Amy (Beach Brides Book 12) Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title

  Copyright

  Introduction

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Epilogue

  Author Bio

  Excerpt from Meg

  Table of Contents

  Title

  Copyright

  Introduction

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Epilogue

  Author Bio

  Excerpt from Meg

  Amy

  Beach Brides Series

  by

  Raine English

  Amy

  Beach Brides Series

  Published by Elusive Dreams Press

  Digital Edition

  Copyright 2017 © Raine English

  ISBN: 978-1-62935-048-6

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or any portion thereof, in any form. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient, unless this book is a participant in a qualified lending program. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. To obtain permission to excerpt portions of the text, please contact the author at [email protected].

  This is a work of fiction. All characters in this book are fictitious and figments of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Edited by Linda Ingmanson

  Cover by Raine English

  Elusive Dreams Designs

  http://www.ElusiveDreamsDesigns.com

  www.RaineEnglish.com

  Join Raine’s newsletter at RaineEnglish.com and receive a FREE novella. You’ll also be the first to hear about new releases, giveaways, and more.

  Introduction

  Grab your beach hat and a towel and prepare for a brand new series brought to you by twelve New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors…

  Beach Brides! Fun in the summer sun!

  Twelve heartwarming, sweet novellas linked by a unifying theme.

  You’ll want to read each one!

  BEACH BRIDES SERIES (Amy)

  Twelve friends from the online group, Romantic Hearts Book Club, decide to finally meet in person during a destination Caribbean vacation to beautiful Enchanted Island. While of different ages and stages in life, these ladies have two things in common: 1) they are diehard romantics, and 2) they’ve been let down by love. As a wildly silly dare during her last night on the island, each heroine decides to stuff a note in a bottle addressed to her “dream hero” and cast it out to sea! Sending a message in a bottle can’t be any crazier than online or cell phone dating, or posting personal ads! And, who knows? One of these mysterious missives might actually lead to love…

  Join Meg, Tara, Nina, Clair, Jenny, Lisa, Hope, Kim, Rose, Lily, Faith and Amy, as they embark on the challenge of a lifetime: risking their hearts to accomplish their dreams.

  This is Amy’s story….

  When a wealthy CEO of a popular matchmaking service is ordered to give up his playboy lifestyle, finding a message in a bottle from a woman guided by fate just might be what he needs to carry out his phony engagement scheme.

  Find all the Beach Brides at Amazon!

  MEG (Julie Jarnagin)

  TARA (Ginny Baird)

  NINA (Stacey Joy Netzel)

  CLAIR (Grace Greene)

  JENNY (Melissa McClone)

  LISA (Denise Devine)

  HOPE (Aileen Fish)

  KIM (Magdalena Scott)

  ROSE (Shanna Hatfield)

  LILY (Ciara Knight)

  FAITH (Helen Scott Taylor)

  AMY (Raine English)

  Prologue

  Amy’s message in a bottle…

  Dear Stranger,

  Do you believe in fate? By definition, it’s the development of events beyond a person’s control…or in other words, destined to happen. I’ve followed this simple philosophy my entire life and have been relatively happy for most of it. The problem is I’ve yet to meet the person who’s supposed to be my soul mate. But I haven’t given up hope, because if you’re reading this, it is fate, and although I can’t say that we’ll wind up married, at the very least, I know that we’re meant to meet.

  Anxiously awaiting your response,

  KarmaGal@…

  Chapter One

  Amy Sheridan pulled the cord on the purple-and-pink-neon Open sign, indicating the end of a very busy Saturday at C’est Belle, one of Newbury Street’s trendiest boutiques. She slipped off her heels, wiggled her cramped toes, then padded over to the door. Before reaching it, a pretty blonde with her hair pulled back in a sleek ponytail and wearing a chic blue sundress entered.

  “Always right on time,” Amy said, locking the door behind her. “The back room okay?”

  “Works for me.”

  Amy made a path, moving boxes of shirts and pants that had come in earlier, so that they could make their way over to the mint-green velvet settee. It was meant to go outside the dressing room as a place to comfortably wait while friends or family tried on clothes, but Amy hadn’t gotten around to moving it there. Besides, it was perfect right where it was for her biweekly appointments with Cherie Camp.

  She’d been seeing the Boston-area psychic ever since returning home from her trip to Enchanted Island three years ago. Amy rarely took time off, and hadn’t taken a vacation since her college spring break in Cancun. But she hadn’t been able to turn down the opportunity to meet in person the eleven women from the Romantic Hearts Book Club. They’d been together a long time online, so when the suggestion was brought up that they plan a getaway to a remote Caribbean isle, everyone had jumped at the idea. Her business could survive a week or so without her, and as a matter of fact, it had done more than survive. It had done fantastic, proving that her staff was more than capable of running things while she was away, and dispelling her belief that the world would fall apart if she wasn’t around to run it. A controlling workaholic wasn’t how she wanted to be labeled, so learning to relax and let go were just a couple of things Cherie was helping her with, and so far, the psychic was doing much better than Amy’s last therapist.

  “What would you like to focus on today?” the soft-spoken blonde asked, taking a seat.

  Amy dimmed the lights, then sat next to her, placing her hands on top of the psychic’s open palms. “My book club is planning another trip to Enchanted Island—a reunion.”

  “That sounds like fun, so why don’t you look happy? Remember how we’ve talked about all work and no play is bad for your psyche.”

  Amy was keenly aware of Cherie’s scrutiny. “I know, I know… And it’s not that I don’t want to see them again, but they’ll all be talking about their marriages or engagements, and look at me. I’ve never even heard from anyone regarding my message.”

  When she and the other women had lined up at the water’s edge on their last night on the island to toss their bottles into the ocean, hoping they’d be found by a “dream hero,” many had looked upon it as a lark or a silly game made up while drinking a few too many piña coladas, but she’d felt differently. She’d been sure that fate would lend a hand in helping her soul mate find her message in a bottle. Only that didn’t happen, and now she’d all but given up on love.

  “Your negativity is potent,” Cherie said sourly. “Laws of attraction—you get what you put out there.”

  Amy scowled. “So it’s my fault that every day that goes by, I get closer and closer to becoming an old maid?”

  Cherie’s look was one of faint amusement. “You’re far from old, but you’re certainly not helping matters.”

  Amy puckered her lips. “I don’t care. I don’t need a man anyway. I barely have time for myself, let alone worrying about allocating time for someone else’s needs.”

  The psychic lifted a thin brow. “If you really believed that, then you shouldn’t have a problem listening to your friends talk about their love lives.”

  Amy huffed. “You’re right. I can’t get anything over on you, can I?”

  A small smile curved her full lips. “I’m good at my job.”

  “I know.”

  “So then enough chitchat. Are you ready?”

  “Yes.”

  Cherie closed her eyes, and her breathing slowed. “I see a man.”

  Amy’s heart started to race. “You do? What does he look like?”

  “Tall, dark, and handsome.”

  “That’s not too cliché.” She did nothing to hide her sarcastic tone.

  Cherie partially opened one eye. “It’s true,” she said smugly before closing it again. “He has nearly black hair—cut short, classic features, a deep golden tan, and piercing blue eyes. He’s standing
by the water’s edge, holding something that’s glistening in the sun—a wine bottle. Now he’s pulling the cork out and taking out a piece of parchment paper.”

  “That’s what I used to write my message on. It came from the pad I keep in my purse.” Excitement coursed through her veins. “Now what’s he doing?”

  “He’s smiling as he’s reading the note. You know what this means, don’t you?”

  Amy let out the breath she’d been holding. “Not exactly.”

  “It means you have to go on that trip to Enchanted Island.” Cherie’s lids flew open, and she stared wide-eyed at Amy as she squeezed her hands. “Pack your bags, lady. You’re going to meet your one true love.”

  Chapter Two

  Dawson Yates squeezed his eyes shut as the plane took off from JFK International Airport. He hated this part of flying. It made his stomach queasy. He gripped the armrests and waited impatiently for the plane to reach cruising altitude. Only then would he be able to relax and enjoy the nearly four-hour flight to Enchanted Island. Too bad this wasn’t a real vacation. He was due one. However, if he didn’t complete his mission during his stay in the Caribbean, he’d most likely wind up on a permanent vacation.

  He was still kicking himself for having gone on Brian Jeffreys’ silly talk show. How many times had his assistant warned him not to do it? So many that he’d lost count. But despite Kelly’s advice, Dawson thought he would be exempt from the host’s rude and galvanizing behavior. Besides, his philosophy had always been that any publicity is better than no publicity. Except in this case, he’d shot himself in the foot and was close to losing his CEO position at Love Match. He still had a hard time believing that. After all, he’d turned the company around, making it the number one online dating service. Before he’d taken over the reins four years ago, it had been barely visible and was about to go under. Part of his success was because his flamboyant, playboy lifestyle was always in the news. Ironic that it was that very lifestyle the Love Match board had recently taken issue with. Thanks to good ole Brian Jeffreys.

  The man had hammered Dawson, questioning how he could run a matchmaking service when he’d never even been in a long-term relationship. And the hate mail that followed ran the gamut from calling him a fraud to saying Love Match should be shut down due to unscrupulous business dealings. It was all insane. What did his love life have to do with anything? Apparently, to the board, a lot. In fact, they’d given him an ultimatum: prove to them that he was in a committed relationship, or take his philandering ways elsewhere. So Dawson did what he always did when backed into a corner: he fought his way out. And that was exactly what he was doing now. It had taken a couple of days brainstorming with Kelly to come up with a viable plan, and he was happy with what they’d decided on—a phony engagement announced on a romantic island. He would let Kelly know when the time was right to make an anonymous call to the press. It wouldn’t take long for those hounds to be on his trail, and then they’d plaster his engagement news everywhere. If that didn’t satisfy the Love Match board, he didn’t know what would.

  The hardest part of the whole equation had been deciding whom to ask to be his fiancée. It needed to be someone he could trust to keep a secret and also not get so caught up in the playacting that she came to believe the engagement might actually end in marriage. It wouldn’t be the first time a woman he’d dated had read more into the relationship than was there.

  After careful consideration, he chose Irena Kosnik, a Polish-born model. They hadn’t been dating that long, just a few weeks, but it wouldn’t be that far-fetched to assume that a whirlwind romance could turn into something more serious. She also attracted a lot of media coverage. Another plus. And it didn’t hurt that she was gorgeous too. Yeah, he could do a whole lot worse than pretend to be engaged to Irena.

  Dawson opened his eyes when the flight attendant asked him if he’d like something to drink. “I’ll have an orange juice, please.” He was tempted to ask her to add a shot of vodka to it, but thought better of it. Not only because he didn’t drink before noon, but also because he needed to keep all his wits about him. Irena would be arriving this afternoon, and then the game would begin.

  * * *

  Amy pulled her suitcase out of the back of the closet and tossed it on the bed. She’d been able to get a flight out of Logan for tomorrow morning. That was a full week ahead of the book-club women. She figured if Cherie had been correct about meeting her soul mate on the island, then she needed to get a move on, and if she was wrong, then at least Amy would have time to herself for some much-needed relaxation.

  She thought back to her last trip to Enchanted Island and how all the women had been single. That certainly wasn’t the case now. They’d all found their Mr. Rights. All except her. She couldn’t help but wonder why that was. Cherie had said yesterday that it was because it hadn’t been her time, but now that was about to change.

  With a sigh, she started to pack, making sure to bring two bathing suits, a few summer dresses that would work for both day and night, some casual pants, and, of course, blue jeans.

  It didn’t take her long to put everything that she’d need into the suitcase. After all, she was only going for two weeks, and she hated to overpack. She’d much rather not bring enough than have to lug around a heavy, overstuffed bag.

  She spent the rest of the morning making sure that her bills were paid and that all loose ends were taken care of at C’est Belle. It hadn’t come as a surprise to Jill, the boutique’s assistant manager, when she called her last night to tell her that she’d decided to go to Enchanted Island. Jill had assumed that when push came to shove, Amy would wind up going. She just hadn’t expected it to be so soon. But Jill was more than capable of handling things, so Amy had no worries at all. The only thing that had her stomach in a knot was whether she’d meet the man of her dreams during this trip or if it would be just another disappointment.

  Chapter Three

  Dawson stood on the deck of the overwater villa and looked out at the electric-blue sea. There were ninety rental properties at the Hideaway Cove Resort, forty of them overwater villas, and the rest bungalows.

  This remote island getaway was the perfect place to stage his proposal. Kelly had done a wonderful job selecting this Caribbean paradise. His villa had vaulted ceilings, wood floors, and windows everywhere that provided lots of natural light. It also had a huge bathroom with a soaker tub and an open shower. The bedroom had a sliding wall that opened up to a magnificent view of the sea, and every room had a window in the floor, letting you look down into the water, and when lit, schools of fish would congregate there.

  He glanced at the villa to his left and spotted a man sprawled out on a sun lounger whom he recognized as a reporter for the Gossip Gazette, one of New York’s daily rags. Dawson had called Kelly as soon as he’d arrived to let her know it was time to set their plan in motion. Now all he needed was Irena.

  Luckily, he didn’t have to wait much longer, because patience was not one of his virtues. When he heard the knock on the door, he was there in a flash to open it. Irena looked as gorgeous as ever, and he quickly ushered her inside. He noticed she only had one small bag. It wasn’t like her to travel so light. But what really caught his attention was the look on her face. Instead of her usual wide smile, the corners of her mouth were turned down, and there was no sparkle in her big brown eyes.

  His original plan had been to take her out on the deck, get down on one knee, and propose, figuring the paparazzi in the neighboring villa was just waiting to snap some photos. He wouldn’t be surprised if a helicopter or two showed up and lingered overhead as well.

  But her less than animated face sent off warning bells, so he asked her to have a seat on the couch instead. When she was seated, she clasped her slender hands together and stared at them.

  “Not exactly the greeting I’d expected,” he said grimly.