The Magic in her Gift (2 page)

As Sara watched, her grandmother’s form
began to materialize in her living room. The ghostly apparition
smiled at her and then beckoned her closer. Swallowing hard, she
released the chair and moved closer to the transparent
figure.

“
Sarafina, my child, you
must listen closely because I don’t have much time.”

“
Grandmother, where are you?
What are you?” She reached out her hand and then stopped, unable to
believe her own eyes.

“
I’m still on my island,
child, but not for much longer. I’m dying, Sarafina, and I wanted
to say goodbye.”

“
No,” Sara cried. “I don’t
want you to die.” Tears fell silently down her cheeks.

“
Everyone dies, that’s part
of life. It’s not a bad thing, child, but I needed to tell you some
things before I go. Will you sit down and listen to me?”

Nodding, Sara crossed to the sofa and
sat, hugging her arms across her stomach in an attempt to calm
herself. “What do you need to tell me?”

Her grandmother’s figure seemed to
glide as she moved closer to the sofa where Sara sat in awe. “I
love you, Sarafina, so very much. You’ve always been a joy and a
blessing to me and I want to leave you something very
special.”

“
I don’t want anything
special. I just want you. You’re the only good thing in my life. I
won’t have anyone who really loves me if you leave,” she
sobbed.

“
That’s why I’m leaving you
my gift, child. I’m leaving you my magic so you’ll have the ability
to create your own happiness. Search your heart, Sarafina. Once I’m
gone you can make your innermost desires a reality.” Her figure
began to fade.

“
Wait,” Sara cried as she
jumped to her feet, “I don’t understand. Don’t go,
please.”

“
Trust in your heart,
Sarafina, and don’t be afraid to go after your dreams. Anything you
can imagine is possible. The magic is in your gift. Remember, I
love you…”

Tears streamed down Sara’s face as her
grandmother’s silhouette slowly faded away, her voice becoming just
an echo. “Grandmother,” she cried and then ran over to the phone.
Before she could begin to dial, a fierce pain formed in her chest.
Dropping the phone, she fell to her knees, her arms wrapped tightly
around her abdomen, and struggled to catch her breath. “Oh, God,
what’s happening to me?” she gasped. A burning sensation began in
her stomach and slowly spread outward. Terrified, she felt the heat
spread up her chest and out into her arms. Blindly, she pushed
toward the phone, wanting to call for help and then collapsed onto
the floor when her burning legs failed to support her. “Please, I
don’t want to die,” she begged as the fire spread up her cheeks and
into her scalp. Just when she thought she couldn’t take any more
pain, blackness enveloped her.

Sara breathed a sigh of relief as the
plane landed at Henderson International Airport. It had been a
grueling thirty-four hours of travel, made even more arduous by her
two traveling companions. She glanced toward the front of the plane
and watched her mother and Bart trying to ignore one another. When
they’d changed planes in Port Moresby, Air Niugini had put them on
a Fokker One Hundred craft with only two-by-two seating. Sara had
promptly announced she felt airsick and then hid her smile when
neither her mother nor Bart had been willing to sit with
her.

They were traveling to Caleya Island
for a private memorial service and the reading of the will for
Sara’s grandmother. Part of the Solomon Islands off the coast of
New Guinea, Caleya and everything on it had belonged to Elizabeth
Weller. It had been four weeks since she’d died, the same night her
spirit visited Sara. Not wanting to face their doubts, Sara had
kept silent about the events of that evening. She’d awakened the
next day, still on the floor where she’d fallen, but with an inner
calm she’d never felt before.

“
Are you coming?” Bart
snapped.

Sara looked up into his accusatory eyes
and realized that everyone was getting ready to leave the plane.
Quickly she grabbed her purse and stood. “Of course, I’m right
behind you.” For a moment longer, he glared, his lips pressed into
a thin, angry line and then turned without another word. Sighing,
Sara hurried to catch up.

Sara grabbed her one bag off the
conveyor and then stepped back while her mother pointed out which
bags Bart was to claim. She couldn’t imagine what she’d packed that
required four separate bags.

“
Excuse me, Miss
Danner?”

A hand on her shoulder preceded the
man’s voice. Sara turned and gazed into moss-green, twinkling eyes
that conveyed warmth, trust and a sense of home. He appeared to be
in his late fifties with gray hair, a muscular frame and tanned,
weathered skin. “Yes, I’m Sara Danner.”

He held out his hand. “Elias
Jacobs, Miss. I’m the captain of the
Magic
Dreams
.”

“
What the hell is the Magic
Dreams?” Bart grabbed Sara’s hand and yanked her away.

Sara pulled her arm from his grip
angrily. “It’s a charter boat. He’s a friend of Grandmother’s.
Didn’t you read the wire from her attorney? Elias is here to pick
us up and take us to the island.”

“
You’re absolutely correct,
Miss. Is this all your luggage?”

“
Yes, it’s everything.” Bart
picked up two of the bags and nodded toward the rest. “Could you
give me a hand with these? How long will it take to get
there?”

“
Certainly, sir.” Elias
picked up the remaining bags and smiled. “It’ll take about an hour
to drive to the coast and then another hour, give or take, to
cruise to Caleya Island. My car’s right outside. Shall we get
moving?” Without waiting for a response, Elias headed for the
exit.

“
Why the hell we had to come
all the way here just to hear her will is beyond me. Eccentricity
should be illegal. Her attorney must not be much if he couldn’t
talk her out of these ridiculous conditions.” Bart continued to
grumble as they followed the boat captain out of the
airport.

“
You didn’t have to come,”
Sara reminded him.

“
Right, I would have looked
like an uncaring ass if I’d stayed home and let you and your mother
make this trip alone.”

“
He’s right, Sara. It
wouldn’t be proper for us to travel to this part of the world
alone.” Gwendolyn let her gaze wander back and forth, almost as if
she were expecting some kind of trouble.

Sara shook her head sadly. “I’m glad we
came. I haven’t seen Grandmother in over twenty years, not since
the last time she came and visited us. I’ve never even been to her
island. I’ve only seen pictures.”

“
You haven’t missed
anything. It’s just a small hunk of ground in the middle of the
ocean. There’s nothing exciting about it. I couldn’t wait to leave
there and I never wanted to visit it again.” Gwendolyn handed her
carry-on bag to Elias for him to put it in the trunk.

Before she settled in the car, Sara
turned to Elias. “Is Grandmother’s attorney already on the
island?”

“
No, Miss, I’ll be bringing
him out early in the morning per your grandmother’s
wishes.”

“
Get in the car, Sara.” Bart
held the door open, his tone clearly indicating his patience was
gone.

“
I’m coming, I’m coming.
Don’t get your panties in a wad,” Sara mumbled. A small chuckle had
her turning her head quickly. The amusement in Elias’s eyes told
her he’d heard her softly spoken comment. She could feel her face
flush in embarrassment.

“
After you, Miss.” Elias
held his arm out toward the open car door.

“
Right.” Sara hurried over
and slid into the back seat next to her mother, glancing over to
see how well she was handling the trip. The poor woman was
obviously exhausted. Gwendolyn Weller pinched the bridge of her
nose and then rubbed her reddened eyes before running her shaking
hand through her hair and sighing deeply. Sara felt a pang of
sympathy as she wondered how she must feel losing her
mother.

Elias got behind the wheel and turned
to stare at the women in the back seat. “Is everyone settled and
ready to get started?”

“
Yes, we’re ready,” Bart
growled. He’d chosen to sit in the front with Elias.

“
Okay, then we’re off.”
Elias pulled expertly out in traffic, heading toward the airport
exit.

“
Is anyone else coming to
the memorial service?” Sara watched Elias’s eyes in the rear view
mirror.

“
No, Miss. It’s for family
only.”

Gwendolyn gave a very unladylike snort.
“Isn’t Karl going to be there? He certainly isn’t family as far as
I’m concerned.”

“
Who’s Karl?” Bart
asked.

“
No, Madame. Karl will be at
the island tonight, but he’ll be gone by the morning.” Elias met
Sara’s gaze in the mirror. “Karl was someone very important to your
grandmother. You might say he’s the love of her life.”

“
That’s ridiculous,”
Gwendolyn argued. “If he’s the love of her life, why didn’t he ever
marry her?” She was silent for a moment. “He must not be named in
her will if he’s planning on leaving in the morning.” The
satisfaction in her voice sent chills up Sara’s spine.

“
Doesn’t really matter
whether he’s named in the will or not.” Bart turned around in his
seat. “If he’s been with her for some time he’d have the legal
right to sue the estate as a domestic partner. He could be entitled
to half of everything she owned.”

“
Over my dead body,”
Gwendolyn declared.

“
Come on, guys, Elias
already said he’d be gone by morning. Let’s not anticipate trouble.
This is supposed to be our time to honor and remember Grandmother.”
Sara placed her hand on her mother’s arm.

“
That’s easy for you to say,
Sara. I’m not letting that overblown lothario take my inheritance
away.” Gwendolyn pulled her arm away and turned her gaze out the
window.

“
There will be time enough
to worry about the will tomorrow. Let’s just get through this
memorial so we can get back home. I’ve got several court cases
coming up. I can’t afford to be here any longer than necessary.”
Bart pulled out a pair of sunglasses from his pocket and covered
his eyes.

Sara was about to argue when she caught
the expression on Elias’s face. It was pretty clear what he thought
of her companion’s compassion. She took a deep breath, laid her
head back on the seat and closed her eyes.

“
You can see the island now,
Miss.”

Sara rushed to the front
rail of the
Magic Dreams
to get her first look at Caleya Island. The blue
green water hugged the uneven shoreline while the white capped
waves crashed along the sandy beach. She smiled, tasting the salty
air, her braided hair unraveling in the breeze as they neared the
small boat dock.

“
Doesn’t look like much,”
Bart sniffed disdainfully.

Sara frowned at the dismal words from
her fiancé. “I think it looks like paradise.”

Bart grunted and walked back over to
sit next to Gwendolyn. “You should come away from the rail, Sara.
If we come into the dock too fast it could jar the boat enough to
send you into the water.”

“
Shouldn’t one of us offer
to help secure the boat?”

“
Oh, do sit down, Sara.”
Gwendolyn shielded her eyes from the sun with her hand. “Let the
captain do it. It’s what he’s paid for.”

Narrowing her eyes, Sara ignored their
advice and headed for the wheelhouse where Elias was piloting the
boat. “What can I do to help?”

Elias smiled down at Sara and shook his
head. “I’ve got everything covered, Miss Sara. Been coming in and
out of this jetty for so long I could do it in my
sleep.”

Sara frowned. “There must be something,
I mean, you’re only one man.”

He grinned. “Well, if you’re sure you
want to help.”

“
I’m sure. What can I
do?”

“
As soon as we stop I’ll
jump to the dock and you can throw me the ropes so I can anchor the
boat.”

“
You’ve got yourself a
deal.” Sara watched as the boat slowed and eased its way into the
slim berth.

Elias came down and pointed to the
ropes at the bow and stern of the boat. “Just toss them to me once
I get in position.” He jumped down to the wooden pier and walked
toward the front of the boat. He stood and watched while Sara
pulled up the rope and tossed it out onto the dock. Quickly he
grabbed it and attached it to a tall post and then repeated the
procedure with her at the stern. After securing the boat, he
attached a small gangplank and held Sara’s hand while she walked
down. “I’ll be right back, Miss. I’m going to go get the rest of
your party.”

Sara stood still for a moment and then
walked out onto the soft sand. She turned her head at the sound of
seagulls crying, their wings flapping in the breeze. Her lips
curved into a smile at the sight of a huge turtle lumbering slowly
across the beach, the waves washing over its hard shell.

“
God, it’s hot.” Bart yanked
off his jacket and opened several buttons on his shirt. “How did
your mother stand living in this humid environment?”