An Island Affair

Women couldn’t be trusted. Not completely. Even the woman who meant the most to me—my mother—had lied to me. And if you couldn’t trust your mother, whom could you trust? I understood her lie, and I’d long forgiven her, but the principle of the matter remained. You want to trust something? Trust your instincts. That’s about as far as trust should go. That was my philosophy. It kept you safe, preserved your manhood. Besides, women came with too much baggage. And I had enough of my own baggage. I found that if I kept life simple, worked hard with little time to play, I could truly be happy alone. So I found satisfaction in my work and my company.

Those summers working for a friend of the family had definitely paid off. Jett Prim had owned one of the oldest construction companies in Florida, and he’d taught me everything I knew. I started working for him when I was fifteen years old—the summer before my freshman year in high school. By the end of the summer, I’d saved enough cash to buy an entire new wardrobe. By the next summer, I had enough to purchase my first car—a 1984 Ford Mustang. Candy-apple red with a spoiler on the back. It was a dream car.

My father respected Jett Prim and appreciated him teaching me the importance of hard work. However, he had not been happy with my talk of starting my own construction company.

“Nothing wrong with working with your hands, son. And construction is a good industry, a nice trade to have,” he’d say, “but Conner men attend college. It broadens your horizons, multiplies your choices in life. That’s what I want for my sons.”

Not only did Conner men attend college, they attended the most selective colleges in the country. A Harvard man, John Conner expected nothing less from us. My oldest brother, Eli, graduated from Cornell and was still living in New York with his new wife and child. Sean had chosen the University of Pennsylvania. My parents thought it was because of Penn’s engineering program, but the truth was some girl he liked had been accepted there, too. And the two youngest of the bunch—my brother and I—decided to follow in my father’s footsteps and attended Harvard. Drew went to Harvard immediately after high school and excelled in their undergraduate program. I completed my undergrad studies at the University of Miami and then was accepted into Harvard Law School.

I loved Cambridge, except for the winters. As a Florida man, I wasn’t used to snow and the brisk cold winters in Massachusetts. I preferred to ski across the ocean, not across snowy mountains. Though I loved the thought of snuggling before a roaring fire in the winter, I preferred the warm climate of my hometown. However, I enjoyed my days at Harvard. It was there that I received a quality education and met lifelong friends. Friends like Jack Wesley, who currently had his own law practice, Mike Chancellor, who was a Supreme Court judge, and Stephen Cole, who worked for a prominent finance firm. Edward Talbot, whom I met the first day I set foot on Harvard’s campus, was one of my best friends, though. We had been roommates and instant friends—two youngsters with hopes and dreams as big as the earth. We thought we were invincible and we were cocky as hell. Definitely forces to be reckoned with.

Edward was disappointed when I’d announced that I was leaving Harvard. He did everything in his power to convince me to stay—claimed that my reasons for leaving were crazy. That people who were less fortunate would kill for opportunities that guys like us were afforded. He called me ungrateful, selfish and a few other choice words. Which was exactly how I expected him to react. True friends didn’t shield you from the truth. They slapped it in your face and that was exactly what he did. Once he discovered that my mind was made up, though, he supported my decision. He hated my decision, but supported it nonetheless. When I became the owner of Prim Construction Company, he sent many clients my way, and now he’d included me in his family’s business—the Grove. And for that, I was truly grateful. I would do everything in my power to make it a success.

I didn’t have a Harvard law degree, but I had a successful business. After working as Jett Prim’s construction manager for a few years, I became the person he trusted to take over the business when he became ill with cancer. He’d never had children, and I was the closest to anyone who resembled a son. He literally placed Prim Construction in my hands. He trusted me, and I swore that I would take care of his baby as if I’d built it myself. So far I’d done just that. I retained his best staff and fired the ones who had made a mockery of this great man for too many years. I did a complete audit of Prim’s books and immediately fired his accountant, who had been stealing his profits for more than twenty-five years. In his stead, I hired my Harvard buddy Stephen Cole to get the company’s finances in order. Prim Construction began to see growth after that, and I made some smart investments. In the past year, I’d realized profits that had far exceeded what Prim had made during the entire life of the company.

The Grove would prove to be a great investment.

Chapter 3

Jasmine

I’d spent the day rambling through old boxes—boxes filled with family history. My behind was numb from sitting on a wooden crate in the center of the room for the better part of the day. I’d already grown attached to this room. It was the room where my grandfather had been born by the hands of a midwife, and it was the room where his mother had nursed him. With the beautiful sunlight beaming through the window, I imagined my great-grandmother sitting in a chair in the corner of the room and rocking her baby to sleep. The room undeniably had the best view in the house. For that reason, I’d already decided to make it my office during the renovation period, a place where I could work on a marketing strategy for the Grove. A place where I could let my hair down, find myself. Even do some journaling. I’d spotted an old desk in the storage closet that could easily be sanded and finished with little effort. My college roommate had a knack for refinishing old furniture, and she’d taught me a few things. I’d never really refinished anything in my life, but I wanted to. Particularly now, with so many artifacts and pieces of furniture that my grandparents had stored in these houses, I wanted to salvage as much history as I could.

I dug into another box, sorting through all of the old black-and-white photographs of my ancestors—generations of people who existed long before my grandfather. His father’s father and beyond.

I smiled at photos of my father and his siblings. I gently eased my finger across the photo I found of my parents. They couldn’t have been more than twenty-one, both young students at Howard University, where they met and fell in love while Mother studied to become a teacher and Daddy studied medicine. After graduating medical school, Daddy landed a residency at a hospital in Key West, over a thousand miles from his new girlfriend, who was offered a teaching position at a prestigious school in Maryland, near her hometown of DC. It appeared that this was the end of their love affair, as neither of them wanted to hinder the other’s career.

Confident that he’d made the most practical decision, Daddy took a train back to Key West, leaving my mother behind. He’d managed to bury himself in his work, yet his heart still longed for her. When she showed up in the emergency room of his hospital, with bags in tow and a swollen belly, he was happier than any man could be. She was carrying my oldest brother, Edward. Daddy’s life changed completely that night.

My parents had such a wonderful love story—the kind you found in romance novels. I hoped to find such a love one day. A man like my father, Paul John Talbot, who would sweep me off my feet. It was no doubt my father had been a great catch. Why else would my mother show up at his hospital like that in the middle of the night? He was a great husband and I knew firsthand that he was a great father.

“Excuse me,” a voice interrupted my daydreaming. Jackson Conner.

“Yes?” I said.

“It’s getting late. It’s just about sunset, and my guys are packing up. We’re about to head out for the day,” said Jackson. “Can I see you to the water taxi?”

“Uh, no.” I stood up and smoothed my skirt and adjusted my blouse. I’d become too relaxed. Had I known I’d be going through old boxes, I would’ve worn a pair of old jeans. “I’ll be wrapping up here soon.”

“Okay, I’ll wait, then...while you gather your things.”

“It’s not necessary,” I said. “You go on. I’ll be fine.”

“I would really like to secure the place before I leave and make sure you’re home safely. This is really not a place to be hanging out. There’s hazardous stuff everywhere.”

“This is my home. This island, I mean. I know it like the back of my hand. I know just about every person—every family here. And I’m not a child. I know better than to mess with hazardous materials.” I placed the photographs back into the box. “But thanks for your concern.”

“Fine,” Jackson said, “stay here, then.”

“I’ll be fine. And I’ll secure the place,” I said.

Jackson turned to walk away without another word.

“Oh, by the way,” I called to him, “there’s an old desk in the storage shed. Can you have one of your guys bring it up here for me? This room will be my office during the renovation.”

“Why?” he asked.

“Why what? I need a place to work.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea. You being here during the renovation will just interfere with our work.”

“I won’t interfere with your work. You won’t even know that I’m here,” I told him. “You can just work around me. But I want to be here.”

“I’m not comfortable with that.” From the look on his face, Jackson was becoming unnerved. But I didn’t care. Who was he to tell me where I could or could not be?

“Sorry about your discomfort, but I’ll be here every day from now on. So you probably should get used to seeing my face around here.” I gave him a wicked smile.

“Good night, Miss Talbot.” His face was hardened and his jaws were clenched before walking away.

I was under his skin. I could tell.

“I’ll lock up when I’m done here,” I yelled to him.

He kept walking, never responded. I heard his footsteps on the stairs and then the front door shutting. Not only had I gotten to him, I had to admit Jackson Conner got on my nerves, too. Who did he think he was anyway? And he may have made an investment in the property, but for him to tell me how often I could be on the premises of my family’s inheritance was ludicrous. I’d address that with Edward the next time we spoke.

* * *

I went back to sorting through old photos and remembered when we first heard about the Grove. Our parents had commissioned the six of us back to the islands—our home—for a family meeting. The news of the inheritance took us all by surprise, and everyone expressed strong opinions about what should be done with the properties. My brother Nate immediately suggested that we sell the properties and split the proceeds. He had no intentions of returning to the Bahamas long-term. Atlanta, Georgia, had long become his home and a place where he’d built a wonderful career as an artist. The Bahamas held too many bad memories for him, and even coming home for this family meeting had been a struggle.

I, on the other hand, had great memories of home and immediately thought that the family should convert the old houses into bed-and-breakfasts. I knew that the Bahamas was a beautiful, tourist-driven place, and such a business would generate a nice income for all six of us—an income that I desperately needed in my life at the moment.

“Who has time to run a bed-and-breakfast, let alone three of them?” asked Alyson, my oldest sister, who was the successful real-estate agent in the family. “I certainly don’t. I’m with Nate. I say we revitalize the properties and place them on the market. I can have a solid contract on them in no time.”

“I definitely can’t move to the islands right now. I’m up for reelection!” exclaimed Edward. “But I have a friend who owns his own construction business. He can definitely do the work. I’ll fly over and assist as much as I can, but I can’t move here.”

Finally we agreed that we weren’t going to sell the properties, but develop them. We wanted to honor our father’s wishes—to do something great with the properties, as he’d suggested. But the reality was, the properties would require more time and effort—not to mention resources—than any of us would be able to provide alone.

“I like Jasmine’s idea of developing the properties into bed-and-breakfasts. And I think we should call it the Grove,” said my sister Whitney. “I’d be happy to help run the place when the school year ends.” Whitney had gone to college in Dallas, Texas, and never returned to the Bahamas. Instead, she’d accepted a teaching position at an elementary school there and made her home in a cozy little Dallas suburb.

My youngest brother, Dennison, had been as quiet as a church mouse for most of the conversation. As the baby of the family, he was often forgotten.

“Denny, you haven’t said what you think about all of this,” I said. “What would you like to see happen with the properties?”

“I don’t really care one way or the other,” he said.

“I think if we do this bed-and-breakfast thing, Denny could probably play a major role in running the place,” suggested Alyson, “especially since he’s the only one who lives at home right now.”

“No,” said Denny.

“Why not?” asked Alyson. “You’re not doing anything else! It’s not like you’re going to college.”

Dennison, who had been a few weeks from graduating high school, hadn’t yet identified a school of higher education.

“Of course he’s going to college,” said Nate, the ever-protective brother. “He just hasn’t figured out where. Get off his back!”

“I haven’t applied anywhere because I’m not going to college,” said Denny matter-of-factly.

The entire household fell silent. No one said anything for what seemed like a lifetime. We all waited for hell to break loose.

My mother, who hadn’t said much either, stood with her hands on her hips. “Dennison Talbot, what do you mean you’re not going to college?”

We waited for Denny’s response.

“I’ve enlisted in the Royal Bahamas Defence Force. I’ve already sworn in, and after graduation, I’m due to be deployed to the United States to train with the US Navy Seals.”

“Have you lost all the sense God gave you, child?” My mother’s Bahamian accent suddenly seemed stronger than normal. It usually came and went, considering she wasn’t a native. She turned to my father. “Paul John, did you hear what your son just said?”

“Daddy.” Denny tried to whisper, but failed. “You said you would talk to her.”

“You knew about this, Paul?” she calmly asked my father.

“Beverly, this is not the time for this discussion,” my father said calmly. “Not while we’re discussing the children’s inheritance. One issue at a time.”

“This discussion is not over.” She pointed a finger at Denny and then at my father. “We will revisit it.”

With Denny going away soon, the idea of turning the properties into a successful business had seemed impossible, particularly since we were all scattered about the US. Pulling this off would require a sacrifice that no one was willing to make—except for me. Having had very little success as a model-turned-actress, I was ready to return home.

“I’ll do it,” I volunteered. “I’ll move back home and oversee the construction. And I’ll even write the business and marketing plan.”

“Have you ever written a business plan before, Jasmine?” asked Alyson.

“Yes, at Spelman,” I told her. My classes in college had equipped me with a great deal of business knowledge.

“Have you ever written a real business plan for a real business, I mean?”

“Well, no...”

“Where have you used what you learned at Spelman? In Hollywood?” Alyson continued.

I rolled my eyes at my sister, who’d obviously found humor in the fact that I’d chosen a different career path than the rest of my siblings.

* * *

A few hours later, I placed the photos back into the boxes I’d found them in. It was getting late, and I needed to make my way to the water taxi before nightfall. I did a final walk-through of the house, shut off all the lights, secured the place and then stepped outside.

I was surprised to find Jackson seated on a stoop outside, chattering on his phone.

“What are you still doing here?” I asked him once he’d wrapped up his call.

“I had a few loose ends to tie up.”

“You sure you aren’t stalking me?”

“Of course not. I have better things to do than to stalk you.”

“I told you I’d be fine,” I said.

“I know, but I wanted to make sure anyway.”

“Fine. I’m leaving.”

“Good.”

I smiled as I hopped into the backseat of the cab. Of all those bad qualities I’d pinpointed in Jackson, I could not accuse him of not being a gentleman.

Chapter 4

Jasmine

My father stood at the dock with his graying sideburns, tall, slender frame and round midsection. He wiped sweat from his dark brown face with a handkerchief and grinned a wide grin when he saw me.

“Hello, darling,” his deep voice greeted me.

“Hi, Daddy.” I hugged my father. “You didn’t have to pick me up. I could’ve gotten a taxi.”

I was happy to see my father. It reminded me of the times he’d picked me up from school when I was much younger. He’d stand outside the little pink schoolhouse and wait to walk me home. I’d tell him all about my day, and we’d stop for fresh fruit at the market—papayas, mangoes and pineapples.

“It’s okay. Your mother sent me to the market anyway. I think she wanted me out of the house—sometimes I get on her nerves, if you can believe that.”

“I don’t believe that.” I laughed.

“It’s true.” Daddy laughed heartily. “Besides, I couldn’t wait to find out how things went at the Grove today. I’m so proud of you, and your brothers and sisters for taking this on.” He had a strong Bahamian accent, though he was not born or raised in the Bahamas. He grew up in Key West. But with both parents of Bahamian descent, he was bound to speak just like them.

My siblings and I had Bahamian accents as well, although I tried with all my might to lose mine once I left the islands. And with California being a huge melting pot, my accent was just one of many dialects there.

“I found all sorts of things belonging to Grammy and Granddad. Photos and paintings and stuff. Lots of photos of Granddad and his band.”

My father smiled.

“My father was a multitalented musician. He played the trumpet, traveled throughout the Caribbean with his band. He played the goombay drums, and when he lived in Key West, he was a self-taught pianist. He had his very own baby grand piano and had it shipped over from the States.”

“I saw the baby grand. It’s beautiful! I think it will look nice in the Clydesdale,” I said. “I guess I got my desire for the arts from him.”

“I guess you did.” Daddy held my car door open and I hopped in.

He maneuvered the car on the left side of the road and navigated down Queen’s Highway from the water-taxi dock toward our home on Governor’s Harbour.

“I’m really not feeling Edward’s friend Jackson, the contractor...” I lowered my window a bit to catch a breeze, checked my hair in the side mirror. “He’s so...let me see...” I thought about the words I wanted to use. “...so arrogant and egotistical.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I don’t like him much at all. I don’t know if I can work with him,” I said. “Maybe we can find someone who’s a little more approachable to do the work. Someone friendlier.”

“Is he unapproachable?”

“He’s cold. Self-absorbed.”

Daddy smiled a little. “You mean he didn’t make a fuss over you.”

“What? No. I don’t care about that,” I said. “I just care about the Grove and making sure we’ve hired the best person for the job.”

“He has a very impressive work history and comes highly recommended.”

“Of course he’s highly recommended by Edward—they’re friends!”

“By people he’s done work for in the past.” Daddy pulled his old pickup truck in front of the house, a vehicle he’d owned for as long as I could remember. “From what I can tell, the fellow does excellent work. You should do a little research on him. You’d be surprised at what you’ll find.”

I climbed out of the truck and gave the door a hard push. “Maybe I will.”

* * *

I found Denny in his bedroom, lying flat on his back and tossing a football into the air.

“Don’t you have anything better to do?” I peeked inside.

“No.” He was so unconcerned. He’d recently made one of the biggest decisions of his life and seemed so dispassionate about everything else.

“You seem so weird lately, like it doesn’t concern you that you’ll be deployed soon.”

“It’s life, Jazzy. No big deal.”

“No big deal? Really?” I took a seat at the foot of his bed. “Well, if it’s no big deal, why didn’t you tell our parents about it before you did it?”

“Because they make a big fuss about everything! I mean, I’m just not college material. I know my limitations. I know what I want, and this is it. End of story.”

“Aren’t you a little bit afraid?”

“Of course. I mean, weren’t you afraid when you went away to Spelman? And weren’t you afraid when you moved to California?”

“Terrified.”

“Well, I’m not terrified. But I’m a little scared,” he admitted. “But it’s my life. And no one can live it for me.”

“You’re right.” I smiled. “I guess you’re not a little kid anymore. You’re growing up. You obviously trusted Daddy enough to talk to him about this. I think Daddy’s easy to talk to.”

My brother gave me a sideways glance. “He’s easy for you to talk to. You’re his favorite.”

“What?”

“Yeah...you didn’t know?”

“I’m not his favorite. He loves all of his children equally.”

“Well now, that might be true. But he’s not as easy as you think he is. Not with me. When all of you guys left for college, it was bad. I received everything that was meant for all of you. The good and the bad. Mostly the bad,” Denny laughed. “Every time one of you messed up, or made a bad decision, I caught hell. All of the lessons you missed, I got them. So unfair.”

“You’re exaggerating.” I grabbed a pillow and threw it at my little brother.

“Oh yeah, I caught hell for you more than anybody!” Denny laughed a bit. “Jasmine this, Jasmine that. Jasmine broke up with Darren, and now her grades are bad. Jasmine moved clear across the country to California. Who does she know there? Where will she stay? How will she pay her rent? Denny, no, you can’t go out with your friends. We have to figure out what we’re going to do about Jasmine.”

“Shut up!” I laughed.

“I’m serious. You’re responsible for my lack of a decent social life. They sheltered me from your mistakes.”

“You’re exaggerating.”

“You always were the rebel,” said Denny, “which is why the rest of them don’t think you can handle the Grove. It’s why they give you such a hard time. They’re jealous of you. Wish they could be rebels, too.”

I was laughing hard at this point. “You think so?”

“I know so!” said Denny. “It’s true because I wanted to be like you, too. I admire you, Jazzy. You follow your dreams. Even if things don’t work out for you, at least you give it a try.”

“Oh, Dennison Talbot. You are a sweetheart.” I grabbed my little brother’s face in my hands and kissed his forehead.

“I’m serious. It’s why I joined the Royal Bahamas. I’m making a bold move to do what I want to do.”

“I’m happy that you’re doing what makes you happy, Denny.” I smiled. “When do you ship out?”

“Few weeks.” He walked over to his computer desk, pulled out a blue velvet box and handed it to me.

I opened the box and was astonished to find a beautiful diamond ring inside.