Rules of Love (12 page)

Chapter Twenty-Nine

“No, you need to delete that and start over, because that's not a good representation of C & J Management,” Jason snapped.

“Jason, can I have a word with you?” Charlotte asked. She was standing in the doorway.

“Felicia, what are you standing there for? Work on the press release and then let me approve it before you send it out.” Jason stared at her.

“Jason, chill. I'm going to work on it, okay?” Felicia responded.

Jason tapped his watch. “Today.”

Felicia stopped near the doorway and said to Charlotte. “You'd better talk to him, or else I won't be held liable for what I do.”

“Whose name is on the door?” Jason yelled.

Felicia mumbled under her breath and left.

Charlotte shut Jason's office door.

“Jason, you've been a bear all week. People are starting to complain. I'm about to be out on maternity leave, and I can't have you speaking to our employees like you just spoke to Felicia.”

Jason held his head down in shame. “I'm sorry, Charlotte. It's Amber. I've been reaching out to her and have gotten no responses. When I got back to the house Monday, all of her stuff was gone. I went by her house last night and nothing. No response.”

Charlotte sat down. “I know where Amber is.”

“What? How long have you known, and why haven't you said anything to me about it?”

“Amber made me promise not to tell you. So I'm going to leave my email up and you can glance at it. That way I've kept my promise.”

“Char, I can't believe you're keeping secrets from me. Especially since you know how I feel about Amber.”

“I'm trying to stay neutral.”

“Your allegiance should be to me, not Amber.” Jason didn't know if he should be mad or glad that Charlotte was sharing the information with him.

He took her phone and read the email.

His face turned red out of frustration. “She's left the country. I can't believe this. And she didn't have the decency to tell me anything.”

Charlotte reached across the desk and placed her hand on top of Jason's. “Calm down. She's just as confused about things as you are. She needed some space. She probably thought getting away would help give her some clarity.”

“But what about me? I've been here about to lose my mind worrying about her. Wondering if she would hear me out.”

“Why don't you go pack your suitcase and go after her?” Charlotte suggested.

“She wanted her space. I'm giving it to her. I'm Jason Lewis, and I don't run behind any woman.”

“See, that's it right there,” Charlotte noted. “You need to get rid of your ego.”

“She made it perfectly clear that she doesn't want me, Charlotte. What am I supposed to do?” Jason felt perplexed.

“Pack your stuff. I'll find out what hotel she's staying at and will even make your travel arrangements for you. Go get your wife.”

“But what if she doesn't want me? I mean really doesn't want me?” Jason looked at Charlotte with big puppy dog eyes.

“It's a chance you have to take. You say you love her. Love is about taking chances.”

Jason thought about it. Charlotte was right. He did love Amber. He vowed at that moment to do anything he could to get Amber to trust and believe in his love for her. “Looks like I'll be going to the Solomon Islands.”

* * * * *

Amber had travelled over six thousand miles away from Los Angeles, but yet the distance wasn't enough to keep her mind off Jason like she thought it would. How could she, when friends and family emailed her pictures they'd taken at the reception?

She vowed to ignore them, but she looked at every picture she was sent. Jason and she looked so happy. If she hadn't known any better, she would think they were actually in love. She knew at that time she hadn't been acting. She'd truly felt happy, but now sadness filled her spirit.

No wonder her mom had told her it wasn't polite to eavesdrop. It wasn't like she'd been trying to. She'd only wanted to make sure it was Jason and Charlotte before she interrupted. Amber berated herself because she shouldn't have expected more from Jason. He never pretended to be someone he wasn't.

She was used to guys using her to get to her father, but this time she'd held out hope Jason wasn't like the rest. That he wanted to be with her for the woman she'd become. Amber ha gotten caught up in the fairy tale.

She couldn't help but remember how sincere he'd sounded when he said he loved her. There had been desperation in his voice, but she didn't know if that desperation came from his true feelings for her or the mere fact her dad might discontinue his alliance with C & J Management when he found out Jason hurt her.

But in order for Jason to hurt her, she had to have feelings for him. She'd tried to keep her feelings under wraps, but there was no denying that she was in love with Jason.

If she admitted the truth to herself, she had fallen in love with Jason during their first meeting at C & J Management, long before the trip to Las Vegas.

There was something about him that placed a spark inside of her. Although her body ached for Jason's touch, there was more between them than the sex. He understood her. He didn't think she was weird, compared to some of the other guys she'd dated.

As a writer, she might not have done things the way a normal person would. She observed her surroundings and soaked in information, and she wasn't always the one to do a lot of talking. Jason made her feel safe and secure to be herself. She didn't have to put up any pretenses with him or be afraid he would judge her for her quirky ways.

She frowned because their conversations would be what she missed the most. Even when she called him about business, they always found a way to talk about something personal. She usually knew the answers to the questions she asked him, but used them as an excuse to hear his voice.

Amber looked out the window of her hotel room. She had a breathtaking view of the South Pacific Ocean. She'd been there only a week but had fallen in love with the island and the people. She had a bad track record as of late of falling in love too quickly, it seemed.

Chapter Thirty

Jason had no idea what he would say when he saw Amber, but he knew he had to see her. Although he was seated in first class, the leg room wasn't as spacious as a domestic flight. He couldn't wait to land after the nearly thirteen-hour flight, so he could stretch his legs.

“Welcome to Australia. From here, you will catch a connecting flight to the beautiful Solomon Islands,” the flight attendant said over the intercom as they neared.

The plane landed, and Jason, along with some of the other passengers, rushed to catch a smaller plane to their destination.

Jason shouldn't have complained about his earlier plane, because these seats were even smaller. But he wouldn't complain anymore. He would do whatever it took to get to Amber.

His attempts to reach Amber resulted in no responses. He wasn't sure if she had cell phone access on the island. He would soon find out himself once they landed.

Jason closed his eyes and said a prayer. The smaller plane seemed to hit every bump in the sky. The turbulence had Jason's nerves on edge. He didn't relax until the plane landed at the international airport at Honiara.

Once there, he was greeted by English-speaking natives with British accents. This was Jason's first time in the region. He'd discovered during research on the island that some people spoke Creole, another form of English, so he was glad that he could understand the people he'd come in contact with thus far.

The cab driver was friendly. He assisted Jason with his luggage and started talking to him as soon as Jason got in the back of his cab.

“You're from Britain?” the cab driver asked as he pulled away from the curb.

“No, the US.”

“Oh, you're American. I should know that by how you talk,” the cab driver said.

“Are you a native of the island?” Jason asked.

The driver smiled. “Yes, but not in the capital. My family mostly lives in the province of Rennell and Bellona.”

“This is a beautiful island,” Jason said as the driver drove through the busy and crowded streets.

Jason noted how close some of the houses were. They weren't built like the ones at home. They looked more like bungalows.

“Are you here on business or pleasure?” the driver asked.

“I'm hoping pleasure.”

“The nightlife might not be what you're used to in your country,” the driver looked in his rearview mirror and said.

“Oh no. Not that type of pleasure. I came to find my wife.”

“How long has she been missing?”

Jason ended up sharing a little bit about himself with a complete stranger. “So I'm hoping I can convince her how stupid I've been, and she'll take me back.”

“Do you have a picture of your wife?” the driver asked.

“Yes. I sure do.” Jason pulled out his cell phone. He scrolled through and found a picture. He handed his phone to the driver.

“She's pretty. I remember taking her and some others to the island.”

“The island?” Jason asked.

“Yes. I also have a boat. Some of the islands you can only reach by boat. She was with some people who had camera equipment. I remember them saying they were here filming.” The driver's smile widened. “I might be a star. I got on film too.”

“When was this?” Jason glanced at his cell phone before putting it back in his pocket. He didn't have a signal.

The driver pulled behind several other cabs in front of Jason's hotel. “A few days ago.”

Jason wasn't impressed by the hotel. It was supposed to be a four-star hotel, but it wasn't as glamorous as Jason thought it should look.

He tipped the driver.

The driver handed Jason a piece of paper with a number written on it. “If you need a driver, call me. I can take you wherever you like to go. If you want to visit one of the islands, I can take you or find you a way.”

“Thanks.” Jason placed the piece of paper in his pocket. He grabbed his suitcase and went inside to check in.

The inside of the hotel was impressive. It looked more how Jason had pictured it should look for the price.

He was greeted with smiles by the hotel staff as he went to the front desk. Charlotte had assured him he would like his accommodations, but the verdict was still out on that.

“Thank you for choosing our island,” the male clerk said after Jason registered. “Billy will show you to your room.”

The attendant, as if on cue, grabbed Jason's bag. Jason followed him down a long stretch of hallway. His room was on the second floor. They walked near a stairway. He thought they were going up the stairs.

“We're using the elevator,” Billy said. He stopped and hit a button.

The elevator was small. It was barely big enough for the two of them. Imagine Jason's surprise when a woman dressed like a maid squeezed her way in.

She and Billy exchanged greetings, but not in English.

Jason was tired, but he was on a mission to find Amber. After he showered, he planned on locating her as soon as possible.

His room had a beautiful view of the ocean. He looked out his balcony window and thought about Amber and wondered if traveling there had been a mistake. What if she didn't believe him? What if she refused to give him a chance to prove his love?

* * * * *

Amber couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched. She turned and caught sight of some of the Melanesian children gathered together, pointing at her. She looked at the beautiful, dark-brown-skinned children with blond hair and blue eyes, and smiled. Sheets of cloth wrapped around their waists covered the bottom parts of their bodies. The boys now seemed bashful. They ran away.

“Excuse the boys,” one of the English-speaking guides said. “They don't get to see too many African Americans. Most foreigners who come here are of European descent.”

“They did nothing wrong. I would be curious too as to who the strange-looking woman was.”

“The rest of your crew is all set up in the
bisi
.”

“Bisi?” Amber asked.

“Yes, it's a place where we women must go when we're on our cycle. We are not to be around the menfolks during that time.”

“Your customs are definitely different than ours,” Amber noted.

“I'm sure you've found a lot of our customs different than what you're used to. You live in a country where everything is acceptable.” The guide's observation about the United States was on point, in Amber's opinion.

“Sometimes that can be unfortunate. Your traditions make your culture fascinating,” Amber noted.

“It can be. But sometimes I yearn for more of your world. Not the bad part, just the modern conveniences. We just got bathrooms with running water. Now if we could only get them inside of our dwellings.”

Amber had noticed it the first day they were brought here. Some of the living quarters were placed on stilts. Not only was the bathroom not located inside, the kitchen were set apart from the regular living space. Most of the dwellings were square in shape and built high on stilts. There was no glass in the windows.

They reached what the guide had called the bisi. Amber went into work mode as she got in front of the camera and started asking some of the women questions about this part of their culture. The guide translated.

Amber thought she would never look at her menstrual cycle the same way. While filming, Amber and the rest of the crew were about to witness a childbirth. The young woman screamed in agony as she was carried in by four women and placed on a handmade bed.

“Why don't they give her something to help with the pain?” Natalie, one of the crewmembers substituting as the cameraman, asked. Men weren't allowed in this area.

Amber witnessed what had to be the most painful childbirth. The gut-wrenching screams of the woman as she birthed a son would forever echo in Amber's head.

And then it dawned on her. She'd never used protection with Jason.