Shopping for clothes had never been a favorite thing for Ciara, but Emma was a stylist, and she and Ciara had been friends from the moment Emma had moved to Crystal Rock with her family when she was only ten. Now Ciara was an Air Force officer, along with Janelle. Every year for the past five, the three of them had taken their vacations together. Janelle and Emma had hit it off immediately five years ago when Emma had visited Ciara in Alabama where she was stationed and had introduced them.
“I love it,” Ciara murmured, staring at herself in the mirror.
The sheer tropical print in shades of navy and maroon fit over a clinging halter dress and complemented the color of her skin and hair.
“Wow,” Janelle exclaimed, strolling over from the other side of the boutique and taking a look. “That looks great on you. Isn’t it strange to be out of uniform?”
“You said it,” Ciara murmured, grimacing as she peeked at the price of the dress.
Which Emma noticed. “The items here are a little costly, but this is worth it. Don’t you dare try to walk out of here without buying it. That’s probably the most flattering dress I’ve ever seen you wear.”
Ciara heaved a sigh, obviously admiring her reflection. “Alright. You’ve talked me into it. But now I need shoes.”
“And maybe a new handbag?” Janelle added. “A perfect excuse to return to that cute little shop near the restaurant where we ate lunch today.”
“I know exactly the one you mean. We’ll have to stop there tomorrow,” Emma answered.
Janelle seemed thoughtful, saying suddenly, “You need to get your hair done. You should look your best.”
Ciara gazed at Janelle in the mirror with a puzzled look on her face. “I thought you didn’t think it was a good idea for me to go out with him?”
“I got thinking about what you said,” Janelle answered. “Maybe if you get to know him a little better, you’ll rethink your idea of him as the perfect guy. It’s a good plan.”
“I don’t know. I couldn’t believe how he singled out Ciara as soon as we walked into the bar. It’s actually kind of romantic.” Emma grinned, making up her mind with a sharp nod of her head. “I’d go out with the guy no matter how flawed he is. He’s totally hot.”
Ciara’s eyes met Janelle’s before they both began laughing.
“So, what’s on the schedule for tonight?” Ciara asked Janelle, a few minutes later when they were walking out from the boutique.
Ciara and Janelle followed Emma through the thoroughfare toward the designer shoe store located at the end of the path.
Janelle replied, “We have reservations at one of the best restaurants, and then I thought we’d play it by ear and check out a few places with entertainment afterwards.”
Emma turned and asked, “When’s that island tour—tomorrow?”
“Monday,” Janelle murmured. “I figured we’d take it slow, since we’re here for two weeks.”
“Sounds good,” Ciara answered.
Emma walked into the shoe store and immediately began hunting down Ciara’s shoes.
Five minutes later, Emma grinned. Her search had been successful. “Size seven, right?”
“Right,” Ciara answered.
Emma sent the clerk for the proper size while Ciara and Janelle checked out the shoes near the front of the shop.
When the clerk returned, opening a box and pulling out a fabulous pair of shoes, Ciara handed over the clothing bag containing her gown to Janelle and sat down to try them on.
“They’ve got just the right amount of bling,” Ciara murmured.
“Yes. I knew you’d like them. I know you way too well,” Emma answered, smiling.
“They’re perfect,” Ciara said, standing and walking around the shop. The heels were low enough to walk comfortably, but tall enough to be dressy.
A few minutes later, the three of them were walking out from the shop and heading back to their suite.
“Time to relax and have a few drinks,” Emma said.
“Sounds good,” Janelle murmured. “Let’s get ready for dinner, and maybe hit the beachfront bar beforehand.”
“Our cab will be here in a couple hours,” Ciara said, checking her watch. “I’ve got another lined up for Monday morning so we can pick up our rental before we go on our tour.”
“I’m glad you two international travelers made all the plans. It all sounds fabulous to me,” Emma said, as they walked into the lobby of their hotel and headed toward their suite.
Chapter Three
By the time Jack and Nick returned to the house a few hours later, Rand was apparently working on business when they walked into his office.
“Okay,” Nick said, his eyes searching the room. “What’s this mysterious job opportunity you wanted to discuss?”
Jack walked behind Rand’s desk, peeking over his shoulder and staring at Rand’s computer screen.
“Holy crap,” Jack muttered. “You own your own land development company? How did that happen?”
Rand shrugged. “When my father wouldn’t let me into our family company, even just to work part-time during the summer, I took a job with Jake Loughlin, the owner of the Dragonfly Pointe Inn, when I was in Crystal Rock staying with my grandmother. He could see I was hurting, and he treated me like a son. I learned so much from working with him. By the time I turned seventeen, he claimed I had a knack at forecasting statistics, and he’d never known anyone as skilled as I was at coming up with purposeful uses for some of his less desirable property locations.”
“So how did you end up with your business in Crystal Rock?” Jack asked.
Rand answered, ‘There was a realtor there who got into some big-time trouble with
