Chapter 2
Nathan was awoken by the sound of his cell phone ringing. He was certain it had rang earlier, and he gladly ignored it. But now it was ringing for a second, maybe a third time. He reached over to his nightstand where he found his phone laying and slid his thumb to the ‘talk’ button.
“Hello?” His voice sounded dry and still groggy, whereas the voice on the other end sounded more than awake and alert this bright morning.
“You sly dog, you!” It was his friend Jabar. “I see you still got some moves left in you.”
“What are you talking about?” Nathan rolled over onto his back, his eyes still closed.
“You don’t know, do you?”
This statement made Nathan open his eyes quick.
“What is it, Jabar?” he asked with a touch of persistence in his dry, cracking voice.
“The media hounds have been all speculating about you and Hilary separating,” Jabar explained. Nathan didn’t bother to correct him. Their separation was headed toward a full-fledged divorce as of yesterday morning.
“So, it seems someone took the liberty of sharing with TMZ a video of you getting jiggy with a very lovely lady there in a nightclub, as well as a clip of you two slow dancing all nice and sweet like.”
This made Nathan sit up a bit, propping himself up with on his elbow.
“You gotta be kidding me,” Nathan said in frustration.
“Who knew you still had those kind of moves, man,” Jabar chuckled.
Nathan rubbed his eyes. Damned paparazzi, he thought to himself. Wonder has Hilary seen it yet? That second inner thought had him feeling slightly ashamed. It was clear they were over. Why should he care what she thinks about how he spends his time? But, he did care. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed.
“I just wanted to get out this house for a while; to feel a little more human instead of wallowing in all the mess between me and Hilary.”
“Well, let me tell you,” Jabar laughed, “you certainly make bachelorhood look good for us old fellas. Maybe I should move to Jamaica.”
That gave Nathan a good laugh. He was more than aware of the media making him out to be some Clarke Gable smooth operator. He was more than happy a few years back to do a feature article for GQ, where they asked him about how he was able to always stay dressed so sharp and look so debonair. He attributed it all to Hilary finally teaching him the ins and outs of matching. Of course, you had the gossip magazines who came up with the usual fodder of him having affairs and Hilary being left out in the cold while he partied and did drugs. All lies. He and Hilary would pick up a copy just for fun, and laugh together at the ridiculous headlines and use of the phrase “reliable sources.” The past five years, however, the stories were not so funny as he watched the two of them grow further and further apart.
Jabar shortly ended their call to go take care of his own business, leaving Nathan to wonder if he was brave enough to do some internet surfing on his own and watch the supposed illicit footage. He did, of course. All it took was him typing in his first name and the Google search engine readily delivered multiple results with titles like “millionaire with the moves” or “Gladwell glad to be single again.” He took a deep breath and decided to spare his feelings a little by clicking on a news network’s entertainment link. If he was going to see how poorly he looked dancing with someone who was ten times more attractive than he felt he was, he’d let a decent journalist rip him to shreds versus some lacky from a tabloid.
The link loaded with its usual ads popping up first, then a flash player with a loading icon appeared dead-center. Sitting at his desk in his boxers, he propped up an elbow and rested his face on his hand. You’ve done it, Nathan, he thought. You’ve let some pretty face cause you to act out of character and the media is eating it up.
By the time the video loaded and he clicked play, he was already cringing. The reporter stated how it had been rumored about his wife flying back to the states solo, and recent footage might give some insight into why. Nathan braced himself.
There, in her perfect fitting red dress was Marnie, and he was holding her in his arms as they looked into each other’s eyes. Nathan was actually a little stunned. Whoever had been videotaping the two of them with their phone was not too far behind Marnie. He could see the look of contentment on his face. He watched as the Nathan on the video guided Marnie into a light spin that he didn’t even remember, and both their faces lit up when she turned back to him. The reporter prattled on about how right before that they had been seen in a much saucier position. Nathan felt his stomach turn into knots as he watched the clip switch to Marnie grinding her backside up against him and then the two of them necking.
The segment ended with the reporter insinuating that Marnie was the woman who may have been the final nail in the coffin of his marriage. Nathan frowned and shook his head. He just had a nice night out, and made a new friend; a new sexy friend, but just a friend nonetheless. From what he could tell after clicking through some other entertainment and news websites, interest was now turning to who this “mystery woman” was and had she in fact been the reason that Hilary left?
*****
Nathan felt like he owed it to Marnie to do damage control. He got up from his desk and went back to his room to grab the small piece of paper sitting on his nightstand. He looked at the number and began dialing. Whether she had or hadn’t seen the headlines yet was irrelevant. He felt a strong need to apologize and ensure her he still wanted to meet with her again regardless.
Marnie was on cloud nine. She hadn’t even finished her first cup of coffee when her phone rang. Last night was still fresh on her mind, so when she saw it was Nathan who was calling her heartbeat raced.
“Good morning, sunshine,” she sang into the phone.
Nathan grinned. “Good morning, Marnie.”
“I was hoping you’d call, but didn’t expect it to be this soon. Glad I saved your number otherwise I wouldn’t have answered if it was a number I didn’t recognize.”
“I can understand that,” he said. “Speaking of phone calls, I got a rather interesting one this morning myself.” Nathan wasn’t sure how to breach the topic about them being the talk of the tabloids. “Apparently, we weren’t the only ones that enjoyed our dance last night.”
Marnie bit into her bagel and grabbed a seat in her dining room. “What do you mean?”
Nathan took a deep breath.
“So, I didn’t get to bring this up last night, but I’m…a rather well-known man in the world of business.”
“That’s awfully cryptic,” Marnie chuckled. “What does that have to do with last night?”
“Someone videotaped us together,” he paused, “and it’s made its way all over the media it seems.”
Marnie began chewing a little slower. She was still wondering what he was getting at.
“Ok,” was her only reply.
“Despite my notoriety, I do like keeping my private life private. But, it’s complicated when you’re in the middle of a divorce and the media spotlight,” he muttered.
“I can understand that.” She didn’t like the way this conversation was going. “Are you…are you saying you don’t want to meet with me again, Nathan?”
“No! Oh God, no! In fact, that’s why I’m calling,” he explained. “I had a great time out with you and Dominique. I--,” he took another pause. “I really would like to have lunch with you…soon.”
At hearing that, Marnie let out a quiet ‘yes,’ but kept her response controlled and simple. “Absolutely. When?”
She could feel Nathan’s handsome smile through the phone.
“How about today sometime? We can do lunch, dinner, whatever. I don’t want you to think a bunch of journalists and gossip is going to change my plans.”
“I don’t know if I’ll be able to make the trip on such short notice. I’m supposed to be meeting with Dominique later tonight.”
“I’ll come to you,” Nathan said matter-of-factly.
Marnie felt her face blush. She hadn’t pictured him making the trip all the way to Kingston just to see her. It was quite a bit of a drive, and frankly, she hadn’t been involved with too many men who would take the trouble just to make a fifteen-minute drive to see her.
“That would be great,” she exclaimed. “About what time?”
“How’s three sound?”
“That’d be perfect! There’s a bistro not too far from where I stay that has a great ceviche and tea and just a good atmosphere. I think you’d love it,” she said warmly into the phone.
Before getting off the phone, she gave him the address to Townsend’s Café and Bistro. The excitement of getting to spend more time with each other almost caused Marnie to forget about the whole reason for his call.
She hung up and quickly began scrolling through her phone’s search engine for all the commotion that the two of them had generated. She really wasn’t getting anywhere in her search, when suddenly a knock came on the door.
It was Dominique, looking wide-eyed and talking frantically. “Girl, Marnie, you’re all over the internet!”
Marnie poured them both fresh cups of coffee, and Dominique pulled up the link to the video to share with her friend. Marnie burst into uncontrollable laughter, while Dominique stared at her in confusion.
“How are you finding this so funny? Look at you two all up on each other and it’s all over the news!”
“I think it’s hilarious that people are making this into such a big deal,” giggled Marnie. She let out one final sigh of laughter, and then stared off into space. “A millionaire and a bachelor on top of that. Hmm,” she said aloud.
Dominique was obviously frowning at this point. “I don’t think his wife finds it all that funny if she’s even seen it.”
Marnie had to admit, she wasn’t so much tickled by the scandal of their video, but more so by the fact Nathan wasn’t letting the scandal stop him from still getting to know her.
“Well, he called and said he wants to meet me today, regardless,” Marnie boasted. She gave Dominique a side glance, awaiting her response.
Dominique asked with full skepticism, “Really?”
“Yes,” Marnie answered. “Really.”
“Today?”
“Today,” she said smugly. Marnie grinned even bigger as she saw Dominique was not impressed or convinced. She proceeded to go to her phone’s call log and showed where Nathan had called not too long before Dominique stopped by. Dominique noted the time, and then rolled her eyes.
“I guess,” she said. “But if you ask me you may be getting in over your head.”
“I know,” said Marnie. “I just—I really like him, Niecey.” She had called Dominique by her nickname, which she only often did when she was being at her most sincere.
Dominique looked at her friend with a much softer expression. She placed one of her hands atop Marnie’s. “I just don’t want you to get all worked up and he turns out to be no different than your last boyfriend. Just because he has a lot of money doesn’t make him a good man, Marnie.”
They finished their coffee, and Marnie prepared herself for her lunch date with Nathan. Granted, it was several hours away from the time they agreed to meet, but she wanted to give herself plenty of time to prepare mentally. Realizing who he was made this whole situation of getting to know one another a bit trickier.
Plus, if she was now going to be having her picture taken by random people she might as well take the time to really look her best. The thought of being watched by the media was still laughable to her, despite her best friend’s perspective. She quickly began picking out what to wear and looking forward to an interesting lunch date.
******
Nathan was more than happy to make the drive down to Kingston. More and more he was gaining an appreciation for what his ex-wife considered “native sentimentalities.” Seeing the contrast between the fancier tourists’ areas of Ocho Rios and smaller communities along the way like Guys Hill made him wonder had he been missing out on just being an Average Joe. His career and connections had given him prestige and wealth, but what was he missing, really?
He made it to Kingston a few hours later, driving through a rather nasty seasonal thunderstorm. He had thought to bring an umbrella, and in reaching the street across from Townsend Café, he quickly ran across through the rain to get to the covered veranda at the entrance. He fished out his phone from his now damp navy blazer and began to dial Marnie’s phone number.
Before he could press ‘send,’ he heard a woman’s voice behind him softly say, “Just in time.”
He turned to see his date, her bantu braids up in a neat beehive-type bun, her signature red lip color expertly painted on, and wearing a bright blue sundress. She looked the way exotic angels should look, Nathan thought to himself.
“Well, glad to see we’re both rather punctual,” he said with a shy grin.
“Me, too,” Marnie giggled. “I think we should get out of this rain, though.”
“Oh, of course,” Nathan stammered, as he reached to open the door for her.
Not too long after entering the quaint café, they grabbed a seat at a table for two near the center of the floor and a waitress quickly came to get their order. Nathan got a coffee and a Reuben sandwich, while Marnie ordered shark and bake, slaw on the side, with an iced tea. They smiled across the table at each other after the waitress stepped away. Nathan finally broke the silence.
“I’m sure at this point you’ve learned more than enough about me, courtesy of a few ‘reliable sources,’” he chuckled.
“Oh, yeah.” Marnie grinned. “I definitely had to get up on game of exactly who it was I was dealing with, and I watched our video more than a few times.”
They both laughed a little at the awkwardness of so many people viewing the two of them in a somewhat vulnerable moment in a smoky nightclub over and over again.
“Crazy, isn’t it?” he commented.
“Not really, we looked kind of cute together, “she replied.
“But now, more than anyone, I want to know more about the mysterious woman in red.”
“So, what do you want to know?” Marnie asked, resting chin in her right hand.
“I’ve noticed you don’t have as noticeable an accent as most natives here. Why’s that, if you don’t mind me asking.”
Their drink orders soon arrived, and Marnie took a sip of her tea before answering. “Well, I was born here in Jamaica, but when I was about three, my father decided he wanted to move to North America to pursue music.”
Nathan added cream to his coffee with a bit of sugar, took a sip, but kept his full attention on Marnie.
She went on to say, “So he, my mother, and myself moved to New York where we stayed with some family for a while until my father was able to get us our own place. He actually had a hit or two that he co-produced and wrote.” She then asked Nathan, “Have you ever heard ‘Love Endangered’ or ‘Dancehall Disco?’”
“By Kindred King?” he asked, rather surprised. He hadn’t heard those hits since his years of his parents’ soirees they used to throw now and then in his childhood home.
“Yep. Go look up the writing credits and you’ll see the name Dexter “Dredz” Hall. That was my father,” Marnie said with a proud grin.
“No kidding. Those were huge during the disco era and even to the early eighties.”
“And a little-known fact was he even worked with Stevie Wonder and some others on a few songs while we were there. I got to meet a lot of influential people when we lived in the states,” she said.
The expression on her face turned to one of nostalgic reminiscence. “So, when I was fifteen, we made our way back to Jamaica, as disco died out and my father’s fifteen minutes of fame became more like five. I have my Jamaican influences obviously from my family,” she explained, “but I still will make a trip to Big Apple every now and then and visit friends there and relatives.”
Their food order soon arrived and Nathan admired his own plate but showed some interest in what Marnie had ordered.
“What exactly is shark and bake?” he asked peering a little closer. One of Marnie’s signature wide toothed grins flashed across her face.
“It’s just a sandwich with like fry bread and sometimes tilapia or actually black tipped shark for the fish inside. It’s really good! Want a bite?”
She quickly began slicing a corner off of her sandwich and stuffing some of the Caribbean slaw in between the bread. She playfully lifted the small piece of sandwich up to Nathan’s lips, to which he gladly leaned over and opened wide. The bite was every bit of delicious, and one could not tell if the look of satisfaction on Nathan’s face was because of the sandwich or the beautiful, manicured hands delivering it to his lips.
The two of them heard a distant ‘clicking’ sound and turned to see someone sitting a not-so-distant table away with their phone oddly turned upward in their direction. Marnie’s look turned to one of shyness as she lowered her hand and looked down at the table. Nathan tried to hide his smile behind a napkin. Despite it being more and more obvious they were the center of attention in this small café, they continued their lunch, and Nathan paid the ticket.
Once back out in the open air and sidewalk of the café, Marnie locked arms with Nathan and they began walking up the street to her car. The rain had finally subsided and there were more people walking out and about, as well as a small group of paparazzi. Nathan figured one of wait staff inside spilled the beans to the media spies that they were dining together.
Nathan didn’t shy away from the paparazzi but did make it a point to get Marnie safely to her vehicle amidst inquisitive journalists and brief camera flashes. He hopped into the passenger seat.
“What are you doing?” she asked looking surprised he was getting in her car with her.
“I want to make sure no one gives you any trouble getting home,” he said confidently.
She looked at him from the driver side. Slowly, a smile formed on her red lips. “Ok.”
Marnie turned her attention back to the front of the car where one or two paparazzi were bold enough to stand directly in their way. She turned on the ignition and slowly moved forward, which of course made them move out the way.
******
They made it Marnie’s home and just in time. The rain was starting up again, and Marnie was more than thankful. At first, she thought the media attention would be somewhat amusing until today. Nonetheless, she was glad to have Nathan over for a little more privacy. She was even more glad to realize she had cleaned up her place beforehand.
“I know you can’t stay long,” she said, “but at least until the weather clears.”
Nathan looked out of the picture window onto Marnie’s small balcony. “If this weather keeps up, I may more than likely find a hotel somewhere here and just stay the night.”
Marnie asked if he wanted anything to drink. He declined. Then, she offered him something unexpected: a tarot reading.
“Really?” His voice was all skepticism.
“Of course! Remember when we met, I said I would love to give you a reading and see more into what’s tormenting you so deeply. Not to be nosey,” she insisted, “but to help if I’m able.”
There was something in the way she always seemed so matter-of-fact about things. It was something he liked right from the start about her. Being there in her personal space made him feel all the more reassured she was someone he could confide in and trust.
“Ok,” he agreed. “But I want the truth and the ugly truth.” He laughed.
“The truth doesn’t always have to be so bad,” she said. “Sometimes it sets you free.”
“That’s what they say, “Nathan responded. He sat down at her dining room table as she opened a nearby curio cabinet. She reached up high and pulled down something wrapped in a white cloth and tied with a purple ribbon. In her left hand, she grabbed a large white candle. After setting these down, she returned to the cabinet to get an incense of jasmine as well as some gemstones of varying colors.
She sat down across from Nathan, and after she arranged all the items carefully on the table she lit the large white candle. Their eyes met across the table. She unwrapped the white cloth to reveal some very decorative but worn tarot cards.
“Shuffle them any way you like,” she said as she slid the cards over to Nathan. He took them reluctantly, but picked them up and began to shuffle them. She could tell he was a little apprehensive.
“How much of this magic and the rest chance?” he asked.
“Tarot is much like love,” she said with a sweet smile.” It’s a bit of both, I think.” She lit the incense stick on its holder and patiently waited for him to finish shuffling up the cards.
When Nathan finished shuffling, he gently slid the cards back to Marnie face-down. She told him no matter the outcome of the reading the answers are only visions of possible paths. “You always have a choice as to what you do or don’t do afterward. Ultimately, your fate is left up to you in the end.”
With those words of comfort and caution, she began his reading.
After the spreading the cards in their necessary formation, she turned over the center one.
It was the three of swords. Nathan grimaced. “Hmm. That doesn’t look good.”
Marnie crooked her head to the side a little. “The three of swords signifies a crossing of swords and parting of ways; a feeling of betrayal and distrust between yourself and another.”
She could instantly tell on his face he thought of his divorce from Hilary. Rather than say anything to possibly rub him the wrong way, she instead went on to the next card to flip it over.
The second card was the ten of coins.
“It seems the struggle that brought about your heartache was prosperity,” she said. She paused and looked at Nathan woefully. As much as she prided herself on guiding her cards, to tell the truth, it was times like this that she regretted their blunt accuracy. Nathan did not look up at her, just looked at the cards. She went on.
The third and fourth cards addressed his pass: the hierophant and the ten of wands.
She issued him a warning. “You found yourself in a place where your well-being was threatened. You felt like you were taking on too much and became more than you could bear.”
Nathan sat back in his seat. “In some ways, yeah, it did. It was like…giving more of myself than I really had and that wasn’t what she was looking for,” he said. “At least not the way I was giving it.” He cleared his throat. Marnie flipped over the next card.
“Now here is a good card. The ace of hearts. It signifies virility, a new desire to create and feel more deeply again. Even a sense of youthfulness comes with this card,” she said gleefully, hoping to cheer him up. Nathan did indeed crack a little bit of a smile. This encouraged her to go through the next four cards.
The card at the utmost top of the spread was the two of cups. It depicted two people sitting across from each other having a drink and smiling.
Marnie giggled. “Look familiar?” Nathan definitely got her meaning.
“What about it?” he asked, giving her a sly smile.
“It signifies having an unexpected help, a dear friend or teammate in your corner.” She stared into Nathan’s eyes when she spoke, her head slightly tilted to the side flirtatiously.
“Indeed,” he said with a chuckle.
The next few cards highlighted what they already knew about him being in the spotlight and how others were currently viewing him. It was no surprise to Marnie that The Fool popped up as one of the cards, giving them both a good laugh. It was now time for the last card. Before turning it over Marnie explained the significance of this card aligning with the two of cups.
“It will give you some greater insight into what you may or may not want to do in the future. Nothing is set in stone, but if this card is similar to the other in theme or feel, you should definitely see where that road leads you.”
“Ok.” Nathan nodded. He looked anxious to get on with it, to see what was his possible fate. As Marnie turned over the card, she watched Nathan lean in a little closer. The card was revealed to be The Lovers. Marnie looked at the card and smiled serenely at the two people depicted wrapping their arms around each other.
Secretly, she was hoping that was the card that would eventually show itself, especially in this position of the spread. She looked up to Nathan to see him smiling slightly, then his eyes met hers.
“So, what does it mean? I mean, in relation to the rest of the spread,” he asked.
Marnie cleared her throat a bit nervously and sat up straight in her dining room chair. “Well,” she spoke. “It means there is someone in your future who you will become very close to.”
Her gaze went back and forth between Nathan and the card, but his eyes rested on her now as she continued speaking.
“It could signify a new romance or you finding someone who values you as much as you do them.”
Nathan's eyes went down to his hands folded in front of him on the table. “I find that hard to believe, but anything is possible, right?”
“Yes,” she agreed. “Anything is possible.”
Marnie stood, feeling a mixture of relief and bittersweet regret. She wanted to know what may lie ahead for her and Nathan, but never liked using divination for her own selfish reasons. She had no way of knowing if the female woman in the artwork of The Lovers represented herself or someone else and the feelings she had for Nathan felt regrettable the more she thought of how badly she hoped that card and the two of cups spoke of the two of them, together. She blew out the candle, smudged out the incense, and began putting everything away.
As she stood by the curio cabinet, lightning struck and lit up her whole dining and living room space. She nearly jumped out her skin and then realized Nathan was standing by her. He rested his hand on her shoulder, which at first she thought was merely for comfort after her scare, then she turned and saw him looking down at much like he did the night they met. She hoped finally this was the moment they would fulfill anything close to what the cards had read.
“Marnie,” he said rubbing her arm gently. “Thank you for letting me let that all out and just…giving me a chance to assess everything.”
She looked up into his dark eyes and felt her heartbeat pick up pace a little.
“Of course, Nathan.” Her voice was soft and low. She was fighting every urge to throw her arms around him and kiss him with all the passion she had left over from their dance the other night. “I’m here if you need anything.”
She wondered did he notice the emphasis on the word anything. He was still looking in her eyes but had stopped rubbing her arm and instead was holding her right hand in his own.
“I mean it,” he said. “I’ve been in an emotional rut a while since Hilary left and I didn’t really want to vent my feelings to another colleague or someone who might take as an opportunity to cash in my personal thoughts to the media.” He squeezed her hand tightly and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
It was so simple, so innocent. But that kiss sent cascades of flaming heat across Marnie’s skin. She was tempted to turn her face toward him, to go far beyond some high-school-dance peck on the cheek, but he stepped away and simply grinned at her. The moment was lost.
“You don’t have to get a hotel,” she suggested. “You could just stay the night here.”
Nathan appreciated the gesture but declined. “Nah. I can call a cab to get me back to my car across from Townsend’s, then look up a place to stay from there.”
Marnie couldn’t hide her disappointment. She lowered her eyes. “Oh, well, whatever works best.”
She couldn’t tell if Nathan was just dense or purposefully avoiding her passive invitation. He must of noted something in her response because he placed his hand gently under her chin to lift her eyes back up where he could see them.
“This won’t be the last time we get to spend time together and talk. Not by a long shot,” he chuckled. He gave her a warm hug, and Marnie savored every bit of it, inhaling the smell of his cologne on his blazer. She hated to see him go but what could she say.
Thirty minutes later, Nathan had arrived back at his car and was on his way to the Spanish Court Hotel. He was actually riding high on his reading from Marnie. It was sad at first, then turned optimistic. A new partnership could signify new business prospects or even a new romance. Either way, it was good to see some light at the end of the tunnel. Not to mention in just less than twenty-four hours of receiving his divorce papers, he had met a totally fascinating woman who was beautiful, carefree, and made him feel a little bit better about his self-esteem.
He didn’t want to pretend that he didn’t find Marnie attractive, but he was still very much on his guard. He was more than a little aware of her flirting. It excited him, but also made him a little afraid. This was nothing he’d ever admit to anyone, but he really had lost a lot of his confidence since he and Hilary split. And his dating experiences had been so bad, he started to truly wonder were women attracted to him or just his wealth.
From what he could tell, Marnie was more interested in him. Not just who he was but also his well-being. He was more grateful for that than she knew. However, he did set out to let her know more and more when the opportunities presented themselves that he appreciated her company and her advice.
He took a shower, climbed into his hotel bed, and his thoughts wandered on all the things his tarot reading revealed until he drifted off to sleep.