Blissfully Yours (Mills & Boon Kimani) (9 page)

Chapter 16

“O
f course I'm not dead. I almost checked out, but I had a guardian angel looking out for me. If it weren't for Saturday acting as fast as she did, I would be on the other side, chatting with the Big Guy now.” Ed was on the phone talking to Steve, a producer on the show. After two weeks, he was still in the hospital but out of ICU. He had defied the doctor's prognosis and was making a miraculous recovery despite a few setbacks. Once out of ICU, Ed had instructed his assistant to send Saturday three dozen deep pink roses to her apartment as a small token of appreciation for saving his life.

“You can say that again. She jumped into action performing CPR without a second thought. Who knew she'd be the one to resuscitate you? With her bad attitude, I would've thought she was the type of woman to stand by chatting away on her cell phone while someone else did the heavy lifting.” Steve had witnessed Saturday's antics up close on the set and wasn't a fan.

Ed didn't say anything right away. He was beginning to feel bad for letting everyone think that the persona he had invented was real. Ayana Lewis was nothing like Saturday Knight. Ayana was sweet and kindhearted, whereas Saturday was just the opposite. He started to tell Steve the truth but didn't want to chance destroying what he had created. The audience loved to hate Saturday, which kept them watching to see what outlandish thing she was going to do or say next. The television business was all about high ratings, and Ed planned to keep his show among the top reality shows for as long as he could.

“Well, you never know who a person really is, now do you?” Ed finally said.

“I guess you're right.”

“Mr. Levine, how many times do I have to tell you that cell phones aren't allowed in the hospital?” the nurse said, coming into his private room.

Ed rolled his eyes in her direction. “Steve, I have to go. Nurse Ratched just came in.” He disconnected the call and put the phone inside the nightstand.

“I see the heart attack hasn't affected your smart mouth,” she shot back.

“Darling Nurse Ratched, I was born with sassiness and will die with sassiness,” he said, fingering the pink feather boa that was tied around his neck.

“For the umpteenth time, my name is Nurse Rachel.” She walked over to him, flipped back the covers and placed a stethoscope on his chest to listen to his heartbeat.

“Rachel, Ratched, what's the difference?” Ed teased. Being laid up in the hospital was a bore to him, so he found amusement in ribbing the nurses, and Nurse Rachel—an older, motherly type—was his favorite.

She didn't respond. Most of the time she just ignored him and did her job. She stuck the ends of the stethoscope into her ears and listened.

“How's the old ticker beating?”

“Strong, for someone who had a heart attack less than a month ago and had all the complications that you've had. You're lucky to be alive.”

“I was born lucky. So when do I blow this joint?”

She checked his blood pressure, then answered. “Soon, I hope,” she said, throwing him a smart line of her own. “But you'll have to discuss that with your doctor.”

“When is he coming in? I'm ready to go home. I've had enough of this depressing scene. There are too many sick people in here for my taste.”

“This is a hospital. Not that you would notice with all these flowers, balloons and cards everywhere,” she said, pointing to the arrangements of roses, gardenias, irises and birds-of-paradise in decorative vases sitting all around the room. Balloons of varying sizes floated on colorful strings, and get-well cards were thumbtacked to the walls.

“What can I say? I'm well loved by all,” he said, with a Cheshire-cat grin.

“Okay, Mr. Well Loved. No more cell phone calls,
especially
business calls. You are still recovering and don't need any added stress, especially if you want to go home.”

Ed looked out the window, seemingly ignoring her advice. He felt great, almost 100 percent. He had a show to get back on track and was ready to return to work, even if it only meant calling the shots over the phone.

She snapped her fingers in his direction. “Do you hear me?”

“Of course I hear you. I had a heart attack. I didn't have a cochlear implant for hearing loss,” he shot back.

Nurse Rachel shook her head at him as if he were a naughty little boy. “Now open your mouth so I can take your temperature.” She stuck the thermometer in his mouth, waited a few moments, took it out and looked at the reading. “All your vitals are normal, so hopefully you'll be out of my hair soon.”

“Here's hoping.”

“And remember no more cell phone calls. If I see you talking on that thing again, I will have to take it. Understood?”

“Whatever you say, Nurse Ratched.”

She rolled her eyes at him and walked out.

Ed waited a few minutes to see if she was going to return. When she didn't come back, he retrieved the phone out of the nightstand, turned his back to the door and made a call. “Hi, it's me again,” he said, talking to Steve. “Listen, I want you to call the cast and crew and get them to the penthouse. Since production of the show is on hold momentarily, I want to do a type of reunion show...a special.”

“Are you sure? Reunion shows are taped at the end of the season,” Steve said.

“I know when they're taped. I want to keep the audience interested in
Divorced Divas,
and running a series of reruns is getting boring. Lying here in this bed, I've been watching the same episodes over and over. If I'm bored with my own show, I'm sure the audience is tuning out. A reunion-type show where we not only focus on this season, but also show some behind-the-scenes clips from last season would pump some energy back into the series. Plus, it's different, and I thrive on being different.”

“Now that I think about it, a reunion show would be a good idea.”

“Of course it would. We'll call it a
Divorced Divas Divulge
special, not to be confused with the regular reunion show. Now get in touch with the cast and crew and have them report to the penthouse day after tomorrow.”

“So soon?”

“Yes. The sooner the better.”

“Will you be out of the hospital by then?”

“I plan to be, and if I'm not, I'll leave you with explicit instructions as to how I want the cast to behave.” Ed turned back toward the door and saw Nurse Rachel coming down the hall in his direction with a scowl on her face. “I have to go, but be sure to call everyone pronto.”

“Okay, you got it,” Steve said and hung up.

Ed returned the phone to the nightstand, fluffed up his pillow and laid his head back as if he were resting. He felt better already. Getting
Divorced Divas
back on track was better than any medicine the doctor could prescribe.

Chapter 17

B
randon held on to Ayana's waist as she steered her canary-yellow Vespa through a narrow, tree-lined road. He sat on the back of the scooter with his legs anchored around hers and enjoyed the sights. She was taking him to one of her favorite places—an isolated spot high in the Blue Mountains. As they wove through the secluded mountainside, Brandon gazed up at the trees and spotted one unique-looking bird after another. Some were resting on branches, while others soared through the cloudless blue sky. As many times as he'd been to Jamaica, Brandon had never ventured into these parts before, and he found the journey relaxing.

The day after their indoor lovefest, Ayana had suggested they get out of the house and have a picnic. She had gone home, cooked up a feast, packed it in plastic containers, placed them in the wicker basket on the front of her motorbike, then made her way back to his bungalow. Brandon was surprised to see her zip up the driveway on the scooter, looking carefree with her hair blowing behind her. Initially he was apprehensive about getting on the back because he had never ridden on a motorcycle with a woman before. Not that this was a heavy-duty Harley, but nevertheless, he was hesitant. Ayana assured him that she had been driving a scooter since she was a teenager, which was the best way to get around the island. After some cajoling, he'd agreed and hopped on the back.

“How much longer until we get there?” he asked, looking over her shoulder at the winding road ahead.

“Another few minutes,” she answered, slightly turning her head so that he could hear her over the hum of the motor.

“Not that I'm complaining. I like being snuggled close to you,” he said, gripping her a little tighter.

Although he couldn't see her face, Ayana was smiling brightly, showing all of her front teeth. She was enjoying being close to him too. Spending the past couple of days with Brandon had been like a vacation within a vacation. They'd been inseparable since the beach party, and she couldn't have been happier. The show's unexpected hiatus had turned into a positive situation for her. Even though it had been only a couple of days, Ayana was falling hard for Brandon. Not only was he an excellent lover, but he also was kind and considerate, a true gentleman. A part of her wanted to pull back and not expose all of her cards, and a part of her wanted to go full throttle and tell him exactly what she was feeling. She knew some men scared easily when confronted with honest emotions, but something told her that Brandon wasn't the squeamish type.

“We're here,” she said, pulling over to the side of the road and turning off the motor.

Brandon swung his leg over the scooter, got off, then helped Ayana. He looked around and saw nothing but a mass of trees. “Where exactly are we supposed to have a picnic? I don't see any grass.”

“We're gonna climb a tree and eat perched on a branch like squirrels.” She laughed.

He came up, tickled the sides of her waist and said, “Oh, I see you think you're funny.”

“Stop, stop. I'm ticklish,” she said, batting his hands away and laughing.

Brandon went over to the scooter, unhooked the basket and held it in his hand. “So, where are we going?”

“Follow me.”

“Are you sure we're not eating in the trees?” he said, looking around at the dense foliage, which resembled a forest preserve.

“No. Come on, silly.” Ayana followed a dirt path through the trees, leading the way. She walked a few yards until they reached a clearing. The patch of land looked like a well-manicured grassy knoll surrounded by lush trees.

“What a view,” Brandon said, stepping onto the grass and looking out into the distance. From this elevated vantage point, he could see the ocean, which resembled a beautiful, faceted aquamarine, sparkling beneath the midday sun.

“It's amazing, isn't it? This is one of my favorite places on the island.”

Brandon put down the picnic basket. “How did you find this place? It's so far off the beaten path.”

“I used to come here as a kid with my parents.” Ayana went over to the basket, took out a red-green-and-gold-plaid blanket and spread it over the grass. She bent over and untied her beige Timberlands, which she wore with her favorite pair of cutoff blue jean shorts and a pink ribbed tank top, and took them off.

Brandon kicked off his sandals, squatted down on the blanket and flipped open the top of the basket. “What have we here?” he asked, looking inside. He took out four plastic containers and a silver thermos and placed them on the blanket.

Ayana sat next to him and took out two plates, forks and napkins. “I made curry lobster, cabbage with carrots, plantains and beef patties.”

“Wow! You made all of this?”

“Yes, I did. Why do you sound so surprised?”

“No offense, but you don't look like the cooking type.”

“How many times do I have to tell you that looks are deceiving? I've been cooking ever since I can remember. My mom had me in the kitchen learning how to cook before I started kindergarten. The first dish I ever made was Hawaiian salad.”

“Hawaiian salad in Jamaica?”

“Yes, because it's so easy to make, even a five-year-old couldn't mess it up. My parents acted like it was the best thing they'd ever had, and...” Ayana suddenly stopped talking. She realized this was the second mention of her parents, and she didn't want Brandon thinking she was going down the “meet the folks” road again. She didn't want to scare him off.

“And I'm sure it was delicious to them. My parents were the same way. The first time I made them breakfast in bed for their anniversary, I burned the toast and bacon, undercooked the eggs and made watery coffee that looked like tea. I was so proud of myself, and they ate every single bite, like it was brunch at the Four Seasons.”

Ayana listened and couldn't believe he was bringing up his parents.
Maybe he's not paranoid about meeting my folks after all,
she thought. Brandon was talking freely. However, she was being cautious, so she just listened as she fixed their plates. “Here you go.”

Brandon took the plate and tasted the food. “Hmm, this is delicious.”

“Thanks. I'm glad you like it.”

He leaned over and kissed her on the lips. “I like it all right.”

Ayana could hear her mother's voice in her head.
Da way to a man's heart is thru him stomach. Gurl, if ya wanna land a husband, ya need to learn how to cook.
Looking at the way Brandon was wolfing down her food, Ayana knew her mother was right. “I'm glad,” she said, kissing him back.

They polished off lunch and then drank the ice-cold cucumber water she'd made. Brandon stretched out and laid his head in her lap. He looked up at the clear azure sky as a bright green bird with a pinch of crimson streaked across overhead.

“What was that?”

Ayana followed his gaze. “What? I didn't see anything.”

“It looked like a parrot but smaller. On the way up here I saw amazing birds.”

“You may not know this, but Jamaica is a bird-watcher's paradise. There are more than twenty-eight bird species on the island.”

“And how do you know that?” He looked up at her, amazed at her knowledge.

“I was a member of the National Audubon Society. I love bird-watching. It's extremely relaxing.”

“You are amazing,” he said as he rubbed her leg. “I would have never in a million years thought that Saturday Knight would be a gourmet-cooking bird-watcher. And don't say it—I know, ‘Looks are deceiving.'”

They both laughed.

Ayana rubbed his head, and at that moment, she felt close to him. He had shared history about his childhood without any prodding from her. She knew from past experience that when a man opened up freely, it was an indication that he was really into you. Ayana looked up at the sky and said a silent prayer of thanks. She was thankful to finally find a man who valued her as a person. Her ex-husband had wanted a trophy wife that he could control with his money. Brandon, however, seemed genuinely happy just to be in her presence. Again, Ayana contemplated telling Brandon that she was falling in love with him, but it was too soon for true confessions.

“Thanks,” Brandon said, looking up into her face.

“For what?”

“For a delicious lunch and sharing your favorite place with me,” he said, caressing her leg and snuggling deeper into her lap.

She leaned down and kissed his cheek. “You are more than welcome.”

They lounged on the grassy knoll the remainder of the afternoon until the sun began to set. This had been the perfect day. Good food, a good man and a picturesque view. Life couldn't get much better.