Loving Mr. Wright Read online

  That had been important to him. Prison had a certain scent that he wanted to wipe out of his mind forever. He had vowed that when he got out he would never again take fresh air for granted. The house smelled homely, like vanilla and lavender. If he had money he would have bought some stuff to cook to really give the place a good homey smell, but alas, he had none.

  Two mornings ago, while exploring the ten-acre property, he inadvertently wandered onto Mr. McGregor's land. McGregor had introduced himself as a neighbor and farmer and had mentioned that he "Thought highly of Miss Reba." His whiskered face wore a broad engaging smile.

  Caleb had seen the goats on the east side of the land; they preferred that section, apparently. He had crawled through the thickets to count them. They looked like ordinary goats to him but Farmer McGregor said that they were a special cross breed of Nubian and Boer.

  "The Nubian," Farmer McGregor had looked at him as if he were an idiot, "is good for milk and the Boer is good for meat."

  At his still puzzled expression Farmer McGregor had snapped, "The Nubian has the long ears. I have been looking in on them since Miss Reba went to the hospital."

  "Oh, Thank you," Caleb had said gratefully.

  "In these hills we look out for each other, and because we are so far off the path we usually have no problems with praedial larceny."

  "That's a relief," Caleb had said, "or I wouldn't have found any cocoa or goats."

  Farmer McGregor had rubbed his chin. "Oh yes, too bad about the cow though, died last year."

  Caleb had nodded. "Goat milk is just as good as cows milk."

  "So when did you arrive?" Farmer McGregor had asked interestedly.

  "Three weeks ago...came in the night." Caleb had tensed his body expecting a long slew of questions about where he was from and why he hadn't visited his aunt, but McGregor had just nodded and patted him on the shoulder.

  "Tell you what son, sell me two of the rammies from one Nubian and one Boer."

  "Oh, okay," Caleb had said hardly daring to believe his good fortune.

  "I'll give you $40,000 for each." Farmer McGregor had then scratched his head and said hurriedly, "Got to go. I have to catch the market truck. Meet me here two days time. I'll have the cash. Remember the long eared one is the Nubian, okay?"

  "Okay," Caleb had said happily.

  He was now heading to the eastern part of the land for the two goats; he just hoped the goats would corporate with him when he tried to tie them.

  CHAPTER SIX

  It was Tuesday morning, and Erica was having a hard time containing herself; she had woken up earlier than usual and had even changed her outfit a dozen times. She looked down at her maxi dress. It had a purple and red pattern on it and she glanced in the mirror a hundred times, turning and twisting and wondering if she looked too fat in it.

  Usually, she would have laughed at herself and her feverish personal preparations for a guy who was just coming to mow the lawn, but she realized that where Caleb was concerned she was very smitten. She couldn't remember being this attracted to anyone before, not even Jay-Jay.

  She applied some lip-gloss and stood back from the mirror to give herself the once over. She looked pretty good: her fair complexion was flawless, her eyes bright and looked rested and her teeth straight and white. What else could a man want? Maybe breakfast. She hurried to the kitchen and started preparing ackee-and-saltfish and cornmeal dumplings. She was so busy she didn’t hear when Caleb knocked on the patio door.

  She jumped; her heart beating a mile a minute. She inhaled and nervously went to the door.

  "Hello Caleb." Her nervous smile became genuinely bright when she drank him in with her eyes. He was in a white shirt and blue jeans.

  He leaned on the door, one eyebrow raised in a question. "I thought I was at the wrong house, I called and called and called."

  Erica grinned. "I was cooking, got caught up."

  "It smells good in here," Caleb moved back from the door. "Where is the tool shed?"

  "Oh," Erica said blankly. For a minute she didn't remembered that he had come to work today and not to have breakfast with her. She had been so caught up in preparing breakfast for him and the fantasy of two of them chatting over the meal that she had completely overlooked the fact that he was supposed to be working.

  "The tool shed is that way." She pointed him to the back of the house. "My brother-in-law liked to do the garden himself so he had several tools of all kinds. I am sure you'll know what is what. Use them all if you have to."

  Caleb nodded. "Would you prefer if I did the front first or the back?"

  Erica stared at him blankly; she had been admiring the way his biceps flexed under his t-shirt when he moved his arm. She didn’t want to let on that she wasn’t listening so she just said, "Yes."

  Caleb was openly laughing at her now. "Yes to the front?"

  Erica nodded again; her eyes were skittering from his lean body to the view of the trees behind them. She was acting like an idiotic teenager but then again she was sure that no teenager acted as stupid as this.

  Caleb smiled. "You look lovely today."

  Erica blushed. "Er...thanks… are you married?"

  Caleb grinned. "No—are you?"

  "Ah no," Erica spun around to head into the kitchen, totally embarrassed by her awe struck reaction to him. She hadn’t been this skittish around him before and suddenly she was shivery and trembling like a newborn puppy.

  "Would you like some breakfast when you are done?"

  Caleb who was heading toward the shed, looked back at her and said. "Thank you very much."

  She caught herself from saying you are welcome in a simpering manner and almost ran into the kitchen—her heart racing a mile a minute. She couldn’t face him again; the poor guy probably thought she was crazy.

  It took her all of fifteen minutes to stop calling herself names and castigating herself. Why oh why am I such an idiot? She lamented.

  She heard the lawn mower start up and she ran upstairs to the front bedroom where she could look over the front lawn and watched as Caleb pushed the mower through the overgrown grass. He had tied a bandana on his head. He had removed his t-shirt and was now in a white sleeveless undershirt that had small holes dotted through the fabric. She leaned closer to the window and could almost count the number of sweat droplets that were racing down his face.

  She contemplated going out there with water to offer him but the man had only started working ten minutes ago; wouldn't it look desperate of her to start offering him water already? This was the topic that raced through her mind as she drew up a chair and sat staring avidly at her gardener. She hadn’t even responded when the phone started to ring, so absorbed was she in what she was calling in her mind The Caleb Show.

  When she finally went to answer the phone, it was Kelly.

  "Miss Lady," Kelly was saying in her ear, "I was just about to hang up. Were you outside?"

  "Nah," Erica said distractedly. "I was watching the gardener."

  "That new fine guy you’ve been gushing about?" Kelly asked her.

  "Yup," Erica carried the phone closer to the window. "He is now wiping sweat from his brow. It's adorable."

  "Adorable?" Kelly shrieked with laughter. "You are far gone."

  Erica snorted.

  "So what is it about this guy that you really like?"

  "Well," Erica said contemplating, "he is the strong, mysterious type…you know the type I like."

  "Mmmhm," Kelly agreed, "types like Jay-Jay, bigamists and such."

  "Leave Jay-Jay out of this," Erica said, staring at Caleb who was now, near the driveway.

  "So, is he married?" Kelly asked, just to be clear.

  Erica grinned. "Unlike Jay-Jay, he is single."

  "And you know this because?" Kelly's asked expectantly.

  "Because he told me, I asked him," Erica chuckled, "after I flitted around like a school girl this morning…tripping over my tongue like an idiot."

  "Find out more," Kelly said wi
th warning in her voice, "before you get too deeply involved and get hurt again."

  "I will," Erica was once again distracted as Caleb had stopped the mower and was flexing his muscles as if he was hurt.

  "I think he sprained something," Erica whispered to Kelly. "He is stretching in the most intriguing way."

  "I think you sprained your brain," Kelly said exasperated, "and you are acting like we used to at children's camp."

  Erica grunted, watching Caleb keenly.

  "Anyway, I got a job with this holiday rental firm. I'll be busy in the next few weeks."

  "Oh, congrats hun…how are my munchkins?"

  "Thea is making loads of friends; everyday is another kiddies party for her. Matthew is constantly tagging along with some church friends of ours to the beach and Mark is the most intelligent baby on the planet."

  "Good," Erica smiled. "How's Theo?"

  "He's fine. We are doing well. We found a fab restaurant over on the West Side. We are going to use it as our date night spot."

  "It just occurred to me, that my guy was a chef. How can I feed him breakfast from my lowly hands when he is a food connoisseur?"

  "He is your guy now?" Kelly sighed. "You can cook, that's the one talent that nobody can argue with. Go and show off your talent to your guy, and stop the school girl drama."

  "Okay Mam. I think I am going to sprinkle just a hint of basil on my ackee."

  "Bye Erica," Kelly said to her sister who she was sure was too distracted to even hear her.

  ********

  Erica timed her arrival in the kitchen when she saw Caleb heading to the back of the shed. She casually leaned on the patio rails. A gentle breeze was blowing and she hung her head out casually.

  "Oh Caleb, do you want to share some breakfast with me now?"

  "Oh sure. I'll just put these things back and have a quick wash. The pipe by the shed is used for that, I figure."

  Erica nodded. She placed the breakfast things on the table and sat waiting for Caleb to join her. He approached her on the patio once more and gave her one of his signature half smiles—he was still in his jeans and white t-shirt.

  "This is a lovely house."

  "Thank you. My sister and her husband built it a couple years ago. Please have a seat."

  He sat down and sniffed the air. "This is a nice spread."

  Erica smiled. "I hope it meets your lofty chef-standards."

  "Anything would be an improvement on what I have been having these last couple of weeks, though one morning I found plantains on a tree in the thicket and Farmer McGregor, from next door, gave me two laying hens so I have eggs every week now."

  "That was nice of him," Erica smiled. They ate silently and Erica wondered to herself what could have happened to allow Caleb to be at this level. She was psyching up herself to ask him about his past when he beat her to it.

  "So what do you do? I have been meaning to ask but never got round to it."

  "I am a nurse," Erica said sipping her fruit juice. "I work at Hotel Flamingo. This month I am on the evening shift—twelve to nine. I used to work in the surgical ward at Three Rivers Bay Hospital but my fiancé, a doctor, turned out to be married already so I left there. I couldn’t stand to see his smug face everywhere I turned, so I left and went to work at the hotel. The work is easier, times easier to handle, so I'm in cruise mode."

  Caleb nodded, his eyes warm. "So have you lived here long?"

  "Nah," Erica said leaning back in her chair, "I was living in an apartment in St. Ann's Bay. I bought it like ten years ago. Actually, I never saw myself living in a house until I had a family but my sister and her family moved to the Cayman Islands so I am taking care of the place for her."

  Caleb nodded. "This is a very nice place."

  "I helped to lay the stone work at the gate," Erica sighed. "Those were the days when I was slimmer and ice cream and chips were not my constant companions."

  Caleb looked at her assessingly. "You are not that fat."

  "Thank you. I would hug you for your flattery but I know different. I haven't been motivated to exercise for the past, let me see," she threw up her hands, "ten years…I love pastries."

  Caleb snickered. "Me too, I love to create them. I love to mix ingredients together and see the outcome."

  Erica laughed. "Yes we do have that in common but you are muscular and…anyway you make it, not eat it."

  Caleb winked. "You are beautiful both inside and out, no need to worry about a little weight. But if you are that worried, you could help me clear the land up at Aunt Reba's. That will surely slim you down."

  "Done," Erica said quickly.

  "Wha…I was joking," Caleb said.

  "What time do you get up?" Erica asked, a steely resolve in her eyes.

  "At four-thirty most mornings," Caleb said as if dazed. "Seriously, Erica, I was kidding. I couldn't ask a woman..." He held up his hands and corrected himself when he saw the glint of battle in Erica's eyes. "I couldn't ask a nurse to blister her fingers."

  "Well, I'll be there at five," Erica said. "We'll clear the land together, pick cocoa, fix your house. I'll lose the weight and you'll have the help."

  "But Erica, it's hard work not a little half hour stint at the gym." Caleb was spluttering.

  "That’s true, which makes it even more attractive. Think about it, if I don’t do something about my weight, one day the fire fighters are going to have to cut me out of this house. You have a responsibility to help me—a fellow human being in need of exercise."

  "Oh well," Caleb said contemplatively. "I guess I could use your help."

  He got up hurriedly. "I'm not used to this."

  "Used to what?" Erica smirked triumphantly.

  "Having a female being so…er… helpful."

  Erica fanned him off. "Don’t worry about it. I like you."

  Caleb looked at her transfixed for a moment. He hadn’t really thought about it, past the fact that she was extremely kind to him, but this quirky so-called fat girl was growing on him.

  "I like you too." he admitted, dazed. "I actually like you too."

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  That Sabbath when Erica went to church I like you too kept ringing in her head. Did that mean he really liked her, or did he just like her, the way you would a flea bitten puppy that followed you everywhere with a desperate plea in its eyes?

  She felt like that around Caleb since the moment she had given him that lift. He was all standoffish and macho and she was all bubbly and needy. Maybe she should start getting serious. The thought crossed her mind and then died quickly, she was surely past the age when she needed to second guess herself over a man and feel all jittery and needy.

  She spotted her parents in the church foyer and made a beeline for them.

  "I heard you found a man." Fred was looking at her with a twinkle in his eye.

  Erica hugged her Dad. "I just told Mom that I am going exercising with a guy in the morning. How does that translate into me finding a man?"

  Lola laughed. "For you to get up early to exercise can only mean that you found a guy."

  "Good for you my precious." Fred beamed, pinching her cheeks.

  Erica rolled her eyes and swatted her mother's hand. "You are too much, I can't tell you one thing and you don’t put special meaning to it."

  Lola shrugged. Her hair was piled high in a conical bun and she had over plucked her eyebrows, which gave her an inquisitive look.

  "Your eyebrows are atrocious." Erica whispered to her mother.

  Lola covered her forehead with her fingers and whispered. "I know, my hands were unsteady when I was shaving it off. Who is that man?" Her tone changed to urgency. She dropped her hand and put on her best hostess smile.

  Erica spun around and saw a few persons milling at the door, and Caleb.

  "Caleb!"

  Her eyes widened momentarily and then she drunk him in. He looked tall dark and dangerous, and was standing at the beginning of the foyer, dressed all in black. Already the greeters at the
door were flocking him. He looked around, saw her, and then gave her that half tilt smile.

  "That's him," she whispered to Lola and swallowed.

  Fred had turned to talk to someone so Lola was free to rib Erica. "He's very good-looking." Lola shook her head. "He is not your type."

  "Why not?" Erica waved to Caleb.

  "He's too sure of himself, too something… I can't put my finger on it."

  "That's crazy." Erica hissed. "How can you say somebody is too sure of them self before talking to them?"

  Caleb headed over to them and Lola put on her brightest smile. "Hello I'm Lola," she said before Caleb could even speak, "I am Erica's mom."

  Caleb nodded. "I am Caleb, Erica's…er friend." His voice was as smooth as honey.

  Lola nodded speculatively. "And you have a lovely voice, can you sing?"

  "Stop it, Ma." Erica turned to Caleb. "She's the choir mistress."

  "Oh," Caleb grinned. "I used to sing with the guys from Cell Block D…" his voice petered out. What was he saying—he had made up his mind not to mention his past, and here he was blabbing about his days singing in prison. What would these lovely ladies do if they found out that he had been in prison for five years? The question had been gnawing at him for days. He had loved the opportunity to come to St. Ann to start afresh and to let his past stay dead and buried but Erica was so persistent. She had burrowed herself under his skin, helping him even when he didn’t ask and now here he was at her church, instead of keeping a polite distance between them he was drawing closer to her.

  It's just that she was so bubbly, and chirpy, and kind and so easy to be with. He had always had turbulent relationships with women. His mother hadn't made it easy on him when she had left him as a baby with his father. The succession of girlfriends that had passed through his father's life had not made it any easier either. His wife... he shuddered, that was a no-go topic in his mind.

  Then here was Erica and her mother. The two of them looking at him like he was a long lost friend; their eager eyes flitting along his facial lines with a familiarity that he wished was deserved.