She removed her hat and came over and hugged them, her smile genuine and friendly. Her face was a cool honey brown and unlined. Owen boasted that she had been the town beauty back in the day. Ashley could well believe him, especially when she smiled.
They were both in their early fifties—not over the hill yet by any means.
"Ruel, you should give it up," Norma laughed. "Even though you grew up here, you did leave as a teenager. Clarendon geography is Owen's specialty."
Ruel laughed good-naturedly. "Okay then. I give up."
"Come on in." Norma hooked her hand in Ashley's. They were almost the same height, "I invited the board members and their families today. I thought the new junior pastor would have been here, Ruel. I thought that now would have been a good time to break bread with us."
"He had another appointment." Ruel walked beside Owen. "He should be here next week."
"Good." Norma opened the door and they trooped behind her into a tastefully decorated living room, which took advantage of the view with sliding glass doors. A steady cool breeze was wafting through the doors and Ashley made a beeline for the door and the view.
Norma chuckled. "I am just going to ensure that Jilly has everything ready in the kitchen."
"Okay," Ashley said, relieved. She had been on the verge of offering to help when what she really wanted to do was go outside and take in the view.
Honey Allen was already on the veranda with her son Oliver. She was sprawled out on a lounge chair and looking contented.
"Sister Ashley!" She waved from her end of the veranda. "We got here before Owen and Norma. Jilly let us in."
Ashley smiled and walked over to them. Oliver was hanging at the balustrade and looking over pensively, as if he had a lot on his mind. He gave her a shy smile.
He was seventeen and in her business class at high school. His mother had insisted that along with the sciences he should take business classes.
Ashley smiled back at him. It was impossible not to smile with Oliver. He was a quiet boy and really beautiful to look at. He was Honey's only child and her most precious possession.
His father lived in Barbados, or so Honey said. Ashley had long suspected that Honey and her husband were estranged but Honey was living in denial. She sometimes made reference to her husband as if they were still communicating but Ashley didn't quite believe her. Mostly because when she mentioned him everybody around her went quiet. She would love to know what the story was but she was not willing to do any sort of heart to heart with Honey.
Honey was also curious about her. So there. They would not be having any heart to heart conversations anytime soon.
"Nice prayer today," Ashley said, settling down in a lounge chair beside honey. "I was blessed."
"Thank you." Honey nodded. "To God be the glory. My voice is rather husky, though. I think I must have damaged it while cheering for Oliver at sports day. He came first in the 100 meters and 400 meters races."
Ashley smiled. "Congrats, Oliver."
Oliver nodded. "Thank you Sister Ashley, though I would prefer if Mommy stopped talking about it."
Honey smirked. "Never. You won, you should be ecstatic. This just proves that you can do anything. You can be a medical doctor as well as have an athletic career if you choose to."
Oliver rolled his eyes at his mother. "I had no competition; of course I was going to win. I am going to find Jack and hang with him."
"No," Honey said sternly. "What did I tell you about hanging around with Jack?"
"You said that he is a no-good, drugged-up disgrace for a human being."
"That's right," Honey said and then looked at Ashley sheepishly. "I also added that his only redeeming grace was his wonderful parents and the fact that he could play the piano."
Ashley didn't respond and Oliver shrugged and turned back to the view disinterestedly.
Jack Kincaid was the only son for Norma and Owen. They had two older girls who lived abroad, one in Japan and the other in Australia. They had fancy job titles that Ashley couldn't remember.
Jack was an anomaly in their perfect family. Apparently he had smoked marijuana when he was in his teens and it had affected his brain somehow. She hadn't stopped to find out how that happened, but she had always suspected that he had developmental problems and was just challenged that way. No one wanted to say that out loud though.
Most of the time Jack walked around like he was not aware of what was going on. And yet he always came to church with his parents and he played the piano beautifully. He was the church's official pianist.
Jack came out on the veranda and sat on the opposite end of the veranda and ignored them. He usually didn't say much. Ashley could barely remember hearing him speak and she was in the district now for eleven months.
"So how are you settling into the school?" Honey asked, dragging her mind from Jack.
"Good. Thanks for asking." Ashley glanced at Oliver. "I didn't know that I would enjoy teaching in a million years but my short semester was good. Not surprising though, I have students like Oliver that make it worthwhile."
Honey nodded. "I like to hear that. Some girls came by the clinic the other day and the topic of conversation was you. Mrs. Dennison is so pretty, Mrs. Dennison talks so nice, Mrs. Dennison, this Mrs. Dennison that. You have a fan club."
Ashley laughed. "I guess I should be grateful that I am making some kind of impact."
Honey took the pins out of her hair one by one and her wavy, jet-black Indian hair fell almost to her waist. Not a grey hair in sight and she was what...forty-two or forty- three? Her skin was also glowing healthily. She was the head nurse at the health clinic and she was a good advertisement for them.
"So when are your two girls coming back to visit?" Honey asked casually. "What were their names again?"
"Alisha and Ariel." Ashley didn't want to talk about them to an obviously curious Honey.
Brandon had carried them to church six months ago to her welcoming ceremony and she and Ruel had not given any explanation for their existence. The curiosity must be eating up Honey; this was the third or fourth time she was inserting the girls into her conversation.
"Shouldn't we be helping Norma prepare lunch?" Ashley asked before Honey could question her more. She knew where the inevitable questions would lead. Honey wanted to know more about her ex-husband, her life before Ruel.
"Nah. She has it under control. Her new helper, Jilly, is here."
Ashley sighed.
"Your ex-husband is a really good looking man." Honey started fishing again.
"Hey," Conroy Coke came on the verandah, a broad smile on his face.
Ashley could not remember a time when Conroy's usually stiff presence was so welcomed.
He approached them, his face wreathed in smiles. "I passed pastor Ruel and Owen in the living room vigorously debating whether Daniel in the Bible was a eunuch."
Ashley laughed in relief. "So you escaped?"
"There is no room for me in that discussion." Conroy pulled up a chair and sat down. "I am not as intellectual as they are."
"Where's Josiah?" Honey asked, smiling with Conroy, completely forgetting that she had been questioning Ashley.
"He is outside on the phone," Conroy said lazily. "He'll be in soon."
"I'll go join him." Oliver shifted from the balcony.
"No." Honey held up her hand. "What's the matter with you? The man is on a phone call," Honey chastised Oliver.
"Why can't young people stay still?" She looked at Conroy, a small smile on her face.
Conroy responded by looking at Honey with unabashed adoration in his eyes.
Ashley watched them keenly. She had heard the story several times before about Honey and Conroy secretly seeing each other when they were younger. But Honey's parents did not approve since Conroy was a good six years older than their daughter.
They both left Primrose Hill years ago. Honey went to nursing school and Conroy to the police academy. They eventually married different people. Honey
's husband now lived abroad and Conroy's wife divorced him.
Conroy had left the police force to return to Primrose Hill and to farming but he still had that stern police air about him except when he was around Honey. When the two of them were in the same room there was always a little tension and Conroy got all soft-looking and acted shy, like one of her pimple-faced high school students.
Ashley watched as Conroy dragged his eyes from Honey and settled in his chair. He had a similar view from his farm on the other side of the hill but he still seemed appreciative of this one. His face looked a lot more lived-in than Honey's, even though he was just a few years older.
Ashley had always thought that he looked a little like the boxer Mike Tyson without the tattoo. Same stocky build and same shaped face.
"We need some rain," Conroy said, clasping his hands across his chest.
"Tell me about it," Ashley said. "You know, I thought I saw rain clouds on the horizon today."
"But now they are gone." Josiah strolled onto the verandah. "When it actually rains we are going to have a flood. The ground is so dry it is cracking."
"Dooms-dayer," Conroy said to his son fondly. "How is your mother?"
"Fine." Josiah shrugged. "She is thinking of coming out to Jamaica next month."
Conroy grunted.
"Don't worry, she said she wasn't coming in your vicinity. You know who I saw today?" Josiah asked, changing the topic. "Lynne Skinner. She is back at church; isn't that something? Told you guys she'd be back."
Everybody straightened up, even Jack Kincaid, who had been ignoring them so far.
Lynne was a hotbed topic, especially at the Kincaid house. According to Norma, she had been steadily stealing from the family over the twenty years that she worked for them.
Josiah continued without even missing a beat; he obviously didn't care that Lynne Skinner was not supposed to be mentioned.
"And she was talking to Regina Carter."
"You mean that creature with the tattoos and piercings?" Honey shivered dramatically. "I hate tattoos. Piercings I am okay with, but not the way she has them. Good Lord."
"You hate everything hip or cool." Oliver turned around and became interested in the conversation.
Ashley stiffened. Josiah knew Regina?
"How do you know that creature?" Honey beat her to the question.
Josiah pulled up a chair and sat beside his father. "She used to play for the Jamaican football team. The girls’ team. She was hands-down the best goalkeeper ever."
Ashley subsided in her chair, releasing the pent-up breath she was holding. She had forgotten about that part of Regina's history.
"I love football so much I even follow the girls’ team," Josiah said. "Back in Kingston I used to go to every match. I wonder why Regina is up here though, and at church? She is not exactly the church type."
"A girl who plays ball." Oliver's eyes widened. "That's cool. I've never met a baller girl before."
Honey snorted. "And God forbid that you should. She must be a lesbian, this baller girl."
Ashley stiffened anew. For once Honey's snarky little judgmental observations had hit the nail on the head.
"Mom, come on, because a girl plays ball doesn't make her a lesbian, just like a guy who wants to do nursing doesn't make him gay. Men and women do things that overlap the traditional roles."
Honey growled. "I don't care what you say, women are women and men are men. Full stop. Our grandparents had it right. Don't get me started on this topic, Oliver. I am among polite company."
Oliver shrugged. "You are just as ancient with your views as your great-grandparents were."
"You watch when we get home." Honey pointed at her son threateningly. "I am going to straighten out your head before you go to university. I don't know where you get your liberal thought processes from. I have been trying to curb your free thinking since you were born. I have failed somewhere."
Ruel cleared his throat, putting an end to Honey's theatrics. "Dinner is ready. Norma said to come and get it while it’s hot."
He glanced at Ashley and he wasn't pleased, she could tell. He was smiling for the group but Ashley could see that the smile wasn't in his eyes. He had heard what Josiah said about Regina.
Chapter Three
"We need to talk," Ruel said abruptly as soon as they were in the car after the lunch, which had turned into an extended Bible study that Norma had dominated as usual.
Nobody, not even Ruel, seemed to know their Bible like her. She even knew whole chapters from memory. Ruel opened the door for Ashley and she got into the car.
"I know what this is about." Ashley turned to him before he started the vehicle. "It's Regina. I didn't invite her up here, Ruel. I don't know what to do about her. She’s a stalker; it's only a matter of time before she..."
Ruel sighed. "No, it's not about Regina."
"Oh." Ashley sighed. "Okay. You looked a bit grim back there."
Ruel started the car. "I mean, we'll talk about her if you want."
"No." Ashley shook her head. "I don't want to. Well, not until I see what her next move is. Maybe this was just a token stop to torment me."
"Fine." Ruel nodded. "I wanted us to talk about a more pressing matter, Jorja."
"Jorja. Your daughter Jorja?" Ashley asked. "What about her?"
"My mother can't handle her anymore." Ruel tightened his hand on the steering wheel. "According to her, Jorja has gotten to be a bit of a handful. She's sneaking out at night, to God knows where, and she has gotten involved with the wrong crowd."
Oh. Ashley watched with a heavy feeling in her stomach as he tried to formulate the next words. She knew what they were going to be and she tensed up in anticipation of them.
"She has to come live with us." Ruel glanced at Ashley's stricken face briefly and then back at the road. "I know we discussed taking our time with the whole motherhood issue."
"Yes," Ashley said weakly. "We did. I suck at it, you know."
"No you don't; Alisha and Ariel adore you." Ruel paused. "You must have done something right."
"Not me," Ashley swallowed. "Nadine and Brandon. My children are sweet and affectionate and loving because of their stepmother and father. For a couple of years I didn't even see them much and to my shame, I didn't even feel a pang of remorse."
"But Jorja is sixteen," Ruel said. "She is not a baby. All we'll need to do is guide her in the right path. She will have about two years with us before she goes to university; we can make a difference in her life."
Ashley grunted. "I am not sure about that 'we' bit."
"Come on, Ashley." Ruel slowed down the car to allow a herd of cows to pass. Their owner was behind them. He waved to Ruel and Ruel tooted his horn in response. "Come on Ash, you teach high school, you have some experience with teenagers."
"Yup, and that's how I know that teenagers are horrible creatures."
Ruel chuckled. "Were you a horrible creature as a teenager?"
"No, as a matter of fact I wasn't," Ashley said proudly. "I was a bookworm. I became a horrible creature after my teenage years. And that's why I don't blame them for being horrible at that age. I say get it over and done with then."
Ruel turned into their driveway and stopped the car. He turned toward her. "You can do this. The truth is I miss my daughter and I feel a huge helping of guilt for having her live with my mom for so long. I want her to be around me again. The poor thing lost her mother and then me at almost the same time."
"You saw her recently," Ashley said, "and she would come and stay with us this summer too. It's not like you've abandoned her altogether!"
"I know," Ruel sighed, "but two months of the year does not a father make."
Ashley nodded. "Okay, but for the record let it be known that Jorja does not like me. At the wedding she avoided me like the plague and any overtures of friendship were deliberately rebuffed."
"We'll get through that," Ruel said confidently. "You are such a wonderful person to live with. Jorja will see that.
How could she not?"
Ruel picked up her hand and kissed it.
"When is she coming by?" Ashley asked, taking a deep breath. She was not as confident about Jorja liking her as Ruel was.
"In two weeks," Ruel said, "at the end of her exams, July 1."
****
There are worse places I could spend my vacation. Regina looked around the cottage where she was going to spend her summer. She had stayed away from Primrose Hill for two weeks. She had only returned the place after getting some interesting preliminary reports from King. He had spent the last couple of days in the community gathering information, or so he said. She didn't know how he got his juicy information and she didn't care.
He was sitting across from her now with a stack of files on his lap, waiting for the balance of his pay, no doubt.
She couldn't wait to sink her teeth into his reports, but he was hanging on to them tightly. She rummaged in her bag and pulled out her purse.
He was chewing gum and he popped it occasionally. He crossed his leg and adopted his tough guy persona, which didn't fit him too well, Regina thought snidely. He looked like somebody's kindly grandfather.
"Cash only."
"I know." Regina cut her eyes at him. "I know your terms by now."
King shrugged. "I should have charged you extra. This group of people have quite a bit of stuff going on. Their lives are like a soap opera. All of them."
"All of them?" Regina raised her eyebrows.
"Pay me and find out." King rubbed his chin impatiently.
"Okay already." Regina counted out a couple thousand dollars and handed it to him.
He took the money and then handed her the stack of files.
And in an uncharacteristic show of emotion King said gruffly, "You be careful."
"Why?" Regina tapped her fingers on the file impatiently. She couldn't wait to get started. "These people are not dangerous. They live in the middle of nowhere. What on earth could they be up to that could warrant that warning?"
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