The Magic in her Gift

by Missy Martine

  Elias leaned closer. “What’s he coming here for, Sara?”

  She blinked furiously to hold back the tears and then looked into his concerned, green eyes. “He’s found a buyer for the island.”

  Elias blew out a heavy breath and leaned back in his chair. For several minutes, the only sounds heard were squawking birds and the steady thump of the chairs rockers against the wooden porch. “Is that what you want?” he asked quietly.

  Sara didn’t answer right way. She kept her eyes focused on the distant ocean. The thought of never seeing this beautiful place again had her biting back a sob. The tears she’d been able to control earlier now drifted silently down her face.

  “The future’s not set until you set it yourself.” He reached over and took her hand in his. “If you don’t want them here, I won’t bring them.”

  A vision of Bart stranded at the Henderson International Airport flashed in her mind and Sara couldn’t stop the short bark of laughter that escaped. It was a full minute before she could trust herself to speak. She shook her head, grinning the entire time. “That wouldn’t be very nice, Elias.”

  “Humph! I’ve been accused of being a lot of things, but nice was never one of them.” He shook his finger at her. “I’m being serious, girl. One word from you and I’ll make sure no one’s willing to bring him out here.”

  “You can’t do that, Elias.”

  “Sure I can. There’s nobody to stop me.” He crossed his arms and stretched out his feet. “You think Elizabeth would be happy to know you’re thinking of selling her home?”

  Sara bit into her quivering lip and stared down at her feet. “Probably not, but she’s gone and I’m the one that has to find a way to make it work with Bart.” She got up and walked to the porch rail. “I’m tired of being lonely, Elias. I’m marrying Bart and we’re going to build a good life together. He’ll be a good husband and hopefully a good father.” Sara wondered if her words sounded as false to him as they did to her. She turned around and studied his face.

  Elias’s mouth had dropped open, his eyes practically bulging. “Bart wants to be a father?” he asked incredulously.

  Sara looked away. “Well, we haven’t actually discussed it, but he’s already got one son so I figured he wouldn’t mind having another child.” She turned and gave him a small smile and wasn’t terribly surprised to see the skeptical look on his face.

  “Will you be okay here alone? I’ve got to head to the mainland and stock up on supplies before I pick them up tomorrow.” He stood and walked over to stand next to her. “You can come with me if you don’t want to stay here.”

  She was going to have to give up her grandmother’s home and she wanted to spend every minute there she could. “No, that’s okay. I’m comfortable here and honestly, I’d like a little more time by myself.”

  Elias laughed, but it had a hollow sound to it. “I don’t think you want time alone, Sara. I just think you’re not looking forward to the company you’re getting.” He leaned down and placed a kiss on her forehead. “Take care of yourself, little girl. I’ll be back tomorrow. You can reach me on the short-wave radio if you need me.” He left the porch and started down the trail.

  “You be careful, Elias, and come back safely.” His only response was to wave over his head.

  With a heavy heart, Sara went upstairs to her grandmother’s room. She knew that Bart would insist they leave as soon as possible and she wanted a chance to look through her things.

  For the next hour, Sara carefully went through the closet in the room she’d been sleeping in. Her grandmother had been something of a packrat. Past the row of hanging, out-dated clothes, there was a stack of boxes. The contents ranged from old purses and mismatched shoes to paperback romance novels and a seashell collection. One even contained old school report cards and pictures drawn by her mother when she was little.

  When she pulled the last cardboard container out of the corner, she found a small, wooden box. She picked it up and frowned at the small, gold tinted lock keeping it closed. She placed it on the bed and thought for a moment. Where would I keep the key for a special keepsake box? After a minute, she sat down at the desk and began going through the drawers. When that didn’t produce any keys, she began searching the dresser. Twenty minutes later, she slammed the last drawer shut and let out a frustrated grunt.

  It would take forever to search the rest of the house. She thought for a moment and then eyed the desk. Nodding, she walked over and picked up the metal letter opener. It only took three tries for her to pop the tiny lock off. Grinning, she lifted the lid and peered inside.

  “What in the world?” Inside were small paintings of Karl at various stages of his life. In some he was young, very handsome and virile looking. Others, he’d aged gracefully and looked much as he did when she met him. The pictures all had one thing in common. Each one was ripped apart, right down the middle of his torso.

  Sara studied the torn pictures carefully. Suddenly, she felt a chill and the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. It felt as if the cool air sucked from the room and she heard a slight sound behind her. Turning, she held her breath as the ghostly apparition of her grandmother faded into view.

  “You must follow your heart, Sarafina. You must find your true love and make him yours. Don’t make the same mistakes I did. Be true to your heart. Search him out and bring him forth with the magic I gave you and then hang onto him no matter what.” Her grandmother smiled. “Be happy, my child. It’s not too late for you. Find the magic.” Her form began to disappear.

  “Wait, Grandmother. Don’t go,” Sara cried.

  “Find the magic, Sarafina. The magic is in your gift.” Her voice slowly faded away.

  “What magic?” Sara whispered. She fell across the bed and cried.

  Chapter 7

  Sara watched as Bart came walking out of the woods along the trail. The smile on his face made the blood in her veins turn to ice. His smiles never made it to his eyes. Walking closely behind him were two men. Sara had to stifle a laugh. They looked like Stepford Businessmen, almost clone-like. Both dressed inappropriately and looked as if they belonged on Wall Street and not on an island beach.

  She sighed and walked down the steps to greet her fiancé. “It’s good to see you, Bart. I’ve missed you.” She raised her face for a kiss and felt disappointed when he only kissed her cheek.

  “Sara, you’re looking well. Obviously this little vacation has been good for you.” He turned to the men. “Gentlemen, this is my fiancée, Sara Danner. Sara, this is Adam Castle and Rodney Tarlton. They’re interested in learning more about our island.”

  Sara’s eyebrows went up when he said our island. She took a deep breath and held out her hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” After shaking their hands, she motioned toward the house. “Won’t you please come in? I know you must be tired after that long flight.”

  Bart chuckled. “Our flight wasn’t so bad, Sara. Rodney flew us out in his private jet and he’s graciously offered us a ride home.”

  The businessmen looked at her expectantly. “Uh, that’s very nice of you. Please, come inside and get comfortable.” Sara turned toward the house.

  “Here are the bags,” Bart said. “Where do you want Elias to put them, Sara?”

  Sara looked up and saw Elias coming down the path, struggling with three large suitcases. She started down to help him and Bart grabbed her arm. He looked down at her with dark eyes. “Tell Elias which rooms to put the bags in, Sara.”

  She glanced over at Elias and cringed at the scowl on his face. Bart was treating him like a servant. “I made up the two guestrooms yesterday, Elias. Would you please put the luggage in the hall outside the doors and we’ll sort them out later?”

  “Mine is the blue bag, Elias. You can put it in Sara’s room.” The look in Bart’s eyes dared the man to argue.

  “Yes, sir, Mr. Everett.” Elias walked by her with the bags and winked before carrying them in the house.

  “Please come in,
gentlemen, and make yourself at home.” Bart motioned toward the door and followed them inside. He stopped in the main hall and pointed toward the study. “Why don’t you have a seat in there and Sara will get us some refreshment.”

  She watched the two strangers as they went into her favorite room and then turned to Bart. “What’s going on, Bart? How could you talk to Elias that way? He doesn’t work for us.”

  Bart sighed and rubbed his temple. “Not now, Sara. We can discuss this later, but for the record,” he stared into her eyes, “Elias is a paid employee, nothing more.” He leaned in close and kissed her cheek. “Would you please get something cold for us to drink and bring it to the study?” He didn’t wait for her to agree before walking off to join his associates.

  Mumbling under her breath, she got the pitcher of lemonade she made fresh that morning and put it, four glasses and a plate of homemade cookies on a tray. Gritting her teeth, she picked up the tray and returned to the study.

  “Just set it here on the table, Sara.” Bart looked down at the tray and frowned. “You haven’t been baking a lot of sweets this week, have you?”

  Sara narrowed her eyes. “No, I thought this might be a nice surprise for you.”

  He patted her hand absently. “That’s fine, dear. Why don’t you run up and unpack my suitcase for me?” He glanced at the sofa where the other men sat. “We’ve got some business to discuss and you’d just be bored.”

  Sara glanced at the men briefly. Rodney looked bored, but Adam caught her gaze and held it. He ran his eyes up and down her torso and then smirked. It was all she could do to keep from dumping the lemonade over his head. Without a word, she turned to leave.

  “Close the door on your way out, Sara, and make sure Elias leaves the house. Tell him to wait near the phone in the caretaker’s cottage.”

  Sara left the room and winced when the door slammed hard enough to shake the picture hanging on the wall. She put her ear to the wood and almost laughed when she heard Bart explaining about the drafts that ran through the place with all the windows open. Shaking her head, she headed toward the kitchen. “He can unpack his own, damn suitcase.”

  Sara found Elias sitting in the kitchen, helping himself to one of her cookies.

  He grinned, cookie crumbs coating the outside of his lips. “You sure can cook, little girl,” he praised.

  His words warmed Sara’s cold heart. She went to the refrigerator and pulled out two Pepsi Colas. She’d seen him drink several in the car on the long drive to the coast from the airport when they arrived. Grinning, she handed him the cold can.

  Elias took the drink and smiled. “Darling, you’re a life-saver.” He popped the top and took a long swallow.

  Sara sat down and motioned toward the other chair. “Take a load off, Elias.”

  “Don’t mind if I do.” He sat down and reached for another cookie.

  “I want to apologize, Elias.”

  He looked up and frowned. “Whatever for?”

  She shrugged. “You shouldn’t have to put up with Bart treating you like that.”

  Elias chuckled.

  “What’s that about? You sound positively wicked.”

  “Well, he and his friends may think they have the last laugh now, but they still have to get back to the mainland.”

  Sara’s eyes widened. “You wouldn’t strand them here, would you?”

  “Course not. That’d be punishing you.” He grinned slyly. “Let’s just say, with your permission, their trip back won’t be anywhere near as smooth a ride as the one out here.”

  Sara was silent for a moment and then threw back her head and laughed. “Permission granted,” she managed to get out as she wiped tears from her eyes.

  “Little lady, you’ve had a lot of time to think the past couple of days. Are you still going to let him sell this place?”

  She sobered quickly and looked down at the can she was twirling in her hands. “I have to sell, Elias. It’s too far from my home and family and I don’t have the money I’d need for its upkeep.”

  He narrowed his eyes. “You do remember you inherited a few bank accounts, don’t you?”

  She smiled. “Yeah, I know, but it’s still too far away from the real world. If we sell, we’ll have plenty of money to make a good life in Atlanta. We could build something solid and watch it grow.”

  Elias snorted and shook his head. “I know those aren’t your words, Sara. You’re just repeating the bull he gave you to convince you to let this place go.” He picked up another cookie. “What’d you think of my friend, Mel?” he asked casually.

  Sara choked and had to reach for a napkin to wipe up the Pepsi she’d spewed onto the table. “I, uh, I, um, he was—”

  “Uh-huh, nicely said.”

  “You just caught me off guard. I thought he was very nice. He was an excellent guide and really smart. I learned a lot about the islands from him.”

  “Huh, well, he thought you were pretty special. Didn’t say anything about how smart you were, but he sure went on about how pretty you are.”

  Sara’s head came up. “He did?”

  “Yes, he did. Although I believe the word he used was beautiful, not pretty.”

  Sara slammed the can down on the table hard enough to slosh the cold, sticky liquid out over her hand. “Damn it, Elias, stop trying to play matchmaker.”

  “Is that what you think I’m doing?” he asked innocently.

  “I already have a fiancé. I don’t need a boyfriend on the side. I’m going to marry Bart and have his babies and be very happy on the money he gets from selling my island.” Sara wished with all her heart she believed the drivel coming out of her mouth.

  “Yes it is your island and you shouldn’t forget it.”

  “I—”

  Elias stood, walked around and pulled her out of her chair for a hug. “I’m sorry, Sara. I didn’t mean to upset you, darling.” He rocked her back and forth. “I just want you to be happy.”

  “What the hell is this?” Bart demanded to know.

  Sara pulled away from Elias and glanced toward the door. Bart’s hands clenched at his sides as he stood there, glaring at them through narrowed eyes.

  “I was saying goodbye to Elias while I had the chance. I figured when we leave, I’ll probably never see him again.”

  “What, no wedding invitation for me?” Elias asked with a wink.

  “I need you to take my associates back to the mainland. They’ve got other business to take care of before we leave for home. I’ve already brought their luggage back down. We’ll need you to come back to take us to the airport day after tomorrow,” Bart said through gritted teeth.

  Elias looked down at Sara, a question in his eyes.

  She lowered her head, letting her hair fall forward to hide the flush she could feel creeping up her neck. “Can you do that for us, Elias?” she asked quietly.

  He put his hand on her shoulder. “Anything for you, Miss Sara. I’ll give them a ride back to the mainland.”

  The slight intonation he gave the word ride had her raising her eyes to his. She covered her laugh with a cough when he winked and headed for the door. She almost felt sorry for the two men.

  Elias turned before he left and looked at Sara. “Follow your heart, Miss Sara, and you won’t go wrong.”

  Before the shock settled at hearing those words, Bart spoke up.

  “Sara, we need to talk.” He turned and left the room, not waiting for a response.

  He probably couldn’t imagine a scenario where I didn’t do what he told me to. Sara giggled softly and followed him to the study. Her refreshments sat on the coffee table untouched.

  “Sit down and I’ll pour us a cool drink.” Bart reached for the glass pitcher.

  Sara’s eyes wandered to the rug in front of the fireplace and memories of her dream lover caused her nipples to tighten painfully. She tore her eyes away and shifted nervously in her chair. She was uncomfortably aware of a dampness spreading between her thighs.

  “Th
ey’ve made a very good offer for the island and I’ve tentatively accepted for you.” He handed her a glass of lemonade.

  She took the glass from him and raised her brow. “How could they make an offer? They didn’t even look around the place. I thought they were staying overnight.” She looked at Bart’s raised brown and settled back in her chair. “Sorry, I’m listening.”

  He leaned back and stretched his arm along the back of the sofa. “Twenty-three million, Sara, cash if we close the deal in the next thirty days.”

  Sara frowned. “Wait, twenty-three? Um, I’m the first to admit I’m not a real estate expert, but that seems kind of low for an island paradise.”

  Bart sighed and set his glass on the tray. “You’re right, you’re not an expert. There are other factors to consider. Location, size and local interference with the law combine to make this not as ideal of a location as we first believed. What they’re offering is pure profit, Sara. We’ll be set for life.”

  Sara set down her glass and strode over to the window. “You’re asking me to sell my family heritage, Bart. Once we sell, it’s gone forever.”

  “Sara, do you really want the life I can give you?”

  She closed her eyes and thought carefully before she turned around. She knew she didn’t want to fight. “I do want to be your wife and live my life with you, Bart.” I don’t remember the last time I told him I love him. Have I ever said those words to Bart? She walked back over and joined him on the couch. “I’ve dreamed of being a wife and a mother since I was a little girl.”

  Bart laughed and patted her leg. “Michael might not be willing to let you play at being a mother very often. He doesn’t even like his real mother.”

  Sara felt a strange chill and gave a little nervous laugh. “I’d never try to take his mother’s place. I’m looking forward to being a mother to our children.”

  Bart recoiled and moved away from Sara.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  He shook his head and put up a hand as he backed away as if he was warning her off. “Sara, I thought you were past the age where you would even think about such nonsense. It was one of the things that attracted me to you when your mother proposed our meeting.” He sat down and stared at her with cold, dark eyes. “I have no intention of having any more children. I fully intend to leave everything to my son when I die and I’ll not have a brood fighting over his inheritance when I’m gone.”