Page 1 of Dark Horizon New Dawn

1

MARGO

Sunset in Cabo San Lucas was magnificent, and Margo had made sure to watch it every day since her arrival at the resort. The bright azure sky transitioned into an array of rich colors, with deep oranges, fiery reds, pinks, and purples reflecting over the pool's surface in a spectacular mirror-like effect. But as the sun dipped lower, so did the temperature, and the day's heat was replaced by the cool evening air.

Shivering, Margo draped a large pool towel over her bikini-clad body and cast a sidelong look at Lynda, who was collecting her things.

"Leaving already?"

"It's getting cold." Lynda wrapped a towel around herself and tucked the corner to secure it. "Are you coming inside?"

"I'm going to stay a little longer." Margo took off her glasses and put them on the side table. "I'm almost done with this book, and I have to know how the story ends."

Well, it was a romance, so happily ever after was guaranteed, but how the couple overcame the obstacles to get there was what made it interesting. So yeah, real life didn't come with guaranteed happy endings, but if Margo wanted real life, she could watch the news.

Not that all those who reported the news could be trusted to deliver objective truths either, and the view of the world that most of them broadcast was projected through the prism of their own agenda, but it definitely didn't promise happy endings. On the contrary, according to most of the media, the world was full of hate and strife and was about to end soon for one reason or another.

Perhaps they were right, but in either case, Margo preferred to spend her free time reading stories that ended in 'happily ever after.'

Lynda pursed her lips, which was a sure sign that she was going to deliver a lecture on all the ways Margo was disappointing her. "All you did during my bachelorette party was read, read, and read some more." She waved her hand for emphasis. "I've been sitting out here long after my friends left, hoping to have a nice chat with my future sister-in-law, but I should have known that you'd have your nose glued to your phone, reading."

Lynda scoffed at eBooks. She rarely read anything other than fashion magazines—the paper versions.

"I thought you were napping." Margo was well aware that Lynda hadn't been dozing off. She'd been watching the buffed-up lifeguard from behind the safety of her dark eyeglasses.

There was nothing wrong with that, but after what she witnessed during the bachelorette party, Margo wasn't sure that Lynda was faithful to Rob. Not that she was going to say anything to her brother. He would only accuse her of hating Lynda and trying to come between them.

The truth was that she wasn't fond of Lynda, but she didn't hate her either. The woman did have some redeeming qualities. Besides, Margo wasn't the one marrying her, and if Rob was happy with her, she was happy for both of them.

"I wasn't napping," Lynda huffed. "I was resting to conserve my energy for partying later tonight. Unlike you, I'm here to have fun and enjoy my bachelorette party." She pouted.

That pouty expression was what made Rob jump to fulfill Lynda's every demand, and it was also what Margo hated the most about her.

She assumed what she hoped was a pleasant expression. "I've had lots of fun with you and your friends. We drank, we sang karaoke, and we went dancing. It's been an awesome vacation." She smiled. "I'm so glad that you invited me."

That was a lie.

Margo would have been much happier if she hadn't been invited. Lynda hadn't paid for anything, and attending her week-long bachelorette party had eradicated Margo's meager savings. Also, calling the experience fun was an exaggeration. While Lynda and her friends had gotten drunk and flirted with the waiters and the lifeguards, Margo had mainly lounged by the pool, drinking virgin cocktails and catching up on her reading.

"Well, you are Rob's sister, so of course I had to invite you." Lynda sighed while collecting her bag from the back of the lounger. "It's our last night here, so I suggest that you take a break from your reading and join us on an outing." She slipped the strap of her oversized Louis Vuitton over her shoulder. "We are going to the Mandala, which is the most famous club in Cabo." Her eyes sparkled with excitement. "It's a must-see destination, and you can't skip it. You have to come."

"You girls enjoy." Margo cast her a fake apologetic smile. "As you know, I have a problem with loud music. My ears keep ringing for days, but I can join you for drinks later if you are still up for it when you return."

Lynda shook her head. "At this rate, you are going to stay single forever. You don't like any of the men that Rob and I introduce you to, you don't like nightclubs, and you work in an office with a bunch of other women. How are you going to meet any guys?"

"Online dating services." Margo put her glasses back on. "That's what everyone does these days." Except for her, but she wasn't going to admit that to Lynda.

"Oh well." Lynda tossed her artfully frosted tresses over her shoulder and put her feet into her Gucci three-inch-heeled slides. "Call me if you change your mind." She sauntered away.

Closing her eyes, Margo let out a relieved breath.

Everyone kept trying to set her up with someone as if being single was a terminal disease.

Margo went out on occasional dates, and sometimes she pretended she was out while staying home and turning her phone off just so people would leave her be. She even lied to her besties about her so-called dating life, complaining about the imaginary men she was supposedly seeing, who were all turning out to be disappointing.

The truth was that she hated dating. Her mother suspected that she was asexual or preferred members of her own gender, but Margo had proved her mother wrong by showing her the collection of her book boyfriends.

Margo just preferred fantasy over reality, and the heroes of her novels were all magnificent supernaturals. Suspending disbelief that they were as fabulous as the authors described them was easier when she didn't have to compare them to her underwhelming experiences in the real world.

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