Holiday Gifts

by Elena Aitken

  To learn more about Elena:

  @elenaaitken

  elenaaitken.author

  www.elenaaitken.com

  elena@elenaaitken.com

  Coming Winter 2016

  Enjoy an excerpt from Elena’s sexy new series, Destination Paradise. Here is a peek of the first in the series, Secrets in the Sand

  * * *

  Chapter 1

  * * *

  Beyond the windows of the SUV, the dense trees of the Panamanian jungle whipped by. Cass Cutler had long since stopped trying to see anything of interest in the inky, black night. Once the bright lights of Panama City faded away, there’d been nothing except the occasional glow of what were probably homes in the distance and the glaring lights of passing motorists.

  With a sigh, Cass closed her eyes. It was probably better if she pretended to sleep. There was no way she’d actually be able to, but maybe if she pretended it would be sort of the same thing. The last forty-eight hours had been a whirlwind of packing, booking a ticket and most unexpectedly, quitting her job.

  Her job. Her nice safe secure job as an account manager for Munchies food distribution. Sure, it’d never been her idea of a dream career, but still. It was her job. Her temple throbbed just thinking about the way she’d stormed into Jake’s office, handed him her resignation and stood with her arms crossed to keep from shaking while he read through it.

  As she typed it up she imagined her boss of the last four years—lover of three—reading the letter with disbelief. He would jump up from his desk with his perfectly pressed slacks and his neat white shirt becoming crumpled with the sheer stress of her resignation. He’d plead with her not to go and pull her into his arms for the public declaration of love she’d waited for for the last three years.

  That’s not exactly how it’d played out. In fact, he hadn’t done any of that. Instead, he’d laughed.

  Laughed.

  His lip curled up, his eyes closed and he laughed. As if she was a big joke and she hadn’t meant anything to him. And she, to her horror, had cried. Well, as close to a cry as she ever got. Cass never cried. Not when she’d crashed her brand new car and broke her arm, not when her best friend Angie moved to England and not even when she was twelve and her father left. It was mortifying.

  She’d blinked back the moisture in her eyes quickly, but it was too late. Jake saw it. And worse, he’d probably thought she’d been all teary over him. In reality, Jake wasn’t worth so much as a sniffle. She’d known that for years, despite the fact that she’d stayed with him.

  No, Cass’s emotions finally boiled over because she realized how stupid she’d been for the last three years, letting herself be used with the promise of a promotion to senior account manager for cheesy bites, or worse—a real relationship with a man who was so uptight he’d never even let her see him naked. Not once in three years. That’s not normal.

  How she’d let herself be blinded for so long was beyond her. Never before had she been such an idiot.

  And she’d never allow herself to be so stupid again.

  Ever.

  She popped her eyes open and stared once again into the darkness. Except of course for her present situation. It was possible that driving through the Panamanian jungle in the middle of the night with a complete stranger at the wheel, with no real idea where she was going or what she was going to do when she got there, might qualify as stupid. But it also—and more importantly—qualified as YOLO. A ridiculously childish notion her best friend Angie had explained when Cass had called overseas to tell her about the strange and unexpected letter she’d received only hours before.

  “You only live once, Cass,” she said. “You should go. YOLO.”

  “I don’t know…”

  “Why not?” Angie didn’t wait for an answer before she demanded, “Read it to me again.”

  Cass looked at the letter in her hand, and did as requested.

  “Dear Ms. Cutler, I am contacting you in regards to your father, Roger Cutler. As of October 13 it will be three years since Mr. Cutler’s boat has been in our possession at Shelter Bay Marina. Repeated attempts to contact him have gone unanswered. As of September 1, 2014 Mr. Cutler has been presumed dead by authorities.”

  “God. I’m sorry, Cass.”

  She ignored her friend and the stab of pain in her chest and continued reading getting to the part that really made her head spin.

  “As you are the next of kin, his possessions become your responsibility. Please contact us with further instructions. Signed, Joe Holt. Shelter Bay Marina. Colon, Panama”

  When she finished reading there was a silence on the other end and for a moment Cass was afraid they’d been disconnected. “I’m really sorry, Cass.” Her best friend’s voice was soft. Angie was never soft and Cass hated the note of pity she heard in her friend’s voice. Especially since she didn’t know herself how she was supposed to feel. “But you really should go.”

  “Of course I’m going to go.” Cass hadn’t known she was going to go until that moment. But as soon as the words left her mouth, they made sense. Even if the letter didn’t. She thought she should feel a little more emotion reading the words that her father was presumed dead. But how do you mourn for a man who hadn’t been part of your life for the last sixteen years?

  “Yes,” Angie said, her voice once again back to normal. “You’ll go and you’ll have a little break and maybe even some fun in the sun and when you come back you’ll—“

  “I’ll what?” Cass could see her friend pacing the floor, maybe even waving her finger at her across the miles and time zones.

  “You’ll leave that wanker and move on with your life.”

  “Wanker?” Cass tried and failed not to laugh. “You’ve been in England too long.”

  “And you’ve been with that moron for too long.”

  It was true and almost impossible to argue. “Okay.”

  “Really?”

  “Really. I’ll deal with it tomorrow.”

  “With the letter or the wanker?” Angie laughed and it was a sound that made Cass miss her even more. Having an international best friend could really suck sometimes.

  After they disconnected the call, Cass spent the rest of the evening booking a flight and after a few glasses of wine, drafting her resignation letter because Angie was right. She’d spent too long at that dead end job and with Jake.

  Besides, surely he’d fight for her if he really cared. He hadn’t. And now she was in a car heading towards what, she wasn’t sure. But it had to be better than what she’d left behind.

  Which was nothing really. A boring job where the biggest benefit was as many Cheesy Bites and Twisty Nut Knots she could eat, and a relationship—if you could even call it that—with even fewer perks than her job. She’d been spinning her wheels for too long. It was way past time to move on. Which is exactly what she was doing.

  * * *

  A flash of light out the window caught her attention and the driver slowed as they passed through a guarded gate. He caught her looking in the rear view mirror and smiled a bright toothy smile.

  “Almost there. It’s late, and I do most of the driving for Shelter Bay so I know the pot holes to avoid, don’t worry.” His smile was proud and Cass couldn’t help but grin. A grin that quickly melted away with his next question. “Joe expecting you?”

  Crap.

  She almost spoke aloud but caught herself just in time. The truth was, she didn’t know if Joe Holt was expecting her or not. She’d called and left a message, but when she hadn’t heard back she just continued with her plans and had completely forgotten that she’d never actually spoken to him. Until now.

  Cass forced a smile to her face and nodded. “Of course.” She hoped she sounded more confident than she felt.

  It will all work out. It will all work out.

  She chanted her Dad’s mantra—one of the few things she’d taken from him—in her head and tried to keep calm, but the panic must have shown on her face.

 
“Joe always has a spare room or two upstairs for surprise guests,” her driver, Teddy said. His voice was easy and friendly and not for the first time, Cass was thankful that she’d at least thought ahead to arrange a ride from the airport to the marina two hours away. She may have neglected to confirm some of the important details—like accommodation—but once the decision to go had been made, she wasn’t about to put it off.

  “Thank you.”

  Teddy smiled another kind smile as they pulled up against a long, low building. “I’ll help you with your bags.”

  Her ‘bags’ consisted of one duffle and a small backpack but Cass wasn’t in any mood to protest or declare her independence in some kind of girl power show. She was tired, it was late and as Teddy had more or less pointed out, she didn’t really have a place to stay. She could use the backup, even if it came in the form of a taxi cab driver she’d just met.

  The moment she stepped out of the car, the heat and humidity hit her like a brick. Even in the middle of the night, it was hot. Really hot. The kind of hot that settled into your bones and made your whole body heavy.

  Cass let Teddy take her bags and lead her across the pavement to the building where presumably Joe was. She had no idea what time it was but judging by the dark sky and thick carpet of stars, it had to be well past midnight. Living in Seattle she wasn’t used to so many stars. It had been years since she’d seen much more than the big dipper. Did they even have the big dipper in Panama? She tipped her head back and just for a moment let her senses fill with the wide openness of the night. She vowed to spend more time staring at the sky when she had a minute to breathe. Hopefully that minute would come soon.

  Teddy opened a wooden door and waited for her to walk through it.

  With a weak smile and a sigh to match, Cass went inside. The sky would have to wait.

  Teddy led her through a tiny entryway to a small alcove where two offices sat. One door was open, with a sign on it that said: “Registered Cruisers Only”. Inside was a computer, printer and two book shelves full of books and maps with another sign: “Take one-leave one.”

  However, it was the other office that had Cass’s attention. The sign on the door said: “Dock Master”. She presumed that meant it was Joe Holt’s office which was problematic since the door was locked and the lights were off.

  “No problem,” Teddy said.

  Cass spun to look at him. How could it not be a problem? She was in Panama in the middle of the night with nowhere to stay and the only person who might be able to help her wasn’t there.

  “I’ll make a call.” Teddy pulled out a cell phone and stood grinning the wide toothy smile that Cass was coming to think of as his trademark. She took another deep breath, because really there was no choice. While Teddy had a quick and quite loud conversation with someone in Spanish, she wandered into the open office and started looking at the bulletin board and papers that were randomly stuck to the wall over the desk.

  “For Sale—wind gennie”

  “Wanted—Crew for canal crossing”

  “Missing—Roger Cutler.”

  Cass sucked in her breath when she saw the words peeking out from layers of other papers. She reached out and pulled it free from the other ads that all but covered it. And there he was. Her father. Or his picture anyway. The paper was yellowed and old, and in the photo he was older with a scruffy beard, a deep tan and wrinkles that lined his forehead, but he was her dad. He was smiling and looked happier in the picture than she’d ever remembered him. A female arm was draped around his shoulders her hand resting on his arm, but the woman was cut out of the picture.

  She didn’t read the words, she couldn’t. She was too busy staring into the familiar dark eyes, so much like her own. He looked so full of life, so—

  “Miss Cass?”

  Crumpling the paper in her hand, Cass spun to see Teddy holding a large anchor keychain with a single key dangling from it.

  “Your room,” he said proudly. “Joe will be here in the morning to meet you.”

  Cass could have kissed him she was so relieved to have a place to lay down.

  “The rooms are right upstairs.” Teddy pointed to a door further down the corridor. “Would you like me to take you up?”

  “No. Thank you, Teddy. You’ve done so much. I’ve got it from here.” Suddenly Cass wanted nothing more than to be alone. She shoved the piece of paper into her backpack and pulled out her wallet. “You’ve been fabulous.” Cass handed him some bills. “I can’t thank you enough.”

  Teddy winked and gave her the key in exchange for the money. “I’ll see you soon. You enjoy Panama, Miss Cass.”

  When she picked up her duffle it seemed much heavier than she remembered, but she heaved it over her shoulder as best she could and with a wave behind her, pushed her way through the doorway into the stairwell. The steel door clanged shut behind her, an ominous sound, but Cass was too tired to let it register. She took another few steps toward the stairs when there was a loud pop. Cass spun around at the exact second the lights went out, plunging her into darkness.

  * * *

  CHAPTER TWO

  * * *

  The Dockside Inn was quiet for a Tuesday night. Beyond a few of the regular cruisers who never actually seemed to take their boats off the dock and sail them, the tables were mostly empty by the time Archer Wolfe was on his second beer.

  Normally Archer enjoyed chatting to whomever happened to be in the Inn, but he’d heard most of the regular’s stories already and he needed the time to think about his next move. A month ago when he left his life in the Canadian Rockies for a two week beach vacation that had been more or less forced upon him by his friends, he hadn’t expected to enjoy the scorching temperatures, powdery sand that got into everything and salty ocean water. Hell, he hadn’t expected to like anything about Panama. He was a mountain boy. He needed cool temperatures at high elevations, pine needles under his feet and a fresh glacier lake to swim in.

  He’d been as surprised as anyone when he took one look at the Atlantic ocean with water so blue he couldn’t tell where it ended and the sky began, and known two weeks wouldn’t be long enough. Where he felt comfortable and safe in the mountains, he felt free on the beaches of Panama. More than that, he’d caught the travel bug. He’d had a small glimpse of the world outside his safe Canadian town of Cedar Springs, and he was itching to see more. Now he just had the slightly problematic issue of figuring out how to fund those travels.

  Archer rolled his almost empty bottle between his hands and considered his options. He didn’t have many. He’d already cashed in his return ticket and enlisted his best friend back home, Samantha, to sell his truck for some extra spending money. But that might take awhile and if he wanted to keep traveling, and he did, he needed to figure something else out. The problem was, what?

  He looked out over the masts of the many sailboats in the marina. Only a week ago, he’d been on one of those boats along with a handful of tourists that came out from Panama City for the unique experience of sailing in the tranquil San Blas islands. He’d spent most of his remaining money on that trip, but it had been worth it. And if he could have figured out a way to stay there for a few days, he would have. And he definitely wanted to get back there before he moved on to his next destination, wherever that might be.

  But until he could figure out how to do that, his small room upstairs overlooking the marina would have to do.

  “Another beer, Arch?” Maria, one of the local waitresses arrived at his table with a smile and a hand on the small of her back, supporting her growing tummy.

  Archer instinctively stood and pulled out a chair for her. “Sit. You need it.”

  “I’m working.”

  He waved his arms taking in the mostly empty restaurant. “I’m sure you can sit down for a few minutes.” She glanced around. “Besides,” Archer said. “I could use a little advice.”

  She sat. “With what?”

  “I need a job.” He drained his beer. “Maybe you can
put in a good word with Joe for me.”

  Joe was the dock master at the marina and pretty much ran every detail at Shelter Bay, which meant he was the man to go to if you needed anything. Including a job. Which was really too bad considering he didn’t seem to like Archer at all. It might have had something to do with the fact that the first night he’d arrived Archer made the mistake of flirting with Joe’s wife, Heather. A situation he never would have put himself in if he’d known she was happily married, which didn’t seem to be the situation at all. None the less, it was a problem that was going to have to be overcome if Archer planned on staying at Shelter Bay, which he did.

  Maria laughed, a deep throaty totally unabashed sound. “You want me to help?” She managed to say when she was done laughing. “What makes you think Joe will listen to me? Joe is Joe. That is all.” She flipped her dark hair back over her shoulders and moved to push up from the chair. “And Joe will fire me if I don’t get up and get moving.”

  Archer raised an eyebrow. They both knew it was a lie. Joe had a reputation for being stern, but fair. And the dock master seemed to have a soft spot for the young, pregnant Panamanian in particular. From the little Archer had seen, it was clear Maria could do no wrong as far as Joe was concerned.

  “Now let me get you another beer. It’s a hot night.”

  Archer silently calculated the money in his wallet. He shook his head. “I’m kind of tired.” He stood, his large frame towering over her. “It’s a bit too quiet around here tonight.” Another lie since he’d enjoyed the conversations he’d had with some of the regulars, but it didn’t matter.

  He handed Maria a few bills for the beers he’d drunk and thanked her before making his way through the room to the back hallway that led to the marina offices as well as the stairwell up to the rooms over the restaurant. He’d been staying in one of those rooms for almost a week now and while it wasn’t very expensive, Archer was pretty sure Joe had given him a special rate, and it definitely wasn’t in Archer’s favour.