Love's Paradise by Celeste O. Norfleet Page A

the office refrigerator and carried it to his desk. He sat down, opened it and took a long sip while thinking about his earlier altercation with Sheri Summers. He smiled. She was a lot different than he remembered. He reached over and turned on his computer as he began dialing the phone. A few seconds later Kenneth Fields answered. “Kenneth, it’s Jordan.”
    â€œHey buddy, what’s up? How are you? Where are you now?”
    â€œI’m doing okay. I’m at the Crescent Island property.”
    â€œHow’s the project coming?”
    â€œGood. We’ve made amazing progress since you were last here. We should be finishing up soon.”
    â€œAny more problems with the locals?” he asked.
    â€œNo, nothing too major, nothing we can’t handle on-site.”
    â€œGood, so what can I do for you?” Kenneth asked.
    â€œI’m not sure if this is anything or not, but I wanted to keep you in the loop and I wanted your thoughts.”
    â€œSure, what’s happening?” Kenneth asked.
    â€œI just had a visit from a woman who works at the local museum. She was very upset and she seems to think that there may be some artifacts of historical significance at our secondary site. We’re just about to get started in that area in couple of weeks, and with our tight schedule I can’t afford any delays.”
    â€œWhat makes her think there are artifacts on the site?”
    â€œSome bush was cleared and a hole was dug earlier. We had a few days of hard rain and we came across some wooden planks and what looks like an old medicine bottle and a ship’s bell.”
    â€œNot exactly a smoking gun, but curious nonetheless. When the land was purchased a thorough title search was performed. Due diligence came up blank. We can only depend on the available records from local officials. The previous building and land maps showed no unusual certifications. At this point I wouldn’t worry too much about it. It’s not a legal issue. I will however make some inquiries on this end. I have a few friends in the Library for Research in African Culture. But do me a favor, keep track of everything you find and pull out of there. Write down specifics, time, date, location, who found them, et cetera.”
    â€œWill do. Anything else?”
    â€œYeah, keep a close eye on the site for a while, maybe beef up security the next few days. If people think there’s something of value out there, you might run into some trouble with the locals and those looking to cash in. Treasure hunting is always a draw for some.”
    â€œYeah, I already have security on it.”
    â€œGood. Let me know if you have any other problems.”
    â€œI will. Thanks.”
    â€œWhat time are you getting in this evening?”
    â€œNot until late. I have a few things to take care of before I leave, and Darius asked me to pick up some documents from Louise Gates.”
    Kenneth started laughing. “That’s pretty brave of you.”
    â€œYeah, tell me about it. The woman has matchmaking on the mind twenty-four-seven.”
    â€œDidn’t she already try to set you up a while ago?”
    Jordan chuckled. “Yeah, but it didn’t work out. We weren’t exactly compatible at the time. Coincidently, she’s the woman I told you about from the museum.”
    â€œInteresting coincidence. Are you sure this isn’t one of Louise Gates’s matchmaking schemes?”
    â€œNah, not this time. She doesn’t know anything about what’s going on here at the site. And besides, Sheri Summer was just as adamant about staying single as I am. That’s about the only thing we can actually agree upon.”
    â€œStill…”
    â€œYeah, I know,” Jordan agreed. “I’m watching my back. I’ll talk to you when I get there this evening.” Jordan closed his cell and took another sip of water. He saw the business card he had tossed on his desk