Sold!: A Holiday Romance

by J. L. Campbell

  “Why wouldn’t it?”

  She stared into his eyes, now certain he was as drawn to her as she was to him. Smiling gently, she said, “If you can’t figure it out then you’re not as smart as you seem.”

  He leaned forward, giving her a smile that had her squirming. If he didn’t stop looking at her like that she’d burst into flames in a minute.

  Carsten touched her hand, dragging her gaze to where his honey gold skin contrasted with her darker complexion. The distraction brought her back to earth.

  “If I can’t persuade you to change your mind yet," he said, "then I may as well ask you to go out with me.”

  “What d’you mean by yet?”

  “Exactly that. I’m not giving up. I never give up.”

  “Never?”

  “Ever,” he said, softly. “So about that date, let’s settle some details.”

  Chapter 5

  Carsten raised his head and was eye-to-eye with Jack, who’d taken off his seatbelt and was hanging between the front seats.

  “Mommy never took me to the country before.”

  “Really?”

  “We only go around town.”

  “Well, today we’re changing that.”

  “I still don’t know why we couldn’t take Max.”

  “Because your mother said you couldn’t.”

  “She said he might do a number two in the van.”

  Carsten tried not to smile and turned his head to where Feechi stood by a roadside stall, sexy in a pair of jeans and a snug-fitting tee-shirt. She’d asked him to stop so she could buy some fruits to take home.

  Jack had stayed in the air-conditioned van, but kneeled on the seat watching her. On the way from Kingston, he’d asked a ton of questions to do with the van, where they were going and what they were going to do there.

  Carsten owned a property in Mandeville that he was planning to renovate for resale and figured since they had Jack with them, today would be a great opportunity to appraise the house and meet with one prospective contractor from the area.

  The cell phone rang and Carsten engaged the car’s Bluetooth system. A business associate of his was on the line asking for contact details for another acquaintance. After pushing a few buttons, Carsten had the information he needed on the screen. When he finished the call, Jack pointed to the dashboard. “Wow, how does that work? Mommy’s car doesn’t do that.”

  Feechi opened the back door and set a couple bags of bananas and oranges on the seat and then went to the other side to put on Jack's seatbelt. Then she climbed into the front passenger seat and reengaged the seatbelt. “Thanks for stopping.”

  “No worries.” Carsten strapped himself in and looked into the rearview mirror before pulling back on to the road.

  “Mommy, Uncle Carsten can talk on his phone through the car radio.”

  “It doesn’t exactly work like that, hon.”

  “So how does it work?”

  “Through what we call a Bluetooth car stereo system.”

  “Cool, I know about Bluetooth. Like what’s on your phone, right?”

  Feechi pointed at the dashboard. “Yes, so the phone and the car stereo can talk to each other.”

  Jack laughed and slapped his knees. “Mommy you know they can’t talk to each other.”

  “You know what I mean.”

  Amused by their conversation, Carsten murmured, “You shouldn't tell him things like that. Children these days seem to be born with an encyclopedia in their brain and technical knowledge at their fingertips.”

  Feechi’s elevated brows echoed her question. “How would you know?”

  “I have nieces and nephews.”

  “You do? Somehow you don’t look like an uncle.”

  “I’m not going to ask what kind of man that’s supposed to represent.”

  While he laughed, she narrowed her eyes as if seeing him for the first time. “So where do your siblings live?”

  “Montego Bay.”

  “How come you’re all the way in Kingston?”

  “I’ve always been the adventurous one.”

  “I don’t doubt that.”

  “Why?”

  “You’re into auctions and that’s not exactly common in Jamaica. How on earth did you get into that anyway?”

  “My father is the consummate entrepreneur. He’s been in more businesses than I can count. I figure I got that from him—the need to do different things.”

  “Auctioneering too?”

  “It’s something he dabbled in, but didn’t take up seriously.” Before she asked the next question, he supplied an answer. “Once I hit my teens, he took me around with him.”

  “What’s auctioneering?” Jack asked.

  “It’s what Uncle Marlon does for a living,” Feechi said.

  Jack leaned forward. “I still don't—”

  Knowing the boy wouldn’t stop asking questions if he wasn’t given a full explanation, Carsten answered him.

  “It’s selling by auction and that means putting up things for sale in batches and allowing people to bid against each other for what they want to buy.”

  “Oh, I saw that on television one time.”

  “Thanks,” Feechi said, looking over her shoulder at Jack. “He has a way of demanding in-depth explanations.”

  “That’s not strange. My father spent a lot of time showing me stuff and explaining things to me.”

  “I don’t have a father to tell me anything,” Jack said.

  “Is that what your Mommy told you?” Carsten asked, while curiosity stirred inside him.

  “Yes, that’s what Auntie Dee says too when I ask her.”

  Carsten couldn’t help the disapproving glance he sent Feechi’s way. A boy needed his father, no matter what.

  Her mouth puckered and she shook her head slightly, as if to say he shouldn’t go wherever his mind was leading him.

  It wasn’t any of his business, but his spirit lifted at the thought that at least she wasn’t with Jack’s father. Of course, that didn’t mean she wasn’t with anyone else and without being told, Carsten knew she wouldn’t be volunteering any information.

  He didn’t know what to say to break the awkward silence which fell inside the vehicle, so he went with the first thing that came to mind.

  “What's your favorite thing to do, Jack?”

  He giggled and then said, “I like playing with Mad Max.”

  Carsten was about to ask about that person's identity when he made the connection, and Feechi said, “The dog from hell.”

  Carsten laughed and looked sideways at Feechi. “Now why would you call him that?”

  Jack protested, gripping Carsten’s seat. “He’s the best dog in Jamaica.”

  “It’s not like you’ve had one before or know a lot of them.”

  “He’s still the best dog.”

  “How did you get him?”

  “A friend of mine sort of migrated and left him with me.”

  Carsten got stuck at migrated. “What does ‘sort of’ migrate mean?”

  “Well, she was supposed to be away for a couple of months and now it has turned into three and I suspect—”

  “I hope Auntie Suzanne doesn't come back.”

  Feechi spoke over her shoulder. “You don’t mean that.”

  “If she comes back to Jamaica, she’s going to want Max, so she should stay in foreign forever.”

  “Florida, and he is her dog.”

  Jack mumbled something Carsten didn’t hear, but from Feechi’s stern expression he guessed she'd caught her son’s remark.

  “I don’t see why I can’t keep him since I like him and he likes me.”

  “I’ve told you it doesn’t work like that.”

  “So how does it work? You never told me.”

  Intrigued, Carsten waited for Feechi's response.

  “When Suzanne comes back, we’re giving her the dog.”

  “Max.”

  “Don’t get smart, I know his name.”

  “But—
”

  She let out her breath on a soft sigh. “No more, Jack. We’ve had this argument a hundred times already.”

  It was clear Jack knew his limit because he didn’t utter another word, but when Carsten eyed him in the mirror, his face was screwed into an intense frown.

  It also wasn’t the time to say anything more about the dog but Carsten wanted to tell Feechi that when boys and dogs weren’t enemies, they made the best of friends. Of course, she wouldn’t want to hear that.

  The highway overlooked pastureland that went on for miles on either side. Several plots were dotted by cows grazing in clusters. Carsten guessed Jack wasn’t used to the countryside, so distracting him would be a way to pull him out of his funk.

  “Jack, have you ever seen that many cows before?”

  The boy shook his head. “Only on TV.”

  “I think you’re gonna like the place we’re going to visit.”

  “Does it have cows?”

  “Not on the property, but you can see them from the house.”

  “When are we getting there?”

  “Another ten minutes or so.”

  Feechi looked sideways at Carsten. “You never told me why we’re going there.”

  “I’m fixing up the house to sell it, so I need to see what needs to be done since I haven’t been there in a while.”

  Her face morphed into a sweet smile. “I never said thanks for shifting things up to accommodate me, but thanks.”

  “Not a problem. You and Jack are improving this trip for me. On my own, it would have been all business. With the two of you along, it’s a lot more pleasant.”

  Last night, Feechi told him she’d have a challenge since Dee and her mother were going to see a play in the evening. That meant there wouldn’t be anybody to watch Jack.

  To accommodate Feechi, he’d switched things up and suggested they come with him on a day trip to Mandeville. She’d agreed to that, which he figured would work out better. He’d have more time with her, even with Jack along, and that suited him.

  He drove into the upscale community where the house was located and then onto a side road, which had a steep incline. The house he’d bought at auction sat at the top of the hill. The building was huge, five bedrooms built into two stories. The owners had fallen behind on their mortgage payments and the bank had taken possession of the property. Now, he was the owner. Although Carsten preferred living in the country, his lifestyle didn’t leave room for a place as big as this house.

  The vast rooms with slabs of marble tiles would be the ideal place to raise a family, but again, he wasn’t in the market for anything like that.

  The moment he stopped the van, Feechi got out, released Jack and stood staring at the building with both hands on her hips. The wind lifted her hair, which she’d left loose, and swished it around her face. She brushed away the long strands and tipped her head back to look at the second-floor verandah.

  Jack tugged at Feechi and she looked down at him, frowning.

  The hand she wasn't holding shaded his brow while he stared at the houses and plots of land spread around them. “Mommy, I want to go look.”

  Feechi took one sweeping glance around the fenced property and shook her head. “Everything is below us.”

  “But I want to see it.”

  “Not if I’m not with you.”

  Carsten intervened in what he thought would develop into an argument. “Tell you what, let’s have a look inside the house and then we can look around out here, okay?”

  Jack cranked his neck backward. “Is that okay, Mommy?”

  After exchanging an unreadable stare with Carsten, she said, “As long as I’m with you."

  Carsten ran up the steps to the rounded verandah and slipped the key into the Cherrywood door. One half of the massive door opened and he waved Feechi and Jack inside ahead of him.

  “Wow!” Jack walked into the circular living area and cocked his chin toward the ceiling where golden flecks of pebble-dash winked at them. Wasting no time, he ran to one window at the back of the living area and grabbed the grille in both fists. “Wow!”

  This time, his cry was louder, which amused Carsten, who walked up behind him with Feechi at his side. “You like the view?”

  With his eyes shining, Jack spun to face Carsten. “You can see the whole Jamaica from here.”

  “Not quite, Carsten said.

  Jabbing the glass with one finger, Jack said, “Look over there, that’s the sea.”

  Carsten didn’t bother to correct him. The blue haze in the distance did give the impression it was sea water.

  When Feechi's mouth opened, Carsten squeezed her arm. Then, when he shook his head, she rolled her eyes.

  “Leave him be,” he mouthed, while raising one hand. It was easier to let him think he was looking at the sea than to explain about the emissions from the alumina factory miles away in the valley.

  Jack moved to the next window, still holding on to the metal burglar bars.

  “Who used to live here?” he asked.

  “I don’t know the people who owned it,” Carsten said.

  “If I lived here, I wouldn’t want to move out.” Jack ran to another window a few feet away. “Mommy, look, more cows and see that house over there? It’s like a castle.”

  Over his shoulder, Jack spoke to Carsten. “D’you know whose house that is?”

  “No, I don’t live here, so these aren’t my neighbors.”

  “I’d love to live here. Wouldn’t you like that, Mommy?”

  Her gaze swept the empty rooms in an assessing way and Carsten figured she liked the house. Then she folded her arms and screwed up her face. “Nope. It’s cold at night.”

  Carsten didn't buy her act, Feechi liked the place well enough. In a teasing tone, he said, “That’s no reason not to want to live in the country, where there’s clean air, less traffic and no noisy neighbors.”

  She turned away and Carsten suspected she was avoiding him. He considered the house through the eyes of a stranger, thinking it would be a great place to raise kids. His gaze shifted to Jack and he blinked and rubbed a hand across his chin. Why on earth was his mind wandering to a family and settling down when that wasn’t in his plans?

  The answer came to him in seconds. Feechi. She was attractive and he hadn’t been with anybody in a few months. That had to be it.

  His phone rang and he applied his mind to the business at hand. Getting an estimate from the construction company to renovate the house was what mattered now. He’d meet with the company’s principal and then he’d take Feechi and Jack to lunch.

  Thoughts of a relationship and a family were back burner items. His instincts told him Feechi would make an excellent wife, but for now he’d concentrate on their date. Beyond that, he had nothing in mind. Still, he couldn’t say why the thought made him feel as if he’d done something to disappoint his mother.

  Chapter 6

  “Jack, get down from there,” Feechi yelled. She scrambled from the van with the bags of fruit in hand and walked to where Jack was trying to get the grille open from the outside.

  A glance over her shoulder confirmed that Carsten was behind her. She opened the grille with Jack at her heels, waiting to be reunited with Max. The dog was barking up a storm and driving her nuts.

  The door opened and Dee stood in the opening, which startled Feechi. “I thought you said you wouldn’t be here when we got back.”

  “I’m about to go now, just waiting on the taxi.” Dee glared at the dog. “Max, will you shut it?”

  Jack picked up the dog, and went past Dee. “Auntie, that’s rude.”

  “You haven’t had to put up with that silly dog all day.”

  From inside the house, Jack yelled, “Max isn’t stupid.”

  Dee put both hands on her hips. “See what I have to endure when you leave me alone with those two?”

  Feechi went past her, pulling Carsten by the hand. “We both know you love the two of them.”

  When they stoo
d in the living room, Feechi waved toward the couch. "Since you're here already, would you like to sit?"

  "Sure, you can introduce Max properly."

  That was the last thing she expected him to say and his words brought a smile to her face. "Jack would appreciate you for that, since he claims nobody loves Max the way he does."

  Her sigh was unintentional and she squared her shoulders.

  Carsten held on to her arm, which stopped her from moving farther into the living room. "Is everything all right?"

  She put on a bright smile which she hoped would distract him. "Yes, everything is A-okay."

  Her gaze shifted to the passage adjoining one side of the living room. "I'll be back in a minute. Just checking to see what Jack and that dog are getting into. Please have a seat."

  She picked up the remote off the glass-topped table in front of the sofa and switched on the television. Moving quickly, she left the oranges and bananas in the kitchen and then headed toward the sound of Max's growling and yipping.

  In the bedroom, Jack lay on his back on the bed with Max on his chest. The boy and dog rolled this way and that, clearly enjoying themselves.

  “Get that dog off the bed. You need to be careful you don't hurt him.”

  “But Mommy—”

  “You heard me.”

  Jack rolled toward the edge of the bed and got down on the carpet with the dog. “Max is going to think you don’t like him.”

  “Trust me, Max understands. If I allowed you though, you’d take him to school with you too.”

  “Max is a bright dog and he could—”

  Feechi held up both hands. “Never mind.”

  “I’m leaving,” Dee yelled from the living room.

  That reminded Feechi she’d left Carsten on his own. She didn’t mind him being there, but didn’t know how to entertain him. After being with him all day, she was more relaxed in his company, but didn’t want to be trapped into any kind of intimacy with him. The confines of her living room would do that and more.

  The room was moderate in size, but their deep-brown sofas were ultra-comfortable, the seats filled with soft cushions. The pictures on the walls told their history and Dee had filled the corners of the room with huge vases containing dried floral arrangements that gave the area a classy feel.