Admission of Love by Niobia Bryant Read Free Book Online

describe with words.
    Anika had joined her for two weeks of her month-long travels in Anguilla, a tiny paradise with only one main road and a small number of hotels. It was without the downtown hustle and bustle of large areas in the Caribbean, and ripe with quiet sophistication. Chloe and Anika had lazed the days away on the secluded crescent shaped beaches, interspersing their time with touring the island and shopping, of course.
    The rest of her time had been spent at an all-inclusive resort in Jamaica. She has spent many hours toasting the sunset from a cliffside perch. The jerk chicken, Red Stripe beer and roasted yams at the Pork Pit had been as satisfying as a meal at a four-star hotel. The resort activity of beach bashes, toga parties and reggae dancing had been unforgettable.
    This year had been just what she needed, a mix of total relaxation, exploration of new places and unique experiences. She had met interesting people whom she would never forget. She had been pursued by a wide variety of men, even having to outwit several rather amorous would-be suitors. All in all she had had the best year of her life, and now the building of a dream home, on her family’s land, would be the icing on the cake for her. 
    Chloe focused her attention back on her driving as the main highway eventually passed through a small town. She decelerated the car, pulling onto the small dirt driveway of a two-pump gas station. As she parked, a grizzly old man with silver hair and oversized overalls stepped out of the small storefront. She exited the vehicle, towering over the short man. “Good afternoon. Could you direct me to Holtsville? I think I got my directions mixed up.”
    He pulled a sweat drenched handkerchief from his back pocket and wiped his damp brown. The scorching heat was intense and Chloe felt as damp and sticky as the old man looked. She waited patiently as he tended to the moisture.
    Now, Cyrus Dobbs’ vision wasn’t 20/20, but he knew a good-looking gal when he saw one. Hell, a blind man could see this one. He rocked back and forth on his heels to look up into her face. “Great Lawd, you’s a tall one,” he drawled, his broken English prominent with his southern accent.
    Chloe smiled and pushed her shades on top of her damp, wilting hair. “Yes, I am. Did I miss the turn for Holtsville? I haven’t seen a sign or anything.”
    “I’ve been breathing for seventy-two years and I ain’t seen nothing as pretty as you since my wife Mabel.” Cyrus wiped his brow again as the sweat beaded on his face. “Hot as Hades, ain’t it?”
    “Yes, sir, it is hot. That’s why I’m trying to reach my destination.” Chloe felt sweat trickle down her spine. Funny, she had been in place is much hotter than this but somehow it felt worse when she wasn’t surrounded by white sand beaches and dressed in a bikini.
    “Where’s dat?”
    Chloe swatted a mosquito humming by her ear and forced a smile. “Holtsville,” she said patiently.
    “You got bidness in Holtsville?” Out came the cloth again.
    “My mother passed away eight years ago and she left me some land and I’m having a home built there for myself.”
    “Didn’t catch your mother’s name. She grew up in Holtsville, you say?”
    “Adell. My mama’s name was Adell Bolton,” Chloe answered, resorting to the rules of obeying her elders that her mother had preached since birth.
    Cyrus wiped his brow again. “You’re dat model gal building the house. Odis’s grandbaby.”
    This was a statement, not a question.
    “That land is down the road from the Jamison boys.”
    Chloe jumped as she realized that she may be getting somewhere with him. “Yes! Yes! Jamison Contractors are building the house…in Holtsville.” She put emphasis on the last two words.
    “I know.” Cyrus smiled, revealing big white teeth which had to be false because they were just too perfect.
    Maybe it was the heat, or maybe it was the fact that she had just lain around for nearly a year