Rum Punch Regrets (20 page)

“She’s coming today?” Ben was clearly surprised.

Abby nodded. “Yep.” She was lost in thought. Suddenly, like a slap in the face, the true purpose of her trip dawned on her. “Ben, I think she wanted me to come here so I would find out about all of this. Leigh was sick of keeping the secret for Dad. She wanted us to meet and figure this out so it would all come out.”

Ben was confused. “What makes you think this now?”

“Listen.” Abby was in her serious Nancy Drew mode and speaking a mile a minute. “I wondered why she wanted me to come down here and help with the house, well what I thought was a house. But really, who turns down a chance to go to the Caribbean? I mean, she mentioned something about it being international and people here were on island time, so I figured it was more of her being a control freak. Then I get here, and I find out it’s a business, so I’m thinking if this is a business, why should I be here? Knowing Leigh, I figured she had some grand scheme for me and that I just needed to go along and not kick up my heels for once. Then we find out we’re related. Maria gives me a little lecture about how people do things sometimes so they will be found out.” Abby was actually impressed with Leigh at this moment. “It was never about the sale of the inn. That was the excuse . . . Leigh saw the chance to get me here so I’d ‘discover’ her secret.” Abby was nodding, understanding Leigh’s motive to get her down to the Caribbean now. “Good show, Leigh. Good show.”

Ben was soaking it all in. “She sent you here on purpose?”

Abby clapped her hands together. “Exactly! She made it so I had to meet you.”

Andrew piped in. “Let me get this straight. Your sister kind of spearheaded this crazy plan to get you here so that all of the truth would come out? That’s what you think?”

Abby was nodding excitedly. “It makes sense.” She turned to Ben so she could address him directly. “Daryl left her, when she told him everything, to think about their marriage. She’s coming here to clean up our dad’s mess. Ben,” Abby went over to her brother and took his hand, “you get to be a part of a real-life, completely dysfunctional yet still operating family right now. I was going to say you should stay here, but I think you guys should pack it up and come back, too. Not right away, but think about it.”

Ben wasn’t able to meet Abby’s gaze. From behind him, they heard a moan and the rustling of sheets as Tracey drunkenly rolled over.

When Ben did look up, he was smiling and it looked like he was fighting back tears. Abby’s instinct was to tease him, but she pretended not to see them. “I’ll come back later, after Tracey gets up.” He grabbed Abby and hugged her, tightly. “You’re right. This is family. I like having a crazy family. It’s so weird.”

She gave him a last squeeze. “Perfect. I’m going to go check out and grab my things. If you don’t mind, can you drive me to the ferry?”

“And me. I should go back now, too.” Andrew had spoken up suddenly, causing Ben to look at him with interest.

“You want to go back now, too? I thought you wanted to go get pictures of Princess Di’s vacation home for your mum?”

Andrew cleared his throat. “Another time. I actually have a message from work to get a hold of my boss.” Andrew reached out to squeeze Abby’s hand. “And, Abby may need moral support.”

Ben wasn’t buying it. “I’d believe your work phone call a bit more if I hadn’t seen two people making out on the beach by the hammock last night. You wouldn’t know who that was, would you?” He looked, with playful accusation, at both Abby and Andrew.

“I know who it was. It was Abby and Andy. Ha ha HA! Andy. Not Andrew. Andy. I like that. I’m still funny.” Tracey had spoken, but it was drunken sleepy mumble. No sooner had she said it then she was passed out again.

Abby feigned a surprised look and pointed at Ben. “We’ll deal with all of this later, okay? Right now I’m getting ready to go. If there are any South Africans in the room who want to come with me, then please do.” She turned to Andrew. “The more the merrier.” With that, she slapped
his
bum and skipped out the door, and all the way back to the cottage.

#

The ride back on the ferry was proving to be different than the ride over to Nevis. Abby was pressed against the rail, watching the island fade away as the boat sliced through the crystal blue waters of the Caribbean. Andrew was behind her, with his arms wrapped around her waist, kissing her neck and enjoying the view. He was trying to sneak his hands up the front of her shirt when Abby’s body shook with excitement.

“I need my cell phone!” Abby was patting her pockets and looking in her bag to see if she had thrown it in her purse.

Andrew, amused at her sudden shift of attention, tried to help. “Weren’t you texting with it in the car?”

“I was…” Abby dropped to her knees and began tearing all of the items out of her purse, shoving them into Andrew’s vacant arms to hold. “Why do I carry a bag this big when I don’t need anything in it but my phone, some money and sunblock?”

Andrew was still grinning as he watched Abby check all of her pockets one more time, then she dove back to the purse one more time. It was on the second inspection of her purse that she realized the fabric in her bag was torn, so the phone had slid behind the lining and was trapped between the purse and it’s liner. Abby pumped a fist in the air, while the other hand was busy with fingers reaching and searching for their prey. As she firmly grasped the cellphone in her grip, she knew there was one more thing she needed to do in order to help make things right in her family’s world.

Andrew sat down next to her, and wrapped his arm around he as she was dialing the digits. She could feel her energy growing more and more nervous, almost agitated. She wasn’t sure how this call would go over. She did know, as she reached out for Andrew’s hand, that she was glad he was there with her as she did this.

On the other end of the line, there was a click and a familiar voice said, “Hello.” It was a masculine and deep voice, and like a breath of sane, fresh air.

Abby smiled, not only for Andrew, but also for the voice on the other end.

“Hello, Daryl? It’s Abby. We need to talk . . . ”

CHAPTER TWELVE

“Ziggy, have you seen Captain Cutty lately?”

Ziggy was prompt in picking up Abby and Andrew at the port to hustle them back to La Cantina. Abby was perched in the front seat of Ziggy’s cab with her hair flying wildly since the windows were down. She knew she looked a mess, but didn’t care. She’d made out with a hot boy and was on her way to get ready for Leigh, thus finally getting some answers. She felt things were right in the world.

Andrew hooted from the back seat. “How is that old dog?”

“Cap’n Joe be askin’ bout you, Andrew. You go see him or he may kick dat ass.” Ziggy wagged his finger at Andrew in the rearview mirror.

“Zig, why don’t you take Andrew to say hi, but drop me at the house. I need to confer with Maria and figure out the air conditioning situation before Leigh gets in.”

Andrew’s head tilted quizzically.

“You sure?”

Abby turned and smiled at the handsome man in the backseat. “Yes. Go have fun.”

Abby leaned into the back to kiss Andrew, then turned her attention back to Ziggy.

“Ziggy, you gave Cutty his winnings, right? From the casino?”

Ziggy’s head bobbed up and down. “Yeah, mon. He spent it already.”

Abby shook her head. “Of course he did.”

“Who won money at the casino?” Andrew piped up.

Ziggy was beaming with pride. “Abby won money for her and Cutty. She took $700!” He looked sideways at Abby. “What you spend it on, girl?”

Abby returned the sideways look. “The hotel on Nevis and a few of Ben’s bills.” She was blushing. Not just for her good deed but also from the faded memory of J. D. and their shared flirtations that had led up to the night at the casino. It seemed the memory of their shared steamy kiss was once again finding its way into her daydreams. As if reading her thoughts, Andrew began to stroke Abby’s hair and massage her shoulders from the backseat, bringing her almost guiltily back to the present.

“You good girl, raised right.” Ziggy’s head bobbed up and down with happy approval. His eyes were smiling as he looked in the rearview at Andrew. “She already know how to take care of her brother.”

They came to a sliding stop at the end of the driveway leading to La Cantina.

“Have fun, guys.” Abby smiled at them both, knowing they would. “See you soon?” Abby tried to casually toss the last part to Andrew, in a devil-may-care fashion, but the tone of her voice gave her away.

“Sooner than you think,” he replied as he jumped out of the car, stealing a kiss as he stole her seat.

The cab pulled out in a haze of dust and sand as Abby made her way to the main house. She bolted inside, finding Maria in the front room struggling with a not-so-understanding guest.

“Seriously, the heat is, like, 200 degrees in our room! This is ridiculous, come to the Caribbean and not have any air conditioning. How can you run an establishment that -- ”

“Hello! Hi there, maybe I can help?” Abby came to a halt in front of an exasperated Maria and the angry guest. “I’m Abby, my family owns this establishment. First of all, thank you for joining us here -- ” she motioned to herself and Maria -- “but please understand that we are not ‘limin’,’ just trying to get some workers out here to help us help you have a great vacation.”

This seemed to momentarily appease the guest, so Abby went on.

“I tell you what, while we are getting repairmen here to alleviate this issue, how about I call the Royal Palms Casino and arrange for a lovely lunch, poolside, for you and . . . ?”

“Her husband, Brett. This is Mrs. Liz Docksteader,” Maria helped, smiling now and nodding her head with Abby.

“ . . . for you and Brett. Would that be all right?” Abby smiled widely at this woman, willing her to give them another chance.

And it worked. “Okay.” Liz smiled back at Abby. “It’s just so hot . . . ”

“I know, trust me. When I first got here I had my adjustments to make as well.” Abby grabbed the phone off the main desk. “Tell you what, go get your husband, we’ll arrange a way over and I’m going to call them right now and set it all up, okay?”

Maria escorted a grateful Liz back out to the main foyer as Abby disappeared into the kitchen.

#

In record time, Abby had gotten Buddy and his brother Rush out to the inn to work on the air conditioning unit. Promising to pay them a bonus if they could get it going before Leigh landed, Abby had stood on the ladder watching them work, intermittently handing them tools or grabbing needed items from the truck for the two men as they toiled away at the old unit on the roof.

“I’ve seen more of this roof since I’ve been here than I ever thought I would. Ever. I see why people don’t want to run things like bed-and-breakfasts. Or be a landlord.”

“Girl, it’s just a broken air conditioner. And lucky for you, it’s just a dirty coil. Rush already got it almost cleaned up -- then we go.”

Abby breathed out a heavy sigh of relief and lowered her forehead to the top rung of the ladder. “If I had known saying yes to coming here would mean all of this . . . ”

“What, responsibility?” Maria’s head had popped up from the newly inlaid skylight in the master bathroom. “Look at this, Abby! We have a skylight and the ceiling work in here is better than it’s looked in ages.”

Abby giggled. “Who knew Ziggy poking a hole through the roof would mean a new skylight? And at a fraction of the cost of replacing this part of the roof.” She leaned over to pat Buddy’s back. “Thank you again for making all of these repairs so darned quick!”

Maria had disappeared back into the house, but her head reappeared. “Looks good, girl. Although after seeing where you did all of the touch-ups through the house, I really think the whole second floor could use a fresh coat of paint.”

Abby smiled at her friend. “You’re right. I’ll get some samples for Leigh to see. Maybe I’ll have time to paint a few of the guest rooms before the sale goes through.”

Maria was peering intently at Abby. “Or maybe there could just not be a sale.” She nodded in Buddy’s direction. “You know, that man has never come out here so fast as he did for you today. His wife even said it.”

Buddy was grinning at Abby. “I like you. You work with us, not like some of the folks that have places here.”

Abby smiled sadly at the sweet older man. “I think your handyman skills are the best, Buddy. I’m glad Maria knew you. You’ve saved my ass on not one but three occasions with this place.”

“You know, the guy Jack that checked in here?” Maria’s eyes were dark. “He’s the man from London that wants to make the offer and he told Rush the other night he might tear it down to make condos here.”

“What?” Abby was stunned. “No.”

“It’s true.” Rush was bobbing his head at Abby. “Dis guy be at de bar talkin’ da other night. Said he was here because he heard de inn was for sale. He wants to buy it and tear it down. He just bought Ricky’s, too. Not sure what he gon’ do wit’ it.”

“Ricky’s? I didn’t even know it was for sale.” Abby felt as if her heart had been punched. “No. That can’t happen. He can’t tear down La Cantina.”

“It’s for sale, Abby. What can you do about it?” Abby could tell by Maria’s inflection that she was trying to disguise her own sadness.

“I don’t get it. Tearing it down seems so . . . irrational.” Abby turned her attention back to Rush. “So this man, this Jack, what do you know about him?”

Rush shrugged his shoulders. “He been here touring St. Kitts and looking at Nevis. Stayin’ at de Royal Palms, Ricky’s. He buys property on islands and makes it ready for tourists.”

Abby knew it was logical -- the inn was up for sale, so therefore it would be sold. But now that she had a personal stake here, she wasn’t so sure it should be demolished
. It’s like my own romantic notion that if this place disappears, so does what little memory I have left of my father,
she thought sadly.
And what about Maria and Ziggy? Where would they go?

Abby’s heart was heavy. Now that she knew she had one-third of the say in the property, she felt that she owed a little more respect to La Cantina than serving it up as a sacrificial offering to the property gods. She opened her mouth to speak, but Buddy beat her to it.

“Well, ladies. Our job here be done. Go turn de air on inside and see for yourself.” He nodded Abby’s way. “If dey don’t tear de place down, it be needin’ a new unit sooner rather den later.”

Abby nodded, watching the men gather their tools. She and Maria shared a quiet, secret smile across the roof with each other. “Okay, Buddy. . . . Thanks, guys.”

She slowly made her way back down the ladder. She felt woozy and overwhelmed from this newest development and wanted to get her shaken body back onto terra firma.

#

The sun was still high in the cloudless Caribbean sky when Ziggy’s cab pulled into the driveway at the inn. Leigh’s flight had landed, and she was exiting the vehicle in her usual sweeping fashion, on her iPhone giving instructions to whomever the poor schmuck was on the other end. Abby was at the front door to greet her and could tell that Leigh was already agitated by the brusque tone of her voice.

“Well, I made it, and the inn is still standing. Thank goodness for small miracles,” Leigh announced tersely as she was hanging up her call.

“I wouldn’t think you’d have sent me here unless you wanted the place to be intact.” Abby’s reply was more deflective than defensive.

Leigh’s face was tired, and her eyes had dark circles under them.

“Let’s get you inside so you can relax.” Abby wanted to get her comfortable so they could get into details about Ben, their dad and other various items of discussion. She also knew that with Leigh, you had to play your cards right. Don’t push nor pressure. Guide her into revealing her information so she feels like she has power. It was a game they played.

“You always know just what I need. Always the assistant, aren’t you?” Leigh smiled at her sister as she was surveying the property, but Abby felt like she had just swatted her in the face. It was a familiar feeling, like thousands of bees stinging her at once all over her body. “Let’s get in so I can say my hellos.”

Abby stood to the side, feeling like a small child, allowing Leigh to enter first. Leigh was making a beeline to the kitchen so she could see Maria. What Leigh didn’t expect was to see the group that had gathered in there waiting for her to arrive.

Maria was, as usual, bustling around, barking orders. Ben and Andrew had been given duties by Maria, and they were already prepping items she needed. Leigh stood for a minute, taken off guard, but quickly composed herself.

“I see everyone has a job in here. Maybe someone could tell me what I need to do?”

Maria turned to greet her longtime friend and employer. “There’s my girl. Come give me some love!”

The two women embraced, hugging and laughing. When Leigh pulled away, the tears were quietly pouring down her tired cheeks. Andrew noticed and made a sign to Abby that he was going to go to the pool house, giving the group their privacy. He managed to sneak out, undetected by the distracted Leigh.

“Why are you crying, girl? Everything is good.”

Leigh wiped away her tears with a paper towel Abby handed her. “Thank you, Maria. I know. It’s just -- ” she turned and looked at Ben -- “oh, Ben. I’m so sorry. I should have told you about this a long time ago. And I didn’t. I wanted to do the right thing.”

Ben put down the knife he had been holding to chop vegetables and walked over to Leigh. “I’m not angry. Confused, but not angry.”

Leigh turned and looked at Abby. “You didn’t talk to him after our phone call?”

Abby shook her head. “No. That’s for you to talk to him about.”

Leigh nodded, then motioned to Ben to sit down. As she repeated the story about their father’s dying wishes to Ben, Maria gathered drinks for everyone, whispering to Abby that “this could be a four-bottle night” as she opened the first bottle of wine.

When Leigh was done, Ben sat still. He didn’t move.

Leigh was holding her breath, looking at Abby for moral support. Abby just looked at her sister blankly. After a few minutes of silence, Ben finally spoke.

“Thank you.” It was simple. It was kind. It was grateful. “You were asked to do something, and you obliged. I don’t know how I would have handled the situation had it been me. You did what you thought was best. Thank you. You made sure I had a home here and school funding.”

It was Leigh’s turn for gratitude. “I should be thanking you, Ben. This has been the heaviest burden to carry. Hell, I’ve told so many white lies over the years, I forget what’s true and what isn’t.”

“Did you send me here on purpose, Leigh?” Abby wanted to appease her own need to know. “I think you hoped Ben and I would somehow figure out that we were related. Am I crazy? Is that why you set this up?”

Leigh looked at her little sis with admiration. “Busted. I told Dad I wouldn’t tell, but we never talked about what would happen if the truth ‘accidentally’ came out.” She sighed heavily. “Now, my marriage is in trouble, all because I withheld the truth from my husband. The one person I should have kept in the loop and didn’t.” She looked at Abby and Ben, adding, “Not that you didn’t need to be in the loop, but he’s my husband. I have to face it. I kinda screwed this one up.”

Abby watched Leigh take a long drink of her wine. It turned into a gulp as she tried to numb her issues. “Ben’s mother doesn’t know yet.”

“What she means is that my mum doesn’t know that I know the truth,” Ben interjected. “I wanted to wait to tell her after we spoke.”

Leigh understood. “Of course.” She gestured toward the office door. “If you want to use the main line here to call her at home, you can. I think she may be as relieved as I am now that it’s all out.”

Ben nodded, still a little shell-shocked, and headed out the door of the kitchen to use the phone. He quickly changed his mind and walked back over to Leigh.

“I know this may be odd, but . . . ” And with that, Ben hugged his newfound sister. Leigh was ecstatic.

“I’m sorry, Ben. I really am.”

“Don’t be. You had to do it.” He cleared his throat and looked around the kitchen. “I’m going to go call her.” He smiled at Leigh. “Then we can all move on.”