Summer Vows (Arabesque) (17 page)

“I’d like to...but I don’t think we can,” Jacob stammered. He gestured with his head toward Ana.

“He’s right,” Ana piped up, still affecting the accent. “It’s not what you think.
Jacobo no es mi novio.
”

“What is she saying?” Wayland asked.

Jacob picked up on her cue immediately. “Look, Kent. Precious and I just started seeing each other—”

Wayland gave him an incredulous stare. “You mean you two are not...”

“No, we are not,” Ana hissed between clenched teeth. “I am no
puta!
”

Jacob approached Ana and rested a hand on her shoulder. “Wayland didn’t say you were,
Princesa.
”

She threw up a hand in dramatic fashion. “Why do all men think just because they see a woman with a man that she is giving him her body?”

Red-faced, Wayland took a step backward. He motioned to a passing waitress for a pen, jotted his telephone number on a napkin and then handed it to Jacob. “I don’t want to start something between the two of you, but here’s my cell number. Give me a call whenever you have a chance and we’ll get together. I still keep in touch with some of the guys from basic training. My boat is a 48-footer that can sleep as many as ten, so we could have quite a reunion.”

Jacob pocketed the napkin, and then pulled his former corps buddy close. “I’m sorry about that,” he whispered in his ear. “She can be a little overly dramatic at times. She was raised by her grand- and great-grandmothers, and they’re very old-fashioned when it comes to premarital sex.”

“There’s no need to explain, Jones. Remember, Adele wouldn’t give me any until I put an engagement ring on her finger. It has been worth it because we just celebrated our fifteenth anniversary.”

“Congratulations, man. Give Adele my best and I will call you.”

Ana watched from behind the dark lenses as Jacob and the man he’d introduced as Wayland say their goodbyes. She was hard-pressed not to laugh when the color in Wayland’s face had turned a beet-red. Although she’d trusted Jacob enough not to accept the man’s invitation to spend time on his houseboat, she wasn’t certain whether upon closer inspection he would recognize her.

And despite the wig and sunglasses there was always the possibility someone would see through the ruse. The last thing she needed was for the media to report she’d been sighted in the Florida Keys, fearing once again a bull’s-eye would be trained on her.

Jacob sat down again. “You missed your calling,
m’ija.
You’re quite an actress.”

A half smile parted her lips. “I had to come up with something quickly or blow it.” Ana angled her head. “And it wasn’t as if it was all a lie.”

Lowering his head, Jacob kissed the wig. “Your accent was spot-on.”

“That comes from having a Cuban-born grandmother.
Abuela
spoke English with a slight accent, but it would become more pronounced whenever she was angry or excited. She spoke Spanish to all of her children, and whenever we went to visit her she would speak Spanish to us because she claimed we should never forget that we’re the descendants of what had been the Cuban upper class. Today that may sound a little pretentious, but if there had been Cuban royalty Marguerite Joséfina Isabel Diaz-Cole definitely would’ve been a princess.”

“Diego started to tell me about his great-grandmother, but somehow we got distracted and he never finished the story.”

“I’ll tell you about her after we get back to the house.”

“Talking about getting back,” Jacob said, lowering his voice. “This is going to be our first and last public excursion. Once we return to Long Key you’re going to have to be content to remain close to the house. I’m sorry—”

Ana placed her hand over his. “It’s okay, Jacob. I understand the risk we’re taking coming here.”

He looked at her as if she’d taken leave of her senses. Again, Ana had surprised him with her unexpected acquiescence. Jacob didn’t know why, but he’d expected her to debate why she shouldn’t be allowed out in public with the wig and dark glasses.

“So, it’s all right with you?”

She nodded. “When Wayland saw you my insides were quivering like frozen gelatin. I was so afraid that he’d recognize me and call out my name. I know I haven’t been the most cooperative person you’ve ever protected, but all of that is going to change. I’ll do whatever it is you want.”

“Thank you, baby,” he crooned.

She flashed her trademark dimpled smile.
“De nada, m’ijo.”
Her mood had changed like quicksilver. “I want you to promise me one thing, Jacob.”

“What’s that?” he asked, running a finger down the length of her nose.

“When all of this madness is over I’d like to come back here with you. Then I won’t have to hide behind a wig and sunglasses, while pretending that I’m
Princesa.
”

Jacob’s mouth replaced his finger when he kissed her nose. “You can take off the wig and glasses, but you’d still be a princess. Do you want anything else to eat or drink?”

She offered him a bright smile. “No, thank you. I think when we get back to the house I’m going to take a shower and a nap.”

Jacob returned her smile. “That sounds like a wonderful idea.” He signaled their waitress for the check.

Ana lay beside Jacob in the red, white and yellow striped hammock strung between two live oak trees. She shifted onto her side and rested her head on his shoulder, one leg sandwiched between his, and an arm over his belly. Her sunglasses and the baseball cap Jacob had given her when they’d made their way down the staircase and out of the house were in the hammock near their bare feet. They’d returned to the house, showered separately, but instead of sharing the bed they’d decided relaxing outdoors was preferably to staying inside an air-cooled room.

“What are you thinking about,
m’ija?
” Jacob asked after a comfortable silence.

She emitted an audible sigh. “Would you believe nothing?”

He chuckled softly. “No. There’s no way your brain isn’t spinning ideas about Serenity.”

“You probably won’t believe it, but I haven’t thought about Serenity since you told me Jason closed the office.”

“Wonders never cease.”

She tickled his ribs. “Very funny.”

Ana fell silent again. She didn’t know why, but she’d always felt as if Jason had little or no interest in running the company which was why she’d assumed that responsibility. There had been times when she’d wished he would take over and allow her to take a step back for more than the time she took when on vacation.

She would return and they would meet in her office where he’d brief her on everything that had occurred during her absence, then he would go into the studio, not reappearing until it was time for a staff meeting. There had been times when she would leave at seven or later and Jason would still be in the studio rehearsing, editing or writing.

“Tell me about your grandmother.”

Ana smiled. Jacob asking about her grandmother shattered her musings about her brother. “
Abuela
was an only child. Her father owned one of the largest tobacco plantations and cigar factories on the island, and she’d grown up privileged and pampered. She’d just turned four when her mother died in a riding accent. When she was six her father sent her to a convent because he knew she would receive a quality education, but he also felt the nuns would teach her the deportment for a young woman of her station.”

“Did it work?”

“The education part did, but whatever deportment she learned was undone by her aunt. When
Abuela
left home to attend the Universidad de la Habana her
tía
Gloria had become her chaperone. It was the 1920s and women were cutting their hair, raising their hemlines and smoking in public, and while Gloria was doing all those things, as well as wearing slacks, she never married. But there were rumors that she slept with both men and women.”

“¡Avergüence en ella!”

Ana’s soft laughter was smothered against the column of Jacob’s neck. “Gloria
was
without shame. I’m certain my great-grandfather wanted to disown his sister, but couldn’t. The straw that broke the proverbial camel’s back was when photographs of
Abuela
wearing nothing more than a dressing gown were exhibited in a Havana art gallery. She’d become the muse of an up-and-coming artist whose work would eventually hang in the homes of well-to-do Cubans.

“My grandmother was tall, slender and unlike a lot of so-called modern women during that time. She refused to cut her hair. It was raven-black and reached her waist. She also was very beautiful, and when she stared out at the camera with her mysterious dimpled smile she’d instantly become the toast of Havana.

“When her father heard about the photographs he ordered her back to Piñar del Río, because she’d dishonored the family name. In order to save face he planned to marry her off to any upper-class man who represented the social elite, and his age was not a factor.”

“That’s crazy.”

“It was the norm in those days when women had little or no independence. They were nothing more than chattel, but M.J., as she preferred to be called, threatened to take a lover, or even lovers, like her aunt.”

“Did her father capitulate?”

“He had to. Grandpa had traveled to Cuba to buy a sugarcane plantation, but the Cubans wouldn’t sell it to him because he was an American. At that time
Cubanos
felt they’d traded one oppressor for another after the Spanish-American War. Most
Cubanos
harbored a resentment of U.S. colonists buying up their land and the U.S. military paying next to nothing to set up a military base at Guantanamo Bay. No one would sell him a handful of Cuban soil, not because he was black but because he was an American.

“He left Cuba, went to Costa Rica and bought a banana plantation, then returned to Cuba to ask for M.J.’s hand in marriage. She was only twenty when she became Mrs. Samuel Claridge Cole.”

“Her father approved of her marriage to an American?”

Ana nodded. “Yes. Grandpa was what people called a gentleman farmer and there was never a doubt whether he would be able to give M.J. the lifestyle to which she’d been accustomed. Her father must have breathed a sigh of relief when she did marry him because family honor superseded everything else. Her father and my grandfather were not only father and son-in-law but also business partners. Once he had grandchildren José Luís Diaz was heard to say that his world was complete. Before he passed away he had his lawyer draw up papers leaving all of his wealth to his daughter’s husband. If he hadn’t done that, then I suspect my grandmother would’ve left my grandfather when she discovered he’d fathered a child out of wedlock. But, she’d found herself living in a mansion with three young children and cash poor. I didn’t understand her telling her daughters, granddaughters and great-granddaughters
‘no permita que nadie le defina ni determine su destino,’
until Diego had asked me to come and work with him. He can be very persuasive but I know I’m not cut out to negotiate deals that involve produce and vacation properties.”

“Don’t let anyone define you or determine your destiny,” Jacob translated literally.

“And it’s been that way with every Cole woman, beginning with my father’s sisters. My aunts are as tough as drill sergeants. Even those who marry Cole men follow the practice.”

A beat passed, then Jacob asked, “Are you saying your grandmother didn’t have a happy marriage?”

“No. Quite the contrary. My grandparents adored each other. They were married for seventy-five years, and after Grandpa died
Abuela
was never the same. As the family matriarch she was proud and controlling, but some of the light went out behind her eyes once she realized the man who’d been her rock was gone. When she talked about controlling one’s destiny I think she regretted not finishing college. But, she didn’t blame anyone but herself for that. She said if she hadn’t posed for Antonio Santamaria her life would’ve been quite different. She probably would’ve married a man from her own country, had children and who knows whether she would’ve stayed or left the island after the overthrow of Batista.”

Jacob rested his chin on the fragrant curls tickling his nose. “If she hadn’t left Cuba then she wouldn’t have had your father. Your grandparents created a dynasty they could be proud of.”

“Grandpa wasn’t perfect, Jacob. Not when he cheated on his wife.”

“He’s not the first and he definitely won’t be the last man to cheat on his wife.”

“I’d like you to answer one question for me, Jacob.”

“What’s that?”

“Why do men cheat?” It was the same question Ana asked Tyler.

“It’s probably because they can, or they believe they can get away with it. Many of them do, because women tend to forgive them.”

“I’m not that forgiving.”

Jacob shifted on the hammock until he could see Ana’s face. “Men have cheated on you?”

She nodded. “The first man I’d fallen in love with cheated on me. Then there was one I’d thought of as my soul mate and he also cheated on me. I’m what I think of as a cheater magnet.”

Combing his fingers through her short hair, Jacob kissed Ana’s forehead when she tilted her chin to look up at him. “No, you’re not. You just haven’t chosen wisely.”

She smiled. “Now you sound like my father.”

“Maybe you should listen to him. You’re young, intelligent and beautiful and you probably attract men that want something from you.”

“And that is?” Ana asked as a slight frown appeared between her eyes.

“Fame, sex or money. If they can get you to sign them to a record deal, then they’re willing to do anything to get to that point. You’re the gatekeeper and their meal ticket to a lifestyle most people fantasize about. There are also the parasites that don’t have any musical talent but choose to feed off your fame.”

“I’ve never advertised my love life.”

“It doesn’t matter if you do or don’t. Every man who hooks up with you believes he’ll be the one to capture the golden goose. And I’m certain you have men hitting on you all the time.”

“No, I don’t.”