CHAPTER TWO

 

It was raging hot when Diana stepped out into the brilliant Jamaican sunshine. She could feel the prickles of sweat on her skin as she looked around for Aunt Phillipa’s driver; he was supposed to be there, holding a placard with her name on it.

Her flight arrived an hour early, so she wasn't surprised that he wasn't there yet. She resigned herself to waiting for another hour, but she was itching to leave—she wanted to see and feel everything. She walked into the airport waiting area and sat down. At least it was air-conditioned.

She was happy that her grandmother had grudgingly sponsored her sundresses and other island necessities. She was almost stone-broke, and she couldn't have made the trip without the appropriate clothes.

She grinned as she envisioned her father and grandmother at the airport looking forlorn. One would imagine that she was an under aged child taking her first trip alone or that they were attending a funeral.

“Are you laughing at me?” asked a honeyed voice near her.

She jumped. She had no idea that she had been under observation. And when she looked up she almost gasped aloud.

Handsome was her first thought; white was her second; not her type was the resounding third. She frowned.

“Were you watching me?” Diana asked.

“Yup." The stranger looked unrepentant as he said it. He was tall, and his teeth were even and white. He had curly, dark blond hair, and pale green eyes with flecks of brown. He did not sound as if he had an accent. Probably Canadian, she thought.

He sat beside her and held out his hand. “The name is Robert Cassidy.”

She looked at his hand for a moment and then shook it. “Diana Boyd.”

Something flared in his eyes at the mention of her name. It was as if a light were turned on behind his hazel eyes. Then it slowly died down.

“Nice to meet you … Diana Boyd,” he said, staring at her intently.

“Uhm, I guess it's nice to meet you too,” she said, her voice was not quite steady.

His figure-hugging jeans stretched tautly against his thighs as he angled himself on the airport bench to look at her fully.

“I saw you in the customs area, and I said to myself I just have to meet that girl. I am happy that your ride is not here yet. So…you are American?” he asked curiously.

She was never one to reveal her business to strangers, so she just nodded and shrugged. Take whatever you want from that, she thought silently.

“Okay, I am sorry. I am being pushy. I probably should tell you something about me before I start badgering you. I am living in both Jamaica and Canada. I just finished school this summer…I graduated magna cum laude.”

“Congratulations,” she smiled at him, it was almost impossible not to he had a warm personality. Why single her out of the hordes of people milling about in the airport to be nice to though?

He must have seen the doubt that flashed across her face because he said, “There is just something about you that attracts me. I'm not a weirdo, I promise you. You can even ask my mother,” he said and pointed to a lady with long blonde hair who was bearing down on them, her long strides eating up the floor as if she meant business. She looked to be in her late forties, stylish with a deep tan.

“Robert,” the lady said, hugging him tightly as he stood up. “I am so happy to see you.” She kissed him on both cheeks. “Who is this?” she then asked, looking at Diana curiously.

“Just met her,” Robert whispered. “Thought I would keep her company while she waits on her ride.”

“How sweet. My name is Theresa,” she looked at Diana with a shrewd look in her eye. “I am Robert's mother.”

“Hi,” Diana said, feeling a bit uncomfortable; Theresa was sizing her up as if she were her son’s date or something. “My name is Diana. I am waiting on my driver.”

“Would you like us to drop you somewhere?” Theresa asked politely.

“No, thanks,” Diana said hurriedly. “I would not want to put you out of your way. My aunt lives in Negril and I … ”

“So do we,” Robert said quickly. “We have a hotel there.”

“Oh…” Diana was searching for an excuse to escape their kindness. There was something about Robert that made her uneasy. His intense eyes seemed to pierce right through her as if he was sifting through her thoughts.

She was in Jamaica to find her family and to put some perspective on her life, not to get embroiled in a romance. She knew attraction when she saw it, and this was it.

Robert stared at her silently and then whispered to his mother.

“Nice to meet you,” Theresa said, as she waved and left the airport building, her long hair streaming behind her.

“Aren’t you going with her?” Diana asked, clearing her throat and feeling nervous. He was still eating her up with his eyes.

“Not yet. She is going to wait for me in the car. I just wanted to give you this,” he said, rummaging in the side of his suitcase before pulling out a packet of pictures. He picked out a pocket-sized photo and held it to the light then scribbled on the back of it. He grabbed her hands and closed her fingers over it.

“Goodbye, Diana.”

“Goodbye, Robert,” She replied, slightly baffled.

What the hell just happened? She thought, as he swaggered away. She was feeling suddenly bereft, and lonely in the big airport as he walked away.

She inspected his picture and smiled. He was very handsome. At the back of the picture he had scribbled his contact numbers and email address.

She was about to crush the photo in her hand, but changed her mind. It wouldn’t hurt to keep it, she reasoned. It's not as if she was going to call, she tried to convince herself—she wanted no distractions this holiday; she was going to concentrate on finding her family.

She stiffened her back in a military posture and stared straight ahead, but his image rose to the forefront of her mind, those hazel eyes and that lazy grin. She smiled and tried to squelch a sigh at the same time but the smile won.