Love's Paradise

by Celeste O. Norfleet

  She’d been on edge all morning. Every time the phone rang she jumped, thinking it might be Jordan calling. She waited anxiously, but there was no word from him. She wasn’t sure if she was relieved or not. Of course, she didn’t tell anyone about what had happened between them. After all, it was a mistake, twice. But avoiding him wasn’t going to solve her problem. By midmorning she gave in and called Hamilton Development. Tamika answered and told her that Jordan was out of the office. She didn’t leave a message.

  She tried to avoid thinking about him the rest of the morning, but the image of their affair crept into her thoughts at the most inopportune moments. She was on a conference call with another museum making arrangements for an exhibit transfer and noted the curator had the same last name. She even asked if they might be related. It was crazy. It was insane. What in the world was she doing and what did she expect to happen—for him to be thinking about her, too? Clearly he had to have at least a dozen women who were after him.

  The thing is, if he hadn’t gotten her so upset she never would have kissed him in the first place, and things wouldn’t have gotten out of hand. It was unprofessional and totally out of character for her. But deep down inside she enjoyed it. Just thinking about it made her insides quiver even now.

  She could see why women probably swooned when he walked by. He practically swept her off her feet. Heaven knows the man was an incredible lover. He was insatiable. They both had given as much as they took. There was no asking or wondering about the sexual ground rules. She just did whatever her body dictated and she liked it. She liked it too much.

  Now all she kept thinking about was what happened in Jordan’s trailer. She imagined them on his drafting table, in his private quarters; the memories were vivid and sensuous. It was fantasy, but it was also much more. It seemed as if all of her senses were attuned to him. His scent, his taste, his touch was in perfect harmony with her body. They made love in every position and every place imaginable. “Good Lord,” she muttered to herself, feeling a sudden surge of heat course through her body.

  “Huh, what?” Genie said.

  Sheri looked up. Her mind had wandered again. She was in her office and Genie was across the room.

  “Did you say something to me?” Genie asked.

  “No, nothing,” Sheri muttered.

  “Oh, okay. Well, as I was saying, Jamie just texted me again. I guess whatever you said to Mr. Hamilton the last time must have worked. No one’s been up at the site since we left. At least that’s good news, right?” she said.

  Sheri nodded. “Did your boyfriend mention if Jordan was at work today?”

  “No, he just said they’ve stopped working on the site for the time being. He tried to go up there, but one of the guards told him he couldn’t.” She started texting again then a few minutes later replied. “He said he thinks Jordan Hamilton left the island last night.”

  “He left last night?” Sheri repeated.

  “Yeah, Jamie just texted that he doesn’t work on Fridays and Mondays,” she added. “It must be nice.”

  “Yeah, I guess so,” Sheri said in a distracted voice, realizing that Jordan had probably been on his way off the island when she went over there yesterday.

  “Okay.” Genie stood and brought the books back over to Sheri’s desk. “I looked up everything you wanted me to. I gotta get back down to the gift shop. My shift begins in five minutes. Let me know if you hear anything. Don’t forget you have a program scheduled for middle-school students this afternoon.”

  “I won’t,” Sheri said. “See you later.” As soon as Genie left, Sheri turned back to her computer. She was relieved, but her mind was still far away. At least he was off the island until Monday, she thought. She didn’t have to worry about him stopping by the museum or bumping into him someplace else.

  Thankfully it was Friday, which was almost always her busiest day, and today there were two groups of students coming in. She enjoyed talking to the kids and getting them interested in local history. She also had several back-to-back meetings scheduled in the morning and she planned to be out of the museum that afternoon. Keeping busy was the perfect distraction.

  Sheri decided to go to see her former stepfather again and ask if he could come up with a solution to her dispute with Jordan Hamilton. After all, he was head of the city council. Surely there was something he could do. It was the council that had approved Hamilton to develop the resort on the land in the first place. She knew the historical significance of the site probably wouldn’t sway him. If it was about making money he was all too happy to go along.

  After her meeting with Nolan Chambers she headed back to the museum. She waved to the museum security guards as she entered. As she always did, she glanced up at the museum’s sign-age. A feeling of pride and satisfaction suffused her every time she entered the museum. The building was old and in need of repair, and at times it seemed to be crumbling down around them. But it was a monument to those who founded Crescent Island.

  There were two floors of exhibition space and an archival storage area that was almost a century old. The main wing was dedicated to Mabella Louisa and was sponsored by the Gates Heritage Foundation. Two of the smaller exhibits were being returned. She was working on the transfer now. She had immersed herself in work until she was interrupted by her cell phone ringing. She picked it up without looking at the caller ID. “Sheri Summers.”

  “Hi. I hear you called looking for me.”

  She stopped working and tried to swallow the lump in her throat. She knew exactly who it was. She hadn’t left a message and there was no way Tamika, his office assistant, could have known it was her. Still… She paused briefly. “Hi. Thanks for returning my call.”

  “I would have called sooner had you left a message.”

  “I hope I’m not disturbing you.”

  “No, not at all, Sheri. How are you?”

  “Good, and you?”

  “Much better now, what can I do for you?”

  “I think perhaps we should talk and I mean really talk. I’d like to meet with you this afternoon and discuss this situation.”

  “I’m afraid that won’t be possible.”

  “I understand you’re busy, but…”

  “Yes, I am busy. But I’m also no longer on the island,” Jordan explained.

  “Oh, I see,” she said softly. “Well, is there someone else I can speak to about this matter?”

  “Sheri, like I said last night, I understand your position. Please understand mine. I cannot and will not shut down my construction site for you or anyone else.”

  She paused a moment. “I see. Thank you for your time. Goodbye.” She hung up. A moment later her cell phone rang again. She looked at the caller ID. It was Jordan. “Hello.”

  “Meet me tonight,” he said.

  “I can’t. I’m going to a party this evening.”

  “At Gates Manor?” he guessed.

  “Yes.”

  “Good. I’ll meet you there.”

  Sheri hung up the phone and stared at it. “What just happened?” she said.

  Genie stopped at the open door to Sheri’s office. “Are you still here? Don’t you have a meeting in town?”

  Sheri glanced at her watch. She was already five minutes late. “I gotta go.” She grabbed her bag and headed out.

  The day had turned out to be a slow-paced Friday instead. After the morning meeting with his brothers and Kenneth and the little sideshow they pulled, Jordan spent the rest of the morning signing off on paperwork and sat at his desk researching his next project. He called and talked to Tamika and Ian about the break-in he and Cleveland had discussed the night before. The return call from Tamika was unexpected. Her message was even more unexpected.

  When he hung up from Tamika he called Sheri. An hour later he was headed back to Crescent Island. Initially, he’d had no intention of going back until next week. And there was no way he had expected to attend the event at Gates Manor tonight. But today was different.

  H
e got to the work site around four o’clock. He stayed in the trailer taking care of details he could have handled from the main office or that could have waited until next week.

  In truth, he didn’t want to admit why he actually came back to the island. As soon as he walked into the trailer he saw the business card he left on the desk the day before. He picked it up and sat down. She was the reason he returned. There was something about her that made him want to know more. And one night with her was never going to be enough. He turned on his laptop and looked up the Crescent Island Museum. He expected the site to be pretty standard and uninteresting. Instead, what he found was an informative site dedicated to what looked like a remarkable institution.

  Later, after a restless hour or so, he stood, stretched and walked over to the trailer window. It was much later than he thought. It was already getting dark and most of the workers had already left for the day. A few stragglers headed toward the gate and Cleveland and his crew walked around patrolling the site. Just as he went back to his desk and sat down, Ian came in. He was carrying a large box. “Hey,” he said, surprised. “I didn’t know you were here. “When did you get in?”

  Jordan looked at his watch. “A couple of hours ago,” he said.

  “It’s Friday, you never come on-site Fridays and Mondays. What’s going on, everything okay?”

  “Yeah, just tying up a few loose ends. Is there anything happening here?”

  Ian frowned. “Just the usual. Why?”

  “I wondered if the museum called or sent someone over.”

  “No, not that I know of. Were you expecting someone?”

  “No, probably not,” he said. Ian started chuckling. Jordan turned to him. “What?”

  “So, what’s the deal with the two of you?” Ian asked.

  “The two of who?” Jordan responded.

  Ian chuckled. “You and the museum lady,” he clarified.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Yeah, okay,” Ian said slyly.

  “So what’s in the box?” Jordan asked, changing the subject.

  “Leroy said you wanted anything that came out of that hole up on the mound. It took him a while to sort it out. Apparently one of the new guys decided he wanted a bunch of keepsakes. I think some of the stuff he had was headed to eBay. The larger pieces, mainly wood planks, are in the holding shed out back.”

  Jordan got up and walked over to the side table and looked inside the box. There were several small shards of wood, an old medicine bottle and a few smaller items that looked like trash. “Has anyone been up there since we talked?”

  “Just Cleveland. He set the camera up earlier.”

  “Good.” He picked up each piece and examined it then placed it on his desk. Afterward he shook his head. “It all looks like trash to me.”

  “Yeah, me, too. But what do I know?”

  Jordan put the pieces back in the box then picked up the bottle to examine it more closely. “There’s something written on this and a date on the bottle, but I can’t quite make it out. And what’s this—it looks like an oversize golf tee, but it’s hollow.”

  Ian walked over to the desk. “You know I used to play the trumpet years and years ago. This looks like a mouthpiece for a horn.”

  “Yeah, you’re right, it does.” He picked up the bottle again and looked at it more closely. “I think I’ll head into town this weekend and stop by one of the antique shops. Perhaps they can give me some more information.”

  “Good idea. Are you leaving now?” Ian asked.

  “In a little bit.”

  “Are you heading back home for the weekend?”

  “Actually, I have a party to attend this evening here on the island,” Jordan said, gathering his things and the box on the side table. “And a very interesting woman to meet.”

  “Sounds good,” Ian said. “Enjoy.”

  Jordan smiled as soon as the door closed.

  Chapter 13

  By the time Sheri got back to the museum she was completely frazzled. She’d done her job; she’d entertained the kids while teaching them a little bit of history. She talked about the museum, the island’s history and some of the digs she’d been on. They loved it. But the entire time her mind was a hundred miles away. “No, stop thinking about it,” she said aloud. “It was just a momentary lapse in judgment. It didn’t mean anything.” She quickly pulled around to the rear of the building, parked and got out. She hurried up the front steps just as the museum was about ready to close for the day. She walked into the main lobby and past the last few patrons still walking around looking at the exhibits. She was headed to her office when she heard her name.

  She turned and realized that she’d just walked right by her friends Madison Gates and Kennedy Mason. They walked up behind her. She stopped and covered her mouth realizing she’d completely forgotten she was supposed to meet them for a late lunch. She hurried over to them with open arms. “Oh, no, Madi, Keni, I’m so sorry. I completely forgot about meeting you guys today. Have you been here the whole time?”

  “No, we went shopping and just got back,” Madison said.

  “Girl, you are in so much trouble,” Kennedy joked. “You’d better have a good excuse for standing us up.”

  “Oh, you would not believe the week I’ve been having. From the moment I walked in Monday morning, things have been crazy. Come on. Let’s get you signed in and then go up to my office. We can talk there.”

  “Isn’t the museum about to close?”

  Sheri looked at her watch. It was a few minutes after four o’clock. “Don’t worry, it’s okay, come on.” She took them to the security station and waited as they showed ID and signed in. Afterward, they headed up the stairs, then to her office. “It’s so good to see you guys. So wait, where are the kids?”

  “They’re at the house with Mamma Lou, Camille and the nannies. They insisted on babysitting today so we could hang out.”

  “I can’t wait to see them. How old are the twins now?” she asked Madison.

  “They’re almost three years old,” Madison said.

  “Already, I can’t believe it. Time flies. And Kennedy what about Nya, how old is she now?” she asked, turning to Kennedy.

  “Nya’s almost five months. She laughs and smiles and babbles all the time. She tries to grab everything she sees—earrings, necklaces, glasses. She loves cell phones just like the twins.”

  Sheri smiled and giggled. “Aw, that’s so sweet. I can’t wait to see them. So when did you get here?”

  “Tony, Madison and I got here this afternoon around one o’clock,” Kennedy said. Madison nodded her confirmation. “Juwan is coming later this evening. He’s in D.C. right now.”

  “It feels so good to be back on the island again,” Madison said. “It’s been forever. I really missed being here. I know it’s part of Virginia, but it always feels so remote.”

  They got to Sheri’s office. She unlocked the door and they went inside. She forgot she had left her desk a mess. It looked like a tornado had touched down. There were papers, charts, maps and open books everywhere. She immediately walked over to her desk and began organizing the books and storing away the maps and charts. Since both Madison and Kennedy worked in the arts, she knew they wouldn’t be too surprised to see her office in such a mess. Madison was an art history professor in Philadelphia and Kennedy worked as a museum curator in Washington, D.C. “Have a seat. Sorry, the place is such a mess. I ran out of here like the devil was hot on my tail.”

  “Yeah, that’s what one of the employees downstairs said earlier. So, what happened? You looked completely stressed out rushing in here just now. Is everything okay?”

  Sheri sat down and shook her head. “No, not really. This week has just been crazy. I have no idea what I’m doing anymore.”

  “What do you mean? What happened?”

  Sheri shook her head. “I got turned down for the permanent position as curator here.”

  “What?” Kennedy and Madison said.<
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  “I was told I didn’t have the passion for it.”

  “That’s crazy.”

  “Then Genie, my assistant, got a text message about some artifacts found on a construction site. I don’t know if you know this story, but this island was originally named after a freed slave ship that left port in Maryland intent on sailing back to Africa.”

  “Yes, the Crescent,” Madison said. Kennedy nodded.

  “That’s right,” Sheri said. “Well, it looks like there’s a very real possibility that the wreckage from the Crescent may have been found.”

  “Oh, that’s wonderful. That’s amazing,” both sisters said at the same time.

  “Have you started excavations?” Madison asked excitedly. “We’d love to see it while we’re here on the island. It must be awesome.”

  “Oh, yeah, definitely,” Kennedy added. “We gotta see it.”

  “I wish we could, but we can’t,” Sheri said.

  “Why not?” Madison asked. “Is the site closed?”

  “Something like that. It’s out on Crescent Point, right by the inlet. There’s construction going on in the area. They’re building a resort,” she said drily. “Right over it.”

  Both Madison and Kennedy picked up on her tone. “What? They can’t do that,” Kennedy said. “It’s a historical site.”

  “They can and they are. The company bought the property. Apparently they can do whatever they want with it. The main structure is almost complete. The artifacts were actually found at a secondary location.”

  “What did the Smithsonian say?”

  “They’re looking into it, but it’s obvious my boss isn’t taking this seriously. The developer is a major contributor to the Smithsonian.”

  “Do you know for sure what’s out there?”

  “That’s just it, I don’t. I saw pieces of wood resembling the hull of a ship. It’s promising. When this construction company cleared the debris and dug a hole, it flooded the site. They drained it. That’s where I was earlier this week. I was trying to convince the owner to close the site for a few days or at the very least allow me to take samples, so I could have them examined and carbon tested.”