“I’m sure. I don’t want to be the third wheel with you and Max,” she said, smiling at her friend, who looked beautiful in a pair of white slacks and a brightly printed tank top, her feet in dainty sandals. “You look great, by the way. Max won’t be able to resist you.”
“Thank you,” her friend said, a blush creeping into her cheeks. “Honestly, I’m a little nervous. It’s been years since we were together. I’m not exactly a young girl anymore.”
“Oh, Mary Beth, Max would be a fool to turn you away,” she said, walking over and giving her friend a hug. “And I don’t think Max St. Clair is a fool, so go, have a good time. I’ll be waiting right here for you when you get home to hear all the juicy details.”
Mary Beth laughed, “I don’t know how many juicy details there will be. I’m not expecting anything but dinner with an old friend,” she said, shaking her head. “Are you sure you’ll be all right on your own? I feel bad leaving you alone on our first night here.”
“I’ll be perfectly fine,” she said. “I’m looking forward to some time by myself. I can’t remember the last time I had any, and I really need it, so stop worrying about me. I’ll take my book down to the beach and read until sunset, then get something to eat in the village.”
“Well, if you’re sure, then I’ll be going,” Mary Beth said, a look of relief on her face. “You know where to find me if you need me.”
“I won’t need you, Mary Beth,” she said. “I’m not the only one who needs to have some fun. You’ve worked your butt off for me the last year. It’s time to think about yourself, so go, will you?”
Mary Beth flashed her a big smile, hugged her again, then slipped out the front door, humming to herself as sheclimbed down the ladder to the ground. Shaking her head, a smile on her face, she walked out onto the porch of the cabin, sank into one of the rocking chairs, and closed her eyes. She sat there listening to the sounds of the jungle for a long time, feeling the stress of the last year finally beginning to melt away, then let out a happy sigh and got to her feet. The ocean was calling to her and she wasn’t about to ignore the message.
Quickly changing into a swimsuit, she grabbed a towel, her book and water bottle, then walked out the front door, climbed down the ladder, and headed down the trail that led to the beach. She stopped to look back at the cabin sitting high up in the trees and wondered what it would be like to ride out a storm on the island, then brushed the thought aside with a shiver. Reassuring herself that nothing but perfect weather was predicted for their stay, she turned back to the trail and followed it down to the beach.
After enjoying the first of many gorgeous sunsets she had to look forward to on the island, she picked her way back up the darkened path, using the lights of the village to guide her. When she reached the little gathering of huts, she paused to look around, as charmed as she’d been when Max showed them around earlier that day, deciding that she’d explore the shops the next day. After passing the goods out for display, she walked toward the smell of food, her stomach beginning to growl loudly, but then couldn’t make up her mind what she wanted to eat.
“If you want my advice,” a man said. “Try the grill first; the fish is so fresh that it tastes like it just came out of the water.”
“Thanks, everything looks so good, I was having a hard time making up my mind,” she said, smiling at him. “I think I’ll take your advice.”
“You won’t be sorry,” the man said, holdingout his hand. “I’m Corey, by the way, the island is a small place so I’m sure we’ll run into each other again.”
She shook his hand, “I’m Kira. It's nice to meet you too,” she said. “Have you been on the island long?”
“I got here yesterday,” he said. “It’s an amazing place. I was lucky to get to come. How about you?”
“I got here today,” she said. “It’s definitely a dream vacation.”
“Well, it was nice to meet you, Kira,” Corey said, smiling at her, a spark of interest in his eyes. “I’ll let you get to your dinner. Maybe we’ll see each other again.”
“Like you said, it’s a small island,” she said, thinking she might not mind running into the man again. “Have a good night, and thanks again for the advice.”
Kira headed for the grill when Corey walked away, a little smile on her face, sure that nothing would come of their encounter, but pleased that a man who wasn’t a jerk might be interested in her. Mary Beth’s advice echoed through her brain. She knew that she’d never take it, a vacation romance just wasn’t her style. She wasn’t the love them and leave them kind of person, but it was fun to imagine doing it.
She took her dinner to an empty table and settled down to eat, the smell of the grilled fish making her mouth water. When her hunger was satisfied, she finally took a break to look around her, frowning when she saw Simon over at the juice bar flirting with a couple of young women. His arms were draped around their shoulders, and they were all laughing at something he’d just said. She wanted to march over to them and tell them what a jerk he really was and warn them to stay away.
Instead, she picked up her fork and began to finish her dinner, refusing to let him ruin the evening, but it wasn’t long before she was watching the laughing trio again. Disgusted with herself, wondering why she couldn’t just let itgo, she got out her book and began to read, ignoring the laughter drifting over to her. Simon was nothing but a rich playboy, a user of women, spoiled beyond reason, not the kind of man she wanted to get involved with. She’d learned her lesson, a man that good-looking was dangerous, and she was going to stay as far away from him as possible.
CHAPTER 4
***SIMON***
Simon was in his element, a pretty girl on each arm, and for the first time since he’d left for his trip to Heart of the Ocean, everything was finally going his way. He knew that he’d have to decide at some point which one of them he was going to take back to his cabin, but he was enjoying himself too much to make the distinction yet. Experience had taught him that he’d have to handle it carefully. No woman took rejection easily, a lesson he’d learned the hard way, and he didn’t want any tears or screaming at the end of the night.
“Well, ladies, normally at this point in the evening, I would suggest we get a bottle of wine and have some dinner, but as you know, that’s out of the question,” he said. “So, how about we just go get some food instead? I’ve heard wonderful things about the grill.”
Mandy looked over at Sarah, then back at him, “Oh, well……the thing is, we kinda already made dinner plans,” she said, shrugging her shoulders. “These two really cute guys we met this afternoon invited us for a picnic on the beach.”
For a second, he wasn’t sure that he’d heard right, “We’re really sorry,” Sarah said, slipping out of his arms. “I guess we should have told you sooner, but we didn’t really think……I mean……you’re……”
Her words trailed off, but he didn’t notice at first. He was still trying to process the fact that they’d turned down his invitation for dinner to meet someone else. He’d been so sure he’d reel them both in, had even had a flicker of hope that he might be able to sleep with both of them, but now they were ready to slip away from him without even a backward glance.
“Umm……” Mandy said. “Maybe we should get going.”
“Yeah, we don’t want to be late,” Sarah said. “We’ll see you around. It was fun talking to you, hope you enjoy your vacation.”