Year 1833 

A prologue by Jack.

          "Happy New Years, Jack."

The reestablishment of British rule on the Falklands was upon us. This place was built by

slaves, and would be ultimately for them. It wouldn't be long before Britain overtook the South Atlantic. The direction of these winds were taking us to another familiar end.

Here I was . . . spending another year in London, England. High waves crashed. Another boat passed through the midst, with her head down, with me on it.  She wore a name I couldn't remember. It wasn't because I had a poor memory that I couldn't remember her name, but tonight smoke formed on the deck, covering the letters and all evidence that she had one. Fog blew through my nose, as I considered the life within me, beating again and again like a symphony of drums. I was so weary of being the only one. Talking out loud to myself. It could drive a person crazy. So why was I still existing? This sphere of repetition was bothersome. There had to be more. I wanted to find meaning.

Like a woman.

One I can keep. We can bend the earth together. She could be my soul purpose. Some soul that can stay 800 years with me. No problem.

Oh love, when I find you . . that's it. I'm giving you everything. 

You can have my crate of secrets.

Meet Jennifer Webber.

                               LATER KNOWN AS JENNIFER ESCOTT.

 

MEET CALISE

As I held my arms and rubbed 

them, I figured being alone would be most useful tonight. On the bright side, it was an opportune time to investigate. I wanted to revisit the portrait in Chris's bedroom and find out why that interesting face kept popping up, reappearing in my mind like an unending daydream.

But when I got to his room, the double doors were locked. 

A small device was cleverly camouflaged in the limber of the door, a sort of electronic pad that required a pass code. I bit my lip. There were too many storage facilities and too many banks in America for someone's room to be bolted up like this.

If something was that valuable, it should've been placed in a facility that specialized in locking things up, not systematically buried in his bedroom. Leaving the hall, I wanted to laugh at his request for me to 'stay out of things' as though I had any choice in the matter; he'd already made certain I couldn't get inside his room.

CALISE'S QUOTE OF THE DAY

He was my hero, my friend, and my coach. He was also someone I trusted with my whole heart. When he told me they were never romantically involved, I believed him. Bottom line. He couldn’t possibly be the one responsible for writing these love letters to Jennifer. Sure, they were poetic and sweet at first, but the last letter sounded threatening and possessive, like the mysterious author could've gone to drastic measures to keep Jennifer to himself. I knew from experience, Chris wasn’t the possessive type.

CALISE'S QUOTE OF THE DAY

I'd been under the impression our relationship would only be a

professional one. The day he asked me what I wanted, I tried to 

play it cool. I hadn't admitted how I really felt. Good thing my 

feelings overrode my lame attempt to be cool.

TTSP Novel Sneak Peak

         A curl fell over my eye as I stood directly in front of him,  

dropping my bag. “I missed you."

This time he gaped at my lips as though they were edible and made for him alone. "Me?" 

Being with the crew today was like having vegetables before dessert, and somehow hanging out with them was preparing me for something far more delicious . . . like Chris was always the prize, lingering inside everything I did. “Even when you're somewhere else, it feels like we're together. Thanks for letting me meet Melissa, by the way,” I added. “She's really pretty.”

This amused him somewhat. “Hmm." Folding his arms slowly, he added, “She's my cousin.”

Out of surprise, I covered my mouth and asked, “Your cousin is here?” No one even mentioned their relation to each other. Somehow I must've missed this one small (important) detail. Now, as I searched his profile, I realized they both looked noticeably similar. “Wow. It must be cool having your cousin here. I thought family members weren't allowed." 

He nodded and replied plainly, “She's an exception. She turned a few years ago. It rarely happens, but it's nice having a piece of my old life, something to remember my old city by.” At the mention of his old city, he stood a bit taller than usual, rounding his shoulders.

“Where's your old city?” I was interested to know where a person of his caliber emerged from.

“D.C.” His gaze was openly inquisitive, searching through mine. “Tonight, I never left the ceremony," he admitted solemnly. "I ended up watching you until it was over. I couldn't stop looking at your sweet face.” The back of his hand found its way on my belly, making it tremble from the sudden collision of his touch. “I have something for you,” he uttered.

“You could've come out the shadows and danced with me,” I finally said.

"I don't think so," he replied. Then he whispered underneath my hair, "You were my star tonight."