Free The Accidental Mistress by Sienna Mynx Page B

frown. She looked back into her
mother's eyes and realized how manic she had become.
    Nanette Baptiste took her daughter by the
hand and forced her to rise. She walked her out of the veranda
doors to her parent’s room, then out on the small balcony. The full
moon cast their shadows and the mangroves below in a silvery light.
"What did I tell you as a girl?"
    " Pays des Revenants," Zuri said
softly. "Land to which one returns."
    " Oui chérie . He never lost hope that
you'd come home eventually. Neither did I. You needed to go and
spread your wings. Do not feel any guilt for that. He's proud of
you and so am I. You can leave tonight and go take that test to be
an American lawyer and it wouldn't change."
    Zuri turned into her
mother's arms. She held to her, burying her face into her shoulder
as she released a final cry. She wasn't going anywhere. This was
where she belonged. The land to which one
returns .

Chapter Seven
    Zuri slumped into the bucket seat of the
cranberry red convertible beetle. The drive down from the mountain
was quite serene. She had slept well. Her father was up and alert
when she left. She even got the opportunity to see him stand with
the aid of the nurses.
    "So, JP's excited you're coming. I told him
that you wanted to meet with him first." Joi looked for a
reaction.
    Zuri didn't take the bait. She had made the
mistake of returning home briefly after graduation and trying to
rekindle a romance with Jean-Paul. They never made it past first
base. Her wounds were deep thanks to
'he’s-who-she-hoped-to-never-see-again'. Jean-Paul professed his
love and held her while she cried tears of confusion and
frustration. Instead of being mature and working through it, she
fled to the states and avoided his calls.
    "Did you hear me?"
    "JP and I are friends. You know that,
Joi."
    Joi shifted the gears and eased on the speed
as they rounded the narrow two-lane highway. "Yes, but the question
is, does he?"
    They arrived at the Oasis within the hour.
Joi parked in the designated spot for management near the beach
bungalows. The Blue Oasis was located on the outskirts of Fort de
France on a secluded beach. Exclusivity is a must for the higher
end establishments. The pampered guests were never to be in direct
contact with the locals.
    Zuri cringed as she strolled along the
breezeway. The damaged roofing and boarded up bungalows that hadn't
been restored since the storm and flooding told the tale. "I will
have a meeting with the staff tomorrow to introduce you. I need you
to see these contracts they are piling up on me."
    "Where's Detrick, in this?"
    "Girl, he isn't consistent.
I think he's not advising père well, Zuri. Dad took out more loans to sustain the
Oasis, but the payments are so high and we get nothing from
tourism. Only resources are from cruise ships that port and bring
new visitors. And those tourists eat at the restaurants, do our
beaches, but nothing more. No guests."
    "These Montague people. Where did they come
from?" Zuri asked.
    "Montague Spa and Resorts? You've heard of
it, right?" Joi asked, taking the stairs instead of the elevator.
It was quicker to her office.
    "I think so. They bought Ventura, didn't
they?"
    "Ventura, Danbury in Phoenix, The Ivy in New
York, and a whole bunch of others. They've grown in the past three
years. I hear they are buying up every fledging company. When they
started circling, I knew it was trouble. I met with some creep
named Elliot Mason. But the big man is coming. Christophe
Montague."
    Zuri stopped. Hearing the name Christophe
hit her square in a sore spot. She never knew his last name, but
still the news burned. “I want to see everything on Montague
first,” said Zuri.
    Joi unlocked the door. She held it open for
Zuri. When she entered, she was overcome by the chaos. Her sister
couldn't manage a thing from the stockpile of papers and unopened
mail on her desk. Their father ran such a neat orderly business.
She struggled against criticizing Joi. Instead, she