His Bahamas Affair (The Albury Affairs)

by Christina OW

  She picked up the beater with enforced determination and continued until the eggs were fluffy. She chopped two chilies, one red, one green and added them to the eggs. Then she chopped the dogs and bacon that were already cooked and left on the kitchen counter and added them to the mix. She grated some cheese and added a sprinkle to mix before she poured it all into the skillet.

  She busied herself with making butter toasts and orange juice, filling her mind with a grand brunch menu and drowning the thoughts of Pierre until he was completely gone. She was going to use cooking as her new therapy.

  Cooking and Reno.

  * * * *

  Reno was dragged out of bed by the beautiful aromas that came from his kitchen. No one had ever used the area before except for the microwave and fridge. Everything that was in the kitchen was put there by the interior decorator he had hired. Even though he knew he was never going to use any of those appliances because he had his meals at the resort or brought from the resort kitchen, he still wanted it. He wanted to know how it felt to have something, not because he needed it but just because he could afford it.

  Georgia couldn’t cook a lick and he couldn’t trust Riana with any of the appliances, especially the knives, during her depression. So who was cooking? Loraine or Melody? Though they were the only two possible choices, he was a little skeptical that either of them even knew what a skillet looked like. Table cutlery sure, they dined like royalty because they were wealthy, but if they knew the difference between a curving knife and a saw was something he doubted very much.

  Reno leaned against the separating wall between the kitchen and the living room and watched as Loraine moved around the kitchen still in the shirt he’d dressed her in the night before like it was a normal part of her routine. She actually looked like she belonged in there more than he did.

  Reno felt his heart lurched as he watched Loraine more carefully, completely oblivious of his presence. She did look like she belonged there, just like in his bed. It had been wonderful slipping into the bed next to her and watching as she unconsciously rolled toward him until she had herself tucked into his side and under his arm.

  He realized at that moment it had never felt natural sharing a bed with Georgia. He’d never felt at home in his ex-wife’s embrace in bed or anywhere else they were together because Georgia never felt like a wife. He’d always thought that titled belong to a woman a man chose to spend his life with. He’d understood marriage as a commitment not to be taken lightly, a partnership with strict rules of operations because he was a grown man in command of all his faculties. Making a choice to enter into it with the woman he loved and was a hundred percent sure he wanted to be with her for the rest of his life, forsaking all others.

  But watching Loraine, experiencing all those emotions that came with spending time with him, he realized he’d never felt like that with Georgia. With Georgia, the one thought that ran over and over again in his mind was how many more hours until he got to fuck her again. It had been complete lust that had driven that relationship. With Loraine, he thought more about when he’d get the chance to hold her again and just feel her small, soft body against his.

  Of course he thought about sleeping with her but not in the ways of his fantasies about Georgia, crude enough to have a priest hire an exorcist. He could only equate his need to have Loraine as like drinking aged scotch after waiting years for it to mature. No rush no fuss, just taking his sweet time enjoying her after waiting longingly to have her.

  Loraine was the type of woman he saw himself making a commitment to and living up to everything that was expected of him and so much more.

  If only he had the right number of zeroes in his bank account.

  “Hey! How long have you been standing there?” Loraine took a moment from what she was doing and smiled at him, her entire face beaming with happiness.

  It was great seeing her happy after the tough night she’d had. “Long enough to make sure I’m not seeing things. Since when do you cook?”

  She chuckled, bending over to pull something out of the oven. “Since I graduated culinary school a few months ago. Didn’t I tell you about that?”

  She actually had told him about being in cooking school during one of their phone conversations when he would update her about Riana. He just never believed it. He thought it was a way to get a fully paid holiday to France from her parents.

  Her right brow rose as one fist settled on her hip. “You never believed me, did you?”

  Reno chuckled shaking his head. “No I didn’t, but you still could have gone and learned nothing.”

  Her brow rose higher in indignation. “You know I’m five seconds away from throwing this food in the bin and let you starve.” She leaned the tray over the sink threateningly, and that’s when he noticed them. Croissants, he loved them! Were they cinnamon?

  He shoved off the wall and approached her. “Okay, I’m sorry. I’m sure everything is delicious but the sooner we dig in, the sooner I’ll chew on my words and apologize.”

  He reached for the tray of croissants and she quickly took a step back, her lips lifting in a knowing smile. “I get it now. You love croissants, don’t you? I should probably throw them out first.”

  She tilted the tray again and Reno jumped to grab her hand. “I’m sorry. You are a wonderful cook!”

  She nodded. “That’s more like it. Now, help me move the food to the table and I’ll bring your beloved croissants. I’m starving.”

  Reno picked up the plate of flapjacks and what he could only assume is pimped out omelets and walked to the dining table. “I wasn’t going to say anything about your diet plan but, I don’t think it’s working for you.”

  “Are you calling me fat?” she yelled stomping behind him.

  Reno took the two dishes out of her hands and placed them on the table, just in case she decided to hit him with one. He then pulled out a chair for her but she didn’t take it. She stood facing him, her eyes narrowed in warning.

  “No, sweetheart, I don’t think you are fat. Quite the opposite. You need to put some meat on your bones. You’re disappearing.”

  Her mouth dropped open in a gasp and Reno couldn’t help but laugh. He gently pushed her down in her seat then went round to take his own.

  “I’ll get you for that.”

  Reno winked at her. “I don’t doubt it.”

  He served himself a sample of each dish, skeptical but willing to try it. She’d taken the time to make him the meal. He took a tentative bite, hoping it would taste as good as it looks. Reno looked up to meet Loraine’s nervous gaze.

  “This is great!” He took another bite. “I take it back, you’re a great cook!”

  She beamed at the compliment. “Thanks. After taking care of me, cooking for you was the least I could do.”

  Remembering his conversation that morning with Ruiz and Melody, Reno decided it was a good time to broach the subject with Loraine. He just needed to put it in a way that won’t offend her.

  “Lori, I’m taking a few days off, and I was wondering if you’d like to join me?”

  Loraine sipped at her orange juice before she spoke. “Where to?”

  He hadn’t figured that part out yet, but where does someone go on vacation when they already live in a popular vacation spot?

  “How about I give you a tour of the island?”

  Loraine sat back in her chair and stared at him for a long moment. “Is this because of my nightmares?”

  Reno stood up and went round the table to her. He pulled her off the chair and sat in it and settled her on his lap. “I have never taken a vacation and that became even more foreign when I started working at fifteen. I don’t think I even know how to take one. And since you are currently on vacation, I figured why not bring a pro along.”

  Loraine smiled sweetly but it didn’t reach her eyes. She ran her hand over his hair and leaned her head on his shoulder. “Okay. Let’s take a vacation.”

  “Gee, don’t get too excited,” he said sarcast
ically then tickled her sides.

  Loraine squirmed on his lap laughing out loud. “Okay, okay stop!”

  He stopped, holding her close to his chest. “Let’s try that again.”

  She threw her hands up in a cheer and yelled in a sing song voice. “We’re going on vacation!”

  This time when she smiled, her eyes shone with laughter and it made his heart leap.

  Chapter Five

  They didn’t go very far, just up to Nassau. Though Reno trusted Ruiz not to run the place to the ground, he had attachment issues, like a mother with her new born baby. It spoke volumes of his dedication to the resort and to Ruiz that he was even able to make it this far. It surprised her considering it was an inheritance from his father. Most begrudged children would have sold the place for a quick buck and some people she knew had done just that to piss off their dead fathers. How that worked was a wonder. But unlike those rich spoiled kids, Reno had a good reason to hold a grudge against the man.

  Reno rented a one bedroom apartment unit in the heart of Nassau for them to stay in, was quiet, private, secure and spacious. Another plus was the affordable price. It made her feel ashamed for the little respect she had for money, seeing how practical he was with their spending. They dumped the bags in the unit before they went to dinner walking to Bayside Grill, a restaurant accredited to have the best local food. Reno said she needed to expand her culinary knowledge if she planned to be a caterer with an edge over the others. He ordered a sample of all their famous dishes, which was a platter of seafood.

  The star was conch, cooked in different ways. There was a conch salad. Reno ordered a lot of this thinking she was one of those rich girls who thought zero was a size and counted the number of calories they ingested with every bite of food. She was about to surprise him, she couldn’t wait to prove him wrong. Aside from the salad, there was cracked conch, conch fritters and battered and fried conch, which made her mouth water just staring at the greasy plate. In the middle of their table sat a jug of local beer and a bowl of guava duff a popular sweet for dessert. Loraine didn’t waste time digging in.

  She tasted the guava duff first because she’d gained a habit of having her dessert before the main meal. She started doing so when she was sixteen, the age she decided it was time to rebel, just to annoy her parents at social dinners with their friends and it stuck. The duff was so sweet, a downfall to any sweet tooth. When she was done with that, she started on the battered and fried conch.

  She moaned when the explosive tastes flooded her mouth. She was right to drool over it. Then she moved to the other dishes, eating the salad last. The entire meal they didn’t speak and curiously, she looked up to see if she’d accomplished in dissuading him of his misconceptions about her.

  Loraine pressed her lips together to hide her smile at his wide eyed expression as he followed the fork of salad and conch from the plate to her mouth. She chewed slowly, savoring the flavors, closing her eyes and moaning appropriately fighting the urge to burst out in laughter.

  Then she opened her eyes and looked at him, picked up her mug of beer and sipping at it before she broke the silence. “What?”

  Reno chuckled, shaking his head in disbelief. “Wow!”

  Feigning ignorance, she asked again. “What?”

  “The way you eat…I’ve never seen a woman eat like that!”

  Loraine shrugged. “Yeah, I get that a lot. Do you mind?”

  “Not at all,” he responded laughingly. “I’m glad, actually. It’s pretty cool to watch. And here I thought I had you pegged—”

  “As an anorexic rich girl who would only pass math if it was a question about counting calories?” she finished nonchalantly.

  He raised his hands, palm up. “I’m an idiot, sorry. This is the second time you’ve proven me wrong and that’s just today.”

  Loraine put her fork down glad she had nothing else to prove. She didn’t have any space left in her stomach for the rest of her salad. “How about we just get to know each other without the misconceptions?”

  He nodded. “I think I know you, just not that well. It’s going to get interesting.”

  Loraine winked at him. “Right back at you, sweetheart.”

  He chuckled shaking his head as he lifted his mug of beer to his lips. “Crazy Lori is full of surprises.”

  Loraine fidgeted nervously in her seat. “In the spirit of getting to know each other better, can I ask you something?”

  Reno took a few gulps of his beer before he spoke. “Shoot.”

  Loraine was unsure for a moment. She didn’t want to ruin their dinner with a discussion that would most surely piss him off.

  Reno put his fork down, placing his arms on the table he leaned forward. “Lori, what’s up?”

  She licked her lower lip before she spoke. “Why did you keep it…the resort?”

  His brows pulled together in a frown. “I don’t understand.”

  She stalled for a moment, wiping her oily hands on a napkin. “Most sons would have sold their inheritance especially if it was a family legacy…like some last attempt to piss off their fathers.”

  Loraine watched as a muscle worked in his jaw, his eyes darkening in only what she could conclude as reined in anger as he leaned back into his chair. Slowly, he picked up his napkin and wiped his lips and hands then set it aside and crossed his large arms over his powerful chest. Loraine was sure he was taking his time to tame his anger, probably counting to ten in his mind.

  “I can’t afford a juvenile tantrum Lori,” he responded coolly.

  Loraine felt her discomfort grow. “That isn’t what I’m saying. You took La Paraiso and made it great. I’ve never seen someone who didn’t have a reservation offer to pay extra for a room. You’ve done great for yourself, created a legacy to be respected by growing your father’s vision.”

  Reno relaxed visibly, dropping his defensive posture. “You are asking why I decided to continue the dream my father built on my mother’s broken heart?”

  “And those of two abandoned children,” she added.

  “Three abandoned children,” he sighed rubbing his hands together. “That man only married Ruiz’s mother for her money because the bank wouldn’t increase his loan for him to complete his vision. My mother said he loved her, just not enough to give up his dream.”

  Loraine absently traced her finger over the rim of her beer mug. “And here you are continuing that dream.”

  He shook his head with a faint smile. “No, I’m not. Essentially, I am one of those sons—I did tear down his dream and built mine on top of it.”

  Loraine chuckled softly, placing her elbow on the table and leaning her chin in her hand. “Now I’m confused.”

  “He wanted the resort to be exclusively for the rich. I opened it to anyone who could afford it, availing different packages to different clientele. Just because a person can’t afford a day and night on the yacht out in the open ocean, doesn’t mean he can’t experience that luxury for half a day at quarter of the price. He goes fishing, catches a few fish and the yacht chef prepares it for him for lunch. They enjoy a wonderful meal they caught themselves, plus a great experience before they come back to shore.”

  Loraine smiled at the pride in his face. It was wonderful to see him so happy about his accomplishment, which wasn’t easy to obtain considering where he came from. His was a true story of ‘from rags to riches’. She was proud of him which was insane, considering she had no reason to be but still, she was proud of his accomplishments.

  “What about the snobs?” she asked with a raised brow, waiting to see if he’ll take a jab at her.

  Reno chuckled shaking his head as if he could read her mind. “The snobs, they would rather frolic in the sun and be catered to hand and foot.”

  “I must say—” Loraine stopped, taken aback by the brazen nerve of the fake blonde. The chic with plastic boobs that spilled out of the top she had clearly bought from the children’s section, passed by their table giving her a sneer and a glare. Then
when she turned to Reno, she fluttered her eyelashes seductively and with her hand, fingers extended, ran her long red talons up and down his arm to his shoulder to elbow. She stopped behind him, bent over, pressing her boobs into his back and whispered in his ear before she licked it and walked away.

  Reno’s cappuccino cheeks gained a faint pink color as he straightened in his seat, clearing his throat several times. He made an effort to keep his eyes averted from hers.

  Loraine felt jealousy stir up but she pushed it down. She was tempted to ask what she’d said to him but instead she said, “That’s the fourth or is it the fifth blonde to hit on you since we got into Nassau. What are you, Nassau’s Casanova?”

  Reno cleared his throat again. “Nothing like that. I don’t even know her…that well,” he added silently, picking up his mug of beer he took several gulps.

  “Bye, Reno, see you soon!” A totally different blonde purred seductively as she walked by them toward the exit.

  Loraine crossed her arms over her chest. “You don’t know her too…that well?”

  He cleared his throat again and lifted his mug to his lips, looking away from her.

  Loraine lifted her eyebrow when she realized something. “You have a type, don’t you?”

  “What?” he asked with a completely innocent wide eyed look.

  “Blonde hair, blue eyed? They probably can’t swim huh, that’s why they need the inflated balloons they carry on their chests? What’s wrong with brunettes or red heads with green eyes?” she leaned forward on the table, “Does the color of my eyes and hair make me your type, Reno?”

  He pulled at the collar of his shirt. “Why are we discussing this again?”

  Loraine smiled sweetly at him. “Oh no, it wasn’t a discussion, just an observation. You do know not every goldilocks falls in the dumb blonde category?”

  Reno raised his hand. “You done eating? I think it’s time to go back to the apartment.”