~ Prologue ~
JAZMINE DECKER LEFT the Charleston Aquarium at her back with a bounce in her step and a smile on her face.
She walked briskly down the avenue and headed towards The Landing, only a short walk away. She made a victory sign, putting her fist up and pulling it down to exclaim right out loud, “Yes!”
In a few months, she would be a marine biologist at the aquarium. Timing is everything, she thought as she clicked along the pavement.
When a couple of guys in a convertible slowed down to look her over and wink, she was happy enough that she smiled back.
They called out words of devotion as she continued her heady pace. She was so excited she could spit. The assistant she would be replacing had been offered a prestigious job at the aquarium in Atlanta, and voila—timing!
What was even better, she had the summer to continue her job as guide with the tour company for which she had been working part time. It wasn’t great pay, but tips were always good, and she got to travel. They were leaving in the morning and heading for Ireland, Dublin first stop and then to Killarney. Luck, finally, after years of none, had finally found her!
The Landing was a fun place to eat and listen to music. It was on the long pier overlooking the river, and as she approached the band was already in full swing. It was tourist season, and they played all afternoon and into the night.
Spotting her friend as soon as she walked in, she waved and, as she walked towards her, did a little wiggle to the music.
Tammy came rushing up to her and dragged her off to the ladies’ room, to say, “Did you see them? Hot—they are both so hot! You can have Tony, ’cuz Stevie boy is mine.”
Jazz dropped her purse on the counter and looked in the mirror. She felt like she was glowing. Was she glowing?
She gave her long white-gold hair a tweak with her fingers, and her happy blue eyes stared at Tammy’s reflection in the mirror. “I got it! I got the job.”
Tammy jumped up and down and hugged her close. “Fate, you got the job, and now you can have Tony. Damn, but that has to be fate—he is just your type.”
“Yup, got the job, and maybe it was my skills that impressed them, not fate.” She stuck her tongue out at her friend. “But your Tony … I don’t know if I want to start anything tonight. Tam, I’m leaving in the morning.”
“So, enjoy him tonight.” Tammy winked at her.
Laughter filled the air as three girls entered the large bathroom, their heads together, their bodies still swaying to the beat of the live band’s music.
“One-night stands,” Jazz answered with a sigh, “are not my thing.”
“They don’t have to be your thing—and you don’t have to bed the guy. Just go and dance with him.”
“Tammy, I just came in to see you before I left …” She didn’t meet Tammy’s gaze as she rooted about in her purse. “… give you a hug, and then head on home for a frozen dinner and TV. I need some sleep before heading out in the morning.”
Tammy looked at her. “Jazz, you look at a guy and run. That is what this is about. You were supposed to spend the evening with me … eat, drink … it has only changed because a guy has entered the picture.” Tammy yanked her hair and shook her head. “Jazz, you have to get out of this funk you are in. It has been a month since you broke up with Joe the Creep.”
“I know, but … I thought Joe the Creep was special. What kind of judgment do I have, if I thought he was special?”
“Forget him, or put him down as a learning experience and move on. You can’t move on till you start flirting with the opposite sex. Sometimes, that is what you go with, honey. Just forget all the rest—and have fun for one night.”
Jazz thought about this but couldn’t get herself wrapped around the idea. She was often sure she’d been born in the wrong century. Her problem was she never felt she fit in. She wanted that knight in shining armor to ride up and carry her off. She wanted Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights, who would pledge his love forever. She wanted … more, so much more than what was hulking around, bumping and grinding out on the dance floor.
“Tammy, here is the thing. I don’t want to flirt up Tony at the bar. I have had a long, full day, and I’m flying out in the morning. I only stopped by to say so long for now and see ya when I get back.” She nudged Tammy towards the bathroom door. “Go have a great time.”
Tammy took her shoulders and pointed her at the mirror. “Look at you. A natural blonde … a shade that most girls can’t even find in a bottle. Look at those eyes, so blue—so big with natural, dark, thick lashes that took me thirty minutes to put on myself tonight. Babe, you are so beautiful, and you can have whoever you want—”
“That’s just it—don’t want anyone because I am happy on my own. Enough, girl,” Jazz said and laughed as she hugged her friend. She disliked being defined by how she looked. Hated that so many people saw her outside and never looked deeper than that.
Tammy sighed. “Okie dokie, honey. Go on, do what ya gotta do, and email me when you get to Ireland.” She eyed her. “Maybe you’ll meet your knight in shining armor over there in the land of the fairies and elves.”
Jazmine Decker hugged her friend fiercely. “You are the best, you really are, and I am a terrible friend.” So saying, she rushed out of the bathroom and headed for the front doors. She looked back and around one last time. The band had taken a break, and an oldie blasted through the speakers, Bonnie Tyler’s “Holding out for a Hero”. She smiled ruefully to herself. Yup, that was what she was doing, letting her life pass by, holding out for someone who in this day and age would never show up.
“You are not going to find one,” she said out loud as she stepped out into the night air. They don’t exist anywhere but in romance novels. Then her attention was caught by two exquisite males walking her way, evidently heading for the lounge. Both were tall, golden-haired, handsome, and dressed to show off their muscular bodies. They wore human Glamour to perfection, but she hurriedly and sharply turned away.
Hab