Three the Hard Way: A Play in Two Acts (6 page)

"If I knew, I would tell you, but the boss kept this one close to his chest," Kevon lied. He knew exactly where they were going and why they were going there. "I am simply enjoying being back here in me native country and not having to drive," he said and leaned back in his seat.

It wasn’t too much longer after that when we stopped at a house with an electronic gate. "Who lives here?" CeCe asked.

"When they ask, tell them that you are here to see Mr. Lightbourn," I told the driver, ignoring CeCe’s question. The driver did so when the intercom came on. The gate opened and the driver entered the property and approached the beautiful house. As we got closer they saw a man standing out in front.

"Mr. Black," the man said as I got outta the car.

"Mr. Lightbourn," I answered and shook his hand.

"I’m glad you could make it. Everything is all arranged as you requested." I turned to Kevon and he told the driver to leave.

"Mr. Lightbourn, I’d like you to meet Ms. Cameisha Collins and my associate, Kevon Bailey."

"It is a pleasure to meet you both. Come, let us get out of this heat," Mr. Lightbourn said. Me and CeCe followed him into the house. Naturally, Kevon remained outside and tried to find a shady spot.

"Welcome to the Yellow Rose," Mr. Lightbourn began. "Modern grandeur amid the tropical splendors of Lyford Cay."

"This is beautiful," CeCe said as she walked around the elaborately furnished house with her eyes wide open.

"You like it?" I asked.

"Yes," CeCe said as we followed Mr. Lightbourn around the house.

"And it’s no wonder that you do my dear. This impressive modern masterpiece was designed by a noted Bahamian architect and offers luxury and comfort in a tropical setting. It has 10,426 square feet of living space on more than a half acre of land. An awe-inspiring great room embraces dining and television areas and a two-story living space."

We followed Mr. Lightbourn through the great room to the back door. He opened the door and stepped outside. "It is uniquely positioned with 152 feet on the canal and a wide-open view." There was a small yacht anchored at the dock and a man standing on deck. He gave a friendly wave, and then returned to his duties on the ship.

"Do you like the view from here?" I asked CeCe.

"It is absolutely breathtaking. I could really learn to love living like this," CeCe said and went back inside the house. Mr. Lightbourn continued to show her around.

Mr. Lightbourn led us upstairs and leaned over the rail that overlooked the great room. "The main house consists of four bedrooms with in-suite bathrooms, plus a one-bedroom one-bathroom apartment on the grounds." Once we had seen each bedroom he led us into the master suite.

"It truly presents a treasure trove of the finest marble from Greece, Spain, and Portugal; custom interior doors and door frames of cypress wood; crystal dining room sconces and a chandelier custom-made in Austria. Etched-glass panels, marble treads, and stainless steel balustrades transform the grand staircase into an elegant work of modern sculpture," Mr. Lightbourn told CeCe and led us back downstairs. "The enclosed grounds sequester a 25-meter lap pool with cabana and sauna. A private dock extends into the water and can accommodate up to a 120-foot yacht in the deep water canal." Mr. Lightbourn turned to me. "Well, Mr. Black, what do you think?"

"Are you thinking about buying this?" CeCe asked.

"I am if you like it."

"Me?"

"If you don’t like it, we can look at some other places," I said and put my arm around her.

"I love it."

"I do too," I said and turned to Mr. Lightbourn. "So what are you asking for this?"

"The asking price is ten million, nine hundred thousand dollars."

"Nine, cash."

"I think we can make that happen," Mr. Lightbourn said with a big smile on his face. We shook hands on the deal.

I handed Mr. Lightbourn a card. "Call this number tomorrow and speak with Wanda Moore. She’ll put you in touch with April Dancer. She’ll workout the details with you."

"I’ll do that tomorrow, first thing," Mr. Lightbourn said. "I want to thank you both for coming out. It has been a real pleasure doing business with you."

"No problem," I said and followed Mr. Lightbourn outta the house to his car. We shook hands again and he drove off.

CeCe turned to me. "Did you really buy this for us?"

"I told you, I like it down here, and I wanted a place for us to come to. And with us making a move on this island, I’ll probably be down here more often."

"Don’t you already have a place in Freeport?"

"Yeah, but there are too many memories there that I don’t want to deal with."

"Memories of your wife?"

"Some good, some bad, but yes, that house holds too many memories of her."

"This house is so beautiful. I can’t wait to come back." CeCe kissed me. "This means a lot, you know; it makes me feel like you really do want me to be a part of your life and that makes me happy."

"Well, I’m glad you’re happy. Glad I could do something to make you smile. You been frowned-up most of the time since we got here; and you have such a pretty smile."

CeCe laughed. "You show me a woman who doesn’t smile when her man drops nine million in cash on a house for her, and I’ll show you a fool. But there’s just one thing."

"What’s that?"

"How are we getting back to the hotel? I hope we don’t have to wait out here in this hot sun for our driver to come back?"

"No. Come on," I said and took CeCe by the hand and led her around the property to the dock. "Kevon!" I yelled as I got close to the yacht anchored in the canal.

Kevon came up from below with the ships’ captain not far behind. "Everything is ready for you, boss," Kevon said.

"Excellent." I turned to the captain. "Permission to come aboard?"

"Permission is granted, sir," he said and helped CeCe get on board the yacht.

"Don’t tell me that you bought this, too?" CeCe asked as she took a seat on deck.

"No," I laughed. "I just rented it for the trip back to the hotel."

On the cruise back to Atlantis, we ate shrimp cocktail and caviar and sipped champagne to celebrate our purchase. CeCe felt like a queen. She looked at her king and allowed herself for the first time to think about a long and happy future with me.

Chapter Six

CeCe got up early that next morning, got dressed and left me sleeping in our suite. She went down to the lobby and talked to the hotel concierge who referred her to the hotel’s Tour & Excursion Centers. She wasn’t really all that interested in taking a tour or booking one of the many excursion packages that they had to offer, and she knew I wouldn’t be interested either. But what she did come away with was a list of things that she wouldn’t mind seeing while she was on the island. Her only hope was that I would want to see them, too.

After we took Jamaica to the airport, CeCe waited until I asked her what she wanted to do before unveiling her list.

"I was wondering where you had disappeared to so early this morning. Now I know."

"So, now that you know, what do you think?"

I sat quietly for a minute and looked at CeCe. This was the part about letting go that I’d thought about: Trying to have fun with CeCe and not think so much about Cassandra. "Why not; if this is how you want to spend our day, I’m all for it," I said and CeCe threw her arms around me.

"I was worried that you would say no."

"Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, you’re not talking about taking some kind of tour with a bunch of other people, are you?"

"No, because I knew you would say no to that. It will just be the two of us, and Kevon of course; unless you want to give him the day off," CeCe hoped. Even though she had gotten used to Kevon’s constant presence in our lives, she still didn’t like the idea that we were never alone.

"I will be so much like a ghost, you’ll never even notice me," Kevon said from the front seat.

"I’ll make you a deal. Kevon goes with us, but he stays with the car. With the moves we’ve already made and the ones we’re going to make, I think having him close by is a good idea."

"Deal," CeCe said and eased closer to me. I put my arm around her.

"What do you wanna see first?"

CeCe handed her list to the driver who looked it over as he drove. "Yes, ma’am, I am very familiar with all these places. And if you like, since I once made me living as a tour guide, I would be happy to tell you a little about them."

"That would be nice," CeCe said.

"Since we are close to downtown we will start at Parliament Square, which is the traditional center for government in the Bahamas."

When we arrived at Parliament Square, the driver told us, "The pastel-hued buildings are good examples of colonial architecture from the early 1800s. Clustered around a marble statue of Queen Victoria are the Supreme Court, House of Assembly and Chambers of Parliament. Since you are not a part of a tour, I doubt if you will be permitted to go inside."

"That’s fine," I said and got outta the car.

"You’re right. I just wanna see it," CeCe said. "Not take the tour of the buildings."

"Very well. Once you take a look around, our next spot will be Government House."

When we got back to the car, the driver began telling us about the Government House. "Overlooking Nassau from its elevated position, this has been the official residence of the Governor General of the Bahamas since 1801. The architecture of the impressive pink-and-white mansion blends island and American colonial influences, and the size and location testify to the power and esteem granted to the personal representative of the queen."

We got out of the car and wandered around the grounds and stopped in front of a twelve-foot statue of Christopher Columbus honoring the explorer’s Bahamian landfall in 1492.

After leaving Government House, the driver made a suggestion. "Why not have lunch at a restaurant called the Bahamian Kitchen?"

"Is the food good there?" CeCe wanted to know.

"Yes, very. I eat there quite often myself. The locals have known about this place for a while, and a few visitors to the island have now been let in on the secret."

"What type of food do they have?"

"They are known for seafood, but they also cater to the salad and sandwich crowd, if that’s your taste."

After a fine seafood and salad lunch we went to Fort Charlotte, the largest of the three forts still on the island, built in 1789 to guard the western entrance to the harbor, then to Fort Fincastle and the Water Tower. We walked down the Queen’s Staircase, at the highest point of the island. The one hundred and two foot staircase was named in honor of the sixty-five years of Queen Victoria’s reign.

The sixty-five steps were carved out of solid lime stones by slaves who were forced to cut through rocks with axes and other sharp hand tools in the late 18th century, between 1793 and 1794. Construction of this monument is still regarded as remarkable.

After that, we finished off our tour day with a trip to the Nassau Botanic Gardens, and then to the Cloisters and Versailles Gardens.