The Thick of Things, page 2
Perhaps because of his aura, I found him intimidating. He was tall and wide. His bald head gave him a slightly menacing air and his moustache was reminiscent of Richard Roundtree’s alter ego, Shaft. Or maybe Ving Rhames—when he wore a moustache. Given the character he reminded me of, Douglas could have been a throwback to the ’70s or ’80s, except for the modern design of the expensive golf shirt he wore and the stylish loafers on his feet. I guessed he was in his mid-forties or just beyond it.
As he moved toward the desk where I sat, recognition lit his eyes. His open expression and easy smile didn’t put me at ease. On the contrary, I tensed in my seat as if he could possibly know I’d been having scandalously inappropriate thoughts about him.
His gaze went to my name tag and traveled back to my face. “How are you, Khalila?”
I hoped my smile didn’t look as if my panties were pinching me, but his steady eyes made me jumpy. “I’m good. How can I help you?”
“I pre-registered for the tournament, but I wanted a room upgrade. The rep at the hotel front desk told me to come and see you.”
His accent had an almost musical cadence, which distracted me for a few seconds. Then I got my head back into what I was supposed to be doing and looked at the sheet in front of me to see if I could accommodate his request.
The event organizers had reserved a block of rooms, which they sold to the players. This profitable annual tournament attracted a large group of golfers of various skill levels from across the Caribbean and Miami. The five-day, four-night package ensured that people could experience something of the island before and after completing their rounds. It wasn’t uncommon to have late cancellations, and changes to country rooming lists at check-in. Requests for upgrades were not as common, but we got at least a couple of persons asking at each event.
I was sure the hotel hadn’t told Douglas to contact me specifically, but I let it pass. “How are you paying?”
“Credit card.” He reached into his shorts and came up with a leather wallet.
While he opened it, I glanced at his hands but knew what I’d find. No ring, but for a man it didn’t mean anything in today’s world.
I’d stopped wearing mine since my divorce proceedings started.
Douglas handed me an Amex Business Card with DAB Investments Limited imprinted below his name.
While I flipped open the file jacket containing the list of players and found his name, I asked, “What am I upgrading you to, Mr. Blythe?”
“A suite, and it’s Douglas.”
I kept my face blank, but I was curious. Why on earth did he need a suite since he was rooming alone? A waste of good money, as far as I was concerned, but it wasn’t mine so why did I care?
I ran the card for the difference between the new amount and what he’d already paid, gave him the receipt, and made a notation in the payment file. Then I dropped my copy of the receipt in the cash pan at my feet. To my surprise, I heard myself ask, “How was your flight?”
He slid the receipt and card into his wallet, taking his eyes off me momentarily. “Uneventful, thanks.”
Since he’d done all the necessaries, he no longer had a reason to be standing in front of the table. Except for the things I had forgotten. At the moment, I was the only volunteer in the office, which meant I had to do everything connected to registration, including handing out tee gifts.
After sliding the chair away from the desk, I got to my feet. “One moment, please. I have something for you.”
The second my words spilled out, my gaze jumped to his.
His smile was lopsided, but charming.
“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—”
“Relax,” he said, “I know you didn’t intend for that to come out the way it sounded.”
My facial muscles contracted and my smile felt forced. Heat swam up my neck and I felt like an idiot as I turned away. “Gimme a sec.”
I hurried though the door behind me that opened into another room where we had stored the gift bags for the players. I grabbed a bag and a shirt, then went back to face Douglas over the table. “Here’s your tee gift.”
“Thanks.” He took the shoe bag and golf shirt, glancing at the tag. Raising his eyes to mine, he smiled again. “Good guess.”
“I figured an XL would fit.”
“Thanks again. See you later,” he said, turning away and sauntering toward the exit.
I sat, but didn’t say a word because I was too busy sucking up everything about him. Thick ankles, sturdy calves, solid body. He’d gotten rid of the beard, but was still appealing. Before he passed through the doorway, I forced myself to focus on the laptop screen to my right. I hoped he hadn’t felt me staring at him.
Telling myself I was being silly was a waste of time because I’d done that a thousand times before. For a reason I couldn’t figure out, Douglas Blythe had kept walking in and out of my mind for the past three months. The visitations started since I realized, through contact with the tournament organizers, that I’d be seeing him again. I’d stopped thinking about him after last year’s tournament ended, but the knowledge that he was coming back triggered something unexplainable in my mind and imagination.
He’d provided good therapy for me by diverting my thoughts from the stagnation between Trent and me, but I imagined Douglas would think I was weird if he knew the fantasies I’d built around him since our first encounter.
My roommate Nica walked into the tournament office and sat next to me. She’d gone to the washroom and returned smelling of hand soap. “Anybody registered since I left?”
I pointed to the file. “I had one guy that was pre-paid, but he got an upgrade. I gave him a tee gift.”
“Okay. We should go and eat.”
“We can, as soon as someone comes to relieve us.”
On cue, a couple other members of the registration team walked through the door.
Nica got to her feet again. “We’re going downstairs before the buffet line closes.”
Melody and Kay replaced us at the desk, and we left the office. We cut through the lobby and went downstairs to the dining area. The buffet was scanty, but with enough food left for us to have a decent lunch. I joined Nica next to the plateglass overlooking the beach, where people lazed near the water. We made similar selections of curried goat and white rice with vegetables. Nica snagged a couple of cupcakes and both of us also brought glasses of cranberry juice to the table.
The piped music wasn’t loud enough to prevent us from having a conversation, nor was the chatter from the few other people eating lunch. A waiter appeared and asked if we needed water. When we said yes, the young man poured it, and left.
“So, how is Trent?” Nica asked, as she sliced into a tomato wedge.
“As far as I know, he’s fine.”
Her salt-and-pepper braids bounced as she raised her head and wrinkled her eyebrows. “What does that mean?”
I raised one brow. “You haven’t heard?”
She shook her head, setting her hair in motion again. “I haven’t seen you in months and even if Ron heard your news, he’s so absentminded he wouldn’t remember to tell me.”
“Our divorce is almost final.”
“When did all of that happen since…”
As she spoke, Douglas walked into my line of sight on the other side of the verandah. My gaze followed him as he moved toward the buffet. When he was out of view, my attention returned to Nica, who was still talking.
She canted her head and stared at me. “So?”
“What were you saying?”
“I asked when all of that happened?”
I drank some water to give myself time to come up with something that wouldn’t sound rehearsed. “It’s been in the making for a while now.”
“But weren’t the two of you at this event last year?”
“Yes, but even then, things were going downhill.”
“And with your son…I’m sorry about that. I can’t imagine…”
I flicked my wrist in a dismissive gesture, although the mention of Amir twisted my stomach and made me want to heave. “It’s okay. We’re healing, but things happen and relationships end.”
It was easy to gloss over these events because Nica and I didn’t know each other outside of the tournament circuit. She and I had been acquainted for a few years and volunteered at the same events our husbands played in. This time, her husband Ron was off the island and I was alone because Trent and I were no longer a couple. Since the tournament organizers were footing the bill, they paired all volunteers from their room allotment. That’s how Nica and I ended up rooming together. I guessed they put us together because we’d helped at this event for years and were familiar with each other.
I’d volunteered to be on the admin team ages ago, before Trent and I separated. I dreaded being in the same space as him, and was relieved when he told me things were hopping at his office and he wouldn’t be able to come to Montego Bay to play. Being onsite would have been clumsy with both of us here, so I was glad things worked out this way. I wondered if any of the locals here knew about our situation since Trent was friendly with a few of them, who he played with on the weekends in Kingston.
My thoughts shifted when Douglas came into sight again, carrying a plate with a slice of cake or pudding on it. I couldn’t tell which, but his choice surprised me because he didn’t look like someone who’d have a sweet tooth.
“…has you so distracted,” Nica said, looking over her shoulder.
I smiled as if I’d been listening to her all along. Meantime, I was extremely thankful Douglas had gone past the privacy latticework behind Nica. The last thing I needed was anybody gossiping about me. Although I didn’t know Nica to be a gossip, I still didn’t want to give people any of my business to chew over.
“I’m sorry, my mind wandered for a moment.”
She reached across the table and touched my hand. “I understand.”
I pulled my hand away and sipped more water. Her commiseration made me uncomfortable. Since we weren’t close friends, I didn’t want to be forced to give any further explanation about what was happening in my life. Other than speaking in general terms, I preferred to keep things private. When I raised my head, to my surprise, Nica was still focused on me.
“Trust me, I do,” she said. “I’ve been through a bad divorce, so I know what that’s like.”
I wanted to protest that our dissolution wasn’t hostile, but why bother? The sympathy in her eyes was unwarranted, in my view, but I didn’t want to seem ungrateful. All I could come up with was a trite comment that sounded weak. “That’s tough. So glad you got through that.”
She nodded. “Ron has been a blessing to me these past ten years.”
I chewed a mouthful of bland curried goat and hoped she wouldn’t make any more comments about my situation. To my left, the cloudless blue sky was beautiful, and reminded me of what life had been like before tragedy upended things. When my thoughts turned to Amir, I shut them down.
As my attention wandered to the trellis covering a small area of the verandah, a flash of pale yellow caught my eyes. Douglas picked up the last bite of dessert on his fork and slid it into his mouth. His strong jaw worked as he looked at the beach below—or at least I assumed that’s where his attention was focused.
I stared at him greedily, drawn to his large hands, broad wrists, and strong forearms. Everything about him was supersized and I wondered if…
As if he felt my eyes, Douglas turned his head and stared directly at me. He continued looking at me as if seeing me for the first time. The air sizzled between us and I couldn’t tear my gaze from him. A few seconds went by before he smiled reluctantly, as if he’d been thinking about whether he should. His gesture seemed to be an afterthought. Something he threw at me for the sake of being polite.
It annoyed me, but it was stupid to get upset over nothing. He was under no obligation to acknowledge me, and I felt silly as excitement bloomed in my chest at the sight of his smile. When it dimmed, I realized I hadn’t responded. After a glance at Nica, who was finishing her meal, my gaze returned to Douglas, but he wasn’t in the same place.
A scan of the room and patio didn’t bring his yellow shirt into view, or tell me where he went, but I suspected he’d gone in the opposite direction and perhaps taken the elevator.
I couldn’t explain the sinking sensation in my chest, but didn’t lie to myself that it had nothing to do with him. However crazy it was, Douglas had stirred my interest and now he was in Jamaica again, I wanted to know more about him.
Not that I intended to take any kind of action to satisfy my curiosity. I wasn’t looking for anything resembling a relationship so soon after my split with Trent, but Douglas was a mental diversion that would keep my mind off the losses and other complications I didn’t want to face.
three
I would have stayed at the back of the room if Melody—the youngest female volunteer at twenty-five—wasn’t waving me toward the only empty chair in the row where she sat. The vacant seat happened to be beside Douglas.
Melody, who sat on his other side, leaned forward to greet me. Her long braids moved in a fluid ripple when she did. Smiling, she said, “I wondered if you were coming.”
I’d been in two minds as to whether to attend this year’s opening ceremony, but when I thought about being in the room by myself versus showing up, the decision was easy. I didn’t want to sit around wearing out my mind with the same thoughts that kept me occupied day after day.
Nica and Kay—a cheerful, thirty-something housewife—were handling the welcome this time around, which was a relief. Making small talk with players was beyond me this evening. I was only here to still the clamor in my head.
Today would have been Amir’s eighteenth birthday and it was a bittersweet milestone. Trent and I agreed that when he turned sixteen he could travel with us to weekend events because he’d be able to occupy himself while we were out and about during the day. Amir liked to think he was mature, but I’d spoiled him so much, I fretted on him even when it wasn’t necessary. He’d roomed with us once before, but prior to that when we were out of town, he stayed with my friend, Corinne.
As the first fog of depression settled over me, I sighed.
“Is something wrong?” Douglas asked.
The intrusion from his voice and that distinctive cologne brought me out of the funk I’d been falling into since I sat. I shook my head. “No.”
“That’s a big sigh for someone who doesn’t have a problem.”
“I’m good,” I said, pulling out a brilliant smile and pasting it on my face.
He studied me for a moment and when I thought he’d seen into my soul, the emcee’s voice broke through our silent exchange.
With my lips slightly open, I let my breath out in a quiet stream, willing myself to relax. I could do without Douglas quizzing me any further about my well-being. I was uncomfortable, sitting with my legs pressed together and clutching my purse as if I were afraid it had plans to escape.
Although the air-conditioning was working, I was itchy under my form-fitting red dress. To prevent myself from squirming, I flipped the program in my hand and glued my eyes to the words. Since I already knew what was included on the page, that didn’t take more than two minutes. I caught myself before I sighed again. Why had I bothered to come? Vegetating in my room would have been far better for my peace of mind than sitting beside this man, who was making me uncomfortable without moving a single muscle.
The thought of how crazy that sounded made me smile. In less than thirty seconds, I regretted that.
“Mind sharing what’s so amusing?” Douglas asked.
His mellow baritone had me stumped for a second before I unraveled his words.
“Oh, just a personal joke.”
“It’s selfish to come armed with your own jokes and then refuse to share them.”
I put a finger to my lips when the title sponsor moved to the podium and began his speech.
Douglas looked at me as if he knew I was using that as a diversion. He leaned toward me, still looking straight ahead. “I see what you’re doing.”
I pulled away and gave him a puzzled look. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“I’m sure you do. You’re trying to avoid having a conversation with me.”
I pointed to the dais and kept my voice low. “In case you haven’t noticed, there’s somebody giving a speech.”
Douglas’s moustache twitched, but I wasn’t sure if he was amused or whether he’d just scoffed.
My gaze slid to Melody, who didn’t seem to be bothered by our conversation.
Applause rose around us when the sponsor’s speech ended, and Douglas smirked. “I wonder what you’re going to tell me now.
It was on the tip of my tongue to say I didn’t have to tell him anything when Melody poked her head forward, setting her braids in motion. “I’ll be back in a minute.”
Nodding, I watched her go.
“So, are you antisocial or is it just me?” he asked.
“Excuse me?”
Douglas chuckled and shifted his legs. “I thought that would get a reaction from you.”
My gaze went to his hands—the nails were short and clean and his fingers long. I wondered what they would feel like against my skin. Before I focused on his face, I got an eyeful of his muscular thighs.
He smiled as if he was privy to my thoughts, but I didn’t harbor that notion. Otherwise, I’d be embarrassed and he’d know something was amiss. I ran the back of my knuckles across my forehead. To my surprise, I was perspiring. Not hard enough for him to notice, but enough to make me more uncomfortable.
“Can I get you a drink?” he asked.
I debated whether to say yes or no. If I said yes, it would at least put me out of his range for as long as it took him to bring me something. I nodded. “A glass of rum punch, please.”
