""Heart warming and heart wrenching, LAKE MAGIC is one of those stories that touches your emotions""
Reviewed by Betty Cox
Posted March 29, 2010
Romance Contemporary
Jenny Beckinsale was devastated when her fiancée was killed
nine months ago. For three years Jenny and Steven owned
and operated Blue Sky Air, a seaplane charter business, and
they had a superb pilot, Zeke. The business is nearing
foreclosure, and very few clients are booking charters
these days and Jenny doesn't have any money and no way of
getting a loan. Just when things couldn't look any
worse, here comes Jared Worth, a top-gun pilot newly
discharged from the navy, and a friend of Steven's. It
seems that Jared loaned Steven one-hundred thousand dollars
to get Blue Sky started, and now the man wants his money,
and he wants it yesterday. After a severe reprimand by his commanding officer for
disobeying orders, Jared decides he has had enough and
resigns his commission. He plans to use the money Steven
owes him to buy a place in Florida and kick back for a
while. He dislikes being so demanding to Jenny, but he
wants his money. Eventually he decides he will help her
get her business started up again, because that is in his
best interest. Also, he can't deny that pity isn't the
only feeling he has for his friend's beautiful widow. Heart warming and heart wrenching, LAKE MAGIC by debut
author Kimberly Fisk, is one of those stories that touches
your emotions. Jared helps Jenny get over her grief by
making her so angry she doesn't have time for her pity-
parties. He makes Jenny realize that she is a sharp
businesswoman and can save Blue Sky Air. However, when he
does get his money from Jenny, Florida doesn't sound as
good as he thought it would. Excellent characters, sharp
dialogue, and a terrific narrative by Ms. Fisk make this a
book you will thoroughly enjoy.
SUMMARY
After the sudden loss of her fiancé, Steven, Jenny
Beckinsale has more than a broken heart to deal with—she’s
also facing too many financial surprises over Blue Sky, the
fledgling seaplane service she and Steven built. Too late
she’s discovered Steven was in over his head, and deeply in
debt to his best friend and fellow Navy pilot Jared Worth.
The sexy, cynical Top Gun demands his money back now. He
doesn’t care what will happen to Jenny or her small town
dreams of success. But Jenny has a few surprises of her own, including a way
out of her predicament—she’ll force this steel-eyed flyboy
into service for Blue Sky. It’s the only way Jared will
ever see a dime. But as the summer fades, these two lost
souls will discover they’re saving more than a business…
they’re saving each other
ExcerptHe filled her line of vision and everything inside of her
went still. “Jenny?” her mother questioned, but Jenny couldn’t respond.
Something told her she’d just gotten her first glimpse of
Blue Sky’s newest client. He strode into the restaurant as if he’d been there a
thousand times before, pausing only when he reached where
the hallway ended and the restaurant began. As he scanned
the interior, Jenny couldn’t help but take a thorough look
at him. He was tall—at least six two—and in his black leather
jacket he looked like a walking ad for Bad Boys USA. His
hair was as black as a starless night and short, almost as
if he’d only recently begun to let it grow out. The short
cut was probably the only thing that kept it from being a
rumpled mess since he’d been wearing a helmet. Then, again,
Jenny got the distinct impression he was one of those men
who always looked good; whether they’d just gotten off of a
motorcycle, out of the shower or out of bed. Bed… The jolt hit her unexpectedly. It was the first time in
over nine months her mind had gone down that path and she
felt a pinch of guilt. He was one of those rare individuals
who commanded attention whether they were in a boardroom or
on a boardwalk. Or in a tiny bistro on the edge of a lake. Her mother leaned close, whispered, “Sit up straight,
Jennifer and smooth your hair.” She barely heard what her mother was saying because at that
moment his gaze connected with hers. “Ms. Beckinsale,” he
said when he reached her table. His voice was deep and low. “Y-Yes.” She cleared her throat. He was so close she could
see the faint lines that fanned out from the corner of his
eyes; but something told her those creases hadn’t been
caused by laughter. More than likely, judging by his tan,
they’d been caused by a life spent outdoors. “Hello.” He flashed her a killer grin, showing off his
perfect white teeth. Spellbound, all she could do was
stare. Dimly, she became aware of a movement to her left
and belatedly remembered her mother. “This is my mother,
Catherine Beckinsale.” He turned, gave her mother that same bone-melting
smile. “Ma’am.” Jenny was surprised to see that her mother seemed rattled. Catherine cleared her throat. “How do you do, Mr…?” The visitor looked at Jenny when he responded. “Worth.
Jared Worth.” He waited, as if his name would have some effect on her but
all she was thinking about were his eyes. They weren’t
brown, as she’d originally thought, but a deep, deep
midnight blue framed by full, spiky lashes. And they seemed
to reach inside to a part of her she’d kept buried for a
long time. There was a short pause and then her mother filled in the
silence. “Well, Mr. Worth, may I offer you something? A
cappuccino? Espresso? Latte?” He looked at her mother as if she was speaking Greek. “No.”
And then as an afterthought, tacked on, “Thank you.” Belatedly, Jenny’s business manners kicked in. “Please, Mr.
Worth. Won’t you have a seat?” She motioned to one of the
empty chairs at their table. He continued to stand. Seated, she tried not to feel at a disadvantage. Tried and
failed. He was too tall. Too muscular. Too good
looking. “I’m sorry I wasn’t at the office when you
arrived. I hope it wasn’t too much of an inconvenience for
you.” “No trouble at all.” “Were you able to find the restaurant all right?” “Yes.” “Mr. Phillips mentioned that you needed to speak to me
right away.” He glanced at her mother and then back to her. “I didn’t
realize you were busy. I can come back later.” She was never too busy for a client. “No, no. Now is just
fine.” For a moment she forgot her discomfort as she imagined her
company’s bottom line floating away from the red zone and
up towards the black. And her mother was here to witness it
all. He looked around the room. “Is there somewhere private we
can talk?” And have her mother miss this? No way. “My mother is aware of my business dealings, Mr. Worth.
Feel free to discuss whatever you need to in front of her.” “I think it would be best if we talked somewhere private.” “Truly, Mr. Worth. There’s no problem.” He let out a barely perceptible sigh and it seemed to Jenny
as if some of his bone-melting-megawatt-smiling-good-ol’-
boy-charm left him. “You’re Jennifer Beckinsale, correct?” “Yes.” Hadn’t they already established that? “The Jennifer Beckinsale who was engaged to Steven Harmon?” Jenny wasn’t sure if it was her or her mother who drew in
the sharp, quick breath of air at the mention of Steven’s
name. It had been months since anyone had said his name out
loud to her and just the sound of it hurt. “Y-Yes.” “The Jennifer Beckinsale who was partnered with Steven
Harmon in a seaplane charter business known as Blue Sky
Air?” She tried to ignore the pain at hearing Steven’s name again—
tried to ignore her growing sense of unease—but she failed
on both accounts. “I’m sorry, Mr. Worth, but I’m not sure
what this has to do with anything. I thought you were here
about a charter. About Blue Sky Air.” “I am.” “Oh. Why don’t you tell me your travel plans and I’ll have
my associate get in touch with you. With summer just around
the corner, I’m sure you can understand that our schedule
is not as open as in the winter months.” Lies. Lies.
Lies. “But we will do everything we can to accommodate your
travel needs. Blue Sky offers a wide range of travel
options from local trips in the Puget Sound area to
frequent charters to the San Juans and British Columbia.” “I don’t seem to be making myself clear. I’m not here to
schedule a charter.” “You’re not?” “No. I’m here to discuss Blue Sky Air.” “You want to discuss my charter business?” “No, Miss Beckinsale, I want to discuss our business.” “Excuse me?” He let out another sigh, this was louder and more
noticeable than the last. “I’m your partner.” She laughed, but somehow her laughter fell flat. “I don’t
have any partners. I am the sole owner of Blue Sky Air and
I don’t think this little joke of yours is very funny. If
you’re not here to book a charter, I think you should leave—
” “Christ.” He rubbed his hand across his face, then zeroed
in on her again. “You really don’t have a clue what I am
talking about.” “You have no clue what you’re talking about, Mr. Worth.” He
was sick. Demented. He needed help. Any other day of the
week she might have offered to drive him to a doctor’s
office … a hospital … a padded room with no door. But not
today. Not with her mother sitting less than five feet
away. “I’m afraid it’s you who doesn’t have a clue,” he
said. “Look at the contract, you’ll see that what I’m
saying is the truth.” “I don’t need to look at any contract. I am the sole owner
of Blue Sky Air.” He muttered something under his breath and Jenny had the
sinking feeling she should be glad she hadn’t been able to
understand what he’d said. “You’re exactly like Steven
described,” he said. “Excuse me?” “Just like Steven said. All package; no product.” For a moment, she couldn’t breathe. He was lying. Steven would never have said anything like
that about her. He’d loved her as much as she loved him.
Anger jumped in front of her pain. “You need to leave.
Now.” She tried to keep her voice steady. Strong. But her
emotions were too raw and she felt the start of tears burn
the back of her eyes. She stood up, knocking her chair over in her haste. Without
bothering to right the chair, she headed straight for the
door; couldn’t get away from him fast enough. But before she could reach it, he was right behind her. “This isn’t over.” His voice was low and sent a shiver down
her spine. “Instead of doing your nails tonight, read the
contract. I’ll be in touch tomorrow.” Without looking at him, she wrenched the door open and ran.
What do you think about this review?
Comments
No comments posted.
Registered users may leave comments.
Log in or register now!
|
© 2003-2024 off-the-edge.net
all rights reserved Privacy Policy