Free The Trouble with Mojitos by Romy Sommer

tourist. The locals prefer the smaller fishing town of Christianstad on the other side of the island. The restaurants there aren’t priced for the day visitors from the cruise ships.” He grinned. “Are you up for a little adventure?”
    “Always.” Though now she really wished she’d stuck with cargo pants and a tee shirt.
    The boat hugged the shoreline and she was able to appreciate the wild beauty of the island in the evening light. She’d been so focussed on finding the locations listed on the detailed location brief she’d been given that she’d nearly missed the magic which was right under her nose.
    On the horizon, the sun was a ball of fire, staining the sea crimson. As it sank, both sea and sky faded to vivid pinks and oranges, growing darker and darker until the light was gone, leaving nothing but a flash of green light so fast she wondered if she’d imagined it. Then the velvet darkness wrapped around them.
    No lingering sunsets here in the tropics. It was all or nothing.
    “Wow, that was incredible.” She breathed out, her voice barely above a whisper, afraid she might break the magic spell.
    “The sunsets are more spectacular in the winter months. There’s too much haze in the air in summer.” Rik turned the boat into an inlet between two high outcrops of land, mere shadows against the night sky.
    In the apex of the bay, pinpricks of light bloomed out of the darkness as they drew nearer, turning into a jumble of single-storey houses. This was definitely not Fredrikshafen, with its massive modern marina, stylish boutiques and bright lights. The pier where Rik moored his boat consisted of rickety planks, lit only by swaying lanterns, and theirs was the only yacht amongst the fishing skiffs and dories.
    “I guarantee this is the best meal you’ll eat in all the islands.” He took her hand as they walked down the pier.
    She hoped so. She was starving. Those sandwiches they’d shared on the beach at Tortuga seemed light years away.
    The restaurant was little more than a thatched bar, open to the elements on all sides, with mismatched tables and chairs set out on a wooden deck overhanging the sea. A few locals in work-roughened clothes sat at the bar, and the only occupants of the deck were a handful of young men in gaudy shirts and board shorts drinking beers.
    “Instructors from the local scuba school,” Rik said, following her gaze.
    The instructors waved and the locals at the bar greeted him in a language she didn’t recognise. Kenzie wondered if they knew who he really was – or at least who he had been. Their looks held respect, but none of the awe the mayor seemed to hold him in.
    Rik let go of her hand to return their greetings, and she instantly felt the loss of the contact. Then he placed his hand on her lower back to direct her onto the deck. Familiar, slow heat radiated out from his touch.
    The kind of heat that made that oh-so-sensible brain of hers reel.
    She hadn’t known until now how much she missed human contact. Cuddling Lee’s cat was all well and fine but it didn’t come close to the heart-thumping touch of a gorgeous man.
    Rik chose a table right on the very edge of the deck, away from the others, where a light breeze rolled in off the sea, smelling of adventure and anticipation.
    A beaming waiter appeared at their side. “Welcome back, Mr Rik.”
    “Hello Juan.”
    Juan lit the candles on the table, covering them with sawn-off plastic bottles to keep the lively breeze from extinguishing them.
    There were no menus, just a chalkboard listing the day’s catch. The array of cocktails however, painted in bright-coloured lettering on a board over the bar, was impressive.
    “What would you like?” Rik asked.
    “A mojito.” It was her favourite cocktail, but here, beneath the star-spangled velvet sky, seemed a far better place to enjoy one than in a densely packed London club. She sighed and stretched back in her seat, allowing contentment and the lazy tropical heat to