want to settle it,” Jason replied. “And that brings us back to the offer.”

  “I don’t have an offer because, after you left last night, Cay wasn’t in the mood to discuss it. And today he up and left without telling anybody anything. Left a note saying he’d be back tomorrow morning.”

  “Well” —Jason snapped the briefcase shut— “I guess you will come up with a figure when he gets back. Another day won’t make that big of a difference from our perspective. But I will seek a court date before Friday if we can’t settle this thing.”

  “How do you know that?” Sherry walked languorously over to the window. “You haven’t asked your client.” She turned around and faced him. “Have you talked to her today?”

  “I don’t see how my talking to my client is any of your affair,” Jason replied. “So let’s get down to it, Sherry. If you don’t have the buyout agreement, why did you come here?”

  “I just happened to be in town” —she put on a doe-eyed look— “and I knew
you were expecting me to contact you, so I decided to drop in.”

  “I know you better than that.” Jason straightened the remaining papers and folders on his desk. “You’re not that generous with yourself, or your time, unless there’s something in it for you.”

  “Shame on you, Jason.” Sherry sauntered over and stood in front of him. “I’m not that bad, am I?”

  “Worse,” he replied, eyeing her suspiciously.

  “I can’t help it if, back then, you weren’t in a position to offer me all the things that were important for my future. What you had to offer” —she gently squeezed his genitals— “was wonderful. It just wasn’t enough.”

  Jason held his breath, releasing it only when he began to speak. “What do you want from me, Sherry? Are you finally getting bored at Guana Manor? Is Cay not paying you the attention you thought he wouldn’t be able to hold back once Wally died?” His eyes turned dark. “That’s one thing I have to give to him; he wasn’t like the rest of us silly fools, Wally and I, who couldn’t see past what you had between your legs. Even though that’s the only thing I’ll give to Cay Ellis. I’ll be glad to help Sasha get some of the Ellis money. They’ve got too much of it anyway.”

  Sherry’s cheeks heightened in color, but she kept her cool. “After last night she may not want any of our money.”

  “What?”

  “It’s possible.” Sherry sat back on the desk. “After that big display of the Ellises against the Bethels, she and Cay found some secluded spot on the Guana Estate grounds to roll around on last night.”

  “I don’t believe you,” Jason retorted.

  “You don’t.” Sherry laughed slyly. “I don’t know why not. Cay’s always been able to beat you to the punch.”

  “Except with you,” Jason said, sticking in a barb. “Oh, but I forgot, that’s because he didn’t want you.”

  “When did you become Cay’s ally?” Sherry’s temper flared. “Ever since I’ve known you, you’ve despised him. But, of course” —she paused for emphasis— “I know jealousy when I see it.”

  Jason’s jaw tightened. “I don’t have time for this.” He picked up his briefcase. “I’ve got some real business to take care of, and I don’t have time to rehash the past with you.”

  Sherry thought quickly. The conversation was not turning out the way she’d thought it would. She had planned to bring Jason into her corner, not make an enemy of him. “Look…I’m sorry, Jason. I didn’t come here to argue with you.” She hoped her eyes looked softly sincere.

  Jason studied Sherry’s face. She was such a beautiful woman. He remembered a time when he would have done anything to be able to call her his, and it wasn’t for the sex, as he had implied, it was because he’d loved her. But that was years ago. “What is it, Sherry? Why have you paid me this special visit?”

  “I’m concerned about this whole Bethel property thing,” she informed him.

  “I don’t think I’m the person you need to be discussing your concerns with. I represent Sasha Townsend, remember?”

  “I know that.” Sherry placed her hands in her lap. “But we both hope to benefit from this.”

  Jason believed he had more to lose than Sherry ever imagined. “Talk about jealousy…” A cynical smile crossed his face. “So you must see Sasha as a threat to your becoming the permanent mistress of the Guana Estate.”

  “You give her too much credit, Jason. Just because she’s been able to turn your head.”

  “From what you told me she’s done more than that for your man Cay.”

  “Sasha Townsend is just another passing ship in the night.” She made a dismissive geshire in the air. “Cay Ellis Junior is my major concern.”

  “Cay Ellis Junior? I heard him give you and Cay the power to settle the Bethel property issue.”

  “Yes, you did. But as of late” —she gazed off to the side— “he’s been real vindictive towards me.” Sherry got off the desk. “He blames me for Wally’s death.”

  “So he found out?”

  Sherry’s eyes turned serious. “Found out what?”

  “Come on, Sherry.” Jason shook his head. “You know what. Are you still in denial about that?”

  “But I don’t believe—”

  “You don’t believe, huh? That’s why you wanted my mother to put a fix on Wally, because you didn’t believe.”

  “I was upset.” Sherry looked distraught. “And I didn’t really believe it would work.”

  “Yes, you did. You believed every word of it.”

  Sherry was silent. “Papa doesn’t know about that. He accuses me of withholding sex from Wally and driving him to drink. He thinks Wally left that night because he was in need of a certain kind of satisfaction that I wasn’t willing to supply.”

  “So he’s only got a part of the picture.” Jason put his briefcase back on top of the desk. “You know, I started to blow that innocent act you put on last night, but it wouldn’t have been in my best interest.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Your undying loyalty to the Ellis family. It’s about as pitiful as your claim not to believe in the obeah.” He shook his head and laughed. “So Mr. Ellis only suspects you of being an unloving wife. He didn’t know you wanted Wally to roam the streets at night and drink himself into oblivion.”

  “Maybe all by his little self Wally turned into a class-one alcoholic,” she continued. “It happens all the time.”

  “You don’t fool me, Sherry,” Jason said cynically. “You’re such a hypocrite. I remember that was one of the first things you asked me the night I met you: ‘I heard your mother is an obeah woman, is it true?’” Jason looked off. “Hell, I didn’t know what to say. Nobody had ever come up to me and directly asked me about my mother. I’d heard rumors, had been teased as a kid, but no one had ever had the nerve to ask me that. But not you, Ms. Sherry.” He looked her up and down.

  “The first time I saw you, we were hanging out at Alligator Alley, and I thought you were the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. So when you came over to me and asked about my mother, I was shocked, didn’t know what to say.” A wistful look crossed his features. “I assumed Wally had told you about her. He was deep into that sort of thing.” He paced. “But after Wally came over and got you, and took you back where all the folks of his caliber were sitting, I didn’t run into you again for years. It was only after Cay married Precious that I saw you again. I guess seeing him actually get married compelled you to go slumming that night, and you found me. I felt like I was living a dream, and that night I told you anything I thought you wanted to hear. I told you my mother had put a curse on Cay Ellis Junior. That she was the reason one woman couldn’t satisfy him and he was acting like a rabbit all over the county. I told you she did it because he pulled a one-night stand on her.” He shook his head.

  “Boy, I wanted to impress you. Show you that even though my family didn’t have the Ellis fortune, we had the power of the obeah on our side. And that seemed to hit you in all the right spots. I guess power is the button a man needs to push to get next to you.” He looked down at the cleavage peeking out of the top of Sherry’s dress.

  “I don’t think I ever wanted anything or anybody that bad before” —he paused— “or since. I said and did whatever I thought I had to in order to keep you, and you played me every step of the way. You let me go on planning and dreaming, when you knew all the time that you were married to one of the Ellises.” Jason watched Sherry turn her old wedding ring around on her finger. “And all that time, I never realized you just wanted to be close to me because of my mother. Because of her power. That’s why you wanted me around.”

  “That wasn’t totally true, Jason.” For the first time, her voice was sincere. “I came to care for you.”

  Jason studied her, and a spark of hope sputtered, but he dowsed it. “You may have,” he acknowledged, “but being near me in your mind was like being near the power of the obeah. Something powerful enough to control the mighty Ellises. You didn
’t want to get to know my mother directly because you were afraid she would be able to see right through you, see the truth.” Jason nodded with understanding. “And you know what?”

  Sherry remained silent.

  “She still knew the truth, and she tried to warn me, but I wouldn’t hear anything from anybody against you. Then you married Wally, and it nearly killed me.”

  “Jason, I don’t want to talk about this. That’s all in the past.” Sherry sliced her hand through the air.

  But Jason persisted. “Even after you married Wally I still loved you, and you knew it. That’s why you came to me that night crying and saying Wally was abusing you. You said you were afraid to do anything about it because of the Ellises’ influence in these parts, and of course, I believed you. So when you asked me if my mother could help, I told you yes. I would have done anything to remain in your life.”

  “I was much younger then, Jason. I didn’t know what happiness was.” Sherry’s eyes were sad as she tried to explain. “You have to understand where I came from. I had been taught, from the time I was a little girl, to marry into a family with money and a good reputation. I finally decided the Big Pine Key area was the perfect place. It was the kind of place where I could build my own personal empire. By marrying into the Ellis family I became a kind of royalty around here, above reproach, beyond criticism.” Sherry lifted her chin. “I liked that.”

  “Well…you made your decision, and now you’re a part of the Ellis family and their fortune. It’s up to you to stay in good standing with the power structure there.” Jason put his hand on his briefcase again. “You know there’s no love lost between me and that family.”

  “But you’re the only person I have any kind of real relationship with outside of the family. If I can’t come to you, who can I take my burdens to?” Sherry hoped she looked vulnerable as she approached him.

  “There’s not much I can do for you now, Sherry. I surely can’t ask my mother to put a fix on anyone else for you. It’s impossible. She’s been dead now for a couple of years. And even if I could I wouldn’t. And there’s something I’ve been wanting to tell you for a long time.”