Scarlett Promise (The Scarletts Page 5

  Zack opened a file.

  "Apparently your father was not averse to taking monetary gifts for government contracts. The estate is being sued for the return of money to a company that was guaranteed a contract. Your father was the chairman of the committee at the time.

  "The company claims that the money was not a bribe but a financial contribution to some project that your father had them paying for. It is a creative way of putting it but to put it succinctly, they want their money back since they did not get the contract. This was a pending case in court which your father was willing to fight."

  Nate sighed. "Give them their money. Settle it out of court. Make this whole sordid business go away."

  Zack nodded. "I had a feeling you would say that."

  Nate wiped his hand over his face. "I really don't get my dad. I mean, with me he was such a stickler for doing what was right. 'Stay in school, Nathan; stick with what you start, Nathan; be a man of honor, Nathan', and then I find out that he slept with prostitutes before and after marriage and took bribes from people and God knows what else is there!"

  Zack leaned back in his chair and closed the file. "Maybe he was not so much a man of contrasts but a man who wanted you to be different than he was. Parents--well, some parents—are like that."

  Nathan nodded. "I am very different from my dad."

  Zack changed the subject. "I understand that the Treasure Beach house was put up for sale. Is that still your desire?"

  "I don't know." Nate shrugged. "Maybe I should go and check it out first? I have never been down there."

  "That's a good idea." Zack nodded. "Let me know what you decide to do with it. I have the contact details for the property company responsible for keeping it clean. Your dad had it listed for sale. The point man is Bevon Bedward.

  "Give him a call before you go down there. He'll make sure that everything is in tip-top shape for you. Treasure Beach is a lovely area. Perfect place for a quiet vacation, or in your case a beautiful muse."

  Zack smiled at him. "Have fun."

  Chapter Six

  It took Nate two weeks before he found himself at Treasure Beach. After his project was completed, he had packed up his equipment, jumped in his car and headed for the south coast. Zack's little speech about it being quiet and a place to relax had filled him with anticipation the moment he heard about it.

  It wasn't hard to find Treasure Beach but it was definitely out of the way. When he entered the low key community, his first thought was, this is how Negril would look if it weren't developed.

  He stopped and took several photos before reaching the place Bevon had described. Of course he had to ask directions and the two times he had stopped, both persons had told him that the villa he was looking for was just around the corner.

  Fifteen minutes later he finally arrived at Villa Cruzar. His place. That sounded weird when he said it in his head. A house was a tether. And now he had two...three, if you counted his father's apartment in New Kingston.

  He had no plans to be tied to one place just yet. Maybe in his fifties, sixties or seventies... He added on another decade just to be in the safe side.

  He wanted to travel the world and see places like this at least every couple of months. Being in one place too long was like punishment for him but he couldn't discount the fact that every wanderer needed a base.

  And maybe a co-wanderer. He got lonely at times. He tried to remember when last he had a long-term relationship and was stumped. His last date had been...a year ago, before he left Canada for Africa.

  Her name was Wendy and initially he had thought they were going great until she had told him that adventures were for kids, taking pictures was for wussies and she had arranged an interview for him to get a real job.

  He winced as he got out of the car. He had a narrow escape with that one. She had reminded him of a female version of his father.

  He looked around the villa, bringing pleasant thoughts back to his mind.

  The company responsible for the listing had a discreet for-sale sign on the lawn. It was on the beach side of the road and was well kept.

  The place was bigger than he had anticipated. Two stories, probably to take advantage of the beach views, and it was sandwiched between two houses, separated by neatly maintained shrubs on both sides.

  A big gold crest on the gate declared it to be Villa Cruzar. Cruzar was cross in Spanish. Everybody on this strip of road had exotic names for their villas; he figured his father, or Paige, didn't want to be different .

  The lawn at Villa Cruzar was obviously trimmed and the place well kept. It was that time of day when the sun was throwing a golden haze over everything.

  He grabbed his camera.

  Perfect introduction to the place. He inhaled deeply and headed to the back of the house. There was a low picket fence that stopped where the white sand and the beach began. A gentle wind was blowing; the sea was glassy and calm.

  He took off his shoes, leaving them in the middle of the cobblestone walk, and headed down the beach. His vacation officially started now. If he continued to have days like this he would probably prolong his time at Treasure Beach.

  He was focusing on a leaf floating along the water. He was knee deep in sand with his camera at the perfect angle when he heard his name.

  "Nathan Cross!"

  He took the picture and then looked at the screen. Good shot. Would have looked even better if he had used a macro lens.

  "Nathan!"

  He looked up reluctantly and then grinned. "Madison Sullivan!"

  She walked toward him briskly. She was dressed in a jeans shorts and t-shirt. She looked fit and toned, as usual. She had her hair in two braids, the same elfin face with the wide expressive eyes and light complexion. She had a dark brown birthmark over her left eyebrow, encompassing her brow and stopping below her eye.

  It gave her a different look. He thought it was cute. Maddie had always been cute.

  She punched him when she got close and then hugged him, almost jostling the camera from his hands.

  "You don't answer your phone anymore!" She punched him again. "I called you a million times."

  "Sorry." Nate grinned at her apologetically. "I kind of had a hectic couple of days after I got back."

  "Mmph." Madison looked at him, her hands akimbo and a wide grin on her face. "What on earth are you doing here in Treasure Beach?"

  "Just got here. Thought it was too much of a nice evening to waste." Nate grinned. "That's my new place. Inherited it from my dad."

  "Really? Cool. Oh, sorry about your Dad." Madison gave him a sympathetic look. "I know you guys weren't close but it is still a loss."

  "Yup, thanks." Nathan raised a brow. "And you? What are you doing here? Last I heard you were working at some upscale practice in Kingston as a physiotherapist."

  "Yes, I was—I mean I am," Madison sighed. "I got here yesterday. I will be working with a private client till summer. Your neighbor, actually—ever heard of him, Ricardo Mills?"

  "Yes. Our parents used to socialize together. My father was very good friends with Francine Mills."

  "Oh yes," Madison nodded, "the in-crowd."

  "Obviously you have a link with the in-crowd to be Ricky's physiotherapist," Nate chuckled, "or else you wouldn't be here."

  Madison shrugged. "True, my office works with a lot of high profile clients but the reason I am here has nothing to do with links. I was the only one willing to come this side of the island for twelve weeks on the spur of the moment. I was not first choice but that's fine; I can deal with that."

  "What happened to first choice?" Nate pointed the camera at a beached starfish that was wrapped in seaweed.

  "My colleague who was working with Ricky fell in love with the housekeeper."

  "Really?" Nate laughed, looking up at Madison. "That's a new one."

  "Yep." Madison grinned."Poor Quame. He lasted only two weeks. Ricky fired him when he found out about his advances to the housekeeper. Maybe Ricky is in love with her
too. Who knows? I am just getting my bearings on that soap opera."

  She paused and looked at Nate warmly. "It's good to see you though, Nate."

  "Likewise." Nathan looked back down at the camera, faintly uncomfortable with that dreamy look on her face.

  "So I guess we'll see each other around since we are neighbors and all."

  "Yeah, sure." Nathan nodded. "I'll be here."

  "For how long?" Madison sank onto the sand beside his starfish, spoiling the shot with her colorful figure in the background.

  "Until I get a call elsewhere," Nathan muttered. "The nature of the job. Can you scoot over a bit? Trying to get this starfish."

  "Oh, it's pretty." Madison hung over the starfish and then, seeing Nate's scowl, scooted over.

  "Thank you," Nate huffed, lining up the camera for a shot.

  Madison smiled. He could see in his peripheral vision that she was looking at him dewy-eyed.

  "It's amazing; you always spoke about doing this in high school."

  "Yup." Nate nodded.

  "But we all knew you were on an accelerated path to greatness." Madison scooped up some sand and watched as it flowed through her fingers. "Remember when I saw you at Shawn's party—what was it, four years ago?"

  "Yup." Nathan got uncomfortable. He had had the biggest blowout with his father then and had headed to the party angry and defiant. It had all been about him not finishing his residency and taking up photography instead. His father had been livid.

  He had stormed out of the house and went to the party and tried to convince himself that the fight hadn't affected him, that he was happy.

  He may have gotten too much into the spirit of things—he had danced with Madison for most of the night and at the end of it she had confessed to him how much she liked him out of the group of guys who used to hang at high school.

  He had dropped her home and kissed her. They had done some very heavy foreplay before he had put a halt to it. After that they had gone through an awkward stage of were they dating or not, until he had gone back to Canada for a while and had cut off all communication with her in relief.

  "Don't look so downcast." Madison grinned now. "I didn't bring up the party because of what happened between us."

  "Yeah." Nathan nodded. "It's hard not to make the connection, though."

  "You dating anyone now?" Madison asked. She still had that wide grin on her face and she was acting casual. He didn't see any harm in answering.

  "No." Nate shrugged. "I am too busy traveling the world." He didn't want to add that he'd been feeling lonely lately; that would be pouring fuel on Maddie's fire.

  "Isn't that amazing?" Madison brushed her hands off and started inspecting her nails one by one, as if she had never seen them before. "I broke up with my guy a couple of weeks ago. So we are both single."

  Nate stiffened.

  He hoped she wasn't suggesting that they should start anything. He liked her fine but he wasn't attracted to her. Never had been, really. Madison had just been one of the guys in high school, his good pal until that ill-timed make-out session with her in his car four years ago. It had not meant much to him but had obviously meant the world to her. She had cried when he told her that he was going to live in Canada for the foreseeable future. He had felt uncomfortable then, as he felt uncomfortable now.

  He pointed the camera out to sea; the sky had turned into a pinkish orange hue surrounding the dying sun. He took a snap, hoping that she would get the message that he was uninterested, but she still hung around.

  She slowly made her way closer to him, sucking out all of the unfettered joy that he had had earlier in the afternoon.

  "Hey Madison!" a voice called to her in the distance.

  Nate didn't even look around. Whoever it was, was rescuing him from the awkwardness with Madison.

  Madison groaned. "I am not going to like that girl."

  Nathan felt a rush of relief at the topic change.

  "Why?" He was still aiming the camera at the seascape.

  "I don't know. There's something about her I find upsetting. Housekeepers who sleep with the boss tend to think they have special authority. I am going to have to put up with her sense of entitlement for twelve whole weeks."

  "Madison!" the voice got closer.

  "Why won't you answer her?" Nathan lowered the camera and then spun around. There was a girl, woman, he wasn't too sure. She was probably in her early twenties. She was walking down the sand in the distance. That could not be the housekeeper.

  "Wow." He whispered the word reverently, but Madison heard and gave him a sharp look.

  "Not you too. Why does everybody find that sort of shape so exciting? She's fat, in my honest opinion."

  "Nah," Nate shook his head, "that's a Coca-cola bottle shape, Maddie. Big tits, small waist, big hips. She has the shape of male fantasies. And that hair—is it her real color? It looks like the sunset."

  "Shut up," Madison growled to Nate. "Remember she's already taken by the boss; sorry—your loss."

  Nate imitated a cat sound. "She's the housekeeper?"

  "Yup." Madison glanced at him and then turned around to answer Lisa. "Yes, I am here." She hoped that Lisa would not come closer. She should have answered before Lisa walked down the sand.

  Now she could see that Lisa was no longer looking at her but at Nate and she had stopped, a shellshocked, frozen look on her face. She was probably awestruck seeing Nate for the first time.

  Maddie remembered how that felt. She had felt the same and he had just been in high school. He had been a girl magnet then and obviously still was if Lisa's reaction was anything to go by.

  Stop looking at him, Madison thought fiercely as she walked up to Lisa. He is mine.

  "Er, Madison... Ricky said he is ready for his afternoon session. He changed his mind about taking a break." Lisa's voice was squeaky and breathless. She wasn't even looking at Madison while she talked. She was looking at Nate.

  She only gave Maddie a token glance and then spun around and started walking toward the house in a hurried manner, like someone had prodded her with a stick. She hadn't even said hello to Nate, though she was close enough. She was taking shy and awestruck to a different level.

  Madison looked back at Nate to see how he was reacting to this blatant stunned reception but he was no better; he was staring after Lisa like a helpless puppy.

  Oh, it's on, Madison thought fiercely. Nathan Cross was going to be living next door to her for twelve weeks and she was not going to let him slip through her fingers.

  No way. This Lisa girl had better realize that she had first dibs on him. Killer shape or not, she and Nate had history.

  ****

  Lisa half ran back into the house, almost knocking over Ricky, who was standing in the doorway of the back patio.

  "Hey, what's the rush?" he called out to her.

  "Something in my eye!" she said, almost tripping as she rushed upstairs to her room. "I'll serve your dinner after your session with Madison."

  "'Kay," Ricky said grumpily. "I don't want anymore fish!"

  "It's chicken!" Slightly burnt chicken, but Lisa didn't dare say a word. They had been in Treasure Beach now for three and a half weeks and she had not successfully cooked a good meal. Ricky had valiantly eaten or tried to eat some of her offerings but today might not be a good day for him.

  Ricky had mercurial mood swings. Some days he was happy and jovial; other days he was quiet and withdrawn.

  Today was one of the quieter days. He usually got this way when he went on the town and was reminded of his past or a fragment of a memory chipped in.

  He had confessed to her just yesterday that he didn't like himself much.

  They were kindred spirits suffering from the same malady. She didn't like herself much either. And usually that self-loathing took place when she thought of that night.

  And now Nathan Cross was here, which would make that night harder to forget.

  He had been a witness to her lowest point. She wou
ld just die if he recognized her. But how could he? She looked different now, vastly different. Her natural hair was a spring of fluffy auburn curls, thanks to the year's supply of hair care products that Francine had generously offered to give her.

  Even her shape had been altered a bit, as a result of her twice-daily swimming sessions. She had started swimming with Ricky and Quame in the mornings in the heated swimming pool at Villa Ingles but changed her schedule to swim twice daily in the sea, which was just behind the house.

  It was pleasant exercise. She was steadily shifting inches and it was just a few weeks. She didn't look in the mirror and see Lisa Chubs Barclay anymore. Yes, her curves were overly generous but she was beginning to deal with it.

  Nathan Cross would not recognize her from then, and that was the important thing.

  All her fears were pointless. She hoped Madison did not read anything into her crazy behavior a few moments ago. She wondered how well Madison knew Nathan Cross. She was not going to ask or make any queries from Madison. She would keep her wonderings to herself.

  She had learned her lesson from the Quame incident. She was not going to befriend any of Ricky's physiotherapists.

  They were there to work and her role was not entirely clear. She didn't want anyone asking questions about her, as Quame had taken to doing.

  Ricky had a cleaning service that came in three times per week, which left her with nothing to do by way of housework. She could have easily put his laundry in the washing machine but that too was already dealt with by hotel staff.

  Cooking was the only thing that she did in the house and that was not done so well either.

  Quame had only been around for two weeks and he had helped her out a lot in the kitchen. She had been grateful to him for that until he started with the constant compliments and the not-so-subtle inappropriate touches.

  She had taken to closing her room door and the patio door at night, quite afraid that he would somehow not understand that no meant no.

  At first, she had liked Quame. He had accompanied them down to Treasure Beach from Kingston and she had thought that he was personable and intelligent and quite professional. He sounded as if he knew his stuff and he had treated her with the same kind of offhanded friendliness that Ricky did.