Empty Chairs and Empty Promises

Chapter Ten

The setting is perfect for the restaurant. It isn't a fancy place, but one where you can stroll in off of the beach with your flip flops covered with sand and fit right in. The first thing I notice is the crashing of the waves against the shore. The restaurant doesn't have glass windows, so we smell the salty air as the breezes freely flow through the place.

The waitress tells us to sit anywhere and we choose a table next to a window. I gaze out and watch the hypnotic roll of the tide as it makes landfall before retreating back into the sea.

I'm surprised to find my camera in my hands. I must have reached for it instinctively wanting to capture this moment on film. I marvel at how quickly photography has once again become an extension of my being. The tiny click and whirring sounds repeat themselves over and over as I snap photos of the surf hoping to capture a photograph which will not only conjure the motion of the sea but will bring a mental crashing of the wave against the viewers' synapses. Much like the sensation of hearing the first notes of a beloved song play in your head when what you're viewing reminds you of another time and place.

After our flavorful lunch, I lean back in my chair and sigh with satisfaction. A languor flows through me and with my appetite sated by my huge bowl of shrimp mofongo, I can barely keep my eyes open.

"Don't fall asleep on me, now! I want to take you to my favorite place on the island."I blink slowly and grin at Griff's disappointed face. "I can't sit here much longer or I will probably fall asleep right here at the table."

He stands extending his hand in my direction. I set my hand into his, and with a gentle tug, he pulls me to my feet. "Come on, sleepy girl, time to go for a ride. Maybe the fresh air will revive you."

I follow him, or should I say I haven't any choice but to follow him because he continues to hold my hand as we walk to his Jeep. He doesn't release me until I'm sitting on the passenger side. I think he would have buckled me in if I hadn't reached for the seatbelt as soon as I'd situated myself.

Once the Jeep is in motion, I find the warmth of the sun along with the tropical breeze makes it difficult for me to keep my eyelids from sliding closed. I'm a Raggedy Ann doll without the wide-open button eyes but in their place, someone painted on crescents with tiny lashes against the fabric cheek. In my sleepy state, I wonder if mofongo has something other than shrimp and mashed plantains in it.

The next thing I recall is wakening when the Jeep slows down as Griff navigates it over a bumpy dirt road.

"Are you taking me to the boonies?" I rub my eyes and sit up straighter in my seat. The thick growth brushes up against the metal sides of the vehicle and I bat away the leaves that slide past the front windshield and threaten to slap against my cheek. The earlier breezes are absent in the densely forested area. A bead of sweat rolls down the center of my back as my shirt starts to stick as it absorbs the salty trail.

As the distance between the tree increases and the undergrowth recedes, my ears detect the rhythmic lapping of the ocean tide. Directly ahead sits a white stucco house with a sky-blue metal roof surrounded by flowering bushes, palms, and Flamboyan trees.

Griff brings the Jeep to a slow stop in the gravel drive and hops out. A smile lights up his face as he rounds the front of vehicle and beckons with a slight wave of his hand.

What the hell? I might as well follow. I scurry behind him to the front of the house slamming face-first into his back when he comes to a standstill. A frown shows my agitation as I rub my smarting nose.

He softly runs a finger down my nose with a little grimace. "Sorry. I wanted you to close your eyes before we go any further."

"Too late. I already know the way here. Your secret is out." My joke produces an upturning of the corners of his mouth.

"Close your eyes, beautiful. Trust me."

"Trust you? Not for a second, bud. It isn't like I let you take me to an unknown location where no one will find my body..."

"Yeah, you did." Griff's laughter makes me laugh, blowing my attempt at some deadpan humor."You're right." I close my eyes. "Lead me where you must." Gentle hands encase mine and guide me ten steps forward. My hands are freed, and I can barely express my regret at losing the comforting warmth which enveloped them before it's transferred to my shoulders to assist me in a 90-degree turn.

"Okay, you can open your eyes." His words were hushed. I detect a slight hesitancy or maybe there's an uncertainty to them as he says them.

I blink rapidly as I adjust my eyes to the brightness of the sun's rays. Straight ahead of me down a short covered walkway are a pair of doors with large glass panes which allow me to look into and through the house. My eyes focus on the rear of the home where another set of French doors looks out over an expanse of blue made up of a pool whose infinity edge visually joins with the ocean beyond.

"Wow." I'm almost speechless, but manage to throw out a stupid question. "Who lives here?"

Griff laughs as he states, "I do." Once again, he leads me by the hand to the entrance using a security pad to unlock the entry before ushering me inside. "Do you like it?"

"Who wouldn't?" I'm looking at a place that might well be in the seven-figure price range. Inside, it is simply furnished with modern, streamlined designs from the huge kitchen to the sitting area and out onto the expansive patio with its outdoor kitchen, screened cabana and open-air covered terrace. I can hear the sound of the waves crashing against the shore.

As I move towards the pool, I see a set of wooden steps heading downward and disappearing after the first few steps. It appears Griff's home sits high atop a seaside cliff. Everywhere I look there is color — blue sky, green grass and palms, the red flowers of the Flamboyan trees and other potted flowers dotted around the patio and pool. Even the outdoor furniture sport a few plump pillows in primary colors.

Griff leans up against the frame of the doors watching as I survey his place. He appears relaxed but I sense he isn't.

"Do you bring all of the lonely ladies you meet on the beach here?" I internally wince at my awkward question. It smacks of insecurity and need.

"You're the first woman I've brought here." Griff moves away from the doorway and walks with measured steps towards me. I feel my heart beat faster against my chest. "I share this place with only a few select people."

I answer with a smile hoping I appear self-assured and not panic-stricken as I really am. I don't know how to do this male/female dance anymore. As if he knows I'm a wary animal ready to run from a threat, Griff moves to the wicker sofa and indicates for me to sit down with a slight wave of his arm.

I stop holding my breath. I didn't even realize I had been holding it until that moment I stopped doing it. Maybe Carrie is right and I am in over my head?