“Hey, Saundra. How’s—”
“Oh my god!” Saundra said as if she’d been running. “The guy from the plane.” She drew in a staggered breath. “He’s stalking me. He’s a stalker.” She winked at Jeremy and continued her award winning performance.
“What? Wait a second.”
“No, you don’t understand. He’s been following me. Everywhere I go, he’s there. I’m on my way to security now.”
“Wait, wait, wait.”
“No, you’re not listening. That guy from the plane has been stalking me since the airport. He followed me to the hotel. He was lurking around my room. How did he find out where my room was? He just entered my cabin on the cruise. I barely got away.”
“Slow down. Let me speak.”
“I just called to let you know what’s going on in case something happens to me. Have the airlines track down the man in that first class seat I was supposed to be sitting beside.”
“But Saundra.”
“Oh my god! He’s behind me. I have to hurry.” She disconnected.
A look of awe on his face, Jeremy slowly said, “That was simply beautiful. You are definitely Miranda’s sister.”
Brow raised, lips pursed and arms folded over her chest, she said, “I’m not sure if that’s a complement.”
“In this instance, I meant it as a complement.”
“In that case, thank you.” Her phone rang, but she didn’t answer. “It’s Miranda. I can’t deal with her right now. I’m going for a walk.” She turned the cell phone off and tossed it to the side. “I need time to clear my mind.” Keycard in hand and purse slung over her shoulder, she walked out.
Chapter Four
When Saundra initially walked into Jeremy’s room, he thought his mind was playing tricks on him.
“Sisters… wow.”
Now he could clearly see the resemblance. Both were attractive, petite women with a propensity toward the melodramatic. Chuckling lightly at Saundra’s performance, all he could do was shake his head. If Saundra were even a tenth as “bad” as her sister, Marcus wouldn’t be the only one with his hands full. But Jeremy was ready for the challenge.
“Sisters…”
The next move… The next move… What to do…? What to do…? He had thought he would have a week to decide the best way to pursue his reluctant Mrs. Right.
Sisters… This new revelation would take a bit to absorb.
He crossed over to the built-in desk, grabbed his cell phone and speed dialed Marcus.
“Hey, Jeremy, what’s up?”
“Not much. Is Miranda around?” Though Marcus and Jeremy were best friends, Jeremy never called Miranda directly, even though the calls were to verify if she was cooking or should he bring carry out when he visited them at supper time. Somehow, he just felt calling her directly was a bit disrespectful to his and Marcus’s friendship.
“She’s thumping around up stairs. Wait a minute.”
A few seconds later, he heard Marcus saying, “Are you all right, baby? You look sick.”
“Oh, no, no, I’m fine,” came Miranda’s voice.
“Jeremy’s on the phone for you.”
“Did he sound angry?” she asked shakily.
“What did you do?”
The weary tone of Marcus’s voice brought a smile to Jeremy’s face. That woman was ALWAYS up to something. There was no way Saundra could even be a twentieth as bad as her sister.
“What did he say?” she asked.
Marcus blew out a belabored breath. “Jeremy, what has she done this time?”
“My cabin mate is none other than a certain travel agent’s sister, Saundra.”
“What…? Miranda!
“Let me explain,” she cried.
Five minutes later, Marcus still hadn’t finished chastising Miranda. Jeremy prayed the children were nowhere within a hundred yards of the house to hear their father’s tirade.
“Jeremy. Look, man, Miranda will reimburse your vacation and pay to have you moved to a different cabin, won’t you Miranda?”
“Yes, yes, of course,” he heard in the background.
“That won’t be necessary. I just need to speak with Miranda.”
“Are you sure? She was so out of line on this one, you can’t even call it a line.”
“I’m sure. I just need to speak with her about Saundra.” He lay back on the bed. Speaking with Miranda was like inviting her to meddle in their life, but she knew Saundra better than anyone. The insight she could give would be invaluable.
“If you change your mind, let me know. How is Saundra?”
“Angry isn’t quite strong enough a word.”
“Anger is good. She just needs time to cool off, then she’ll be her old self again. Miranda, he wants to speak with you.”
“I don’t want to—”
“Woman, take the damn phone.”
A few seconds later, Miranda’s voice filled the line. “Jeremy, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to… I mean there is no excuse.”
“You’ve got to stop this behavior, Miranda. What are you teaching those boys?”
“I know. I know. It’s like I get started and can’t stop myself. Please allow me to pay for your vacation.”
“That won’t be necessary, but I do need your help.”
“Yes, anything.”
“What happened to Saundra? Who hurt her?”
“Hold up. I thought you two didn’t know each other. I mean… She just called saying you were stalking her. Are you saying you actually met?”
The thought of Saundra’s performance placed laughter in his voice. “Yes, we’ve gotten to know each other, but—”
“I knew it. I knew it! You two are made for each other!”
“Don’t start, Miranda!” came Marcus’s angry voice.
“I’m not starting anything, dang. Don’t you have some homework to grade?” she asked of her history professor husband. “Now back to you. What was she talking about security? She had me worried to death.”
“She was just giving you a dose of your own medicine.”
“I’ve been bamboozled!” Miranda broke out in laughter. “Oh no she didn’t. That was wrong.”
“I need to know what happened to her. Who hurt her?”
“Hold up now. First, I need to know what your intentions with my sister are? I was dead wrong on this. Acted in haste.”
“Miranda!” Marcus barked.
“Don’t Miranda me. I have a right to know if I need to pull the plug on this operation.”
“I’m in love with Saundra and want to make her my wife. Okay.”
“Excuse me? Did you say… Oh my God! It worked. It worked. I knew it. I knew it. Marcus, book us a flight to Grand Cayman. I need to call my parents and let them know about the wedding.”
“What wedding?” he heard Marcus ask. “Tell Saundra to bring her butt back here and get married properly. Y’all Write women are entirely too dramatic.”
“Slow down, Miranda,” Jeremy said, sensing Miranda had slipped into her controlling, protective big sister mode. If he and Saundra were to have a real chance, he had to draw the line now and let the chips fall where they may. “There is no wedding, yet. I need to know what happened, then for you to step out of my way.”
“Excuse you?”
“Don’t take this the wrong way, but Saundra and I don’t need a matchmaker, plotting and scheming our lives.”
“Need I remind you, you wouldn’t be this far without my stepping in the way?”
“It’s not that you stepped in the way; it’s the how. I love you like a little sister. But Saundra is my heart. She doesn’t need or want you trying to control or manipulate her into doing your will.”
She sucked air through her teeth. “Fine.”
Saundra had met Nathan during her senior year of college. Miranda never liked Nathan and didn’t agree with their relationship. It had nothing to do with him being thirteen years older than her baby sister. Something about the man just rubbed Miranda t
he wrong way. He would monopolize Saundra’s time to ensure she couldn’t spend time with her family and friends. Plus Saundra was only twenty at the time, which Miranda thought was much too young to even consider settling down.
A week after Saundra’s graduation, she married Nathan. A week after that, he received a job offer in Iowa he just couldn’t refuse. Saundra didn’t want to leave her family and everything she knew in Dallas to move up north, but Nathan pointed out she didn’t have a job yet and could start her career anywhere.
A month later, Saundra moved across the country with her husband. Things went down hill from there.
“I let her down.”
“No, it wasn’t your fault.”
“But you don’t understand. Before she left, we argued. I told her that when he turned on her, not to come running to me. I shut out my own sister. We didn’t speak for years, and I was too stubborn to check on her. To busy waiting for the day for her to say I was right. Then the day came…”
All he could hear was her crying. “It’s okay, Miranda. You don’t need to finish.”
“I just wish that day had never come.” She choked up.
A few seconds later, Marcus came on the line. “This is too much for Miranda. You go take care of your woman, and let me handle Miranda.”
“I fully understand.”
“Tell him, Marcus. Tell him the rest,” he heard Miranda plead.
“Baby, you need to lie down.”
“Tell him!”
Marcus blew out a breath. “Nathan was a first class ass. When Saundra got the courage to call home, she told Miranda everything, and you know how this crazy woman is. She was ready to call out a hit on homeboy. To make a long story short, Miranda forgot to tell me what was going on, went to Iowa with a few of her cousins, Nathan ended up in the hospital from a mysterious attack and Saundra returned home to Dallas.”
“Oh yeah, that sounds like Miranda. What about the divorce?”
“Saundra lost herself for a while, but came back stronger than before. She filed for divorce and said she wanted nothing from him but for him to leave her alone. He tried to intimidate her into returning to him, but she was with family again. Plus, there was no way in hell I’d allow anyone to harm her, including you. Got me?”
He liked how Marcus looked after Saundra, but that would be his job from now on. “We’re good.”
“You know I had to make sure the air is clear. Look, I need to take care of my baby girl. Don’t let Saundra run.”
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
Saundra wandered about the Promenade deck, through the casino, which was jumping with too much life and excitement for her to deal with, and eventually found herself at the Apollo Bar. Had she just left a half-naked man in her cabin? Not just any naked man, but Jeremy King. The type of man romance novels were inspired from.
But what if this wasn’t a romance? After ordering a Long Island Iced Tea, she went to find a seat in a corner somewhere to listen to the piano and vegetate.
“Hey, Saundra”
She turned and saw Reba sitting with two other women. “Hey ladies.”
Reba stood and introduced Saundra to Toni and ’Cilla.
“Pleased to meet you both. Mind if I sit with you.”
They all motioned toward the empty seat.
“Are you all here for the romance conference also?” Saundra took a seat.
“I try to come every year,” Toni and ‘Cilla said.
“I have a whole new respect for romance readers and authors.” Saundra sipped her drink. She hadn’t eaten since breakfast with Jeremy and the tea was tasting quite good.
“You sound like you’re still going through it,” said Reba.
“You have no idea. Have any of you seen ‘Stranger than Fiction’ with Will Farrell?”
All three shook or said no.
“In it Will starts hearing a narrator in his head like his life were a novel. He begins to think he’s crazy, but finds out that his life has become the work in progress of an author, and whatever she writes literally happens to him.”
“That sounds really good,” said Toni.
“It’s a must see. Different than his usual roles.” Saundra drank a little more. “Ever since I boarded the plane for Miami, my life has been the making of a romance novel, and I just don’t know what to do. I mean, this is real life. What’s been happening to me doesn’t actually happen to real people.”
“If you don’t mind my asking, what’s happened?” ‘Cilla probed.
Two drinks later, she had spilled her guts about everything that had happened to her since she boarded the plane all the way until she left a towel clad Jeremy in the cabin.
“Let me make sure I heard correctly.” Reba scooted to the edge of her seat. “Did you say you left Mr. Tall Dark and All Too Fine alone in that cabin wearing nothing but a towel?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
She tapped Saundra’s empty glass. “What are you drinking, because I want to steer clear of it?”
All four women burst out in laughter.
“You are so wrong for that.” Saundra wiped the laughter tears from her eyes. “Now don’t get me wrong. I made walking away sound way easier than it actually was.” The thought of making love with Jeremy had her juices flowing—literally. She all ready had more than enough on her mind. She didn’t need anything else clouding her judgment, so she had walked away before she had a chance to give into the temptation.
“And he held you all night and didn’t make a move on you.” Reba shook her head. “Girl, you’d better stop tripping. You don’t come across good men every day.”
“If he’s so good, then he will wait until I figure out which way is up. I’ve been discombobulated since I first saw him on the plane.”
Toni and ‘Cilla nodded in agreement.
Reba relaxed in her seat. “I think you’re acting ‘romance heroine’ and blowing this whole thing out of proportion. You have a man who obviously loves you, and you love him. It’s cut and dry. Black and white.”
“The good news is, since your life has become a romance, you’ll have a happy ending,” added Toni.
“Let me tell you about the first time I was introduced to ‘romance.’” Wishing she had eaten something before she had gone to the bar, Saundra’s stomach was beginning to object to the liquor. Just a little while longer, and she would go eat. “One of my friends who knew I was anti-romance novel said they had the perfect romance for me. That I’d love this one. Sooooo, I love to read. I figured, why not. I’ll give it a try. I loved the book. Turned out to be one of my favorite novels of all time.”
“So what’s the problem?” asked ‘Cilla.
Trapped in Paradise Page 4
