Tropical Storm (6 page)

“But what?” Tyrone prompted.

“But she already had a man;
a rich one. You know the story. I couldn’t trust her after that.” The words came out slowly and were full
of bitterness as if the years had sharpened instead of dulled the edges.

“Maybe there was some kind of mistake.” Tyrone ventured.

“There was no mistake!” Cairo dropped his hands to his sides and turned and gave his cousin a hard look. “I asked her and she couldn’t deny it. The ripped shreds of our marriage certificate are all that is left of our relationship.”

“Wow.” Tyrone shook his head.

“Yeah, I know. It’s a very sad story.” Cairo
said dryly. “I don’t look back. I can’t afford to. One thing that I learned from that fiasco is not to put any trust in that woman. Back then I had so many plans for us, but they never saw the light of day. Any hopes, any dreams I had, Jessica destroyed. Uptown and downtown, water and oil, those things don’t mix and neither do we. I know that now.”

“But she’s back. Maybe she’s changed.” Tyrone said, always the optimist.

Cairo looked incredulously
at his cousin. “Are you crazy, Tyrone? Have you seen her? Jessica is a disaster waiting to happen. Six years or sixty won’t change that.”

If Cairo knew nothing else, of that he was certain. The thought had no sooner left his mind when the object of their conversation appeared in the doorway.

“Hello stranger.” Storm greeted him brightly. Leaning against the doorjamb of his office, she looked as breezy and fresh as a summer’s day. Her hair was swept up in a waterfall of sensuous curls and her white linen wrap dress hugged her lovingly
in all the right places. She was breathtaking, despite this; Cairo barely spared her a glance before turning back to his work.

Tyrone got up and quietly
left the room.

“What do you want?” He asked, not looking up from the papers on his desk. “I thought I had ample security in the hotel.
If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were stalking me.”

“I
am
stalking you.” Storm said impertinently, before gliding into the room and planting her bottom on top of the papers on his desk. “But after I told security I was your wife, they let me right in.”

Cairo looked up sharply and Storm rewarded him with a smile of triumph when their eyes finally met.

Although he was seething inside, he tried to stay calm. “You were never my wife. One day of disgrace and foolishness is not considered a marriage, thank God. I would appreciate it if you’d stop spreading rumors. Between you and your son, you’ll have everyone in the parish believing I have an illicit secret family. Why are you here?” he asked curtly, dragging a file out from under her bottom. “I thought we’d said enough to each other for one day.”

Storm shrugged unconcerned. “Yes, I agreed to stay out of your way but that was earlier. Why are you trying to avoid me?”

“I’m not avoiding you.” Cairo denied heatedly before taking a deep breath and counting to ten. “I have a hotel to run and that keeps me busy. Unlike you, I’m not here on holiday. I have to
work for a living.”

Storm leaned in close to him and placed her finger
under his chin lifting his gaze to meet hers. “Don’t run away from me, Cairo. You don’t know how much I’ve missed you.” She whispered as if they’d been separated a few hours instead of a few years.

At her words, he jerked away from her. The abrupt movement sent several of the files on his desk crashing to the floor.

“Don’t!” Cairo said through clenched teeth. “Don’t think you can come in here and play these mind games. I’m not a toy that you pick up and discard on a whim. I’m a man with real feelings. While you merrily went on your way to happily ever after I had to struggle to pick myself up and start again. It wasn’t easy. I could have gone back to the projects to do all the bad things your parents thought I did to make a living. Instead, I’m here and I’m happy. I dragged myself out of the gutter and made a life for myself. Don’t come here and try to ruin it by reminding me of the past or anything we had together. It was a dream and I’ve been awake now for years. Close the door on your way out.”

Cairo then stood up and walked out of
his office without a backward glance.

Storm sat where he’d left her, her fingers clenched into fists. She took a few deep breaths and then slowly and deliberately uncurled each finger one by one until her palms lay flat on the desk. That was twice! The insufferable man had walked out on her
twice
in one day. For her, that was a record. Men usually ran to her and not away
from her, but Cairo had always been the exception to every rule. That’s why she loved him. But at the moment he was seriously trying her patience. She thought finding him was the hard part, and in some delusional part of her brain, she thought that once he saw her again they could forget the past. She was wrong. One thing was now clear: winning back his love wouldn’t be an easy task. She had her work cut out for her. No soft words and reminders of the past for him. He was convinced of her treachery and nothing and no one was going to change his mind. But she was going to try. She was nothing if not persistent. Hopping down from the desk, she picked up the papers from the floor and placed them neatly on the desk. Brows knitted in concentration, she retreated back to her room to lick her wounds and mend her battered heart.

In her room, the manila folder lay on the center of the table. Storm caressed the folds of the document and flicked the cover open. There in black and white was an eight-by-ten photograph of her then husband Cairo Kane. In the photo, he was a mere twenty years old. The man downstairs had left this smiling youth far behind. Included with the photo was a thirty-page write-up about the man she had crossed an ocean to find. From the moment she got the document in her hands, she only had time to read the first three pages before she had packed her and Shane’s
bags and jumped on the first plane out. The folder had taken almost seven years and thousands of dollars in expenses to compile. She remembered the day she had summoned enough courage to walk into the private investigating office as if it were yesterday.

In an attempt to get what they wanted, her parents had cut her off financially. She’d been forced to fend for herself. With her trust fund unavailable to her until she turned twenty-one, she’d gone to school on aid, raised a growing baby and struggled to make ends meet by waitressing. All her tips and left over income she’d used to find Cairo. By then he’d vanished from her life for more than a year and she remembered those months as the most desperate times of her life. In her hand was everything she wanted and needed to know about Cairo, but when she first received the file all she cared about was where he was and how fast she could get there. It was obvious that she should have done better planning. But even now when she was desperately in need of any insight into his character and the man that he’d become, she couldn’t bring herself to read any more of
the document. She didn’t want to know how he had lived the past six years without her. She didn’t want to know about any women in his life, any heartbreak, any rise and falls or any successes or failures. He had come to Jamaica to get away from her. He managed a hotel and deep down whether he knew it or not, he was still in love with her. This was all she wanted to know. Storm gathered up the thick document and dropped it into the desk drawer.

Chapter Four

“Mommy, I’m going to the kiddy program?” Shane was already in the process of lacing up his shoes.

Storm placed her hands on her hips and waited. After a minute of silence her son finally looked up. When he saw the look in her eyes,
he tried again. “Mommy, the hotel has a KP program for kids where they do water sports, activities and games. Can I go?”

“That’s better.” Storm said dropping her hands to her sides. “Is this kiddy program properly supervised?” She raised a brow with this question knowing full well just how much trouble her son could get into if left to his own devices.

Shane skipped across the room and threw his hands around her waist. Then he pulled her face down
to his and gave her a loud kiss on the lips.

“KP has four people from the hotel who are in charge of taking care of all the kids. Can I go?” He asked again.

Storm frowned. “I don’t know.” She said, pretending to mull over the decision. “I need you here to help me with our plan? How will I do it without you?”

Shane started bouncing on his toes, half with excitement and half with impatience. “I’ll be back in time to help, I promise. I’ll play with the kids in KP. Why don’t you go play with Cairo?” His eyes brightened with the suggestion.

“That’s a great idea, munchkin.” She tapped his nose with a fingertip. “I plan to play with him later this evening. For now, why don’t I drop you off at KP.”

The minute Storm delivered her son into the capable hands of the hotel staff; she rushed back upstairs with another hotel employee running to keep up with her. The woman was breathing heavily from exertion when Storm sat down in front of the vanity.

“Okay Inez, I want the works: candlelight, champagne and soft music. I want it all. I’m planning a seduction and nothing can stand in my way. Money is no object; just make sure everything is as planned.” Storm could barely sit still in her chair as she gave the instructions. She was more than a little excited about putting her plan for winning her husband back into action. “I also want to reserve the private side of the beach for two hours.”

Inez furrowed her brow. “That could be a problem. Someone might have reserved it already.”

“Whatever it costs to bribe the current holders of the reservation, do it. Tonight is a very special night.”

Inez nodded her approval and her eyes brightened with excitement. “Is that all, Ma’am?” She asked her pen poised over the pad.

“Yes . . . No.” Storm said. “If it isn’t too much trouble could you also see that Tyrone Ebanks gets this letter?” She scribbled furiously on a piece of paper and signed it with a flourish.

Inez took the paper with glee. “I will take it to him personally. If there is anything else you require, let me know. Mr. Kane said to make sure to fulfill all your needs.”

Storm winked at the woman through her reflection in the mirror. “Inez, that’s nice, but only one person can fulfill my needs.”

Inez’s smile stretched across her face. She left the room humming.

As soon as she was gone Storm threw herself into preparation. Off came the now creased white dress. She then
sailed her shoes across the room before looking back at her reflection in the mirror. She had a lot of work to do. Her hair was in shambles and her face was shiny because of the humidity. She hardly knew what to tackle first. In the end, she reached for the brush. She had to deal with her hair; if she remembered correctly, it was Cairo’s favorite.

By the time she was finished preparing herself for the evening, Storm’s heart was slamming against her ribs. She was as nervous as a bride, and with good reason. The campaign to disrupt Cairo’s life was about to start. She was ready to wage war. She had brought her arsenal: the filmy vintage Christian Dior white chiffon dress that enhanced her already seductive figure, her unruly hair now
coerced and confined into a neat chignon, her dainty slippers that exposed well-shaped ankles and her Chanel perfume. Storm dabbed a few extra drops on her shoulders. Cairo liked the scent. Armed and ready, Storm waited for her secret weapon. He came just as she was finishing.

“Shane darling, I thought you’d forgotten all about me.”

Shane laughed at this. “C’mon, mommy.” He said swatting her playfully. “I promised to be back in time to help you with the plan. Plus, I’ve been playing for a long time and it’s almost my bedtime.”

Storm glanced at the mantle. “Yup, you’re right on-time. I knew I could count on you, but I thought that you loved Jamaica and your new friends so much that you had forgotten all about me.”

“I can’t forget you, mommy. I have to get Cairo for you remember?” Shane was a full and willing participant in their scheme.

“Yes, I remember. Look at me darling,” Storm said indicating her outfit. “Do I look like
I’ve
forgotten?”

Shane’s response was to grin. “I’ll go get Cairo.”

Storm nodded and then absently smoothed down her dress with shaking hands.

At the door, Shane stopped to look at her. “You’ll get him to be my daddy, won’t you mommy?”

Storm saw the apprehension in his face and said with more bravado than she felt,
“Don’t worry munchkin,
I promised you a daddy and you’re gonna get one.”

“Come on Shane; take your hands off my eyes. How do you expect me to see?” Cairo protested placing his feet carefully in the sand.

“You don’t have to see,” Shane said firmly. “Just keep walking and don’t drop me.”

Cairo sighed in exasperation. “Okay, you’re the boss, but if you go flying headlong into the sand don’t go crying to your mother.” He warned.

“My son never cries.” Storm said.

“Surprise!” Shane yelled removing his hands from Cairo’s eyes.

Despite his promise, Cairo almost dropped him. Wisely, Shane wiggled down from his embrace. His job done, the child turned and dashed away toward the waiting nanny.

Cairo stared disbelievingly
at the sight in front of him for several long moments. On the deserted beach, Storm stood in front of him. Around her bottle torches flickered against the twilight of the evening sky. There was a beautifully set table loaded with delicious local food, and soft music drifting across the beach. Jessica stood against this magnificence resplendent in a white dress that revealed far more than it concealed. In her hand, she held a rose.

“This is for you, Cairo.” She handed him the flower. “One should always bring their date flowers.”

Cairo wrapped his fist around the stem of the rose.

They were both silent as they stood in front of each other. Storm chewed her bottom lip and twisted the hem of
her dress in her hands. She then pointed to the table.