Part 5 (1/2)
Why did it seem that so much rode on her one-word answer? After a long moment of internal debate, Jill typed her response.
Yes.
Excellent. Wear jeans. Tight jeans preferably.
She refused to dignify that comment with a response. Rattled by the conversation and the date she'd just agreed to, Jill went into her closet and sorted through a stack of jeans she'd hardly ever worn, looking for the pair that Kate once told her did wonders for her a.s.s.
If there was ever a time for jeans that did wonders for her a.s.s, this was it.
”Oh my G.o.d,” she whispered to the clothes hanging in her closet. ”What the h.e.l.l did I just agree to?”
The minute the plane took off for the three-and-a-half-hour flight to Ba.s.seterre in St. Kitts, Kate began to regret her impulsive decision. So much had happened since that awful January day when Taylor accidently divulged that Reid had told Buddy about her.
Buddy's ”discovery” of her, his signing of her to his record label and his invitation to join him and Taylor on tour that summer-none of it had been the happy accident Kate had thought it was.
She thought back to when she and Reid were first together, when he told her he knew people in the business, and she told him that wasn't how she wanted to get her start. She didn't want anyone giving her a leg up. She wanted to get there on her own merits. Thinking about that now, Kate had to laugh. No one made it in the music business without a leg up at some point.
Years of maturity and hard knocks had shown her what a fool she'd been back then to think it all would've happened without help.
Kate had been so shocked by Taylor's revelations that she'd vomited by the side of the road on her way home to Reid's house where she'd confronted him. Reliving those ugly minutes that tore apart their love affair could still make Kate feel sick even all these years later.
If all this trip accomplished was the opportunity to apologize for her behavior that day, it would be enough for her. Or so she told herself hours later as the drumstick-shaped island came into view below.
In truth, she hoped it accomplished much more than that. She hoped that maybe, just maybe, they might get a second chance. She hoped he might look at her and feel again the way he had during that long-ago autumn and winter when everything had seemed a tad bit magical.
Whenever she felt particularly lonely, which was far more often than anyone would suspect, she let her mind wander back to the day she met him and all the days that followed. She remembered their horseback rides on his estate, flying in his plane to Memphis when they'd visited Graceland and then were stranded by bad weather. They'd made love for the first time that night, and Kate could still remember every detail of that amazing experience. It stood out in her memory as the single most important event of her life, and he remained one of the most important people to ever cross her path.
She needed to tell him that. Even if nothing else came of this trip, he needed to know that much.
It was late afternoon by the time the plane touched down at the Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport, just north of Ba.s.seterre.
”You got a nice warm day to visit the island, Ms. Kate,” Levi said over the PA as he taxied the plane toward the terminal. ”Eighty-five degrees.”
Kate stared out the window into the bright suns.h.i.+ne. She couldn't think of anything other than seeing Reid again. What would he say? What would she say? Would he even want to see her after the way they'd left things? Would he think her horribly selfish for showing up in his piece of paradise without warning? She thought back to the day, weeks after their breakup, when he'd flown her home to Rhode Island after Maggie had been badly hurt in an accident.
She'd been so focused on getting to her sister that they hadn't talked about what'd happened between them. And when he'd delivered her to the hospital, there hadn't been a chance to say a proper good-bye. Thus, everything between them had felt unfinished ever since.
While it might be selfish, coming here to see him was the right thing to do, she told herself as she let Levi help her down the stairs and into the heat. The sun was so bright Kate was temporarily blinded as her eyes adjusted.
”Any idea how long you plan to stay?” Levi asked as he rolled her suitcase into the terminal.
”I'm not quite sure yet. If you need to get back, I can call you when I'm ready to go home.”
”I think I can find a way to entertain myself here for a couple of days,” Levi said with a wide smile as he led the way to the taxi queue. ”You've got my cell number for when you're ready to leave?”
”Yes, I'll call you as soon as I know what my plans are.”
”Take your time, Ms. Kate. I've got nowhere to be.”
”Thank you very much, Levi,” Kate said as she handed the first driver in the line of taxis the slip of paper on which Buddy had written Reid's address.
”That's over in Half Moon Bay on the Atlantic side of the island,” the driver said in a lyrical voice that was part British, part Caribbean, part reggae.
”Half Moon Bay,” Kate said, instantly curious about the place Reid called home. She shook hands with Levi. ”I'll be in touch.”
”Have a good time.”
”You, too.”
”I'll try,” he said gravely, which made her laugh as the driver helped her into the cab.
During the ride, Kate watched the scenery go by-lush greens, the bright blue of the ever-present water, run-down shacks and million-dollar homes. It pa.s.sed in a blur of color and activity and contrast. The driver kept up a steady stream of chatter, giving Kate a winds.h.i.+eld tour as they drove. She tried to pay attention to what he was saying, but it was hard to hear him over the roar of her heart beating so hard and so fast she worried she might pa.s.s out or hyperventilate. In a few minutes, she would see Reid. Or at least she hoped so.
What if he wasn't here? What if he was away on vacation or somewhere else? Maybe he was in Nashville. How funny would that be? She'd come all this way, and he probably wasn't even here. Why hadn't she let Buddy tell him she was coming? That way she'd at least know he was definitely here-or not.
By the time the driver brought the car to a stop outside a home along a strip of sand dotted with beachfront cottages, Kate was on the verge of a full-scale meltdown.
”Miss?” The driver had gotten out of the car and was holding Kate's door open for her. ”Are you all right?”
”Yes.” Kate shook off the panic and forced her legs to carry her out of the car. ”Would you mind waiting? I'll pay extra.”
”Of course,” he said, eyeing her curiously.
”I don't know how long I'll be.”
”I'll wait right here for you. Take your time.”
”Thank you so much.”
”You're sure you're all right? Your face is terribly pale.”
Kate's hands covered her cheeks. ”Is it?”
The driver nodded.
”I'm nervous about seeing the man who lives here.”
”Ahh, I see.” A smile lit his face. ”I like to tell my daughters that any boy they date is lucky to be with them, and they should remember that.” He glanced at the house. ”Whoever he is, he's lucky to have a pretty lady like you nervous about seeing him.”
”That's very kind of you to say,” Kate said, returning his friendly smile, ”and exactly what I needed to hear right now.”
”My pleasure. Good luck to you.”
”Thank you.”
He closed the door behind her and went around to get back into the driver's seat.
Kate studied the house, which was made of dark wood. It had a thatched roof and a comfortable front porch. Wind chimes hung from the porch roof, tinkling gently in the light afternoon breeze. The only other sound was the waves cras.h.i.+ng on the beach and the squawk of seagulls.