CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

 

The party was in full swing when Diana and Robert arrived. It was at a beachfront house in Negril that was tastefully decorated and obviously belonged to wealthy people. Diana was wearing a bright yellow and orange sarong wrap over her bathing suit. She felt happier than she had ever been since she started suspecting that Robert was Flynn, even thought she knew that she was playing with fire by encouraging their relationship.

Tomorrow would be the day they set out for Flower Hill once more. The journey was never far from her mind, but tonight she resolved to forget about it and just have fun.

“Diana!” squealed Amelia as she stepped into the house. “Come with me. I have a difficult choice to make about which bathing suit to wear. Natasha has no taste,” she added, grabbing Diana from Robert.

“She’s my date,” Robert bellowed in protest.

Amelia shooed him away.

“You just yell for me if they get too much, all right,” Robert whispered to Diana.

Diana nodded gaily. They were playing her favorite John Holt song: 'If I Were A Carpenter.' The mellow tunes were drifting from the beach where a crowd of mainly young people had gathered, dancing and talking.

The words of the song made Diana feel suddenly melancholic. She had always loved the song but preferred the John Holt version, which had a mellow roots-reggae beat. For some reason she felt like crying, but she brightened when she saw Robert’s woebegone expression as he watched Amelia drag her away from him. She blew him a kiss. Robert caught it and placed his hand over his heart.

Amelia pushed through the people scattered in the sitting room. “To the beach and the bonfire people,” she said loudly. “The party is outside.”

She dragged Diana to a room that had clothes and shoes strewn across the floor and bed.

“This or this?” Amelia asked, holding up a crocheted red bathing suit and a yellow bikini.

Diana looked into her eager face and smiled. “I think the red one looks better.”

Amelia squealed and started taking off her clothes. “I like it too.”

“I will see you at the beach.” Diana started backing out of the room. She stumbled into a tall, handsome guy who looked at her leeringly. He was clad in black shorts and had a towel draped around his shoulders. His hair was curly and looked damp.

“Wow, mama,” he breathed into her face. “You are a cutie.”

Diana blushed. He was looking at her as if she were his last meal.

“I am Chad,” he said, his eyes turning limpid. “I am the birthday boy. Are you my gift?”

Diana smiled. “Nice to meet you, Chad. I am Diana Boyd.”

Chad frowned. “Damn, no wonder he didn’t want me to meet you. Did you know I had to threaten to castrate him before I could get him to commit to taking you to the party?”

Diana laughed. “I guess you know who I am then.”

“He talks about nothing but you. There he is on the beach; let's go join him.”

Robert was talking to a group of friends when he saw Chad coming with Diana. Chad was whispering something in her ear and Diana was laughing. Robert felt a surge of jealousy so strong he almost buckled under the weight of it. He could no longer respond to the conversation around him even if his life depended on it. All he was seeing was Diana having fun with another man.

He knew of Chad’s reputation with women and wouldn’t trust his friend around any female over sixteen, much less his woman. He didn’t want anyone touching her. They stopped and Chad got a drink for her, still solicitously attending to her—touching her when he didn’t have to and looking at her breasts.

“Excuse me,” Robert choked out to his friends. He couldn’t even remember what they were so hotly debating before Diana came into his line of sight.

Diana saw Robert approaching them determinedly. He looked upset.

“Uh … oh,” Chad murmured, releasing Diana’s hand and holding up his hand. “I was just being friendly,” he declared loudly as Robert came level with them.

Robert dragged her to his side. “Get lost. She is not hanging out with you.”

Chad grinned. “Man, I have never seen you so jealous, never! I understand though, Diana is the hottest…”

Robert bared his teeth and Chad backed off. “Okay, okay, I get the message.”

He turned to Diana and added. “When you dump him, this is where I live. I will be waiting with baited breath for you to come to your senses and ditch him.”

Diana nodded and smiled. She turned to Robert. “You were jealous!”

“I shouldn’t have taken you,” Robert mumbled, “strange men man-handling you and insulting me.”

“You are crazy,” Diana said, laughing. “Let's dance.”

The song changed to Dennis Brown’s “Should I?” The haunting melody of the song had her singing the words softly in Robert’s ear.

They sang the chorus together, looking in each other’s eyes, oblivious to everyone else at the party.

“I think this is my verse,” Robert whispered as verse two was about to begin.

They danced in the sand until the wee hours of the morning, singing along to love songs. Robert held her close even when the songs were upbeat. He had the feeling it would be his last chance to do so before they found out the truth about Flynn.