His Only Obsession

Fifteen years later,As Gwen unlocked her back door, she replayed the message left on her cell phone. "I'm in Puerto Nuevo. You must come here at once. I want you to be with me when I rediscover my island." Her father's voice had vibrated with excitement, the same elated tone she'd heard so many times over the years. "I have people who are interested in backing this expedition, people who believe in me, in my island." Gwen sighed heavily as she entered her home in Madi-son, a short drive from the Botanical Gardens in Huntsville, Alabama, where she worked as CEO. Exhausted from try-ing to put a day and a half's work into one day while worrying about her father, she dropped her keys, shoulder bag, cell phone and briefcase down on the kitchen counter and headed straight to the refrigerator. Whenever a crisis confronted her, she turned to food, especially something sweet. She had spent a lifetime--all of her thirty-threeOf course, eating a salad would be the wise choice, but the leftover piece of cake from a recent retirement dinner for a colleague looked mighty tempting. Chocolate. Her favorite. Grabbing the cellophane-wrapped concoction, Gwen tried to dismiss thoughts of her father's recent phone mes-sage from her mind. She seldom heard from him, but when she did, their conversations wreaked havoc on her life for weeks afterward. If only she could accept the fact that her father would never change, that he would forever chase a phantom island and be considered a lunatic by his fellow scientists. A brilliant lunatic, but a lunatic all the same. Gwen had learned years ago, after joining her father on two quests in the West Indies, that she could no more change her father than she could stop the sun from rising in the east. Before her death ten years ago, her mother, Jean, had exacted a promise from Gwen to keep her distance from Dr. Emery Arnell and his insanity. Gwen had kept that promise, seeing her father rarely and never again joining him on one of his fruitless expeditions. But every year or so he'd call, breathless with anticipation, begging her to be a part of his great discovery, to share in the glory that was soon to be his. Gwen removed the plastic wrap from the cake, retrieved a fork from a kitchen drawer and headed to the table. Before sitting, she kicked off her two-inch heels and wiggled her toes. Until she'd taken over as CEO of the botanical gardens, she'd worn jeans and walking shoes to work, but now she had to dress more appropriately, something suitable for her position. Just as she finished the last bite of cake, the phone rang. Bone weary, she decided to let the answering machine take the call. It might be a solicitor. And if it was something about work, she could easily return the call later, after she'd taken a shower and put on her pj's. The answering machine picked up. "This is Dr. Gwen Arnell. Please leave your name, number and a brief message at the sound of the beep and I will return your call as soon as possible." "Gwen, darling girl, if you're there, please pick up the phone," Emery said, his voice quivering with emotion. "Everything is coming together for this expedition. My backers are eager for us to begin the journey. I want you with me, daughter, when I sail into the history books as the man who discovered the Fountain of Youth." Oh, Daddy. Poor Daddy."Gwen, please." She left the crumb-dotted plate on the table, shoved back her chair and stood. "We'll set sail soon, very soon." When Gwen reached the phone on the kitchen counter, her hand hesitated, hovering over the base. "I, I've cashed in my life insurance policy to use as part of the investment, to subsidize this final expedition," Emery said. "But once I bring back the plant and offer it to the world, we will be rich beyond our wildest dreams." Gwen grabbed the phone. "Daddy, I'm here." "Gwen, how soon can you get to Puerto Nuevo? My backers arBarton, Beverly is the author of 'His Only Obsession ', published 2007 under ISBN 9780373275250 and ISBN 0373275250.