by Darrien Lee
Venice was speechless as she realized Mrs. Anderson had lost her only son and was hurting just as much, if not worse than she was. Venice held her hands. “Mom, I’ll think about what you said. I just need to get away. I hope it’s OK if I take Portia out of school for a while.”
Wiping her eyes, she said, “Baby, she needs this just as much as you and Brandon. Don’t worry about us. God will strengthen all of us.”
Nodding, Venice said, “Well, I have some calls to make. Thank you all for being here for me.”
With that statement, she left the room and immediately went upstairs to call Joshua.
Joshua had been Venice’s motivator as usual, so when she called him for suggestions, he jumped on the unexpected opportunity to suggest Jamaica. How lucky could he get? He prodded Venice the previous day, suggesting a secluded getaway to somewhere tropical. He also went as far as to suggest the accommodations, knowing his contact had informed him exactly where Craig Bennett was staying
In Ocho Rios. His contact had also told him that Craig was traveling alone and was staying just two cottages down from where Venice would be staying. A quiet cottage on the beach would work best for Venice and the kids, giving them complete privacy and hopefully something else…a second chance.
Four days later, the families gathered at the airport to see them off. Tears filled all eyes except Brandon’s and Portia’s. They couldn’t wait to hit the sandy beaches and turquoise blue waves. Hugs and kisses all around made getting on the plane hard, but necessary. Mrs. Taylor asked, “Venice, how long are you planning on staying?”
“Don’t know. I’ll call when we get settled. Love you all.”
Bryan came up and hugged her particularly long. “Stay strong, baby girl. You call if you need anything. I mean it.”
“Thanks, Bryan.”
Joshua was last as he approached with his hands in his pockets.
“You’d better hug me, Josh!”
“Still bossy, I see.”
Releasing the embrace was especially hard. He had no idea what the results would be of this idiotic scheme Jarvis had him put into play. Venice was his best friend and he didn’t want to do anything to turn her against him. Her emotional well-being was on the line and he had to protect her at all costs. Sending his contact to Jamaica to observe Venice would have to do for now. He instructed him to call with daily updates and to report any problems.
“I’m going to miss you, Josh.”
“I’m going to miss you, too. “Are you sure this is what you want to do?”
“I think so…it’ll probably do me some good. Portia and Brandon also. Thanks for suggesting it. I just can’t deal with going back into that house seeing his things. Josh, I swear I can still smell him, feel him. Am I nuts?”
Stroking a lone tear from her cheek, he said, “You’re not nuts, Niecy. Take your time. Okay? Go get your life back.”
“Thanks. Well, we’d better go. Tell Cynthia goodbye.”
“I will. Have fun and you call me if you need me and I don’t care what time. Call, do you understand me?”
Leaning to plant a tender kiss on his lips, she answered, “Yes, Sir! I love you, Josh.”
“Love you, too. Be careful.”
CHAPTER Seven
Since arriving on the island days earlier, Craig still had not been able to relax. He was constantly approached by beautiful women offering him a night of pleasure. Others just slipped their phone numbers into his hands. He didn’t expect this kind of attention. He just came to relax in peace. A casual sexual fling was definitely not what he was looking for. But, maybe that was exactly what he needed to help erase the images of Venice from his dreams and the pain in his chest. His doctor couldn’t find anything wrong with him physically, so he concluded Craig was having anxiety attacks due to stress. He was tired of waking up dripping with perspiration and hearing himself call her name and he could not, for the sake of him, get her image out of his mind.
She looked so sad and so lost at the services. She no longer wore her thick mane straight. Instead she wore it long and wavy, giving her a sophisticated look.
After five months, he wondered how she was doing. It had taken him exactly that much time to clear his calendar and brief his offices on upcoming projects. Lamar Fletcher was running the office in his absence. They had met in graduate school and he had been a trustworthy partner ever since. Craig gave Fletcher all his confidence in keeping things running smoothly while he would be away. He was going to enjoy a break from one of his designers, Katrina Simmons. She was a bright, attractive woman but didn’t know how to take no for an answer. On several occasions, she had asked him out. Craig just wasn’t interested, especially with an employee. For some reason the flirtations continued and when confronted, she acted as if he took her comments out of context. Coming short of letting her go, he gave her one last warning, then transferred her to Lamar’s design team. She wasn’t happy about it, but she had no choice in the matter.
Craig was beginning to look forward to his vacation. This would be the first in a couple of years and just what he needed.
On this bright sunny afternoon, he decided to walk down the beach to a nearby restaurant for lunch. He put on some khaki shorts, which clearly exposed long, muscular legs. The white shirt, which fit to perfection, left nothing to the imagination except that he kept his body in tip-top condition. His skin had darkened slightly from the normal caramel to a shade deeper. He spent his mornings jogging and evenings swimming in the warm blue water outside his cottage. Sometimes he felt himself propelled to check in at his office, but his assistant refused to oblige him. Craig remembered he had given his trusted partner his blessings in handling things, but he was now beginning to get bored. It had only been four days and he was seriously considering cutting the vacation short. After double-checking his appearance in the mirror, he stuffed his keys in his pockets and headed down the beach.
Reaching the cottage after an hour’s drive from the airport, an exhausted Venice and entourage had arrived. Their cottage was just as the travel agent described: secluded with a feel of home. Portia and Brandon immediately ran to claim their rooms.
Portia asked excitedly, “Can we go swimming?”
Venice answered, “Don’t you want to rest for a while first?”
In unison they responded, “No! We want to go to the beach.”
“Give me a minute to unpack and take a shower and we’ll all go.”
“Cool!”
Brandon, imitating his aunt, said, “Cool!”
Entering the confines of her room, Venice sank to her bed and let out a loud sigh. Lying back to stare at the ceiling, she said, “Jarvis, Babe, I…”
“Momma! Hurry up!”
Startled by the interruption, she pulled herself up and reached for the phone to call her parents and in-laws to let them know they had arrived safely. After several minutes of unpacking, she finally stepped into the hot relaxing water of the shower. She just stood there until anxiety almost overtook her. She closed her eyes and prayed…hard. Finally the tears came, then she began sobbing. Not wanting to upset Portia and Brandon, she found an inner strength to get control of her emotions so they wouldn’t hear her. After several moments, she was able to calm herself and put on her bathing suit. It was one Jarvis had bought her earlier in the year and the lavender two-piece matched her skin perfectly. It was quite revealing, but she had no reason to concern herself with such nonsense. Portia and Brandon sprinted for the beach with Venice trailing carrying a book to read. She was happy to have the privacy of the cottage so she wouldn’t have to socialize with other vacationers. This area was less populated and perfect for relaxation.
Once again, Craig played with his dinner, not necessarily hungry. The island love music playing softly in the background was enough for him. He asked the waitress to arrange for a carry-out container and he headed back to his cottage. The sun was starting to set and Craig loved this time of day most of all. It was when the world seemingly came to a halt and exha
led. Sadly, he had no one to share it with. There was one woman who had interested him the previous day, but it all flew out the window when she fondled him under the table. That type of aggressiveness was a turn-off. Or could it be that he had been so out of touch with women and this was what they did to gain a man’s interest? If it was the truth, he was lost. Her touch didn’t do anything but make him hurriedly pay the ticket and excuse himself. The walk back would hopefully help ease his mind. Once back in his cottage, he would decide if he should give this so-called vacation a few more days. Walking along the beach had a calming effect on him until he saw lovers strolling arm-in-arm, which unnerved him. He could see his cottage ahead of him and couldn’t wait to retreat to his deck to watch the sun set on the cool blue waters.
Spending the evening on the beach did feel good. Now hunger had settled in their stomachs.
“Tomorrow, kids, we’ll go to the market to get groceries. Tonight, we’ll walk down to a restaurant for dinner. Okay?”
“Okay, Venice. I’ll help Brandon with his bath while you get ready. Oh, Venice?”
“Yes?”
“Put on something cute.”
“Cute?”
“Cute.”
Returning to her room, Venice was confused with Portia’s request. She had already laid out a long, lime green sheer skirt with a matching halter top. Moments later, they locked up and headed down the beach for dinner.
The sun’s rays danced brightly in Craig’s face. It was then he realized that he had fallen asleep on the sofa. He never made it to the deck as planned. Waking up with a crook in his neck wasn’t on the agenda. At least he didn’t dream about her last night. Staggering into the kitchen, he turned on the coffee maker, which showed five thirty a.m. He yawned and headed to the shower. Today, he was going to make himself have fun if it killed him.
Down the beach, Venice laced up her tennis shoes, put on her hat and sunglasses and pulled her long black hair into a ponytail. She kissed Portia and Brandon on the cheek, then left Portia a note so she would know where she was. They all had ended up sleeping in Venice’s bed, which became cramped after midnight. Hopefully a morning jog would help. It had been weeks since she felt like jogging, but for some reason, with the crashing of the waves, it seemed right. She hadn’t really slept. Her heart still ached, but she was trying to cope. The sun was coming up, which reflected off the red spandex short set that was molded to her obvious curves. After a series of stretches, she clipped her cell phone to her hip and headed south down the beach.
Craig stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his lean body. He headed to the kitchen for his coffee. After adding a small amount of cream, he stepped out onto his deck at the precise time Venice ran past his cottage. He stood stunned and breathless. What a sight! He hadn’t seen anyone and anything as beautiful since…her. He couldn’t take his eyes off of this woman who ran past his cottage without so much as a glance his way. Beautiful! All sorts of thoughts ran through his head before he shook himself back to reality. Maybe he was imagining the whole thing, but she was real. This woman reminded him so much of Venice…too much. He felt it would have to be a blessing to find someone resembling her.
He mumbled, “I have got to find out who that woman is. This may be a good vacation after all.”
He hurriedly dressed, then waited out on the deck for the brown beauty to make a return trip down the beach. He waited for two hours, but she never returned. Finally he realized that the direction she was running must have been her return route. Stupid!!
Venice returned to the cottage before Portia and Brandon woke up. This allowed her time to take a relaxing bubble bath and prepare breakfast. After her jog, she decided to go shop for groceries. Luckily, there was a shuttle to bring her back to the cottage so she wouldn’t have to walk with all her bags. She chose a pair of white shorts and a thin blue tank top. Her white sandals topped off her ensemble. The jog felt good and she was determined to run every morning on the sandy beach.
CHAPTER Eight
It had been three days and a tour was the plan of the day. Portia and Brandon anxiously waited for Venice to get dressed. She chose form-fitting denim shorts and a yellow crop top. She slid her feet into some comfortable sneakers and grabbed her purse. The tour lasted approximately two hours and when they returned to town, Venice decided that night would be the last to eat out for a while.
They enjoyed their meal, trying not to become sad when they reminisced about fun times with Jarvis.
Craig sat at his usual table in the casual Jamaican-style restaurant. As he scanned the menu, he felt familiar hands touch his shoulder from behind.
“Melanie! What are you doing here?”
Melanie leaned down and kissed him on the cheek. Her teal and yellow dress accented her flawless skin tone. She sat opposite him and covered his hand with hers.
“Darling, I just couldn’t leave things as they were. I guess you could call this my last stand.”
Craig put his hands over his face. “Melanie, please…I can’t do this anymore. Why are you making this so hard? Why can’t you understand that I don’t want the same things you want?”
He stared at her in amazement. The waiter approached and handed her a menu.
She smiled. “Sweetheart, let’s just enjoy our meal. We can talk about that later.”
He shook his head. “Melanie, you’re headed back to Philly in the morning. I mean it.”
“We’ll see, but we do have tonight, Darling. I just hope that I can change your mind.”
After dinner, Melanie excused herself to the restroom. Craig sat wondering how his life had taken this awkward turn. He came to Ocho Rios to get his head together and relax. Drama with Melanie was the last thing he expected or wanted. What he didn’t know was that he hadn’t seen drama yet. While waiting for Melanie to return to the table, he heard a sound he thought he would never hear again.
It couldn’t be.
Craig’s head turned again to the familiar sound of laughter.
What is happening to me? That silky laughter can only belong to one person…But she wouldn’t be in Ocho Rios. If I could only see this woman’s face.
The restaurant was full and Portia and Brandon were finishing up their dessert when Portia noticed him.
“Venice, there is a fine brotha over there and he keeps staring over here.”
“Portia, don’t start.”
“No, for real! He is staring. Turn around and look.”
“I will not and stop staring. It’s not polite.”
“Venice, you have got to take a look at this one. He’s banging. Oh…and he’s headed this way.”
Heat engulfed her face as a husky and familiar voice said, “I just knew I had to be dreaming.”
Venice looked up into the face of Craig Bennett and met his seductive gaze.
“Craig?”
“Venice!”
Portia watched the penetrating gaze they gave each other and asked, “You two know each other?”
They were both silent.
Since she didn’t get a response, she said, “Hello! Did anybody hear me?”
Venice turned toward Portia. “Yes, we went to college together.”
Craig was unable to tear his eyes away from her. She was still as beautiful, if not even more beautiful, than he remembered. He couldn’t imagine her becoming more stunning…but she was.
Shoving his hands into his pockets, he said, “Venice…I-I huh…”
“Nice to see you again, Craig. It’s been a long time.”
“That it has.”
Silence again surrounded them as he continued to stare. Venice lowered her eyes to her lap.
“Venice, aren’t you going to introduce us?”
“Oh…I-I’m sorry. Craig, this is my sister-in-law, Portia, and…”
Extending his hand to Brandon, he said, “Young man, I can see who you are. You have got to be Venice and Jarvis’ son.”
Smiling, Brandon said, “Yes, Sir. My name is Brandon.”
“You look just like your dad.”
“My daddy’s in heaven.”
Venice tensed, hearing those words, and turned away to absorb the comment, hoping she would not become emotional. The shock of seeing Craig was enough to make any woman emotional. He stood tall and possessed that strong sex appeal she remembered. Wearing a black shirt with a pair of wheat-colored pants, he looked confident and in control as he stood just close enough to make her uncomfortable. Her skin became hot as his intense gaze burned into her body and his scent hypnotized her.
Portia started smiling, noticing the obvious attraction and said, “Brandon, let me take you to the restroom before we leave.”
“I’ll be right back, Momma.”
“All right, sweetheart. Portia, you two make sure you come right back. We have to go.”
Craig followed with, “See you guys in a minute.”
As Portia and Brandon slid out of the booth, Craig sat directly across from her and took her hands into his.
“Venice, I don’t know what to say. I’m so sorry about Jarvis.”
The moment he touched her, he felt it. The spark traveled through his body causing goose bumps to appear on his skin. She jerked her hands away from him, but she still couldn’t look into his sensual eyes. Softly, he said, “Sweetheart, I wish I could’ve been there for you.”
Talk about the calm before the storm; it came with a fury. Her head snapped up to meet his sultry eyes.
“But you weren’t! Were you, Craig? I haven’t so much as heard or seen you in seven years and you think you can just walk up to me and act like everything’s cool? Why didn’t you return any of my calls, my letters? Huh? What happened to ‘Venice I will always be there for you, no matter what?’ Answer that, Craig Bennett!!”