Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

***SIMON***

S imon trudged a few more steps down the dock, let the heavy bags drop from his hands with a thump, then stood with sweat dripping down his face, trying to catch his breath. When the tropical sun began to make him hotter, he picked up the bags with a groan and started off again, cursing Max under his breath and wondering if his friend had lost his mind. When he finally reached the slip, he dropped the luggage again and stood staring at the boat he was supposed to take to the island, this time wondering if he'd lost his mind for agreeing to come on this trip.

Digging in his pocket, he pulled out the instructions Max had given him, looked at the slip number, then back up at the post on the dock, letting out a little groan. Just then a man came up the stairs from the cabin, "Oh, hey there, you must be Simon," the man said. "I'm Montgomery, your captain for the day. Come on aboard and we can get underway."

He could only stare at the man, trying to decide if Max was playing a joke on him, if his friend actually expected him to trust his life to a man with dreadlocks, dressed in a ratty tee-shirt and a pair of cutoffs with his life. "You're the captain?" he finally asked, then looked at the boat again. "You can't honestly be planning to take this tiny boat out into the ocean. This must be a joke or something."

The smile disappeared from Montgomery's face, "No, this isn't a joke, and this isn't a tiny boat," he said, clearly offended. "She's thirty feet with four engines across the back, perfect for navigating the waters around the island, and you won't find a better boat anywhere in the islands. Besides, we're not allowed to dock anything bigger on the island, so it's this or nothing."

He could feel the sweat pooling under his arms, only adding to his frustration, "Fine, if I don't have any choice," he said. "Help me with these bags, and find me something cold to drink. It must be a million degrees out here."

Montgomery stared at him for a second, "Well, hand them over," he finally said, holding out his hands. "I'm not coming to get them, if that's what you were thinking. A captain never leaves his boat."

He let out a huff of annoyance but picked up the bags, carried them over to the boat, handed them over, nearly tipping himself into the water, and then jumped on board. "I hope this isn't what my whole stay is going to be like," he snapped, falling onto a padded seat. "Hurry, I need something to drink, something very cold. I'm melting in this heat."

"There's a cooler under your seat, help yourself," Montgomery said, shaking his head. "You do know how to open a cooler, don't you?"

A bit shocked by the man's tone, he didn't move for a second, then gave him a dirty look, got back to his feet, and retrieved a cold bottle of water. After he'd downed half of it, he waved his hand in the air, "Well, get on with it," he said. "I didn't come all this way just to sit in the marina."

"Right away, sir, right away," Montogomery said, a hard edge to his voice. "I wouldn't want to keep you waiting. "

Any reply he would have made was drowned out by the sound of the engines coming to life, and he was forced to bite back the threat to have the man fired that was on the tip of his tongue. He sat staring at the back of the man's head instead, stewing over his rudeness. He expected the boat to roar off with the engines on full throttle, but they pulled away from the dock and putted along past all the other boats at an embarrassing speed. For a while he tried to enjoy the scenery, but one tropical island was the same as the next, and he found himself getting bored.

After shifting restlessly for a few seconds, he got up and made his way to the jump seat next to the helm, "Can't this thing go any faster?" he asked. "At this speed it will take us all afternoon to get out of the marina."

"It's a no wake zone, I can't go faster," Montgomery said, not bothering to look at him. "Why don't you go sit back down? I've got this under control, just relax and enjoy the scenery or something."

"Maybe I want to enjoy the scenery from up here," he said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Max could have at least provided me some company. A pretty face in a skimpy bathing suit would have made this trip a lot more pleasant. Instead, it's just you and me, and frankly, you're a bit rude."

"Just giving back what I'm getting," Montgomery said with a shrug of his shoulders. "And we're not alone, there are two more guests down below because they needed to get out of the sun, but you wouldn't be interested in them. They're not dressed in bikinis."

"Of course not. They're probably little old grannies dressed in muumuus or something equally disgusting. That seems to be the way my luck has been going on this trip," he said. "Max promised me beautiful women, and all I've gotten so far is you and a couple of old hens hiding from the sun. I think I like the view from back there better."

"Suit yourself," Montgomery said. "But you'd better hold on. We're almost out of the marina, and I'm going to open her up."

True to his word, only a few seconds later, the boat gave a lurch as Montgomery pulled on the throttle. He went flying across the deck and landed in a heap on the bench. By the time he untangled himself and sat up, they were out in the open ocean racing through the waves, and he was sure that the man was laughing at him. Already planning what he was going to say when he saw Max to get the man fired, he made himself comfortable for the ride to the island, wondering if he should put on a life jacket just to be safe.

***Kira***

Kira felt the boat give a jerk as they pulled out of the slip and her heart began to race with excitement, "Oh, we're moving," she said, looking over at her friend, who was finally getting some color back in her cheeks. "I hope it's not going to make you feel worse."

"I'm feeling much better," Mary Beth said. "I should have eaten more today. I'm sorry, I know better, but I was in such a hurry, and the food on the plane……"

"It was kind of gross," she said. "I heard that it's the pressurized air in the cabin or something, but our taste buds don't work right. That's why airplane food always tastes so bad."

"Well, it was still stupid of me, I almost ruined our trip," Mary Beth said, then took another drink out of the bottle of orange juice in her hand. "I know better than to let my blood glucose get that low."

"You did not almost ruin our trip. We're here on our way to the island, no harm done," she said. "I wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for you, I still can't believe we're doing this, I never thought I'd get a chance to vacation on a tropical island, I just wish……"

"If you're feeling guilty again, I'm going to tell the captain to turn this boat around and take us back home," Mary Beth said, some of her fire back. "You deserve this vacation after what you've been through the last two years. Kiley is just fine; you know that your parents are probably spoiling her rotten. I know that you're going to miss her, I would too, but it's good for the two of you to spend some time apart."

She took a deep breath, "You're right, I know that, but there's a little part of me that can't help but think I've abandoned my daughter," she said. "She's only a year old. I'm afraid that she won't understand that I'm only going to be gone for a couple of weeks."

"That's the mother in you, but I promise she's not going to think you abandoned her. She's been staying with your parents since she was born. She'll miss you, but not as much as you think," Mary Beth said. "You need some adult time, Kira. Your life is going to change dramatically when you get home, a new job, a new place to live, so give yourself a break and enjoy some downtime, you need it."

She knew that her friend was right and forced herself to push away the guilt, but it had been a long time since she'd thought of anything except her daughter. She wasn't sure she remembered how to be anything but a mother. Just then the boat gave a jerk and they were flying through the water, the boat bouncing over the waves, and she let out a little cry of surprise.

Mary Beth started laughing, "I think we're out of the harbor," she said. "You should go up on deck. You're missing out on the view sitting down here with me."

"I can't leave you here by yourself," she said, shaking her head. "I won't be missing that much."

Mary Beth let out a long sigh, "Kira, get your butt up on deck, I'm a grown adult, and I did this to myself. There's no reason you need to keep me company," she said. "I'm feeling much better, I might even come up there in a few minutes myself, so go."

She looked over at her friend and asked, "Are you sure?" she asked. "I don't want to abandon you."

The look her friend gave her said more than words, and she got to her feet, "You promise you'll come up if you feel better," she said. "I'm not going unless you do."

"I promise," Mary Beth said, smiling at her. "Now get up there."

Kira emerged from the cabin into the sunshine and looked around, then let out a gasp when she saw all the water around them, not sure if she was afraid or thrilled by the sight. She stood and let the wind rush through her hair for a few seconds, then decided she loved the feeling of skimming over the water, and a smile slowly spread across her face.

"It's an amazing feeling. I never get tired of it," the captain said. "Is this your first time on a boat?"

"Yes, unless you count a paddle boat," she said, stepping closer to him. "I didn't think it would feel like this, it's like we're flying."

Montgomery smiled at her, "About as close as you can get," he said. "I think you're going to be a natural. You should think about taking some sailing lessons while you're on the island. I hear they have a really good teacher."

For a second, she thought he was flirting with her, and her guard immediately went up, but when she looked over at him, she saw only amusement in his eyes. "That teacher wouldn't happen to be you, would it?" she finally asked, smiling at him.

"It might be," Montgomery said, returning her smile. "I'd show you a few things right now, but we're about to hit some choppy water, so you might want to find a seat until we make it through."

"Thanks, Montgomery," she said. "I'll definitely look into those sailing lessons when we get to the island."

When she turned around, she was surprised to find a man sitting on one of the padded benches on the deck. She hesitated for a second and then realized he must be another guest. Dressed in a pair of designer shorts and a polo shirt, his feet clad in a pair of expensive leather shoes, he looked a little out of place on the boat, but she forgot all about his clothes when he looked up and their eyes met.

He held her gaze for a second as his green eyes slowly filled with interest, and to her horror a thrill rushed through her when attraction slowly blossomed in them. The horror slowly turned to annoyance when those eyes slowly swept over her body, and a smile spread across the man's face. A predatory look on his face, he slid over and made room for her on the bench, then patted the place next to him as if he were calling a dog.

Even more annoyed, she ignored him, sat down as far away from him as she could get, and looked out at the ocean, hoping the man would get the hint. But the message clearly didn't get through and the next thing she knew, he'd moved closer to her, the cheesy smile still on his face. She looked over at Montgomery, thinking she might go sit next to him, but before she could move, the boat hit a wave and she was thrown into the man.

"Well, isn't this a nice surprise," the man said, wrapping his arms around her. "Here I was, sitting out here all alone, feeling sorry for myself, and you were hiding down below all that time. I'm Simon, Simon Nelson. It's a pleasure to meet such a beautiful woman, especially under such uncomfortable circumstances."

She untangled herself from the man, scooted away, then gave him a dirty look, "Maybe you could back off a little, Simon," she said. "You're in my personal space."

He looked a bit surprised for a second, "Pardon me, it was the waves, you know," he said, then moved a few inches away. "I don't blame you for being a bit cold, I am a stranger, after all, but I know how we can fix that problem. Have dinner with me."

"No, thank you," she said. "I'm traveling with my friend, and we already have plans for dinner. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go check on her."