Scarlett Promise (The Scarletts

by Brenda Barrett

  "No." Ricky chuckled. "I was just as surprised as you were to see the spread. I told Janet, the manager, to tell the kitchen that there were three of us living here."

  "Well," Lisa lifted the cover of one of the serving platters and gazed at the mound of scrambled eggs, "she must have heard three hundred."

  "Help yourself," Ricky said, folding up one morning paper and opening the next.

  "Not hungry." Lisa poured herself some juice from the fridge and sat across from him. "I am going out today."

  Ricky lowered the paper. "With Nathan Cross?"

  "Yup." Lisa sipped her juice. "I feel like it's a bad idea but I like him."

  "He is a decent guy, very straightlaced and particular from what I can remember, and these were childhood memories. He was a child prodigy too. As I recall, he had photographic memory or something like that," Ricky murmured after a drawn-out pause.

  "And my situation the other night is an issue I cannot discuss with him, I know." Lisa took a sip of her juice and looked out at the small patch of lawn with the manicured flowers below the window. "Maybe I should..."

  "Don't even think about it. That night—you can't tell him about it," Ricky said urgently. "I don't have to tell you that, do I? Francine would probably kill you."

  "No, you don't," Lisa hissed. "I am not stupid. It's just that it would be nice to tell him…get it out of the way. Absolve myself, but I know if Nathan finds out..."

  She didn't get to finish her statement.

  There was a crash and a thud and Madison fell through the archway with her sports bag sprawled out on the floor before her.

  Lisa looked across at her in alarm. "You okay, Madison?"

  "Yes. Missed my footing," Madison mumbled, an embarrassed look on her face. "I am fine."

  She got up and brushed herself off.

  Ricky grunted. "A clumsy physiotherapist—just my luck."

  Lisa turned back to Ricky when Madison started selecting her breakfast. "I am thinking of taking that photograph and makeup course at Villa Ingles."

  Ricky lowered the paper again and glanced at her. "Okay, I will talk to Janet. Have her deal with the fees and all of that."

  "Thanks!" Lisa grinned at Ricky.

  "Well, you need something to do." Ricky folded up the paper. "When is it starting?"

  "Tomorrow. Six weeks. I need a camera though. I can't do it without a camera."

  "Well, luckily for you, I have two or three gathering dust in my study," Ricky said, getting up and stretching.

  He bent to touch his toes and then straightened up again. "Since you are going out with Nathan today, you can ask him which is the best one for your needs. As far as I know, it is not the camera body that is most important, it's the lens. I have some very expensive lenses; you can have them too.

  "As a matter of fact take the three cameras and the lenses and have Nathan choose which is best. You can take pictures with him at Pelican Bar."

  Madison dropped the platter with eggs.

  "You are quite the klutz today, aren't you, Madison?" Ricky turned and looked at Madison and the spilled eggs on the floor dispassionately.

  Lisa gave Madison's stricken face a sympathetic smile. "I would help you clean it up but I am on my way out. There is a broom in the hall closet!"

  Chapter Nine

  Madison had more than one reason to be distracted while she helped Ricky through his paces. She was trying not to wince after this morning's tumble on the floor. Her arm had gotten a nasty bump at the elbow. She had been eavesdropping and had leaned in too far and had lost her balance.

  She was also distracted because she had no idea what was going on with Lisa and Ricky, and now Nathan?

  She was downright confused. Were they involved? Was Lisa really a housekeeper? How was it that Ricky was fine with her going out with Nathan? What kind of relationship did they have?

  She had been at the house now for three days and she wasn't sure what was what.

  She watched Ricky as he did his leg stretches.

  "One more." She held up her finger when he slowed down.

  "Yes." Ricky gritted his teeth and then did the exercise.

  "Maybe we should take a walk in the neighborhood later in the evening," Madison suggested. "Switch up the pace a bit."

  "Fine," Ricky gritted out grumpily after he got up from the equipment and slung the towel over his shoulders.

  He was doing very well exercise-wise. Madison eyed him skeptically. He worked without complaining. His attitude was grumpy though, at least around her. Quame had said he was easygoing and pleasant, but she did not get any of that. From the minute she walked through the door he had seemed off with her, almost dour.

  She guessed that he hated the fact that she was female, or maybe not; he didn't seem sexist at all.

  He wasn't outwardly mean either, just reserved. Extremely. She could feel it. She wasn't used to this kind of frigidity from her clients. She usually had a kind of rapport with them. When she asked Ricky even the most innocent of questions she was frozen out.

  And she still did not know what caused his accident or what really happened. Usually clients would be quite forthcoming about their injuries, but not Ricardo Mills.

  She rubbed her hand absently, while Ricky went on the pull-up bars. He was quite a goodlooking man. Very handsome actually, if you looked past his brooding darkness.

  But then, she knew he wasn't always like this. He was a far cry more pleasant around Lisa.

  She thought about what she had seen of the two of them so far. They were always whispering together; she saw Lisa coming from his room grinning like a Cheshire cat; he paid for Lisa, who was supposedly the housekeeper, to do classes at his hotel and this morning they mentioned a night that Nathan could not know about.

  It was fishy and she didn't need to be a detective to know that something was going on.

  She had to warn Nate but he seemed as if he too was blinded by Lisa Barclay's allure.

  And Madison did have to grudgingly admit that she could see Lisa's appeal. She had the kind of shape that would make men stop and stare. And she had that red hair and light eye combination that was pretty striking.

  Ricky finished his pull-ups and then glanced at her. "I am wiped."

  "Yes, you did a lot this morning." Madison cleared her throat. "You are progressing really well with the exercises."

  Ricky nodded and then winced, holding his head. "I think so too. "

  "Is something wrong?" Madison asked, alarmed. He was hunching over.

  "No," Ricky said weakly. "Just remembered something. I usually get a little headache with it. My memory is coming back in patches, usually triggered by something. Just now it was triggered by something you said."

  "You have a memory problem?" Madison asked with alarm. She had not seen that on his progress or medical sheet.

  "Separate issue from the legs." Ricky shrugged and straightened up. "I had electro-shock treatment a couple of months ago."

  "Oh, wow." Madison muttered. "It caused memory loss?"

  "Yep." Ricky picked up his water bottle. "Quite extensive, actually. I think that was the aim of it in my case. I was not a nice person; I think my mother thought it was in my best interest to get certain things outside of my head."

  "Oh." Madison wanted to know more but she could see that Ricky was taking his time in talking, as if he was not sure what to tell her.

  "You've been curious about my accident?" Ricky picked up his towel off the bar and swiped it across his neck. "I had a Porsche, a very fast car. I got it from my mom. It was a guilt present. She was hardly around for me those days.

  "I had my friend drive it while I told him that I was going to marry his girlfriend. He crashed it and I flew over the windshield. I didn't have on a seat belt and I was in a fast convertible telling a friend that I was stealing his woman. I deserved it."

  "Er...uhm..." Madison shook her head. She didn't know what to respond to first. "You are married?"

  "No." Ricky shrugged. "I was
n't legally married. I blackmailed her into marrying me to spite my friend, because I was obsessed with him. The marriage wasn't legal. Pastor wasn't licensed. Anyway, they are together now. They had their happily ever after."

  Madison was looking at Ricky as if he had two heads.

  He laughed at her expression and then sobered up. "I wouldn't even recognize her if she walked in front of me now. I frankly can't remember her or what she looked like. And as for the friend I was so obsessed with, I met him once after the treatment and he was like a stranger to me.

  "I guess all of the madness that was so important to me...gone. When I remember things now, it is with a certain distance. I know I did things; I just can't figure the why. I am like a stranger to myself. It’s a wonderful side effect of shock therapy."

  It explained a lot. The almost touchable unhappiness that shrouded him. What could she say?

  "Don't think up platitudes." Ricky pulled on his track bottom. "I am fine, probably better than I've been for years. As soon as I work out the kinks with this injury of mine, I can consider life perfect, or as perfect as it is going to get with my memory full of holes and people parading around in my mind like strangers."

  Madison nodded.

  "So tell me about Nathan Cross," Ricky asked deadpan, looking at her. "Last night you were looking at him with stars in your eyes."

  "No." Madison got uncomfortable. "No, I wasn't."

  "Yes, you were." Ricky smiled. "It was pretty obvious. You guys were lovers?"

  "No." Madison grimaced. "He was a high school friend. I had a crush on him for more years than I would like to count, but he didn't like me back until a couple of years ago. I thought things had changed..."

  "But they didn't," Ricky finished for her. He stood up and stretched. "And now you are hoping that he will give you some attention. But he won't. Not when Lisa is around. She has his full attention. You could see the dynamics at dinner. You were looking at him; he was looking at Lisa. The real estate guy was looking at me with dollar signs in his eyes." Ricky chuckled. "I was looking at all of you, quite entertained."

  Madison opened her mouth and then closed it. "You seem fine with, er, him and Lisa."

  "Why wouldn't I be?" Ricky headed to the door.

  "I, er.." Madison watched him as he grasped the handle. "Nothing, I just thought..."

  Ricky chuckled. "Stop thinking and stop eavesdropping. You'll hurt yourself worse than the fall you took this morning if you keep up with the not-so-private detective nonsense."

  Madison grew warm. He had figured out that she was eavesdropping. How utterly embarrassing. That meant that Lisa also knew and was probably right now, right this minute, telling Nate and they were both having a laugh at her expense.

  "So a walk this evening then?" Ricky yanked the door open. "It's actually a good idea. There are a couple of hills on the Calabash Road end of town. Really steep hills. It should be a challenge."

  "Yes. Yes." Madison nodded.

  "I'll be in my office, trying to write a biography of sorts." He paused. "You should go out on the town, get to know the place."

  "I will." Madison slumped on one of the exercise benches.

  He smiled and left.

  She had a couple of hours to kill; her curiosity about Lisa was nowhere near satisfied. And no warning would thwart her from her plans to find out exactly what was going on. She would start with Lisa Barclay’s bedroom and hunt for clues, and then she would go out on the town.

  ****

  Nathan had not really expected Lisa to show up before he headed out to Pelican Bar. But when he heard the knock on the back door and opened it and saw that it was her, he held the door open and watched with a kind of fascinated fixation as she walked into his house and looked at him. "Are you ready?"

  "Yes." He nodded and then smiled slowly. "I was just getting my equipment."

  She nodded. "Cool."

  "I am taking pictures to put on the walls here." He waved to the bare walls. "I am going to make the place pop with color."

  Lisa looked around. "I see what you mean. It's like a blank canvas. Perfect for you."

  "Yes." Nathan nodded. "I was thinking blues and greens, nature. And I think that this location is perfect to display on the walls. If I decide to do rentals, it should be a welcome addition."

  Lisa pointed to his laptop, which had a series of his African pictures up. "Did you take those?"

  "Yes." Nathan nodded. "Africa."

  "You have to tell me about it. Can I see?"

  "Sure." Nate watched as she picked up the laptop and settled on the settee.

  He watched her with his hands in his pockets. He hated to move now. Her face was so emotive.

  "You took these?" She finally looked up after a while.

  "Yes." Nathan nodded.

  "You are good." Lisa breathed it almost reverently. "Some of them are almost like paintings. They look unreal."

  "Thank you." Nathan raised an eyebrow.

  "No, I mean it." Lisa went back to the screen. "Wow. Who is this?" She flipped around the laptop and pointed to a picture of his friend Oliver who was holding a long iguana in his hand.

  "That's my friend, Oliver. He is a missionary doctor in Africa in the Congo region in a little village called Kidogo."

  "He is very handsome and brave holding this ugly beast." Lisa chuckled. "And who is this?” A hint of jealousy was in her voice.

  "That's Ashaki. She is beautiful, isn't she? I think that is what her name means too."

  "Yes," Lisa said grudgingly. “She looks like a sculpture. Kind of unreal and her skin is flawless, like dark marble.

  "Ah, you see her with an artistic eye," Nathan murmured. "That's what I thought too. And those pictures are not photoshopped or retouched in anyway. Just natural lighting and the rustic background of her village."

  "She could be a model," Lisa murmured, skipping through the several pictures he had of Ashaki.

  "Yes, but she won't be. She is eighteen. In her village that is old. Her father died. He was an important man in the village and protected her from prospective suitors but now she is up for grabs and the new chief, the man with the bulging belly and the loin cloth you'll see in other pictures, is claiming her for his fifth wife. It is the traditional thing to do."

  "Oh no. Poor girl," Lisa muttered. "And I thought I had problems."

  Nathan chuckled. "You have got to tell me about them."

  Lisa looked up stricken. "No, I didn't mean..."

  "Joking." Nathan shrugged. "Relax. No problem telling on the first date."

  She shifted uncomfortably on the seat.

  "Okay, no calling this a date." Nathan chuckled. "Women..."

  Lisa laughed with him. "Women what?"

  "Are very special, uncomplicated creatures," Nathan said. "What were you expecting me to say?"

  Lisa could not remember having so much fun with another human being. They took the scenic route to Pelican Bar. It was at a remote section of Jamaica called Parrotee. On their way, Nathan stopped many times to take pictures of things that interested him. She got fully into the spirit of things when he pushed a CD into his player marked ‘beach songs’.

  She was enjoying herself way too much. She watched closely while Nathan explained to her the different dials on the camera. He had her take some pictures and then he critiqued each shot.

  They took a boat ride out to Pelican Bar, which was in the middle of the sea. It looked like just sticks holding up the building from afar, but when they got closer it looked sturdier.

  She swam while Nathan took pictures.

  "Come and enjoy yourself!" she called to him as he fiddled with the camera once more.

  "I am enjoying myself." Nathan glanced away from the camera and looked at her. "This is thoroughly fun for me." He eventually went into the water after asking the guy at the bar to take a picture of them.

  "So here I am." Nathan grinned treading the water beside her. "What are you going to do with me?"

  "Nothing." Lisa squealed
and dived away from him.

  He chased her.

  They got in the car after their Pelican Bay excursion, just before the rain started. Lisa was feeling completely drained.

  Nathan was clutching a pale cream-colored shell that he had found in the sea. It was pretty, big and perfect.

  "For you." He handed it to her.

  "Thank you." Lisa chuckled, looking at it. “It's pretty. Have you taken enough photographs of it yet?"

  "Yes." Nathan put it to her ear. "Listen to it."

  Lisa chuckled. "I hear ‘What wicked games you play to make me feel this way’..."

  He turned down the music that came on when he started the car.

  "Very funny, now listen to the shell."

  "It sounds like the sea," she finally said after hearing the rushing in the shell.

  "Yup." They grinned at each other as if they had just discovered something new.

  "When I was little I had a large one. I would fall asleep to the soothing sounds of the shell."

  "That sure beats clutching a chewed up teddy bear named Goldie to fall asleep." Lisa grinned. "Sleeping with a shell is more intelligent."

  "Ha," Nathan laughed. "It had less to do with being intelligent and more to do with not having to hear my parents fighting at the night. Instead, of the constant bickering I had sea sounds from my shell. We were too far from the sea in our community in Portmore for it to make a difference."

  Lisa swallowed. Was it the same house in Portmore that she had gone to with Raybourne?

  "I like you," Nathan said after a while. He looked her over intently. "You are fun to be around."

  "I like you too," Lisa said shyly, suddenly feeling shy and overexposed.

  "I hear there is a pond up ahead that changes to a pinkish hue in the daytime. I want a picture of it."

  Lisa nodded. "Then we'll have to wait out the rain."

  "Yes," Nathan murmured. "In the meantime, whatever will we do with ourselves? Oh, I get it," he slapped his forehead, "we'll have to talk."

  Lisa grinned. "About what?"

  "What's your favorite color?" Nathan adjusted his chair and relaxed into its folds, turning his head to look at her.