She waited outside the door while Cameron entered. Pale yellow walls provided a backdrop for mahogany furnishings indicative of classic English designs coupled with rich, exotic influences from the South Seas, Africa, and India. Varying shades of yellow were reflected in the bed dressings and raw silk drapery. A queen-size four-poster bed with an exotic peacock motif on the duvet in a rich palette of yellow and cinnamon-red matched the one on the full-size bed in an alcove behind a decorative screen. All of the suites had triple dressers, armoires with large flat screen television, were wired with Wi-Fi, and had sitting areas with overstuffed loveseats. The original plank floors were scraped, refinished, and covered with rugs with deeply hued colors that contrasted with the suite’s dominate shade. The adjoining bathrooms had twin vanities, claw-foot tubs, shower stalls, commodes, and bidets.
“Your aunt and uncle must have invested a lot of money in this place to have it look like this,” Cameron said after leaving the last bedroom.
Jasmine nodded. “My uncle used the money he’d invested from his days playing football, while my aunt took out a mortgage on the house. They worked hard the first couple of years to make a go of it, and then after a while when it became fashionable to vacation on Long Island during the summer months things turned around.”
“What about staffing?”
“They hire many of the kids who attend the Long Island University Southampton College. Classes end mid-May, so most are available beginning the Memorial Day weekend and up until Labor Day.”
“Where do they live?”
“Uncle Keith converted a section of the barn into living quarters for employees. It’s set up dormitory style for men and women. The students always move back on campus during the school year until the summer season begins.”
Cameron took Jasmine’s hand when they retraced their steps. “Why wouldn’t you want to run this place after your aunt and uncle retire?”
“I grew up in the suburbs and I don’t want to retire in the suburbs. Once I went to college in Manhattan I realized it was where I wanted to live. People complain about the noise, traffic, and pollution, but for me it’s like an aphrodisiac. Any and everything I want is in New York City where I have easy access to museums, restaurants, theaters, parks, and public transportation.”
Cameron paused when they moved off the last stair. “Spending six months here and six months in the city sounds like a wonderful arrangement to me. There could come a point in time when you may want to retire here.”
Jasmine shook her head. “I doubt if that is going to become a reality. The views from the house are spectacular, but there’s little or no activity during the winter months. And if it wasn’t for year-round locals this part of the island would be as quiet as a tomb. I’ll probably follow my parents and move south so I don’t have to concern myself with snowstorms and bone-chilling winters. Until then I plan to enjoy being a city girl.”
* * *
Cameron wanted to tell Jasmine if she moved to New Orleans, then she would have restaurants, live music, museums and easy access to public transportation at her disposal. But again he was getting ahead of himself. He’d attempted to figure out what it was about Jasmine that made her different from the other women in his past, and now he knew it was her ability to allow him to be himself. There wasn’t a need to try and impress her, because she was confident enough in her own right to say exactly what was on her mind.
“You’ve done an incredible job decorating this place, Jasmine.”
She patted his shoulder. “You’re quite the silver-tongued devil. You haven’t seen every room.”
“I’ve seen enough to know that I want to commission you to decorate my house once the renovations are completed.”
Jasmine gave him a long penetrating stare. “I’m not going to commit to anything until I come down for Tonya’s wedding. Once I see what I have to work with then I’ll give you my answer.”
Cameron’s expression did not reveal his relief in getting Jasmine to at least consider decorating his new home. Walking into the bedroom suites felt as if he’d entered a portal into the past. He’d been invited to enough historic residences in New Orleans, and to him they were more like museums than homes. But for those who checked into D&K Bed-and-Breakfast for a few days, it was an opportunity for them to escape to a place where they were able to imagine what it would be like to experience a world at the turn of the century.
The formal living and dining rooms, and the parlor, were as inviting as the bedroom suites. Lamps, tables, chandeliers, and area rugs had turned the house into an exquisite showplace that could be featured in interior design magazines.
His future home was a three-story converted Victorian warehouse with a rear courtyard and a garage with enough space for three vehicles. He planned to use the first floor for entertaining family, friends, and clients, and the two upper floors for his personal use. It would be the third time in his life he would change residences. The first was when he rented a house in the Lower French Quarter blocks from Esplanade Avenue, which he eventually purchased as a gift to himself for his thirtieth birthday. Ten years later he sold the property and bought a boutique hotel in the CBD, and converted a number of rooms into condos. Now he was moving again—and he swore it would be his last move.
“Are coming with me and your uncle to the winery?” he asked Jasmine.
She shook her head. “No. Go and enjoy yourself. I’m going to stay here and maybe go shopping with my aunt.”
Cameron leaned down to kiss her, but caught himself in time. “I’ll see you later.”
Jasmine smiled. “Later.”
Turning on his heel and whistling a nameless tune, he returned to the kitchen. Jasmine taking him to meet her family had become a pleasant surprise and he hoped it was a prelude to more good things to come.
Chapter 6
Jasmine stared at Cameron’s broad shoulders and trim waist as he walked away. It was obvious by his toned physique that he either worked out regularly or carefully monitored his diet. He’d hinted she would uncover a lot about him over the next two days, but what Cameron failed to realize she knew everything she needed to know about him. He had been informative about his marital status; he liked golfing, had a personal chef, and kept close contact with his college buddies. The only other thing she needed to know, if or when she agreed to accept his commission, was his preference for decorating styles.
It wasn’t that Jasmine hadn’t found Cameron attractive, charming, and engaging. He was all that, yet she could not see herself becoming romantically involved with him, because there was no room in her life for a relationship—even if it was a long-distance one. And for her there was still the issue of where she wanted her career to go. Did she want to continue in human resources or return to decorating? Jasmine recalled Tonya’s lament after they were downsized from Wakefield Hamilton about starting over at the bottom in a restaurant’s kitchen despite her vast experience as a professional chef, so when Hannah suggested Tonya invest in the DuPont Inn to own and operate her own eating establishments, the talented cook quickly accepted the offer.
Hannah had extended the same offer for Jasmine to invest in the new venture not as a decorator, but to assist her managing the inn where she would be responsible for benefits, payroll, and time management. She’d balked because she didn’t want to leave her parents or sell her condo, but now that she was unemployed for the second time within a year Jasmine knew she had to make a decision before summer’s end; however, if she hadn’t been solvent, then she wouldn’t have the luxury of taking the summer off.
Fortunately she hadn’t had to touch the severance pay she’d received from Wakefield Hamilton, while the monies she received in the divorce settlement from the sale of her design business and the equity in her condo had provided Jasmine with certain financial stability if she did not dramatically alter her current lifestyle. A hint of a smile parted her lips when she recalled her ex’s face when the judge awarded him ten percent of the business instead of the fifty he had asked for. After all, she had been the one to start up and grow the company before marrying Raymond. He’d left the courtroom infuriated and into the arms of his baby’s mama who’d sat in the back row witnessing the proceedings. She refused to make eye contact with the woman who’d slept with her husband and given him the child Jasmine had always wanted. With that phase of her life behind her, Jasmine went home and slept for more than twelve hours, and when she woke felt as if she’d been reborn.
