by Nana Prah
“Forever meaning three weeks ago.” Ed shook his head. “I swear if you don’t see me every week, you think I’ve disappeared off the face of the earth.”
Jasmine pinched his cheeks. It had been more fun to do years ago when they’d been chubby. “I have one brother, don’t I deserve to see him as often as I want?”
Ed snorted and pulled her hands from his face. “Jas, I’d like you to meet my friend, Sean Taylor. Sean, this is my oldest sister, Jasmine Gibson.”
She turned in the direction of Ed’s outstretched arm. The man had flickered in her peripheral vision when she’d run into the kitchen. As she took a good look at him, he filled her senses.
***
Jasmine tried to open her eyes, but found it difficult. Her mind felt groggy, as if she’d taken a nap and was awakened mid-dream.
Moisture dripped down her neck and she reached up to grasp a cool cloth on her forehead. “Wh--” She stumbled on the word before being able to ask, “What happened?”
Carly sat next to her clasping her hand. “You fainted.”
“What? I don’t faint,” she said indignantly, but when she looked around at everyone’s worried faces, she realized Carly spoke the truth.
Jasmine attempted to sit up, but Carly pushed her back down. “Rest for a little while. We don’t want to scrape you up off the floor again.”
Ed rubbed his lower back. “You’re heavier than you look, Sis.”
“Are you okay?” she asked with concern. “Did you hurt yourself?”
“I’m fine. I was joking.”
Jasmine closed her eyes for a minute trying to absorb the fact that she’d fainted.
“Have you eaten breakfast?” Grandma asked.
“I had a power bar before my run.”
“You must’ve overworked yourself with all of that running.” Carly said the word running as if it was the nastiest word in the English language and it made Jasmine smile. The only way anyone would ever get Carly to run would be to set a wild Doberman after her or a truck full of free chocolate rolling down the street in front of her.
Jasmine knew she hadn’t overexerted herself during the workout. Reducing their worry was her main concern. She didn’t argue.
The last thing she remembered was seeing the face of her brother’s friend. She looked around and observed him standing at the opposite end of the living room. Good thing she was laying down because her head could’ve floated away. After closing her eyes against the onslaught of dizziness, she focused on her breathing.
She opened one eye to peep at him. This time the wooziness was less severe so she opened the other eye. What the hell is going on? Why am I getting lightheaded when I look at him? .She couldn’t ignore her screaming instincts. He had something to do with her fainting.
“I’m all right,” Jasmine said as she avoided looking at the stranger and pushed herself up to a sitting position.
“Take your time,” Carly fretted.
Grandma put a tray of food in front of her on the coffee table. “This should make you feel better.”
“Thanks, Grandma. It looks delicious. I want to go and take a shower before I eat.”
“Oh, no you don’t, missy. You’re going to eat every bit of this food right here and now.”
The stern look on her grandmother’s face left no room for argument. Jasmine picked up the fork and ate. Grandma’s smile was her reward.
When Jasmine finished the scrambled eggs with grits and toast, she did a small experiment and looked at her brother’s friend. The odd feeling returned when she caught him staring at her. Not enough to make her faint or even shut her eyes, but if she’d been standing, she would’ve had to hold onto something for support. So strange. She shifted her gaze from his intense black eyes and focused on her empty plate.
“Is it all right if I go take a shower now?” When had she been forced to behave like a small child who needed to obtain permission?
“Yes, sweetheart. Just yell down if you need anything.”
Jasmine took her time standing. Carly got up with her hands inches away from Jasmine, as if ready to catch her. Jasmine took a step and Carly took the same step. She headed for the stairs with Carly hot on her trail. Jasmine laughed. “Will you shower with me, too? I don’t need an escort. I’m fine. I promise.”
Carly frowned.
Jasmine pulled her little sister into a tight hug. When she pulled back Carly had tears in her eyes. She couldn’t love her independent, emotional, smart aleck, caring sister one iota less. “Now leave me alone so I can wash this funk off of me.”
Carly scrunched her nose. “You do stink.”
Just for that, Jasmine hugged her sister again.
This time Carly pushed her away. “Yuck.”
Jasmine made her way up the stairs. When she reached her room, she sat on the side of the bed and scrubbed her face with both hands. “What’s going on with me these days? First these seemingly real daydreams and now I’m fainting?”
Working as a nurse in the emergency room for over five years had exposed her to some incredible horrors. She’d never once lost it at the gore she’d had to treat.
I am not a fainter. But today, after being introduced to her brother’s friend, whose name she couldn’t even remember, she’d hit the floor.
***
Once Jasmine had gone upstairs Sean could finally relax. The abdominal pain that had doubled him over in the kitchen when Jasmine first looked at him had been excruciating. Nobody had noticed because they’d been focused on Jasmine. An overwhelming need to lift her off the floor superseded his pain, but Ed had beaten him to it.
From a distance, Sean had stood captivated by Jasmine’s gentle beauty as her family took care of her. He wondered if her sepia brown skin would be as soft as it appeared. Full lips, high cheekbones, and the piercing almond shaped eyes he’d gotten a vision of before she passed out gave her an exotic appearance.
He’d felt a huge sense of relief once she opened her eyes. When she gazed at him again a milder version of the short-lived piercing pain in his stomach had returned.
What’s going on? He rarely got sick and he couldn’t recall any bad food he’d eaten yesterday.
As much as he tried to deny it, Sean knew without a doubt that being in Jasmine’s presence had caused the pain, but he had no idea how or why.
Sean had come to Vermont for the weekend with Ed because he would’ve been bored at home during the long weekend. His parents were gallivanting around Egypt, losing themselves in the pyramids. A smile came to his lips at the thought of his parents. Always living life as if it were their last day. He still had a lot to learn from them. When Ed had invited him to the family gathering, he’d jumped at the opportunity. He’d never been to Vermont and was pleased to be a leaf peeper as they passed the colorful scenery. Now he realized that none of the beauty he’d ever witnessed in his life could compare to Jasmine’s.
Yet there was something about her that bothered him and he couldn’t put his finger on it. While everything within him told him to get to know her, something nagged at him to stay as far away from her as possible.
Chapter 2
Jasmine worried her bottom lip as she contemplated Ed’s friend. Who was he and why did he have such an effect on her? She was so absorbed in trying to figure it out that she jumped back in a defensive position when she opened the door and Carly stood on the other side with her hand raised to knock.
Carly raised a brow. “A little on edge?”
Jasmine let her hands fall to her sides and willed her heart rate to slow. Would she ever stop being defensive? “Didn’t expect you to be stalking me.”
“We were wondering what was taking you so long.”
“As you can see, I’m on my way down.”
When they got downstairs, everyone sat gathered in the living room.
“The lost has been found,” Carly proclaimed.
Jasmine gave her a not-too-gentle poke in her ribs. “I was never lost, little sister.”
&
nbsp; Carly jumped away with a yelp and rubbed her side.
Grandma clapped twice. “Now that Edward has arrived, we will officially begin the Triple G. Let us pray.”
They all stood and bowed their heads. Grandma said a touching prayer, invoking God’s love and protection upon them throughout the weekend.
“Ed, I think I’ll take the car and go for a drive into town.”
The visitor’s voice came from the opposite side of the room, sending shards of awareness down Jasmine’s spine. She didn’t have the courage to look at him so she turned to her brother, instead.
“You can stay, Sean.” As if recalling it wasn’t his decision alone to make, he turned to their matriarch. “Is it all right, Grandma?”
“Of course. I could always use more grandchildren. None of these three have the decency to produce a great grandchild for me to love and spoil. Can you imagine?”
The rich timbre of Sean’s laughter would’ve brought Jasmine to her knees if she hadn’t held onto the back of the loveseat for support then brought herself to the front of it to sit down. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes to avoid having to look at him.
“It’s okay,” Sean replied. “I like being outdoors and the view is fantastic. You don’t get this kind of scenery in Arizona.”
“No you only get gorgeous views of deep naturally gorged out valleys and plateaus that extend for miles,” Ed teased. “What’s the name of that natural wonder again? It escapes me.”
“You mean the Grand Canyon? It’s a wonderful display of God’s beauty and creativity, but it’s different from what He graces us with in the Northeast, especially Vermont in autumn. I’ve never seen anything quite so majestic.”
His melodious voice compelled Jasmine to look at the man describing God’s beauty in such intimate detail. She had the distinct impression he’d been staring at her when he spoke.
She kept her head on the back of the couch and eased her eyes open, anticipating the lightheadedness. Their gazes met and she was captivated. The look cost her a moment of dizziness but it passed almost as quickly as it had come. She froze at his attractiveness. He was just as hot as when she’d first seen him.
He met Ed’s six-foot frame, but had broader shoulders. His muscles were defined in the pale green sweater he wore with a pair of khakis. His light skin indicated his mixed race heritage.
She should’ve looked away from his amazing eyes, but she remained glued. Those incredibly dark orbs were framed by long eyelashes. She’d never use mascara again if she had his eyelashes. Where was the justice?
The dimple on his left cheek caused a wave of dizziness to return when he grinned. It transformed him from a calendar model hunk of man to one with a playful boyish side. Jasmine involuntarily grinned back and Sean put his hand on his stomach.
The lightheadedness didn’t leave fast enough so she closed her eyes against the onslaught of his smile. She’d get a medical checkup when she got back to Boston next week. But why did she only get woozy when she looked at him?
Sean cleared his throat. “Give me the key to the car and I’ll get out of your way.”
Ed fished the key from his pocket and tossed it to him.
“Do we need anything from town?” Sean asked.
The sound of Sean’s voice had come from the door so Jasmine felt it safe to open her eyes without encountering him.
“If you could pick up a box of your favorite cereal, that would be great. I didn’t know you were coming so I couldn’t pick it up,” Grandma said with a direct glare at Ed.
Jasmine stifled a smirk at Ed’s mumbled apology.
Grandma beamed her high-watt smile. “But I’m happy you’re here. Edward give him some money.”
Ed held out a twenty.
Sean opened the door. “It’s okay.”
“Grandma, do you have any chocolate in the house?” Jasmine asked.
“Carly, feel that girl’s head for bumps. I think she hit it when she fainted. Chocolate in the house? What kind of question is that? Chocolate in the house? Young lady, since when have you known me not to keep chocolate around?”
Jasmine bit her cheek to keep from laughing. “Sorry Grandma. It won’t happen again.”
They all knew the same scenario would repeat itself next year.
“And with that the Triple G has begun,” Ed announced.
“I’m not quite sure what just happened,” Sean said, his voice permeated with confusion.
Sure that his face was quirked to match, Jasmine refused to risk finding out for sure by chancing a look at him.
“We’d explain the chocolate thing to you, but none of us knows how it got started,” Carly said. “It’s something we do every year to initiate the Triple G.”
“Ookkaay,” Sean dragged the word out as if he’d stepped into a little bit of crazy. “Is there anything else we need?”
“No. We should be fine for the weekend. Thank you,” Grandma said.
“I’ll see you all later.”
“Bye,” the chorus of two Gibson voices and one Harris sang out. Jasmine remained silent.
“He’s cute,” Carly pronounced.
“Down, girl!” Ed pretended to brandish a whip, adding the sound, to boot. “I don’t think Kevin would like you ogling other guys.”
Carly blinked a few times. “Who’s Kevin?”
Jasmine threw a pillow at her. “You are too bad!”
“Oh, you mean my husband of the past year, the love of my life?”
“Yeah, him,” Ed said dryly, but Jasmine was having a fit of giggles.
“What do you have planned for us, Grandma?” Carly asked. “Will it be exciting like last year when we took a helicopter sightseeing trip or will it be cool like the year before when we stayed in for three days straight, talking, eating everything in sight, and watching every episode of The Jeffersons ever created?”
Jasmine pointed a finger in the air. “I believe, little sister, we did The Jeffersons bonanza the year before last. Last year we went sky diving.” She shook her head. “I can’t believe you made us jump out of a plane, Grandma, and that you were the first one out.”
Carly shivered. “How could I have forgotten about it?”
“You repressed it,” Jasmine told her. “You cried in the plane and on the way down. When you landed, you hugged and kissed the ground. It would be safe to say you didn’t enjoy the experience and blocked it out.”
“I was so proud of you, baby girl, for jumping, even though you were scared,” Grandma said.
Carly held her hands together in prayer fashion. “Please tell me we’ll be on the ground this year.”
“I wouldn’t mind sky diving again,” Ed chimed in. “It was the biggest rush I’ve had in my life.”
“It was cool, but once in a lifetime is enough for me.”
Jasmine recalled the initial fear of jumping out the plane, the exhilaration of free falling, and the peace of floating to the ground, observing the city from up high after the parachute had safely opened.
Grandma clicked her tongue against her teeth. “Will you all stop chattering and let me get a word in edgewise? This year we won’t be in the air, or on the ground. We’ll be in the water.”
They sat flabbergasted for a minute.
Carly, being the most outspoken, recovered first. “Water? What will we be doing? Please, don’t tell me swimming. The river is cold, even in the summer months. I don’t want to imagine what it’s like now. What’s it called when you freeze to death, Jas?”
“Hypothermia.”
“None of that for me, thanks.”
Grandma rolled her eyes heavenward. “We’re taking a canoe trip down the river and camping out and then driving back early Monday morning.”
“Did you say row? As in ‘Row, Row, Row Your Boat Gently Down the Stream’? Can’t we get one of those power boats that can glide us to our destination?”
This came from Ed, with his lazy behind. Jasmine didn’t know how he maintained his muscular body. The boy seemed
allergic to physical activity.
“No motor boats, young man. This trip is to get us in touch with nature. The campsite is a few miles down the river. I think you’ll survive.”
“But motor boats can be serene,” he grumbled.
Jasmine loved the idea of camping. She didn’t get to experience a lot of nature in Boston. “Great argument, SB. Motor boats scare the wildlife into hiding. I’m with Grandma on this one. It sounds like a good time.”
“You’re always with Grandma,” Ed mocked. “She could’ve told us we were taking a nice little journey to hell and you would’ve been like, ‘Great, Grandma! Sounds fun.’”
Jasmine had no comeback because it was true, but she snickered at the thought of a journey to hell for the weekend.
“Leave her alone,” Carly demanded, punching him in the arm. “She’s the pacifist, always calming the waters, unlike you, little brother, who likes to make waves everywhere he goes.”
“Some pacifist! I don’t know of any peacemakers who are fourth degree black belts in Shotokan karate and have had the opportunity to kick ass repeatedly.”
“Hey, I don’t ask for trouble. It finds me. Are you talking about that club fight two months ago?” Jasmine asked, referring to her latest episode of violence. The altercation had happened when she, Carly, and a few friends went clubbing and some guys got grabby with them. “I would’ve been happy to let those hooligans go, but they were begging for trouble and found it. Nobody messes with my sister.” Jasmine crossed her arms over her chest as she mumbled, “Besides, there were only two of them.”
Ed shook four fingers in her face. “Yeah, but you injured four.”
“I didn’t like the way the other two were about to join in so I donated a fist and a kick to them.”
Carly smiled at her. “That’s my big sister. Warrior Jas.”
“Just don’t cross her,” Ed said.
Jasmine laughed as she snuck a look at her grandmother. “I never go looking for a fight. I like to mind my business, but I won’t back down from one either.”