Island Magic

  ISLAND MAGIC

  By Michelle Garren Flye

  Published by Michelle Garren Flye

  Copyright October 2014

  All rights reserved.

  This novel is a work of fiction. Characters and events in this novel come directly from my imagination. Actual places are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to any actual events or people, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Author photo by Jenn Reno Photography

  For Phyllis and Wayne.

  Thank you for introducing me to Mexico.

  Acknowledgments:

  I am doomed to never leave myself enough space for these acknowledgements. I squeeze in long lists of the people I love, but trust me when I say, these people are far from afterthoughts. Without them, I might not even bother!

  Rebekah, thank you for reading this manuscript in its infant stages and offering words of reassurance and wisdom. Lisa, Jennifer, Katie, Sherri, AM, Suzanne, Mary Kathryn, Candice, Rebecca, Andrea, Melissa, Jeff, Ginger, Celia, Todd and Georgiana (in no particular order!), thank you so much for your continued support and help in getting the word out about my books. Thank you, Most Flye Street Team!

  A special recognition to the ladies of the Trent Woods book club who not only read Close Up Magic, but invited me to their meeting to discuss it. That was, without doubt, one of the highlights of my writing career thus far.

  And finally, to the most important people in my life. My wonderful husband Chris, who is the inspiration and sounding board and support system for all my books. My children, Josh, Ben and Jessi: thanks for putting up with my tapping fingers on the keyboard! And to my extended family, Mama, Daddy, Bruce, Bobby, Brandon, Phyllis and Wayne who all do their part to encourage and support me in my efforts.

  Thank you all!

  Prologue

  Night fell slowly in the Caribbean, and when it came, it was complete. Especially in the little bar on the beach that Logan loved. Even the tiki torches on the boardwalk only spread small radii of flickering glow around their poles. The rest was a dark, secret haven.

  From his lighted oasis beneath the thatch-roofed bar, he watched the patrons of the resort milling around, coming in from the dark beach, usually hand-in-hand with someone else. Occasionally a group of young men would collide with a group of young women and soon they would pair off and head into dark corners. All Logan had to do was make their drinks and chat. No interference required on his part. He was like a voyeuristic benefactor, watching them leave with nothing but good feelings.

  When he first spotted Rachel in the bar, then lost sight of her in a crowd of college kids, he thought he must be mistaken. He frowned, craning his neck. It certainly had looked like Rachel. Nora’s best friend, the maid of honor at his wedding to a woman who was now dead. But what would Rachel be doing there? He hadn’t seen her in years, but he didn’t believe in coincidence. Magic, but not coincidence.

  He recognized the long, luxurious hair and the lovely features, even though they had a hard edge he didn’t recall. And what was up with the slinky dress? Rachel had always seemed so strait-laced he’d figured she would be a suburban soccer mom by now. This was no soccer mom. This wasn’t even the beautiful, gentle woman Nora had known in the years after their marriage.

  She sat at a table not far from the bar. She was alone, but everything about her said she had no intention of remaining that way. Logan noticed several men glancing her way. He couldn’t blame them. Her raven hair fell over one bare shoulder, her sleeveless red sundress setting off her tan. He couldn’t take his eyes off her, and he shouldn’t be looking at Rachel that way. Not Nora’s best friend.

  When the waitress took her order for a frozen margarita with salt, Logan intercepted it from Ramon. “Sorry, man.” He grinned at his friend and fellow bartender. “I’m gonna deliver this one personally.”

  Ramon gave him a mock growl. “Earn me a good tip if you’re gonna pull rank on me, amigo.”

  Logan flashed him a smile and vaulted the bar neatly, landing on the other side to appreciative looks from a group of young women. He saluted them, picked up the margarita and crossed to the table. “Your margarita, señorita.”

  She raised beautiful dark eyes to meet his. The raw sensuality in that gaze left him breathless. She smiled, playing along as if she had no idea who he was. “Muchas gracias, señor. To what do I owe the special delivery?”

  He glanced left and right, then sat across from her, leaning over the table as if to keep their conversation covert. “Between you and me, I’ve been told I’m overly concerned with our guests’ satisfaction.”

  The curve of her lips deepened and he knew she’d sensed a double entendre in his words. He wanted to laugh but didn’t give in to the impulse. He wasn’t even certain he’d meant to flirt with her, but it had come out that way. He’d spent so many years on stage, his career so dependent on reading his audience, yet he couldn’t seem to see through Rachel’s carefully guarded exterior. She was so unlike the woman he remembered, it worried him. Enough so he stepped over a boundary he hadn’t crossed in years.

  He beckoned her closer. When she obliged, her expression highly amused, he said quietly, “Do you believe in magic?”

  ****

  The light touch of his breath on her ear sent a pleasant tingle of electricity through Rachel’s body. Maybe it was the way he pretended not to know her instead of demanding instantly what she was doing there and why she looked the way she did. He’d have every right, of course. She probably shouldn’t have just shown up this way. Why the hell did I? There are thousands of resorts in Cancun, but here I am on his island, a hundred miles away from those resorts and reachable only by plane. I might as well be on Fantasy Island.

  The idea of this exceptionally tall, dark-skinned, very handsome man as a modern-day Mr. Roark was close enough to the truth of what Rachel knew she’d come searching for so she shied away from it. Magic wouldn’t help her now. Even if she did believe in it.

  But maybe it had been what had brought her here to Isla Foriscura with her life in shambles around her. She’d told herself she wanted nothing but fun and a chance to spend her alimony, but in her broken heart, she knew the truth lay in the question the widower husband of her dead best friend had just asked her.

  Do you believe in magic?

  To the best of her knowledge he hadn’t performed magic since Nora died. Since he’d retired to his private island turned reclusive resort in the Caribbean. But she had no intention of asking him about it because that would break the little spell of pretense between them.

  Instead she sipped the margarita, enjoying the tangy drink mixed with the salt from the rim. She let her lips part a little just before answering, noticed the way he focused on her mouth. “Should I?”

  “Maybe.” He snagged an empty glass from a passing waitress and set it on the table in front of her.

  She frowned. “Am I supposed to do something with that?” She glanced around, noticing that a little crowd of interested onlookers had gathered, including the waitresses. Did they know something she didn’t?

  He shook his head, taking her hand and pulling her to her feet. “Not that.” He twirled her around so she stood with her back to his chest, one of his hands on her waist. She wasn’t a short woman and she was wearing heels, but Logan was exceptionally tall. Over six feet tall and well built, he dwarfed her, but he adjusted his stance so his head was just over her shoulder.

  She could feel the heat of his breath on her neck and she closed her eyes. If he weren’t Ian Logan—if she really didn’t know him—she would have enjoyed this. She would have let her body mold against his, felt his response, reveled in the feel of his firm body…

  She forced herself to open her eyes, maintain her distance. Dear God
, how had she forgotten what a sexy man he was? Ian Logan had everything. Money, talent, looks, confidence…and a broken heart the last time she saw him. Still, she wondered what it would be like spending the night in his arms. Would it be different from all the other nights? She remembered Kevin and her heart shuddered. Her voice came out sounding slightly more acidic than she’d intended. “What, then?”

  Unperturbed by her change of tone, he raised his free arm and pointed at the stars. “Those.”

  She frowned. “I beg your pardon?”

  “Pick one.”

  “Just one?” His gentle mysterious tone intrigued her, but she couldn’t help mocking him a little bit.

  He laughed. “Just one. I can only catch one at a time.”

  “Oh, you can catch one, can you?” She snorted, scanned the skies and decided to play along. Obviously she’d been wrong about him not practicing magic. He had a little bar trick he used to amuse the crowd and probably to pick up women. Well, it wouldn’t work well on her unless she wanted it to. She chose a bright star low on the horizon. “That one.”

  “Perfect.” He moved away, leaving her bare back surprisingly cool in the evening breeze. He handed her the glass. “Hold that.” He gazed into the distance for a moment, then reached out as if plucking something from the air in front of him. It reminded her of the days when she used to catch fireflies as a child and she fended off the jolt of nostalgia with difficulty.

  He turned back, his hand closed and a mischievous expression playing on his features. She’d forgotten the other people clustered around them. She’d almost forgotten that she knew Logan and he knew her. They were two strangers in a bar and she wanted to believe the expression in his warm brown eyes was just for her. That he wasn’t still a showman and that all of this was for her benefit alone.

  He raised one eyebrow, holding his hand close to his face. “You didn’t answer my question earlier. Do you believe in magic?”

  She thought of everything that had brought her to this point, everything that had gone wrong in her life and what she’d lost. How could she believe in magic now? Without pausing to doctor her answer, she replied honestly. “No. Not anymore.”

  His smile faded, but not as if he’d lost confidence. More as if he felt her pain. She looked away, uncomfortable, wishing he hadn’t spotted her. Or maybe that she hadn’t come. He didn’t falter, however. Instead he placed his closed hand over the glass and took her free hand, placing it on top of his. In a swift, practiced movement, he opened his hand and pulled it away, pushing hers down on top of the glass. “Do you believe now?”

  She gasped, looking at the blue-white light hovering in the glass. What could it be but the star she’d requested? She turned the glass in her hands as the little crowd applauded and he bowed. No matter which way she turned the glass, the light shimmered back at her. She stared in amazement, barely feeling it when he led her back to the table and helped her put the glass down without taking her hand away.

  She tore her eyes away from the glimmering light, trying to focus on him. “This is a trick, right?”

  “The best magic always leaves you wondering.” He smiled a little, but she could see the shadow of sorrow still hovering in his eyes.

  “What happens if I move my hand?” She glanced back at the glass.

  “The light goes out.” He shrugged. “You can’t keep a star captive forever.”

  “No. You can’t.” His words filled her with sadness and she knew why she’d come there. To his island. To him. Because of all people, Ian Logan knew that nothing lasted forever. Love, life, stars. She gave the light in the jar a final look of regret before taking her hand away from the top. It flickered and died. She raised her eyes to Logan’s. “It’s a neat trick, Logan. And thanks, but I stopped believing in magic a long time ago.”

  Summoning a flirtatious smile and a little wiggle into her hips, she moved out of the circle of light around the bar, feeling the darkness descend in a wave of welcome obscurity. She knew another bar down the beach where the young men were sexy and ready to get laid and didn’t bother making her feel like she mattered to do it.

  Chapter 1

  Three floors down from Rachel’s window handsome, tanned men dressed in white moved around the pool, setting up chairs, sweeping away small bits of trash, piling clean white towels on bamboo stands. Rachel watched their smooth movements with all the admiration she would feel for a ballet. They were coordinated, efficient, pleasant to observe.

  They reminded her a little of the cast members she’d seen at Disney World when she was last there. The memory brought a jab of pain sharp enough to penetrate the morning fog. She’d been so full of hope then. So sure it wouldn’t be the last time she believed in magic.

  The bedsheets rustled and a tousled dark head emerged. The handsome college kid grinned at her, teeth white against his olive skin. Where was he from again? Spain? She struggled to remember at least that much. His name was out of the question. She never remembered names. How old was he, anyway? She hoped at least twenty-one. She didn’t want to think she’d spent a passionate night in the arms of anyone technically young enough to be her son. He’s still too young for a thirtysomething divorcee. Her years weighed on her for a second before she shook them off impatiently.

  He held out a hand. “Come back to bed.”

  The invitation was eloquently stated and absurdly inviting to have been uttered by someone so young. However old he was, he certainly had experience in the area of making love. And he had the face and body of a fallen angel. Curly, jet-black hair, brown eyes, lush lips. His bare skin smooth and his muscles rock hard… She shook herself out of the memory, making her voice cold on purpose. “You need to go.”

  He laughed and rolled over onto his back, stretching. “You don’t mean that, mi reina.”

  My Queen. Spanish. She’d at least remembered that right. Rachel felt ludicrously relieved, which firmed up her determination. She needed to get this kid, ah hell, this boy out of her room before she fell back into bed with him. Drunk sex was one thing—the only thing she could afford. Making love sober the morning after was another. She turned away. “It’s late. I have things to do.”

  He was silent. She’d hurt him. She closed her eyes. It was better this way. If he fell into the dark hole of her heart, he’d never survive it. She turned, finding his clothes in a pile on the floor. She picked them up and tossed them to him. “Here you go. You’ve got a room here, right? Go take a shower.” She let herself smile gently at him. “Look, I don’t mean to hurt you. Last night was…mmm.” She laughed a little. “You’re very good. But you’re barely old enough for me. Take my advice and stick with girls for now. Give yourself another ten years before you try with a woman my age. At least by then you’ll be interesting.”

  He said nothing, but she could see both hurt and anger in his eyes. He was a boy, after all. She sighed, turning her back, hearing him dressing. Loneliness pulsed in her chest. She felt him pause behind her, close enough so she could feel the heat of his body. Deciding it would do no one any good to send him away damaged, she turned, her lips curved in a hard, sexy smile. “Gracias, mi bello. I enjoyed your company last night. Very much.”

  The boy still looked adorably rumpled, his shirt unbuttoned to reveal the fine chest she’d found so irresistible. He held his shoes in one hand, and he opened his mouth to say something. She stopped him with a finger to her lips, then kissed him gently and patted his cheek. “Go find yourself someone nice, sweetheart.”

  As the door closed behind him, her cell phone rang. She glanced at it, considered not answering. Then she picked it up and pushed the button without bothering to look at the caller ID. It was one of two people calling…the only two people who still cared enough to call. And she knew it was more guilt than love that drove them to keep tabs on her.

  “Hello.”

  “Rachel? God. Thank God. Are you okay?” Angela’s voice trembled over the airwaves between Mexico and North Carolina.

  “Sure. I’
m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?” Pleased by her nonchalant tone, Rachel strolled casually to the minibar, opening it. Deciding it was too early to drink, especially the overpriced little bottles in the minibar, she shut the door carefully. The poolside bar would open at eleven. She thought of Logan and smiled a little. Would he be bartending again? Did a multi-billlionaire ex-magician tend his own bar often? Of course, Logan could do whatever he damn well pleased, probably. Just as she could.

  And Logan might be off limits due to their history, but from the looks of his employees and guests, she’d have plenty of options to take his place. The Spanish kid had been great, but she hungered for something a little…more. Someone more her equal with a prayer of surviving the sucking void in her heart that no amount of fruity alcohol could fill.

  “Rachel! God, are you even listening?” Her sister’s voice cut through Rachel’s musings.

  “Not really.” Rachel searched for her room key and found it next to her purse. She didn’t need the purse, so she tossed it in the room safe with her iPad. As long as she didn’t leave the resort—and the island was the resort—she could charge anything she wanted to her room key. And why would she leave the island? It had everything she wanted. Six bars, a three-acre pool, access to the beach, several five-star restaurants and some nice boutique stores. Everything she needed to spend her alimony in style.

  “Please come home, Rachel. Or at least tell me where you are. We need you. Kevin is really worried—”

  “Don’t you dare mention his name to me.” Rachel kept her voice dead although she felt bile surge into her throat. “Not you, of all people.”

  Her sister fell silent. Rachel picked up the room key, which was attached to a plastic bracelet. She slid it over her wrist and swallowed the bitterness in her mouth. “Besides, I’m fine.”