darted away. Aaron rested his hands on the window frame and looked out at the ocean. Was it wrong to want a quiet, simple life? His sister always wanted more. More friends, more excitement, more fun. That’s why she trotted across the globe while he stayed on St. James, raising his son. She was the creative one in the family. She was the one who loved fashion and art. She was beautiful, reckless, changeable and irresistible. He’d idolized her so much as a child that, as a grown man, he’d married a woman similar to her, and that had been a disaster.
His marriage to Ina Margarita Sheldon had shown him just how much he and his sister were dissimilar. He was practical and rational and would never change, although his sister continued to try to encourage him to do so. He remembered their conversation last month as they sat on the veranda of the main house, where he and his son lived. His mother and sister each had their own separate small three-bedroom chalet, located several hundred feet away from his residence, but Candace always liked to stop by to chat, scold or tease him, depending on her mood.
“You can do better,” she said, nibbling on a fresh slice of melon. A large pink pinwheel hat shaded her face.
“What are you talking about?” Aaron asked as he watched his sister make her way through the plate full of fruit.
“Mary, the new woman you’re seeing.”
Aaron shook his head and speared a mango cube. “Her name is Martha Banyan.”
“And she’s a librarian.”
“She’s a teacher.” He pointed his fork at her. “I knew I shouldn’t have said anything.”
“I’m glad you did. I would have found out anyway. You know news travels fast on this island. I just know you can do better.”
Aaron set his fork down, no longer interested in eating. “I thought you’d be impressed.”
“Impressed by what? Plain, boring, dull—”
“She’s pretty and sweet.”
“I wasn’t talking about how she looks. I was talking about her clothes.”
“Not all women are interested in fashion like you, or can afford to change their wardrobe every season.”
Candace made a face. “There’s no need to exaggerate.”
Aaron grinned. “I thought I was being conservative.”
Candace rolled her eyes and swung her foot. “She’s just not the right one for you.”
Aaron sat back and folded his arms, trying to keep his tone neutral, although his sister’s criticism bothered him. “I thought you’d at least be happy for me. You’re the one who’s been pressuring me to start dating again.”
“Settling for the first woman who said yes was not what I meant.”
Aaron frowned. “I’m not settling.”
“She’s everything Ina isn’t.”
“Exactly.” He speared a large slice of pineapple with his fork.
“You shouldn’t sound so proud of it.” Candace waved her fork at him before she stabbed another melon slice. “You’re going to get bored with her. You’re a lot wilder than you think, little brother. Remember, you’ve got the blood of a pirate running through you.”
“I’m nothing like our ancestor,” Aaron said, picking up his fork again, feeling suddenly restless. He hated the comparison. It made him seem more mysterious than he actually was. “That’s what disappointed Ina the most. She thought she was marrying someone else.” Early in their marriage, he discovered she had bought into their ancestral history and thought she had married a “rogue,” and was very disappointed.
“She was stupid. She didn’t know what she had.”
“Martha is good with Brandon.”
“Of course she is,” Candace said, waving her hand in a dismissive gesture. “She’s a librarian, for goodness’ sake.”
“Teacher,” Aaron corrected.
“See?” Candace waved her hand again, as if he’d just proven her point. “She’s paid to be good with children.”
“And she’s smart and—”
Candace shook her head again. “And she’s still wrong for you.”
“She loves this island as much as I do, she likes my son and she likes me.”
Candace set her fork down. “Are you thinking of marrying her?”
“It’s too soon for that, but—”
“But you’re thinking about it?” She removed her sunglasses and stared directly at him.
“I’m ready to marry again,” he said, avoiding her gaze.
Candace sighed and folded her arms. “Promise me one thing.”
He looked at her. “What?”
“Don’t get too serious about her until after the fashion show.”
A month later, Candace’s words still echoed in his head. Aaron turned from the window, trying to let the memory of that talk fade, but it wouldn’t leave him. He still found the request odd. He was a grown man. He didn’t need his older sister’s blessing on anything. But he still remembered the look on her face when she asked him to wait until after the show. He recalled how sly she looked. But if she thought surrounding him with an endless supply of beautiful women would change his mind, she’d be disappointed. But would she go this far to get him involved? He sighed when he heard a quiet knock on the door.
“Come in,” he said, returning to his desk.
His eight-year-old son, Brandon, entered and he felt some of his annoyance subside. His son was the only thing he didn’t regret about his marriage. “What is it?” he asked with a smile.
Brandon bit his lip. “Promise you won’t get mad.”
“I can’t promise you that, but tell me anyway.”
“I’ve looked everywhere.”
Aaron’s smile fell. “Looked for what?”
“Can you please promise not to get mad?” Brandon said, nervously playing with his fingers and turning his feet inward.
He stood. “Brandon.”
“At least don’t shout,” he said, straightening his shoulders and trying to look brave.
Aaron folded his arms. “What happened?”
Brandon hung his head and spoke to the floor. “Trident is missing.”
As
