Chapter 12
Twelve
“ S o, what’re you having?” Mehki asked Hayden.
At the other end of the table, Hayden chewed and swallowed her food before answering, “I don’t know. I opted to wait until it gets here to find out.”
It .
She still calls the baby ‘it.’
Mehki’s head flew to me. “You don’t wanna know, Poppy?”
With a fork and knife, I cut into my chicken while tossing a gaze to Hayden. Her face was to her plate, but she, too, stole a glance my way. “I know the gender.”
“Oh,” Mehki chirped. “Yeah.” His head dropped. “That don’t sound like you.”
“What do you mean?”
He scoffed, “You like to know every damn thing.”
“Speaking of which, the Sun-Bronzed Maroon launch is this weekend.”
His face split into an excited smile. “Yeeeaah, boyeeeeee ! I know.” Mehki sat back in his seat.
“Have you decided who you’re bringing?”
“Nah. Not yet. Nanu said Jess couldn’t come because she ain’t going and won’t be able to chaperone.”
I nodded. “That’s true. She’ll be out in Palm Springs this weekend.”
Mehki shook his head, mad as fuck. “We don’t need no chaperone. There’s going to be people I know all around. You’ll be there, my G. What can we do wrong?”
“I’ll be working, and you know it.”
“Bro, we ain’t kids.”
“End of discussion. I need to know who you’re bringing by tomorrow to prep the flight crew. So far, it’ll be you and Hayden on the jet.”
Ki’s attention flew to Hayden. “Oh. I didn’t know she was coming.”
“Yup. She’ll be there with me for a week. I also need to know who’s coming so I can let the flight crew know who’s flying back home with you on Sunday.”
Mehki went to turning food over in his plate with his fork. “Maybe I’ll fly out with Jordan and Uncle StentRo,” he muttered. “That’s if Jordan ain’t bringing his girl.”
Ki was being stubborn and low key rude. Jessica was not coming and that was that. I knew they were fucking in my house but were, at least, discreet. Bringing her to the Caribbean and having her posted up in my villa would be me consenting to them fucking. Consenting and providing a luxury stay for them, too. Dr. Nancy Patterson would rip my ass in two if I did.
“Okay.” I skipped right over that bratty shit. “Moving on. I wanted to let you two know I’m flying out tomorrow morning. I’ve got something to deal with in L.A. then I’m flying down to Red’s Island tomorrow night to catch a meeting with my executive staff.”
Hayden froze with her fork mid-air at that statement.
“When’s Nanu leaving for the West Coast?” Mehki asked.
“Friday night.”
“So, what does you leaving in the morning have to do with Ms. Hayden?”
“ Ummmm …” Hayden interjected. “Just Hayden is fine.”
“Nanu said I have to call you Ms. Hayden to show respect.”
Hayden smiled at him. It was the type that seemed forced but not quite insincere. “There are other ways to show respect in my book. Miss seems so formal. I’m okay with Hayden.”
“The reason I brought my travel schedule up to the both of you is because Hayden will be staying here indefinitely.”
Mehki’s forehead wrinkled. “I peeped how she’s been staying the night, but indefinitely?”
My son was confused. I pushed my plate away from me and brought my elbows onto the table. “An open-ended time. She won’t be leaving anytime soon.”
Mehki looked Hayden’s way. Her eyes couldn’t remain on him very long. They found their way to me for a longer period, communicating something.
“In your room?”
“Pardon?” I needed clarity.
“When she first stayed here, it was upstairs in the guest bedroom. This time, she’s been in your bedroom?”
Hayden’s eyes closed and rolled behind their lids.
“Why do you ask, son?”
“Because Nanu said I can’t have no girl sleeping over unless I’m married or paying the bills.”
“I’m paying the bills, son.”
“That’s not his point,” Hayden spoke up. With a closed mouth, her tongue swiped against her teeth as she shot me daggers. “Mehki—correct me if I’m wrong—is inquiring about the nature of our relationship.”
“Yeah, because the first and last time we talked about her, you said you may or may not be the father. Now, you’re saying she’s moving in. Is she your girl? Is the baby yours?”
“The baby’s?—”
“Mehki,” Hayden called out for his attention. “We don’t have all the answers tonight. Honestly, this wasn’t something your dad or I was expecting.”
Sporting a smirk, he scratched his head, expressing confusion. “How y’all meet again?”
“I told you and Nanu. In Vegas at a Panthers event.”
“But didn’t you tell us she was random? Now, we’re expecting a baby, have a new roommate, and sharing flights on the jet? Y’all splitting the bills around here?”
My eyes narrowed and head fell to the side, begging his fucking pardon. “You wanna get your ass whooped for being disrespectful? My ass-kicking is a lot uglier than your grandmother’s. Trust.”
Mehki’s eyes rolled down to his plate.
Hayden cleared her throat. “Mehki, I can only imagine what this is like for you. Although I have sisters on my father’s side, I’ve grown up with one parent and didn’t have a relationship with my siblings. I know how I would have felt having the sudden presence of new energy in the house.” She copped to having siblings. Okay . A total contrast to what she made me believe before pulling up on her and Rob in the restaurant.
“My name is Hayden Washington. I’m twenty-nine-years-old. I have a bachelor’s degree with double majors, two master’s degrees, and a few professional certifications. I own my own home—an investment property. Unfortunately, last month, a city pipe burst, leaving my unit flooded. It’s being repaired but that takes time. I’m due in November and hoping the work will be done by then. I just want you to know I’m not a gold-digger. I’m just dealing with a crazy combo of circumstances.”
“Where do you live?” Mehki asked her.
“In Paterson.”
“No disrespect, Ms. Hayden, but Paterson and Alpine are on different planets?—”
I shot from my chair. “The fuck!”
“ No! ” Hayden shouted, leaving her seat, too. “We’re not doing this! Ishaan, Mehki is confused, angry, and protective. Let’s be patient.”
I warned him, “Let’s be respectful!”
“Let’s start with understanding, Ishaan,” Hayden demanded, volume lower now.
I glared at his little ass. Mehki was a good kid. He really was, but he’d been out of pocket, acting like a brat. He hardly acknowledged Hayden tonight until he asked about the gender of the baby. Even then, his tone was cavalier. Low key, I was glad my mother wasn’t here. She would’ve chewed his ass up, but I was about to fuck him up, young man to old.
“Poppy?” he called out to me softly, heaving with his face to his plate.
“What?”
“May I be excused?”
My attention went to Hayden who appeared alarmed. This had gotten out of control and so damn fast. I hadn’t put my hands on my son since he was about ten-years-old, and hadn’t had a reason to. Tonight, I was losing my shit by the second.
“I think that’s best, son.”
After a few seconds, Mehki’s head lifted, and he faced Hayden. “I don’t mean no disrespect, Ms. Hayden. I only have one parent. One. Only one who has made sacrifices for me since I was the same age as the baby in your belly. Only one showing up for me every day. Only one who makes sure I don’t want for nothing. Only one who goes to war for me—literally—for legitimacy. Only one. So, yeah. I’m gonna protect my guy even if he’s ready to crash out on me.”
He pushed his chair out, grabbed his plate and glass, and left the room.
Hayden was the first to sit down. She sighed, bringing one leg up to rest her foot on the seat near her ass. My empty ass mind went straight to how flexible she was even pregnant.
“What an orientation.” She shook her head, staring at nothing in particular.
“Sorry about that. Ki?—”
“Ki’s acting his age.”
The fuck?
“You telling me I’m being childish?”
“Not childish. Brutish. You want him to like me or not? Because if I have a flying chance, it won’t be with you going B613 on him for simply being a damn kid.” Then she gathered her dishes and stood from the table. “I’m going to clean up the kitchen.”
“So, we’re not going swimming like we said?”
She turned to face me. “I didn’t say that. I said I’m going to clean up the kitchen. You’re going to talk to your son with more patience. When we’re both done, we’ll go out back to the pool where you won’t touch me.”
My face tightened. “And why won’t I?”
“Because Mehki is home tonight.” Then she whispered nastily, “He walked in on you holding me intimately the morning after the first night I’d stayed here. He basically caught us in your kitchen pantry having sex. And now, you’re telling him I’m the new roomie. Oh , and I’ll be staying in your room. Until we figure out our shit, let’s not continue to confuse him.”
“Boo-baby,” I attempted civility. “I pay the bills around here. Not Ki’s ass. I run this shit.”
She glanced down her body. “And I run this. Hands to yourself in communal places, Mr. Patterson. Even Dr. Patterson would agree with me.”
“Dr. Patterson don’t pay a single bill around here either!” I called out to her back.
Hayden was out, leaving me in the dining room alone.
Fuck!
She traveled back into the living room in black, silk shorts pajamas. Ebonee was returning from placing the vase filled with a big bouquet of flowers I’d brought with me earlier on a small table near the front door. She’d been anticipating my visit to her place in L.A. this late morning.
“Again, I’m sorry, sweetheart. I really am.” When Ebonee returned to me, I asked, “So, what’s next?”
She sighed, dropping onto the sofa, a couple of feet away from me. “What’s next is a break. I need a damn break. This shit will break the strongest of women. Who knew getting pregnant using science would be so difficult?” She rubbed her eyes. “Dr. Parrish suggested I take a break to preserve my mental health. He also reminded me of surrogacy.”
“And what do you think?”
“Well, we have one more embryo left. I don’t know about surrogacy. I want to carry my own baby. But I understand how wound up I am and don’t believe this is the best emotional or mental state to try this last transfer in.”
I twisted my mouth, choosing my words, “Eb…” Her eyes rolled up to me, telling me I had her attention. “I agree. You need a break. Pregnant or not, the stress ain’t no good for you. On top of that, there’s another complicated matter possibly impeding on this process.”
Ebonee studied my face. “Other than me not getting pregnant after two transfers, what could be more complicated?”
“Eb, the month before we chilled at my spot in A.C., I met a young lady, and we did a thing. A very adult thing.” When she didn’t speak, I emphasized, “A very irresponsible adult thing.”
Her lips wrinkled with regret but understanding, it seemed. “This can’t be good. I’m listening, though.”
“She’s pregnant. Conceived back in February.”
“And why are you just now telling me? I thought we had an agreement.”
“We did and still do have an agreement. I’m a man of my word. I didn’t find out about the pregnancy until June. I’m telling you now because I had to settle with the information myself…the formalities of the paternity test and getting on the same page with the young woman first. I’d already made the commitment and knew what this meant to you. I had to quickly accept, if the circumstances came down to it, I’d have two kids.”
“But you could have told me.”
She was right and I shrugged. “I could have, but I’d already given you my word. I damn sure wasn’t going to ruin your course because of my bullshit. I’d just have to eat it. I damn sure wasn’t going to tell you when you had the second transfer.”
“You should have!”
“And fucked you up?” Her eyes fell away. “Look, Ebonee, this shit is fucked up no matter how you slice it. I could have said something the moment I knew she was carrying my baby, but at what cost to you and what I’d agreed to do with you? You’ve said it yourself. This process has been hella stressful. Shit. I’ve even been anxious for you. But now…”
Her eyes fell again then rolled out of the window we sat in front of. “Now that I’m still without a baby.”
I nodded. “If there’s any chance of us revisiting the agreement, now’s the time to. And I don’t mean right here today or this month. Again, if I have two kids to take on, they’d be from my decisions—rash and planned.”
That last mention caused Ebonee to chuckle ruefully. She rolled her eyes. “Well, I’m glad you’re not switching up on me.”
“I’m not. I’m just keeping it real with you.”
“And what does she have to say about this? Is she excited at the prospect of sharing her kid’s father with another child said kid’s age?”
I smiled her way, feeling even more fucked up. “I haven’t told her yet.”
Ebonee’s neck rolled, and eyes narrowed. It was like a Black woman’s antennas ascending. “She doesn’t know yet?”
I shook my head. “Nah, Eb. Not yet.”
“Why?” she demanded.
I lifted my head and pinched my lip with my fingers as I gazed out the window. “It’s complicated.”
“Complicated.”
I was over this part of the conversation and returned my attention to her beautiful mahogany face. “As fuck. That’s neither here nor there at the moment. I wanted to give you my priority attention because of how stressful shits been for you. Maybe you want to continue with the final embryo. Maybe you wanna toss it out with my shit on it and find another partner. Either way, I felt this would be a good time to give you that option to decide.”
“And not her?”
I stared her dead in the eyes. “She no longer has options.” Only to leave my ass out of the experience of raising my kid .
Hayden was in her twenty-ninth week, and I still hadn’t seen the paternity results and had no desire to. I’d felt a pull to her and her body unlike I had any woman, including Mandy. I felt so fucking possessive and addicted to her being. And I enjoyed fucking her. And not in a one-sided way. I felt a connection to her body satisfying me although I didn’t have her heart or commitment. The shit had been concerning me.
I liked the girl. Actually, fucking wanted to be with her. Wanted her to choose to dedicate time to spend with me. Now, I wasn’t convinced I was in love with her or no crazy shit like that. But I was damn sure clear on wanting to be in this… thing with her.
It was so compelling for me, I’d done exactly what she said last night and talked to my son. I didn’t think Mehki and I had gotten a full understanding, but I did apologize for coming off so aggressively. Then I took my confused ass to my room where Hayden was dressing into her bikini and changed into my trunks. I did touch her ass. I took her by the hand, traveled through the house to the backyard where we swam and talked for a couple of hours. Once we were done and had gone inside and showered, I had Hayden’s long ass legs in the air as I ate her pussy and fucked her mean ass to sleep. It was my revenge.
My fucking confusion.
“I feel like there’s something you aren’t telling me.”
The soft yet sharp annunciation of her words snapped me out of my head. “Oh, I’m telling you everything you need to know. And to your face. I didn’t want to deliver this to you over the phone or FaceTime .”
Suddenly her eyes squeezed close. “ Shit ,” she whispered. “ Red’s Island . Your resort’s opening is this weekend.” She sighed, frustrated. “How could I forget? Everybody’s talking about it. Hell . Everybody’s going.” Ebonee shook her head. “I’m sorry I can’t be there to support you. I still have meetings to take with the showrunner and producers. And to be honest, I’m just not in the festive headspace. I’m sorry,” she repeated.
It's for the best, Eb …
I took in a deep breath then checked my wrist for the time. “And I’ve got to get back to the airport. Munchie stayed on the jet to work and get some sleep. We were in the air for five hours already. Now another seven to get to Red’s Island .”
“Damn. I don’t know how you do it.”
I stood. “Do what?”
“Always demonstrate integrity even when the world is on fire around you.” Ebonee stood, too, smiling warmly.
I snorted, “I don’t know about all that. But I’m being real when I tell you, I’m not reneging. Is it messy as fuck? Yeah. Would it be a healthy thing to do for the kids? I don’t know.”
A giggle burst through her lips. “Cam Newton has done it.”
I scoffed, walking out of the living room, “Well, now that he’s locked out of his money-making passion, he has more time on his hands to tend to them.”
She followed me toward the door. “And what about Nick Cannon?”
I turned to her, sporting a grin to soften the blow. “Eb, I manage dozens of people for a living. I don’t get off on dividing my dick and ego, trying to manage women and our children.”
She opened the door for me. “Thanks for being a real one, Ish. I’m gonna take some time and think about what I’m going to do. Hopefully, we don’t ruin lives in the process.” She snickered sadly. “I’ll let you know what I decide. I’m low key feeling bad for you about all of this. I feel like you’re alone, trying to save everybody else. You said me having not conceived has been stressful on you, too. Now, you’re going in for one of the biggest weekends of your career. Make sure you give yourself grace, too. Steal away some joy for yourself.” She lay a hand of support on my shoulder.
At that heeding, I immediately thought of the time on the East Coast. Hayden had a hair appointment today right after work. She was stressing about not having the time to get a manicure and pedicure today as well because her spot had no openings. I assured her she’d get quality services at the resort. I had Munchie arrange it last night. And even standing here at Ebonee’s door, all I could think about was having Hayden all to myself tomorrow.
Being in my villa with her and that occupied body all to myself …
I reached down and kissed Ebonee’s forehead. “Thanks for your understanding. Take your time. I’ll check in with you as soon as I can.”
As the tires hit the runway, I exhaled against the roisterous sounds of the rubber meeting the road. My body tensed, but not from fear. I was anxious to see him. It had only been one day, but my excitement had built beyond what I was accustomed to. I was told I’d be landing in a small, private airport. This made sense seeing I was flying in a private jet. It was one from Ishaan’s fleet. I’d never flown private before. This must be what Rayna experienced. Her husband owned his own plane. Then I wondered if Sundryia had ever flown private. Maaz didn’t have an aircraft.
Either way, this was an experience I’d never forget. It made me feel excited for the week ahead. Funny thing was, I’d never been away with a man before. Well, that was unless I counted my trip with my ex, Raymond, to his grandfather’s funeral in Virginia Beach. We didn’t even hit the beach.
As the plane slowed, I realized I’d missed Ishaan. Sleeping in his bed, resting on his scented pillows, comforter, and sheets, and existing in his most private place made me crave his gargantuan energy. Dr. Patterson had been hospitable, making sure I had someone to eat dinner with last night.
Mehki was out at the mall, preparing for this weekend as well. He’d flown in with former professional basketball player turned coach, Stenton Rogers , and his family. Apparently, they lived nearby, and Ishaan and Mehki had a close relationship with them. Stenton’s son, who’d basically been a celebrity since birth, was a year younger than Mehki and the two were good friends. That shit had been blowing my mind.
I deboarded and was met by the captains and flight attendant. They were so professional and polite, wishing me a wonderful stay on Red’s Island . Disappointment hit when I didn’t see Ishaan. He mentioned he’d try to meet me here. Instead, the jet staff transferred me into the care of a transportation person who walked me through customs, a quick and easy process. Must be nice to have money . Otherwise, I would have been waiting in a long ass line forever with my luggage and impatient travelers.
After a thirty-minute drive, we were at the gates of one Sun-Bronzed Maroon Resort & Casino . The driver handed over paperwork to one of the guards at the booth. As he went inside with it, I glanced around and found even more guards. Some of their guns weren’t concealed. Shit . Glancing away, I wondered if Ishaan, as the COO, sanctioned this.
As we drove onto the property, I could see big buildings towering in front of the ocean intermittently, some tall and others short. Then I saw nothing but water and tropical trees for about ten minutes until the view opened to the calm, bluish-green ocean again. Then villas appeared. They were…plushly contemporary. Architecturally-forward white marble and granite structures over concrete on the damn beach. Was this normal? The stoney structure rested on concrete planted in the white sand. The view was unbelievably breathtaking.
“We’ve arrived at your new home, Ms. Washington!” the driver announced enthusiastically in his rich accent.
“Thanks,” I returned slightly embarrassed by the greeting. I tried to hand him a ten-dollar bill.
“Oh, no, Ms. Washington. All gratuities have been taken care of. Please.” He motioned. “Let me get the door for you.” He left the front seat and appeared at my door.
Outside the car was a woman waiting with what appeared to be a golf cart of sorts. When I stepped out, she approached me with a big smile.
“Ms. Washington, welcome home! My name is Daphne. Mr. Patterson asked me to get you settled in today.” Her Caribbean accent was just as thick as the driver’s.
“Thanks, Daphne,” I returned. “Is he not here?” I glanced around. As beautiful as the structure was, I couldn’t tell if it was one unit or a collection of them from this vantage point.
“He is not. Unfortunately, he was called into an emergency meeting regarding tonight’s event. But he’ll be along as soon as he can.” She pointed to her cart where the driver was loading my luggage, which included my enclosed body pillow. “If you get inside, I’ll take you to your villa.”
Masking my disappointment, I smiled. “Okay.”
I did as she instructed. And when the back of the cart was loaded, Daphne pulled off. We drove a few feet down to the villa on a broad walkway. Finally, we made a stop at what appeared to be the side of the villa. Daphne and I left the cart and approached the door.
“I will let us in, but this is your official key to your home, Ms. Washington.”
I muttered, “Okay,” as she let us in.
And— holy shit …
The back of the villa was enclosed by stone, but the front and one side were all glass, welcoming in the generous sun. We entered through the living room with hardwood floors and a large area rug. The white leather furniture brightened the room along with the floor-to-ceiling windows and attractive art pieces on the walls and tables.
“I’ll bring in your luggage and take it into the primary room upstairs, huhn?” I turned to Daphne to express it wasn’t necessary, but she’d already taken off.
That would’ve been useless anyway. I was sure she would have protested, considering my expectant state. My attention went to the dining room on the other side of the villa. I couldn’t see the entire space from where I stood but was able to make out a part of the table and some chairs. The kitchen was partially enclosed, so I couldn’t see too much of it either.
“Here we go.” Daphne was back. “Let’s take this upstairs, shall we? You can follow me.” Behind her, carrying two of my small suitcases and managing my body pillow, I trekked up the stairs. “There are two bedrooms downstairs and two up here, though the second is rather small.” She turned into a room and chirped, “Oh, look! You have another curly pillow awaiting you.” A giggle squeezed from her lungs.
The room was…large. The vaulted ceiling, half floor-to-ceiling windows with a patio attached…it all gave exclusive luxury. And as she’d observed, there was a body pillow on the bed. On the sofa were worn clothing, I assumed belonging to Ishaan. There was an opened laptop and papers on the coffee table over there, too. He’d been here. This was Ishaan’s villa.
Without Ishaan.
“So,” Daphne began as she ambled over to me from where she’d left my luggage. “I was told there are snacks awaiting you down in the kitchen, but I’d like to show you how to order room service for something more robust. The cooks here are top notch, you know. Also, you have a manicure and pedicure scheduled here this afternoon. They’re waiting for you to tell them the time. I’ll show you how to contact them as well.”
I mumbled over an unexpected yawn, “Okay.”
She pulled out a cellphone. “This is for you. Mr. Patterson’s numbers are programmed in there as well as transportation, food services, and the spa. I’m in there, too, in case you need anything for the duration of your stay.” She handed it over to me. “Do you have any questions or requests of me?”
“No thanks, Daphne. The first thing in order is finding those snacks downstairs then a much-needed nap.” I motioned for her to lead us out of the room.
“Do you know how to operate an iPhone , Ms. Washington?” She began out of the door. “Or are you an Android subscriber?”
“ Apple girlie over here.” I chuckled, tossing the phone onto the bed then followed her.
Ahead of me, Daphne did the same.
“I can’t believe you were right next door.” I peered down at my toes as they were being painted a cute shade of pink.
Next to me, in a chair, having her nails painted pink, too, Rayna was scrolling on her phone. “Yeah. I was waiting on you. I told Ishaan I would.” Then she laughed. “And when you didn’t answer the phone, I got confused. I couldn’t get a hold of Ishaan either. I tried not to bother Azmir. I know they’re both busy with this kickoff, but I had to have him reach out to Ishaan.”
He'd tried calling me, too, to no avail. After Daphne left, I found the “snacks” prepared for me. Included were crackers, banana peppers, plain Lay’s chips, and a bottle of an off-brand pepper sauce. The pepper sauce was too hot but a thoughtful substitute for hot sauce. The fresh, delicious fruits and veggies made up for it. Once I ate to my satisfaction, I dragged my exhausted body into the living room to just sit down and catch my breath. The next thing I knew, I was waking up, stretched out on the sofa with a full damn bladder. I found a half bathroom on the first level. As I washed my hands and glanced down to see the gap between my old nail polish and my cuticles, panic hit me, and I rushed upstairs for the phone.
I checked both mine and the one Daphne left me with. There was a slew of missed calls from Rayna, Letisha, Sundryia, Dr. Patterson, Tamara from work, and the plumber working on the basement of my home. I also had a couple of texts from Ishaan.
“I guess I was so excited on the plane, I couldn’t rest.”
“Excited? Girl, I’m excited. I’ll be out here, kid-free for a few days with just my man!” She pumped a fist into the air. “And I plan to do it up. I’m so excited, I’m getting pink toes and nails for Nicky, the rapper.” She rolled her eyes.
I snickered at that. “I like Nicky.”
“Keep liking her.”
“She’s misunderstood but crazy talented.”
“Chyna loves her. She did some promo work with her a few years ago.” She rolled her eyes again. “Forget Nicky—until her show tonight. Tomorrow’s Brielle’s show. Now, that , I’m looking forward to. When’s Sundryia arriving?”
“They’re here.” I yawned, nestling into the chair. I was still a little tired. “Isam didn’t do too well on the flight. She’s been tending to him since they landed. She’ll be at the show tonight.”
“Oh, she brought the twins!” I nodded. “Who did she bring to stay with them?”
“Maaz’s mother, Cheryl, and their housekeeper. His dad and cousins came, too.”
“Oh, good! So, she and Maaz can come hang out with us over here.”
“Speaking of that…” I turned to her. “…these units look like a separate resort. Is this normal?”
It did. Once I spoke to Rayna over the phone and she explained her unit was next to mine, I went outside and saw the beautiful giant, maze-like pool, which was like the backyard. It roped around the units, giving the appearance of a contemporary village. Rayna walked over to my unit, but she could have very much swam as well. In the center of the pool and overall structure was a large cabana. The place was breathtaking, all with ocean views.
“It was Ishaan’s vision.”
My brows met. “Really?”
Rayna nodded. “I was told by Azmir’s assistant how Azmir had the vision of a Caribbean family resort. So, naturally, he took it to his ‘make it happen’ man, the COO, and the one who could explore the financial viability of it all, the CFO. Ishaan wasn’t with it.”
“Why?”
“I heard he told Azmir going outside of the U.S. meant losing laws and connections Ishaan was conversant with. He knows local government and community folk. Ishaan said doing this would be taking on uncharted territories and their—” she mouthed, “—gangs.” When my brows shot up, Rayna nodded. “So, no. Ishaan wasn’t with it. Azmir told me in a separate conversation he wouldn’t take no for an answer and would have to entice his partner. So…” She shrugged, attention going to her phone. I waited for her to finish.
“So?”
“So, Azmir discovered the real estate here and offered Ishaan space to build a vacation home. The vacation home ADJ Enterprise would expense, along with the resort. Ishaan told him it wouldn’t be cheap: a vacation home is customized. Or something like that. You know… It’s built with specificities of the owner. Something they’d look forward to coming to. Azmir gave him the green light to plan. Mind you, the primary resort was already here. It was just outdated. Where we are now, was nothing but sand.”
“So, this was built from the ground up?”
“Yup. They built a few additions over at the resort, but the structure was already there, just unoccupied. Ishaan found a few designers and architects and paid them to draw up plans. He chose this design and got builders on it right away. When Azmir brought me here for the first time, I was friggin’ blown away! I remember telling Sundryia you two would love it here. Now, look at us.”
The Jacobs’ had a larger unit to accommodate their family.
“So, the third unit is for the CFO?”
Rayna shrugged. “I assumed, but it’s still vacant, so I don’t know.”
I peered out of the window, seeing the glass balconies and beautiful tropical trees. The oak wood connecting the units blended so well with the white stone. Aesthetically, this place was better than any resort I’d ever stayed.
“You hungry?” Rayna asked. “The cooks are top tier. The food comes from one of the kitchens at the main resort, but we’re prioritized. We can also order from the smaller and more exclusive restaurants.”
“Yeah. It’s about time for me to eat. I was going to see what Ishaan wanted to do.” Because I’ve been here for hours and haven’t seen his controlling ass! “That man all but twisted my arm to get me down here and I haven’t seen him yet.”
“Azmir has been gone since this morning, too. There was an issue with the stage where Nicky will be performing. One of the kitchens—I think in the French restaurant—caught fire. And a pipe burst in one of the zoo exhibits, I heard. So much stuff on opening weekend.”
“Damn. I see. Sounds like Ishaan has been running hard. I guess that’s what he gets paid to do.”
“Yeah, but I get the impression this is extreme. Azmir has been with him. I know Ishaan’s hired competent people to run the different departments and facets of this place, but…”
“It’s opening weekend.”
“Yup. The hard opening. But I get supporting good team members. Girl, my office receptionist, Sharon, told me yesterday she’s going to put in for retirement next month.” She shook her head and blinked hard. “I’m sick to my stomach.”
“Good worker, huhn?”
“The best. She helped to ease me into a leadership role when the partners threw me off the cliff, assuming I’d crash out. We’re like family—well…” She pumped a palm into the air. “…as professional as family can get. I love that woman.”
“I get it. I have a few in my office I wouldn’t want to live without myself.”
“You sound off. Are you still tired?”
“Exhausted, girl.” I rubbed my eye in a way to not disturb my lashes. I was able to get an appointment yesterday. “But I’ll live.” I just want to see a certain Latin King look-a-like, and I’ll be totally fine. The desire felt childish. “It’s the conversation I had with the contractor while waiting on you to come over. Apparently, the water is mostly up thanks to the plumber, but the damage is sizeable.”
“How sizeable?”
“I told you. We’re talking over ten grand out of pocket for the clear out and restoration. I didn’t have the insurance coverage for this type of disaster. Didn’t even know it existed and I had to opt in for it. I know now.”
“Sheesh. You need a loan?”
I shook my head so fast, it was rude. “No. I’ll figure it out.”
“Okay. Let me know if you change your mind,” she offered less spiritedly.
“So, which restaurant do you suggest I try out first?” I smiled broadly. “I’ve got a surprise for yooooou ,” I sang cheerily.
“For me?”
I nodded and tossed her a wink. “I have to say thanks for letting me stay at your place in my time of need.”
“Oh, no, Hayden,” she whined. “That is completely unnecessary.”
“It’s also BVLGARI .” I waggled my brows.
“Okay! On second thought…”