Prologue

PROLOGUE

I t was another beautiful morning in the tropics. The sun was shining, there wasn't a cloud in the sky, and the ocean was peaceful as it rolled onto the beach in perfect waves. Maxwell St. Clair stood watching it all from the front porch of his cabin, like a king surveying his kingdom, thinking about how much his life had changed, and for the better. When he'd come up with the plan to build a resort on the island, he'd seen Heart of the Ocean only as a means to an end, but the place had begun to feel like home. It was only natural, he decided; after all he'd spent the last year of his life bringing his dream to life on the island, so his attachment shouldn't be a surprise.

Going back inside his cabin, he refilled his coffee cup from the pot in the small kitchen, then headed to his room to shower and get dressed. It was going to be another busy day, just the way he liked it, but today, Simon would arrive with a group of new guests, and he wanted to get a jump on the day so he could have time to catch up with him when he got there later that afternoon.

Only the second to visit of the seven men he considered not only his best friends but also his family, he wondered how the visit would go, especially after what had happened to Theo just a few weeks before. Not that Theo's trip had ended badly; he'd left the island married, the first one of them to take the plunge, and he'd been ridiculously happy with his new bride. It was just what happened before that point that left him unsettled. Reminding himself he wasn't going to think about Theo and Eden's trip back in time, he pushed it from his mind and got ready for the day.

When he walked out of his cabin, he wasn't surprised to find Mateo standing on the path to the village waiting for him, but he still let out a long sigh of frustration. Government-appointed guardian of the island, the man had been a thorn in his side since day one, and he'd only gotten more annoying since Theo's stay. Dealing with the man and his superstitions was a distraction he didn't need that morning, especially when he was trying not to think about the strange occurrences a few weeks before.

"Today is the day your friend arrives, isn't it?" Mateo asked, falling into step next to him. "I'm looking forward to meeting him."

"He's nothing like Theo, so don't get your hopes up," he said. "Simon won't be falling in love while he's here, and that will prove to you that I'm right. This island is only a piece of land. It's not magical or mystical, or whatever you always call it."

Mateo shook his head, "I can see that you're still in denial, so I won't waste my breath telling you again that you don't belong here," he said. "I just hope this time nothing goes wrong. It was a close call last time; this island… well, it has ideas of its own……"

"You just said you weren't going to lecture me, yet here you are doing it," he said. "I've got a lot of work to do today before Simon gets here. Is there something you needed?"

"Nope, just thought I'd check in. We haven't seen each other for a couple of days," Mateo said, shrugging his shoulders. "It almost felt like you were avoiding me, but I know that can't be true. Anyway, I'll be in the village all day, I've got a few packages coming in on one of the boats, it might even be Simon's boat."

"I'm warning you right now, you won't like Simon, he's a stuck-up rich boy who uses his looks to get what he wants," he said. "We just put up with him because……well, I'm not sure why we put up with him."

Mateo looked amused, "Well, this should be interesting," he said. "I hope you warned your friend."

"I did no such thing, and don't you dare start telling him those legends about the island," he said, coming to the end of his patience. "What happened to Theo was strange, but it wasn't……well……it won't happen again."

Mateo shrugged, "You can keep telling yourself that, my friend," he said. "But it won't make it true."