Promises in Paradise Read online

  “He and my mom fought all the time. Over money, him not working, other women, his low-life friends. Everything was always somebody else’s fault for my father. He was found dead in a deserted lot not far when where we lived. Never found out why or who did it. Then my brother started acting like him. Dropped out of school, ran the streets, went after the easy money. He got a girl pregnant. Then another.

  “One night, he was with the wrong people in the wrong place at the wrong time. Someone ended up dead. Was he responsible? Don’t know. But he was there, an accessory after the fact. He was nineteen at the time. Now he’s doing fifteen to twenty-five for second-degree murder.”

  Hale’s recitation was precise and matter-of-fact. His tone was almost flat, like he’d told this story before and the details never changed. He knew it all by heart. Underneath, however, Diane could hear not only despair but disappointment. She could sense, as surely as Hale continued to feel, the utter waste of it all. But she didn’t know any of this when they were teenagers. And she’d known nothing about benefit of the doubt. Or second chances.

  “What happened to your mother?”

  He sighed, shifted positions. “My mother started drinking, maybe to dull her pain and frustration and helplessness. She tried to keep my brother and me on track. Didn’t work for him. Pretty much didn’t work for me either at first. She died when I was sixteen. Not from drinking. I was told she had a blood clot.”

  “Did she smoke?”

  He shook his head.

  “Was she diabetic? Have high blood pressure?” She asked, the physician in her rising.

  “Diabetes for sure,” Hale acknowledged. “And trouble with her cholesterol.”

  “Both are very possible causes, Hale.”

  He was pensive for a second, as if processing this confirmation. He was trusting her word as a doctor.

  “So what happened after she died?”

  “I went to live with my grandmother. Then she died. I ended up with an aunt, my father’s sister. She got a new man and I had to leave. She put me out.”

  Diane closed her eyes and tried to shield her expression of disbelief. She'd had no idea.

  “I moved in with a friend. I had no place else to go. I got caught with him and some other guys for trying to hijack a truck with a shipment of computers. I landed in jail for grand theft, and then in front of a judge. My life as I’d known it ended that day. It began again when I met Adam.”

  She waited for him to continue. Diane frowned when he got up and began picking up the wet towels, putting things away.

  “Then what happened?” she asked, impatient to know more.

  “That’s it. Story time is over. I have to take you back.”

  “Wait, please. I know Daddy was a court-appointed guardian. How did that happen? He never said.”

  Hale raised a sardonic brow. “And you never asked?”

  She stared at him. “No.”

  He pursed his mouth and shrugged. “My court lawyer knew Adam. He said all I needed was a strong hand and a good role model. He had the charges against me reduced, and Adam said, yeah, he’d take me on. He laid down the ground rules. I knew better than to cross him or to mess up.”

  Hale was staring at her, his eyes filled with a realization she didn’t fully understand.

  “Best thing that ever happened to me.”

  It was clear after that he wasn’t going to continue. Reluctantly Diane got up and gathered her things. While Hale made sure the deck was clear of any obstruction, she replaced her sarong with her original blouse, satisfied that she was sufficiently covered for the drive back to the house. The ride in the Zodiac seemed even shorter going back to shore. She realized that, in a way, she didn’t want the night to end. There was something about it, about the time on the Paradise with Hale, that seemed oddly perfect.

  The roads were now deserted. There was only so much to do at night on St. John, and island life generally shut down by midnight.

  And there was no need for conversation. Hale had revealed enough to keep her mind busy, with only perfunctory questions or comments between them. Just before Hale reached the turnoff to the house, Diane touched his arm.

  “Let me off here.”

  He stopped the Jeep. “I’ll take you to the top of the drive.”

  “No, don’t. The car engine might wake someone. Noise carries here. There’s a makeshift staircase just next to that shrub over there. I’ll take that. It’s probably quicker.” She began to climb out of the Jeep.

  He held her arm. “I don’t like leaving you down here.”

  She smiled at him in the dark, pleased with his concern. “I’ll be fine. I’ve taken the path hundreds of times. I’ll throw down a rock or something so you know I reached the end of the driveway.”

  “Just don’t drop it on my head.”

  She chuckled.

  He reached under his seat and pulled out a small plastic bag and handed it to her. “Take this with you.”

  “What is it?” She fingered the bag.

  “You forgot it on the boat.”

  Hale sat waiting for her to get out. Instead, Diane swiveled in her seat to face him.

  “I have one more question.”

  The humming engine was the only sound until finally he spoke.

  “Go ahead.”

  “That night after you took me to see Jenna and her new baby…why did you kiss me that way?”

  He sighed and played with the steering wheel, turning it back and forth. “I’ve thought about it. I don’t really know. It just happened.”

  “Know what I think?”

  “I’m afraid to ask,” he murmured dryly.

  “I think you just wanted to kiss me.”

  He chortled. “Still so sure of yourself.”

  “No, I’m not. That’s why I asked.”

  Diane got out and walked around to his side.

  “Know what else? Maybe I wanted you to kiss me.”

  It was not so dark that she couldn’t detect the disbelief in his eyes. The frown on his brow.

  And then she kissed him.

  She only meant to touch his mouth, to leave a light peck with the pursing of her lips. But having come this far it really seemed pointless to not take full advantage. Hale made it easy for her. As she withdrew for a hesitant moment, he pursued her, leaning forward just enough to capture her mouth. He didn’t have to force it open, Diane did that all on her own.

  The kiss had a slow eroticism to it, as their tongues played and danced, as their mouths worked together. It really felt to Diane like they were doing this together, at the same pace, with the same caution and with the same results.

  Hale laid his hand briefly along the side of her face, slid it down to place his thumb on her chin to control the tilt of her head, the pressure of his lips. She began to feel languid. Soft and giving. He placed his hands on her waist and gently but firmly pushed her away.

  “Hale…”

  “Good night, Diane. Go home.”

  “But I…”

  “What?”

  “I wanted to say about tonight…it was the best Christmas gift.”

  He sat quietly for a second, and then shifted gears to Reverse.

  “You’re welcome.”

  Diane turned quickly away and began the climb up the hidden steps, even in the dark running most of the way. She came to the top and, kicking her sandaled feet through some of the dirt, located a rock for her purpose. Carefully, she aimed it over the ledge and tossed it. It thudded on the ground. A second later she could hear Hale make a U-turn on the road and head back in the direction of Cruz Bay.

  At the stairs leading up to the house she removed her sandals and continued barefoot to the veranda, through the kitchen to the back room. Within minutes she was in bed, reliving the evening, smiling in the dark over the lighthearted moments, pleased that there were lighthearted moments. Wiggling in the bed as she recalled the parting kiss.

  Suddenly, Diane’s eyes popped open and she sat up in bed, reaching f
or her tote. She pulled out the plastic bag Hale had given her. She opened it and found her damp bikini top inside.

  It was the second time she’d had a dream about Hale in a week. This one was different.

  She was sunbathing on the veranda, stretched out on her back on a chaise lonuge, naked… Her eyes were closed, and she could hear the ocean. She was waiting, feeling the sun heat her skin. She was waiting and felt dreamy and soft with anticipation. A shadow appeared above her and she didn’t have to open her eyes to know who it was. She sighed in relief. He cupped a breast and squeezed her nipple, caressed her body making her writhe. He lay atop her, his body heavy and hot and hard. He pressed against her so she could feel the stiff length of him, kissing her so that she didn’t want him to stop. She waited like she’d waited her whole life for the touch of him, to ease the ache. He ground their hips together. She moaned, wanting him to touch her there. She’d do anything to make that feeling last….

  This time when she woke up it was already dawn. She lay listening to early morning and the quiet of the house. She was damp, like several mornings ago, but only in one part of her body. She felt restless but now she knew what she was dealing with.

  Diane closed her eyes and languished in the stillness. But she did not feel calm or peace, just resolve. Just very agitated in a very specific way, in a very particular place. She rolled onto her back again. She was so glad she’d changed her mind about coming to St. John.

  Chapter 6

  Diane stood silently in the doorway that led out to the open veranda. Only Eva was on the deck, sitting in the shade of a potted plant and staring pensively out to sea. On her lap was an open magazine.

  “Looks like another perfect day,” she murmured. Eva started.

  “You’re up! How’d you sleep?”

  “Like a baby. What time is it?” Diane asked, padding barefoot onto the veranda. She squinted out to the water where the bright sunlight reflected like bits of crystal on the surface.

  Eva smiled at her. “It’s a little after eleven. Does it really matter? You’re on vacation.”

  Diane sighed, made a futile attempt to finger comb her matted hair and plunked herself down onto a canvas deck chair. She stretched like a cat.

  “I never sleep this late.”

  “Frankly, you looked like you could use some rest when you arrived yesterday. Want something to eat?”

  “Not yet. I want to shower and do something with my hair.”

  Eva frowned at her. “What happened to it?”

  “Oh…I got sweaty in the night,” Diane murmured, thinking fast. “I sleep all over the bed, so I guess I look a mess.” She looked around. “Where is everybody?” She resisted the urge to walk to the end of the driveway and glance down the rise to see if Hale’s Jeep was parked below.

  “Everybody’s out with Adam, sailing. Hayden is getting good at piloting the boat, but no way is your father going to trust him out alone yet.”

  “Who’s everybody?”

  “You know. Everybody,” Eva said with a gesture. “The kids and Hale. Bailey wanted to wake you but Hayden and Adam were impatient to get started. Like father, like son.”

  “When did they leave? I didn’t hear a thing.”

  “About eight.”

  “Oh, my God. That’s obscene,” Diane groaned.

  “So, you’re stuck with me.”

  Diane smiled warmly at her stepmother. “I would say we finally have some quality time alone.”

  “That means you want to gossip about everything and everyone.”

  “Yes,” Diane confirmed. “But not until I shower and put some clothes on.”

  With that she sprang up and headed back inside. She was anxious to have a good chat with Eva, but Diane was immediately preoccupied with her experience of the night before and an erotic dream that seemed more and more prophetic. She was, to put it simply, hot and bothered and breathless. And if not for these damned dreams she’d been having almost every night, then a swim with Hale and a tantalizing parting kiss might be enough.

  In the shower the cool water and soap seemed to slough off their past. In its place Diane imagined fresh possibilities. She was sorry she’d missed the chance to sail with her father and siblings, but recognized that maybe it was just as well. She needed some time to figure out what was going on between her and Hale.

  Diane dressed in a pair of linen capri pants and a pale orange tank top. She let her hair air dry and made a headband out of a scarf to tie around it. In the kitchen she filled a small plate with a selection of fruit and finished off what was left of coffee in the maker. Then she rejoined Eva on the veranda.

  For a while their conversation was just a catch-up of family news over the past few months. Eva laughing relating Adam’s annoyance that Diane had turned over his award check after the gala in Baltimore to the grant foundation…without asking him. Hayden was starting college in eight months and would be leaving home. Bailey would graduate high school the year after.

  And with talk of children came the understandable reflection about Gail, Eva’s child from her first marriage. Eva’s daughter and husband had died tragically in a house fire. With equanimity she remarked that Gail would be twenty-six now, had she lived.

  Diane briefly squeezed her stepmother’s hand, but then rushed on to another subject that she knew would return Eva’s smile.

  “What about Daddy?”

  “Oh, you know your father. If your question is when is he going to retire, the answer is never. And I’m just as happy, to be honest. He’s so high-energy that if he had nothing to do he’d drive me crazy in no time.

  “He’s been asked to teach graduate courses at Howard, and I believe the Naval Academy would like to make him a visiting professor for a year. He can teach whatever he wants.”

  “That’s great,” Diane said with a grin.

  She wasn’t the least bit surprised. A former marine biologist, her father had been the only African American in the field for years. That alone had brought him to national attention when she herself was still a child.

  “And what about Hale?”

  Eva slowly turned a surprise countenance to her. “Excuse me? Did you just ask about Hale?”

  “Yes, I did.”

  “Why?”

  “What do you mean, why? He’s practically a member of the family. What’s he been up to?”

  Eva stared at her, her mouth opened in shock. And then she pulled herself together, her expression changing to curiosity and skepticism.

  “I’m sorry, but you’re not going to get away with that offhand attitude. When you were sixteen and seventeen you treated that poor boy like dirt. Even as you grew older you were very hard on him, Diane. What’s going on?”

  Diane knew it was futile to pretend that she’d never harbored ill will toward Hale. She sighed.

  “Maybe it was seeing him here yesterday, being part of our Christmas and…fitting in. One of the things I noticed was he doesn’t seem to take his relationship with you and Daddy for granted.”

  “He doesn’t,” Eva said emphatically. “It took years of talking and cajoling to convince Hale that he was always welcomed with us. Always. I’m sorry you never gave him a chance when he was a teenager.”

  “You’re defending him,” Diane said with surprise.

  “Yes, I am. But he doesn’t need me to. Hale’s actions have always spoken better about him than his past.”

  Diane frowned. She knew that.

  “What have you two been talking about?”

  Diane hesitated. She wasn’t sure how much she should reveal yet. It all seemed so unformed. She and Hale were still scratching around in the dark, still circling each other cautiously.

  “I wanted to know about his family. What he told me was…pretty sad.”

  “And not so unusual for a lot of young black boys. Hale got lucky, and he knows it.”

  “I know. He told me as much.”

  “To be honest, at the time I was surprised that Adam let himself be talked int
o being a court-appointed guardian by Judge Norman Oliver. Judge Oliver used to live a few doors down from us, remember? So now you two are talking. What does that mean, exactly?”

  Diane had the feeling that there was a double meaning in Eva’s question. She answered the easy part.

  “It means that we’re being civil and getting to know each other better. It means now that we’re grown up we have more in common.”

  She wasn’t sure she was ready to confess how much she liked him. How much she felt physically drawn to him. Like when she was seventeen and so naive.

  “Honey, it would have happened a lot sooner if you hadn’t been so hard on Hale.”

  “Maybe,” Diane murmured, knowing full well the story was not so simple.

  As much as she’d resented Hale’s place in her father’s life, feeling as if he was siphoning off attention she didn’t want to share, there was that confusing awareness of him as being so different from other boys. He wasn’t a boy, but closer to being a man. He wasn’t polite or cajoling or flirtatious. He didn’t try seduction to get into her pants. If anything at all, he’d been indifferent to her. And that enraged her. Who did he think he was? Some punk thug from the hood who should be grateful he’d been taken in?

  Hale ignoring her made her feel Hale didn’t think she was pretty or sexy. Until that night when her parents were out and she and Hale were alone. Diane drew in her breath with the recollection of how she’d teased him and manipulated him into…

  “He’s…a lawyer?” Diane asked, clearing her throat when her voice cracked.

  “He is,” Eva said proudly. “Started out as an assistant D.A., but switched when he had an opportunity to go corporate. Hale didn’t have all the advantages you did, but he’s a good man.”

  Diane all but cringed. That’s what Jenna had said.

  “Okay, okay. So he walks on water.”

  Eva laughed. Diane used it as a means of switching topics.

  “Want to tell me what’s going on with you?”

  Eva’s humor died quickly. She looked out to sea. “Oh…I don’t know. Maybe I’m overreacting.”

  “Why don’t you tell me what’s bothering you and let me decide if you’re overreacting. That’s why you hinted yesterday that not all was well. It’s not you and Daddy, is it?”