Jamaica Dreaming (Caribbean Heat) (17 page)

“Sorry, but this has been planned for weeks. I’ve got to go and check out some new equipment, see what’s happening with the crop and that kind of thing.”

“Of course. I understand. We’ll see you when you get back then. Er, when did you say you’d be back?”

“Not sure. Wednesday or Thursday.” He’d already called his younger sister, Emeka, and told her she’d have to step in and act for him, in case anything came up. After their father retired three years ago, Sebastian had stepped into his shoes as CEO of Chung Enterprises and his sister became his deputy.

“But we’ll see you at the Ocho Rios concert, won’t we?”

Sebastian told him he wasn’t sure about that and made vague excuses about business but, in truth, he was in two minds about it. He wanted to drink in the sight of Julissa singing and he wanted to hear her silky voice rising into the air. But, that was not all he wanted. If he went, all his feelings for her would blast to the surface again, threatening to overwhelm him, rubbing his wounds raw. And if her fiancé was there it would be a thousand times worse. How could he bear the sight of Julissa with her man? No, he thought, it would probably be best if he didn’t come. If, in fact, he kept his word to stay as far away from Julissa Morgan as possible.

Julissa stared at Joyce’s face and tried to think of something to say. Joyce’s parents had ushered her into the girl’s bedroom and then retreated, quickly, back down the hallway.

“Speak to her,” Mrs. Parchment had said. “She’ll listen to you because you’re dark just like her and it isn’t a problem to you, right? Look at how Mr. Chung love you same way.”

That had disconcerted Julissa. Were Sebastian’s feelings for her so obvious to others? And, what about hers for him? Could people tell how being with him made all her senses come alive, and how his touch sent flickers of fire along her skin straight to her heart? But, those weren’t questions she could ask Mrs. Parchment. The Jamaican woman had other things on her mind. She was jittery with happiness at her daughter’s return, but she was also deeply worried and so was her husband. When they explained what had happened and why Joyce had hidden herself away, Julissa found it hard to understand what they were saying. They, themselves, seemed dumbfounded by the whole thing.

Joyce’s friend, Malinda, had explained to them that, months ago, Joyce began using a skin lightening cream, hoping it would make her more attractive to a particular boy she liked. When the cream didn’t turn her dark skin to caramel as quickly as she wanted it to, she’d gone to a cosmetics store in Papine. The saleswoman there gave her a gel and a cream to use together and told her she would get the results she wanted in a month. But, after two weeks, dark patches appeared on the schoolgirl’s cheeks and then, the Sunday night before her disappearance, little boils broke out on her face. She hadn’t wanted to go to school looking like that so she’d risen while it was still dark, crept out and walked all the way to Malinda’s house where her friend agreed to hide her until the boils went away.

Now, in her room, she sat on her bed looking both defiant and apprehensive. The boils had gone, but they’d left dark, dime–sized, crusty scars. She no longer looked like the pretty little girl with the healthy skin in the living room photo.

“Your parents were very worried about you,” Julissa said after Joyce’s mother had introduced them and left the room.

“I know, miss.”

“You can call me Julissa.”

Joyce grimaced and an awkward silence filled the room. Julissa stared at a poster of Beyoncé on the wall opposite her. The singer wore a gold–colored tank and gold–colored hot pants and looked as if she, herself, had been dipped in gold from the top of her head to the tips of her perfectly pedicured feet. In another poster, a brown–skinned woman with hair so shiny it had to be either a weave or a wig, sang into a mike below a headline that read Reggae in Jamaica. A shelf of books ran along the wall under the posters. Julissa pulled out the first book in The Hunger Games trilogy.

“How did you like this?”

“It was good. You read it?” Joyce sounded surprised.

“Sure. I saw the movie, too.”

“So did I. Wasn’t it awesome? I love Katniss.”

“She’s amazing!”

Joyce nodded her head vigorously. Talking about the book had made her come alive.

“You know, one reason she’s so amazing is because she’s comfortable with who she is.” Joyce crossed her arms and watched Julissa warily. “She’s from District Twelve and they’re not fancy and they don’t doll themselves up like the people in the Capitol. They accept themselves and their looks as who they are.” She paused, but Joyce wouldn’t meet her eyes. “When I saw the picture of you, I thought, ‘oh, what a pretty girl.’ Anybody would have thought that. Why would you want to bleach your skin?”

“I’m not the only one doing it, miss. Michael Jackson did it. People say Beyoncé does it. Kartel, for sure. I just want to be pretty, like them. At school, all the boys want light–skinned girlfriends.”

“Well, if that’s what they want then they don’t deserve you. You’re beautiful, Joyce, and your parents say you’re doing really well in school. You’ve got so much to be proud of.”

“All the popular girls are light–skinned.”

“Really?” Julissa found that hard to believe.

“Well, almost all.”

“So what, though? I mean, it’s not the end of the world, is it? If you’re not popular.”

Joyce sighed and rolled her eyes.

“Miss, if you’re not popular and you don’t have a boyfriend then, it’s like you don’t exist. People don’t rush to sit next to you in class or at lunch. You don’t get invited to parties. I just wanted people to see me, miss. To see me, and to like me.”

“I see you and, I don’t know you real well, but I like you.”

Joyce snorted and Julissa amended it. “Well, I think I would get to like you if I knew you. I like to read, too, so that’s something we’ve got in common right there. And, what about your family? Your parents love you to pieces and John and Simon adore you.”

Joyce’s lips trembled. “I know, but it’s not the same. I feel so lonely sometimes when I’m at school.”

“Doesn’t your friend Malinda go to your school?”

“She used to, but her parents transferred her to another school last year. She’s my only friend.”

“No, she isn’t.” Julissa jumped up from her chair and crossed over to plop down on the bed. “Here I am, Julissa Morgan. Friend, number two.”

This brought a reluctant smile to Joyce’s face. “You’re just trying to be nice.”

“I wouldn’t be too quick to discount my friendship. I come with a bonus.”

“You do? What?”

“Ice cream. Your brothers told me you love the soursop ice–cream at Devon House. Let’s go get some.”

“Really?”

“Sure. Friends hang out and eat ice cream all the time. It’s a known thing.”

“But… what about my face? People are going to stare at me. The photographers for the paper, they took my picture. I felt so embarrassed I wanted to hide, but my parents wouldn’t let me go to my room.”

Julissa sighed, running her eyes over the girl’s scarred countenance.

“I don’t know, but a dermatologist ought to be able to help.” She tried to sound upbeat about it but the damage seemed pretty bad.

“You think so?”

“We’ll find out.”

“But my parents can’t afford a dermatologist.”

“Don’t worry.” Julissa wasn’t sure she could, either but Joyce looked so hopeful, she didn’t want to disappoint her. “I’ll ask Lori to find you a good one and make the appointment. We’ll go see her together.”

“Really?” Joyce demanded. “You mean that?”

“I sure do.”

The two hours Julissa with Joyce and Lori at Devon House were the most uncomplicated and happy she’d spent in a long time. In fact, as she walked to her villa later that evening, Julissa felt almost as if she were floating on air. She’d loved watching Joyce come out of her shell as Lori’s jokes about her own school life kept all three of them in stitches. The only thing that marred her day was Sebastian’s absence from it. She hadn’t heard from Sebastian all day, and when she’d broached the subject with Lori she’d received only the terse answer that he’d gone to the Blue Mountains. Her attempt to find out when he’d be back had met only with a change in conversation. If Lori knew what had happened between them, she wasn’t admitting it but it was clear that, though she got along with Julissa, she was Team Sebastian all the way.

She heard someone running down the steps from the Reception building and moved to the side along the path, assuming the person would hurry past her.

“Julissa!”

The world lurched and Julissa almost fell as she spun around. Earle! He must have been standing, waiting at Reception for her, but she hadn’t even noticed him as she walked back to the villa, her mind still on Joyce and her ravaged face.

“Julissa.” He caught her up in a bear hug, lifted her off her feet and swung her around. “Honey, I’ve missed you so much I just caught the next available flight. Would you believe I had to go through Miami?” He shuddered. “Deadly.”

Julissa was suddenly exhausted by all the emotions running through her. First, the wrenching Sunday with Sebastian, then the excitement of Joyce’s return, and now this.

“Aren’t you glad to see me?” Earle frowned at her.

“Of course I am.” But, even as she said it, she wondered if she was telling the truth. “I just can’t believe you’re here after I told you I wanted this time to myself.” It was just like him to disregard her wishes and do exactly what
he
wanted to do.

“I know, sweetie, but we’ve never been on a vacation together and, anyway, it’s only for a few days. We’ve got the Greenwood case coming up so I can’t stay real long anyway.” Carl Greenwood was an investment banker charged with defrauding his dentist clients out of millions of dollars.

“When do you leave?”

“I’ve only just got here and, already, you’re asking when I’m leaving?”

“Sorry, it came out wrong.” She leaned in to kiss his check.

“That’s better. I was beginning to feel unwanted. Hold on, a minute. I’ve got to get my bags.” He rushed back into Reception and came back out with a black Luis Vuitton suitcase on rollers and a smaller, matching carry–on bag.

“All right, lead the way.”

“You didn’t say how long you’re here for.”

“I told Jonas I’d come back on Thursday but he suggested I stay till Sunday. If something crops up, they’ll call me.”

Julissa knew she should feel glad to see him and she did, well, somewhere in her heart she was sure she did, but she also felt resentful. She’d asked him to stay away and yet he had come, as if she were a child who didn’t know her own mind.

“It’s got a simple charm,” he said in her villa, walking around and opening doors. “Not luxurious accommodations by a long shot, though. I checked the hotels out on Expedia. Why didn’t that Chung man put you up at that one in Kingston? The Pegasus? Now that’s got what I call luxe rooms.” He turned to her. “If you like, I can try to get us booked there. It’s not much more. I’ll pay the difference between what they’re paying to put you up here and the cost at The Pegasus.”

Julissa blinked at him. Was this it, she wondered. Was this why she kept putting off setting a date for their wedding? “I don’t want to move anywhere else. I love it here. I love it here very much. It’s been peaceful.” She stressed the latter word, but he didn’t seem to notice.

“I’ve missed you so much, baby. Come.” He tried to take her in his arms but she sidestepped him.

“I’m sorry, Earle. I’m just so tired. A lot happened today.”

“Too tired to give your man a good tight hug? I’ve been dreaming of you ever since you left. Come on, baby, don’t be mean.”

He reached for her again and this time she didn’t move away. He grabbed her hips and pulled her into him. Earle spent more than an hour in his home gym every day and ran the Lakefront Trail on Sundays. He had the hard, ripped body and chiseled face of a health magazine model but, as he brought his mouth down on hers, Julissa suddenly saw Sebastian’s pained face, the way he’d looked on Pigeon Island when she told him there could be nothing between them. Her chest tightened as if being squeezed in a vice and she threw herself backward.

No, please
. The air became un–breathable and a grey fog swirled in on her. Julissa sank to her knees. Earle was trying to say something to her, but she couldn’t hear him above the tumult in her ears. She crouched over, closed her eyes and tried to concentrate. Breathe in. Out. In. Out. She wanted to scream but, instead, she clenched her jaws so hard her teeth hurt. Bile rose in her throat but she forced it down. Breathe in. Out. In. Out.

Slowly, the attack faded. The room steadied. Julissa slid on her side as Earle, crouched beside her, his face ashen.

“I thought you said they’d gone away,” he said, his hand at his throat. “God, Julissa.” He tried to gather her into his arms but she shook her head. She hated being touched anytime during or right after her attacks.

“Wet towel,” she murmured through dry lips.

He jumped to his feet, spun into the bathroom and re–emerged in seconds with a soaked face towel. Julissa took it and wiped her face, neck and arms. The coolness of the towel felt refreshing against her skin. Her arms wide, she stretched herself out on her back and stared at the ceiling’s white beams.