It was a lounge, with a bar area where several types of hot beverages and finger pastries were on display, and at both ends of the room were comfortable chairs and low tables set up for games. There was a large assortment of games on shelves too. The music was modern and soothing.
An older couple was at the far right playing chess. Inside the lounge was blessedly cool.
The Persian kitty looked up at her lazily and then curled up in a tighter ball.
"What can I get for you?" the bartender asked.
"I am not sure." Terri looked around, "I was just on my way up to my room."
The bartender smiled. "You look like you could use a chocolate peppermint smoothie. We do a very good chocolate mint drink."
"Okay." Terri nodded.
"I'll bring it over." The bartender nodded at her. "You'll like it here in the Cancun Cafe."
Terri went to sit in a comfortable chair in front, a center table that was set up like a chessboard with huge pieces.
She moved a knight and sat back in the chair and closed her eyes. The cafe was playing some of her favorite jams. Labyrinth's Jealous came on and she smiled to herself.
Now seriously, Lola had done her a favor. She was having a good time so far.
The spa had made her soporific. She drifted off to a nap. She vaguely heard the bartender saying, “Here you go” and in her half-dazed state smelled the aroma of chocolate and mint.
She also heard a faint chuckle and a voice saying, "It's your move when you get up." But she felt so good; her eyelids were so weighted down that she didn't respond.
She hadn't slept last night. The mud bath made her feel almost fluid.
Something was tickling her nose.
Terri realized and she brushed it off but it kept coming back. And then a shrill meow had her jumping up.
The Persian kitty jumped off her and she blinked. Where did the cat come from?
Where was she?
Her eyes collided with Zack's. He was lounging across from her, a paperback in his hand.
Had she been drooling in her sleep?
"You snore," he said grinning. "I drank your chocolate mint drink if you don't mind. Want me to order another one now? It was good."
"I fell asleep here." Terri raised her hand to spread her hair but remembered that she had on a hijab.
"It seems you were very tired," Zack said. "Norman has been trying to wake you up for a while now."
"Norman?" Terri blinked, confused.
"The cat." Zack pointed to the Persian cat, who had done his deed by waking her up and was on his way across the room.
"I saw him in the window and came in to take a closer look and then I saw you here curled up before one of my favorite games."
"Ah," Terri yawned. "I like it too. I should head to my room."
"Or you can stay and finish the game," Zack suggested with a smile. He had a deep dimple on the left side of his cheek. "I can't remember the last time I actually sat down and read a book."
Terri looked at the book cover: Matters of the Heart, with a couple in period costume in front of a burning building.
"It looks interesting."
"It actually was; for the past two hours I was glued to the pages." Zack grimaced. "This is not my regular reading material but I found it on the bookshelf over there. It was sticking out so I just grabbed it."
Terri grinned. "What is your regular reading material?"
"Briefs. Law stuff, contracts, boring papers."
"You are a lawyer," Terri said casually as if she didn't know. "What was the plot about?"
Zack looked at her through half hooded eyes. "The couple kept meeting each other in a three-mile stretch of resort in weird places."
Terri flushed. It really was uncanny how they kept running into each other.
"Your move," he said, gesturing to the chess table.
Terri moved her knight and sat back while he contemplated the board. He was dressed more casually than she had seen him this morning. He was in casual chinos and a red shirt that stretched over his taut muscles when he leaned forward to move one of his chess pieces.
"So are you Muslim? A nun?" He asked after made a play. "No wait," he held up a finger. "Not a nun. I don't think nuns go to spa baths and look so good in bathing suits caked with mud."
Terri flushed.
"So you are Muslim?" He waited for her to speak, looking at her intently, willing her to say no.
She had pity on him.
"Nope, not Muslim. I am playing a role right now so I have to look the part."
"Actress?" Zack raised an eyebrow.
"Barely," Terri smiled. "But I am acting."
"Intriguing." Zack rubbed his chin. "I like that."
He veered off asking her personal questions for a moment and made her feel at ease by telling her about his cat Morpheus.
Terri was laughing and totally relaxed by the time they finished a game, which he won.
Then she realized that Zack was not a lawyer for nothing. He was skillful with his leading questions. He made a move, swiping his knight to the right. He looked at her innocently.
"Have you ever been to Jamaica?"
Terri nodded. What was the use in lying?
"That's good to know. You are proving to be a worthy opponent. You are very good at chess."
Terri smiled. "My brother taught me."
"What's his name?" Zack was quick to ask.
Terri squelched a sigh. Why couldn’t she get it in her head that there was to be no personal conversation?
Instead, now she had to dredge up some kind of history from Lola's family. Lola's oldest brother was Salvadore; she hoped he even knew how to play chess because she didn't want to be lying to Zack.
"Salvadore." Terri inclined her head. She switched the spotlight to him quickly. "You have siblings, Zack?"
"Yes," Zack nodded, "a twin sister. We are in the same profession."
"She's a lawyer too?" Terri kept her face perfectly straight and quizzical when she asked.
"A very good one," Zack said ruefully. "In fact, she should be the one here now. She is good at this type of thing: making blood out of stone, schmoozing with the right people. Unfortunately, Prince Hamad would probably not even countenance us working for him if she was our representative."
Terri nodded. "Some men are not very liberal, are they?"
"No." Zack leaned back and looked at her. "So, do you have any significant person in your life?"
"From sisters to significant others..." Terri grinned. "A totally logical advancement in conversation."
"Do you?" Zack demanded firmly. He was not going to allow her to wrangle out of this question.
Terri sighed. "That is not a question I want to answer."
Zack looked deflated. "I'll take that as a yes."
"No. It is too complicated for a straight answer as a yes," Terri fumbled to explain.
"So am I allowed to know anything else about the mysterious Lola?" Zack asked. "Apart from the fact that you have beautiful eyes, you have a brother named Salvadore, when you laugh you bite your lips and that you have a tell."
He moved his queen.
"Checkmate."
Terri stared down at the board. "Why didn't I see that?"
Zack chuckled and then got serious fast. "So, are you going to let me get to know you a little better, Lola?"
Terri shook her head. "Yes, but not here. I am on a mission."
"As I said, the suspense is intriguing." Zack looked at her speculatively. "Can we have dinner together tonight?"
"I think I'll take an early night," Terri said. "I am going to go. Tell you what, if we see each other tomorrow, we do something together."
Zack nodded. "Fair enough."
"Have a good evening, Zachary."
Zack nodded. "You too, Lola."
Chapter Nine
Lola Montega. Lola signed the credit card bill with a flourish, angling her body so that Reuben couldn't see what she was writing.
She needn
't have worried. He was busy being flirted with and fawned over by a young woman who was staring at him with stars in her eyes.
Lola resented the girl on sight but she realized quickly that Reuben was well loved in the township of Junction, which was where he had brought her to buy pants.
She had ended up buying four pairs and shorts and a dozen tank tops, most of them in the Jamaican colors. She was aware that she was acting touristy but she didn't care. She liked them.
Reuben helped her with her bags when she exited the shop, stowed them in the back of the car, and pointed to a sign: Joy's Hairdressing Place.
"There is her shop," he said proudly. "Are you going to visit?"
"Why not?" Lola murmured.
The shop was spacious and pretty and quite professionally laid out.
Joy was petite girl who was flawlessly made up with long green hair and nails to match.
She greeted Reuben with a loud, "Hey bro."
And Lola with a squeal, "Terri Berri! You actually came to visit me!"
Lola nodded uncertainly. "Yes...er..."
"Come this way, with your beautiful tresses, I have wonderful plans for it!"
Lola looked at Reuben for help.
But he just grinned. "I am going to a greenhouse supplies place. How much time will all of this female stuff take? Can I drop by the farm?"
"Yes," Joy said, "Terri and I will be having f...u...n!"
Lola quickly found out that Joy did not require participation in the conversation. She asked and answered her own questions.
Ranted about her sister Faith who was dating a guy without a job. Ranted about her mother who thought that green hair was not appropriate for church.
"Who determines that we shouldn't wear green hair to church?" She held up Lola's hair and looked at it closely. "This looks dyed!"
"Yes, well..." Lola didn't know how she was going to explain this. Obviously Terri should not have dyed hair.
But she didn't need to worry. Joy just shook her head and moved on. "You need to try a dark brown color to match your contacts."
Lola almost smiled. Her natural hair did match her eyes.
"Oh no," Lola said reluctantly. She just had eleven washes to go back to her natural brown hair. It wouldn't make sense to traumatize her hair with another color treatment.
"Can I at least cut it?" Joy picked up her hair. "Your ends need a trim. What I wouldn't do to give you a graduated bob."
"No!" Lola widened her eyes. She didn't know what a graduated bob was. A bob yes, a graduated one, no.
"At least temporarily straighten it," Joy whined. "I have a product that can last in your hair for months and then you can go back to your waves."
"Why is your hair pattern so silky anyway? This is not how I remember it. What on earth are you putting in it?"
Lola sighed. Joy was going to drive her crazy. "Yes, you can straighten it."
Joy clapped her hands in glee. "And blonde highlights?"
"Good Lord no," Lola gasped.
"I told Reuben one day I would get my hands on your hair," Joy said with glee. "At least this is something. Even though I can picture you with bangs."
Lola almost shuddered at the too-keen excitement that she saw in Joy's eyes when she took up the scissors, but she quickly realized that Joy might act like a teenybopper but she knew her craft. Joy took up each part of her hair and showed her before she cut it at an angle.
She prattled on about Reuben.
"Did you hear that Racquel Simms has a thing for him? She joined the young people’s choir just so that she could be closer to Reuben because he is the director. She is over forty. It is funny to see her singing along with the young people as if she forgot her birth papers."
"Who doesn't have a thing for Reuben?" Lola asked laconically.
"You and me!" Joy chuckled. "Because we are family. I think my brother is the most eligible bachelor in these parts. And since he got the inheritance I hear most of the old ladies are cooking him meals and sending him love letters."
Lola grinned. "Really?"
"Yep." Joy snipped away happily and moved on to talk about her sister, Hope, who was in law school. "She is getting airs, as if she is better than us because we don't know the meaning of her big words...
"Heard about Ricky?" Joy asked when she was hanging over the sink and washing her hair.
"No," Lola murmured under the onslaught of Joy's massaging fingers.
"I can't believe you of all people didn't know." Joy shook her head. "Rumor is, his mother had him committed to a mental institution where they are going to wipe his brain or something. That's too bad. I was hoping that he would notice me some day. Ricky was rich and handsome but cray, crazy..."
Lola didn't get a chance to respond. And she liked it like that.
One hour and an earful later, Lola was looking in the mirror and came to the realization that she looked very sleek and sophisticated. Joy was very good at what she did, even if she prattled on and on about everything. Her hair was cut, surprisingly skillfully, into a straight, thick swathe that flirted with her waist.
The style made her eyes look bigger. She couldn't recall the last time she straightened her hair.
"Gorgeous!" Joy declared and clapped her hand. "Can I get a picture?"
"No." Lola frowned. "Sorry."
"But it's so thick and gorgeous and your face is so pretty. If you come and model for me, I'd get more customers."
Lola shook her head.
Joy insisted on making her up and then doing her nails.
And that is how Reuben found her. Made up and sleek and looking like a model, as Joy had predicted.
He had a stunned look on his face.
"Do you like Terri's makeover?" Joy asked before Lola could.
"It's different," Reuben mumbled. "You don't look the same. You look more, er..." he shrugged... "different."
"Different! Nah, she looks gorgeous. If you want to experiment with more daring shades, Terri, come to me, I foresee purple hair in your future, with a dusting of green at the end."
Lola blanched.
"I understand that it will take time," Joy patted her shoulder, "but you'll love the new look."
She was quickly taken up with another customer and Lola followed Reuben outside.
"Don't you dare put your hair in purple," Reuben said huskily. He looked at her with what Lola wanted to believe was admiration.
She gazed back at him helplessly. She was attracted to Terri's cousin and she was sure that Terri would not want this. They sounded like they had a good, casual relationship. She didn't want to spoil that for Terrie, but already she could feel the tension between her and Reuben.
She dragged her eyes from his and looked around, injecting some jocularity in her tone, struggling hard to sound normal, as if a thousand and one sparks weren't flying between them.
"So what's next?"
Reuben roused himself from staring at her and cleared his throat, which had gotten husky. "We go home."
“Oh yes. Your home, where I am going to help you with construction."
Reuben looked at her for the longest time, an indecipherable expression in his eyes. "I parked over there in front of the hardware."
She walked before him but she was very much aware that he was watching her with a transfixed expression on his face.
*****
Reuben took her to the paint store and had her help him choose colors for the rooms. That took a while. He was determined to have his blue room, and black and white rooms. They discussed colors and patterns and types of paints. It was fun, she had to admit.
They sounded like an old, seasoned married couple.
She helped him load the pickup with the hardware supplies and then enjoyed the scenic ride to Lover’s Leap Road.
Reuben was full of stories about his new greenhouse farming venture and his house building plans.
She watched the scenery as they zipped by, preferring to have the windows of the car down and to inhale the air.
<
br /> "You are going to mess up your new hairstyle," Reuben said to her as the wind whipped her hair across her face.
"I don't care." Lola laughed for no reason at all. She was feeling lighthearted and happy. It was nice doing something different for a change. It was nice that she didn't have to be plotting to run from Hamad. At least life was good for one day.
Reuben stopped at an unpainted house in the middle of a yard that had wild grape trees lining the edges of the property. It was gorgeous, instant love at first sight for her.
"It's lovely." She turned to him, her eyes bright. "I really like it. I foresee cut stone and a light pastel shade when you are done."
"I finished the room you'll be staying in just yesterday." Reuben parked the car and she got out. "I got quite a bit of work left. I hope this new you has changed sufficiently to help."
"Sure!" Lola said flippantly. "I helped to build my..." she stopped.
"Your what?" Reuben asked her curiously.
"My, er... a friends, er, dog house," she finished weakly. She had been about to say that she helped to build her grandfather's pool house one summer. Her grandfather and uncle had tackled the project themselves and she had been with them each step of the way, from planning to actual grunt work. She had loved it.
Reuben gave her a veiled look. "You are a well of surprises today."
Lola laughed off his comment. The more she hung out with him the more she realized that she and Terri might look alike but they were night and day in personality in clothing choices, in interests. It was interesting to see these differences through other people's eyes.
"Come on in. Let me show you around. After that I can get your many shopping bags from the car."
"You exaggerate." Lola shook her head. "It's not that many."
He raised an eyebrow at her. "I have three sisters, Terri. I say it is a lot."
Lola smiled. "Well...okay."
She had gone overboard, especially when she had seen the Jamaican t-shirts. Reuben was probably wondering why she had gotten so patriotic.
He opened the heavy oak door and stepped aside. "Welcome to my humble-ish abode."
Scarlett Secret Page 7
