Natasha studied the menu and saw one of her favourite local dishes. It was actually a casserole made from mashed green bananas with spices and cheddar and parmesan cheese, with a topping of fried shredded salt-fish with tomatoes, onion and a Jamaican ackee, which grew abundantly on the island. She also decided on a tall glass of mango juice. It was eons since she had a juicy mango.
“So are you an eater, or do you pick at your food?” inquired Marcus. He was accustomed to girls who just ordered salad and then only ate half of it. He had always appreciated someone who could show him her real side and part of that was in actually eating.
“I think you are about to find out, exactly how much I love food,” said Natasha smiling and looking a little guilty. “I am definitely an eater and if that fragrance coming out of the kitchen is any indicator to the kind of meals served here then there will be no stopping me today. I am extremely hungry.”
“Yeah I’m hungry too, it is almost two o’clock. I’m glad though that you eat. I think I have known too many females in the past who wanted the half salad fix. Personally, I always found eating like that to be more than strange.”
“Me too,” agreed Natasha.
A waitress soon came and took their order and within twenty minutes two large steaming plates of food arrived and they both dug in with gusto. Marcus had ordered his favourite macaroni and cheese pie with herb roasted chicken and cole slaw. Natasha could not believe how delicious the food was and ended up eating every single bite on her plate, making sounds of pleasure all the way through the meal that frankly caused Marcus to nearly bite his tongue or choke on a few occasions. Usually when he came here he would sit at a table near the patio, eat and take out his laptop and begin typing. He always found this area to be so relaxing and peaceful, so he got a strong creative flow for the writing of his novels.
After the waitress cleared away their plates and they both refused dessert, Lucinda came back out to see them as they prepared to leave. She pressed two paper packages into their hands and gave Marcus a conspirational wink.
“Those are for dessert! You two can enjoy them later. So, how did you enjoy your meal Natasha?”
“Lucinda that was the best food I have eaten in years. I am so glad that Marcus thought to bring me up here today!”
“You are so welcome. I only wish Marcus would visit more often. Since he started working down at that restaurant in Cedarville he has forgotten me,” she said with a mischievous gleam in her eyes.
“Lucinda you know that’s not true, replied Marcus defensively. If it was I would have taken Natasha there instead of here.
“Well, I will speak for myself, whether or not Marcus brings me back up here I am coming back and I am trying something else on this menu, said Natasha with sincere appreciation.
“Marcus, I like this young lady, she knows how to make an old lady feel good,” laughed Lucinda.
After bidding her goodbye Marcus, holding the two paper packages escorted Natasha back to the jeep. By then, it was about three thirty in the afternoon.
“Natasha, I know that I have been monopolizing your time all day but I really want to show you something else before I take you home. Are you up for one more stop?” asked Marcus.
“Well, after that lunch at Lucinda’s I have erased your two previous strikes, so your board is free and open. Yes, I would love to see what you have to show me next.”
Marcus unable to contain his excitement smiled broadly and quickly pulled out of the parking lot. Instead of heading back to the town area following the route they came, he turned toward the more mountainous Northern range.
“Marcus, you seem to know more about Derrien than I do and you are not even a local,” mused Natasha.
Marcus nodded in acknowledgement to her statement because it was true that although he had only visited the island for many years, he spent a lot of time as a tourist exploring it from north to south and from east to west.
“Did you have a very sheltered life Natasha?”
“You could say that. It was basically from home to school to church, most of the time and when we did go out we would visit mainly the urban areas or the tourist beaches. I came out this way a few times on school field trips but it was not very often.”
“Derrien is such a beautiful island. If you’d like after you spend a little time resting your leg, I would like to be your tour-guide for a while and show you some of the sights you may not have seen before. It might be fun having the local pretend to be the tourist and the “tourist” pretend to be the local! What do you say?” asked Marcus.
“I’d love to. In fact, I’ve been having such a great time with you that I almost forgot that my leg was hurt. It would seem that you have some latent therapeutic powers you are not aware of Mr. Nicholls”, said Natasha coyly.
Marcus was unsure about how to respond to Natasha at that moment because, just hearing her say that she enjoyed being with him sent his blood racing through his body until it felt as if it was literally roaring in his ears. What was happening to him and why wouldn’t he just take her home? It couldn’t be that he was still feeling guilty about the volleyball. It was something deeper that he just could not describe but he knew he wanted to see where it led.
As the jeep wound through the terraced hills, the wind blew into the vehicle and it was so cool and refreshing.
“I always marvel at the fact that these areas of the island always seem to have a different climate. It’s always so cool and crisp here,” said Marcus as he watched the wind gently lift Natasha’s hair and blow it across her face in the rearview mirror. Once again she was in the backseat with her leg elevated and she seemed as comfortable as someone who had known him a long time.
“Yes, I love this breeze. It reminds me of the climate in Georgia. Somehow, I like the coolness of the atmosphere there,” she said.
At that point Marcus pulled over to the side of the road to show her a view that few people in Derrien saw because of fear of navigating the hilly terrain.
“Have you ever been up here to Manderley, Natasha?”
Marcus’ question broke Natasha out of her thoughts and she looked out of the window realizing that she was not quite sure where she was.
“No, I don’t recognize the area. I may have come up here at some point but no, I don’t even recognize the name,” she said.
“I think that if you had you would definitely remember. Come let me help you out.”
As they got out of the vehicle, she saw before her a huge expanse of land covered in short grass and yellow wildflowers gently stirring in the wind. But that was not what caused her breath to be stolen from her for the third time that day. From their vantage point on this land she had an almost 180 degree view of Derrien Island’s countryside, capital city and suburban districts.
“Oh Marcus, where are we?” she breathed as she walked further onto the patch of land.
“This is the district of Manderley and you are on my land,” said Marcus proudly.
“All of this is yours?” Natasha asked incredulously while turning around quickly.
“Yes. My parents bought it to build a dream home when they retired. They were planning to relocate here to Derrien Island in their old age.”
“So are they here with you as well?”
Seeing his expression darken a little, Natasha suddenly realized that he said the land was his and she chided herself silently for not being more sensitive.
“No. They both passed away last year. My father developed pancreatitis and he did not last long and well, my mother did not want to live without him so she passed on a few months later too.”
“I’m sorry”, she said. “I couldn’t imagine what that must feel like for you to lose both of your parents like that.”
“Yeah, it was a really rough time for me losing both of them so quickly, but they were happily married for about forty years and had a really strong bond with each other. I hope to have a marriage like theirs some day,” he said surprising himself at his bold admiss
ion. Before today, he was in the realm of casual dating and now he was talking about having a marriage like his parents’?
Natasha felt as though she could cry because despite the differences she had with her own parents the thought of losing either of them was simply unimaginable.
“When my father realized that he was not going to make it he and my mother made arrangements to ensure that I would inherit what belonged to them and one of those things was this plot of land.”
“So, do you see this land as a way to honour their memory?”
“Yes, I do and I plan to build my home here someday as well, someday very soon.”
“Marcus, why did you bring me up here? This seems like something that is so important, private and dear to you, to share with a stranger you barely know.”
“Natasha, I don’t even know why either, but I know this, that I really like you and I want to spend some more time with you getting to know you. I don’t think we are strangers any more do you?” he said taking a few steps toward her.
Taking a deep breath, Natasha realized that she agreed with him. They were past being strangers in just a few short hours and that thought terrified and calmed her at the same time.
“Marcus, I like you too, but I don’t want to lead you on. I have to return to SCAD in a month’s time and I have some other goals that I am working on that will take me outside of Derrien for a number of years,” said Natasha thinking about her recording contract opportunity.
“I am not asking for anything permanent right now, just a chance to talk to you some more, to see where things might go. If it’s bad timing we could be pen pals or something,” bargained Marcus suddenly desperate for her to agree to lengthen their association.
“I want to get to know you too, but I just want to make sure you know where I stand,” said Natasha firmly. She had so much at stake and she could be the next big recording star in the R and B genre if she played her cards just right.
“And, I want you to know where I stand as well too,” echoed Marcus.
They stood there and looked at each other, a silent understanding passing between them like a current linking their hearts into the beginnings of a deep friendship.
Marcus suddenly turned around and went back to the jeep and retrieved the two paper bags Lucinda gave them and a blanket from the trunk. As he walked back toward her he tucked the blanket under one arm and held both bags in that same hand before holding her hand with the other and tugging on it gently.
“Come, and sit with me. I think Lucinda means to woo you with her food at all cost!” he said smiling at her warmly. Silently he thought that he was willing to do the same as well.
Natasha was puzzled that despite their last tension filled moment, Marcus was not in any way deterred by what she had to say and frankly she was having a hard time believing herself at that moment too. Who was she to talk about her stand when her knees were feeling so wobbly and her mouth was so dry that she could barely think straight?
He led them over to a mahogany tree and spread out the blanket so that they could sit on it. From this vantage point she could see how about twenty feet away the land ended in a cliff that sloped downward to the surrounding countryside.
Once he was sure that she was comfortable he sat beside her and opened the bags.
“Ah Lucinda, Lucinda you slay me!” said Marcus looking inside one of the bags with a hungry sigh.
“What’s in the bag?” asked Natasha with her curiosity piqued by his interest.
“I wonder if I should tell you”, said Marcus drawing out the suspense. “Maybe I should keep it all for myself!” he joked.
“No way, tell me what’s in those bags right now! I have a major sweet tooth and if those desserts taste anything like her entrees, I just might fight you for them,” challenged Natasha playfully.
“Okay, I’ll let you have some but only if you play a game with me first.”
“What is it with you and games, Marcus Nicholls?” she said playfully trying to take the bag from his hands.
“No, no snatching! We will play the dessert game first.”
“Ok ay, tell me the rules of this dessert game,” said Natasha rolling her eyes in an exaggerated manner.
“It is a guessing game! You will close your eyes and I will place a piece of the dessert in your mouth and you must tell me what it is.”
“Marcus, that is hardly fair, why should I be the only one with my mouth open like a fish?” she argued.
“Hmm, okay you have a point. There are two bags here with two different desserts. I will let you feed one to me first if it helps you to feel more confident. I will look like the fish first,” he said trying not to smirk at the way her eyes narrowed with suspicion.
“Okay, give me the bags,” said Natasha finally.
Marcus complied and Natasha rotated them in her hands until she was sure that Marcus had no idea which bag contained what.
“Okay, pick your bag!” said Natasha.
Marcus selected the bag that was in her right hand and placed it beside him and dutifully closed his eyes and opened his mouth.
“Aren’t you afraid I might put a stone in your mouth or something?” asked Natasha in an attempt to scare Marcus.
“No. I’m not. I’m waiting for my dessert,” came his calm reply.
“Okay then, if you say so!”
Natasha opened the bag and looked inside and saw that it contained a transparent square plastic container with a thick slice of cheesecake inside covered in juicy blueberries.
“Oh Marcus, this looks so good, you have to let me taste this when we are done with this game,” she breathed.
Marcus laughed and pointed to his mouth to remind Natasha that it was still open and that he was still waiting. Natasha put a piece on the accompanying fork fed it to Marcus. He ate it slowly, never opening his eyes and then said, French vanilla cheesecake with Bourbon Blueberry Sauce.
“Hey, you sound as if you have had this already. Isn’t that cheating, you got to look in the bags before?”
“You have a point there but it all depends on how you look at it. This is actually my second favourite dessert at Lucinda’s. It’s your turn!”
Natasha deciding to play along with the game, quietly sat and opened her mouth wondering what sweet delight Marcus was going to share with her from the other bag. When he placed the dessert in her mouth with the fork, she first noticed that it had the texture of cake and tasted like dark chocolate. She could also taste the smoothness of a rum and chocolate cream with some kind fruit blended into it. It was sinfully decadent!
“Marcus, this is the best chocolate cake I have ever had. Maybe it tastes better because my eyes are closed and my sense of taste is heightened. What do you think?” she asked savouring the flavour as it exploded on her tongue.
Natasha opened her eyes then to see that Marcus’ face was less than a foot away from hers.
“I think that this one is my favourite!” he said simply.
The smouldering expression in his eyes was her undoing as wordlessly, he traced his thumb over her top lip as though he was wiping away the remaining crumbs. Then tangling his fingers into her silken tresses he leaned forward, closing the space that separated their mouths and kissed her softly and lingeringly. The electric sensations at that slight contact spread out across her face and she could feel the sensations in her palms and even below the soles of her feet. Her eyes widened in amazement and he paused and looked into her eyes as if asking her permission to continue without moving an inch. Her whimper of pleasure was enough for him and before she could take her next breath he claimed her mouth once again, this time sweeping past her open lips to sample and taste her in a way she could never have imagined possible. Over and over Marcus twirled his tongue around hers groaning as he licked away the remaining chocolate and finding out that he wanted more, so much more.
He was in trouble!
Steeling himself within, he gently nipped her lower lip before pulling away reluctantly and allowed h
is hands to fall to the blanket never breaking his gaze from hers. Natasha was surprised and overwhelmed by the rush of sensations that moved from her lips across her cheeks and ears and the all emotions that one kiss evoked. It seemed like time had stopped and neither of them said anything for a few moments. All that was audible was the sound of the wind and the sound of them both trying to get their breathing under control. Finally, Marcus broke the silence.
“I wish that I could tell you that I was sorry for doing that, but I’m not,” he said matter of factly. “I’m going to say this again, and I don’t want you to respond right now, but I want to see you again before you leave, and even when you do leave, I want to stay in contact with you. I want to know who you are and why you are causing me to act so irrationally. I want to know why I just met you but brought you somewhere that I have never even brought my other friends or even the guys you met down at the beach. I want to know why when I look at you I just want to discover everything there is to know about you,” he admitted.
Natasha’s eyes grew wide as she absorbed what Marcus was saying because she felt exactly the same way about him. No one had ever even said words like that to her, nor had anyone ever kissed her like that. In fact, no one had ever kissed her period! He was her first and that kiss surpassed all of her wildest expectations.
“Don’t say anything; I just want to enjoy the moment! We can finish up the dessert and just enjoy the view. Then I promise I will take you home. Okay?” said Marcus.
Natasha managed to mumble an okay in response and they divided up the dessert and leaned back against the trunk of the tree to enjoy them quietly. After that, they talked and joked with each other lightly and neither brought up the topic of their kiss again, at least not that day.
Chapter 3
March 17, Azure Lodge, 9:47 p.m.
The incessant ringing of a cell-phone drew Marcus back to the present from his thoughts. Looking at the time, he could not believe that he was still sitting in his car and an entire hour had passed since he began thinking about how he and Natasha first met. That day was one of the best days of his life and he was not surprised that he could remember the details so vividly.
Forgotten Love (Derrien Island Trilogy) Page 4