Chapter 5 Isla
FIVE
ISLA
The morning had unfolded like pages from one of her beloved romance novels—a whirlwind of anticipation, nerves, and that electric feeling that life was about to shift dramatically.
Isla had risen before dawn in her cozy Cape Cod cottage, her hands trembling slightly as she’d pulled on her white flowing skirt and teal camisole, choosing clothes that would match the island vibes perfectly.
But the familiar ritual of locking her front door had felt strangely final, as if she were closing one chapter of her life to begin another.
Then at the bookstore, Harper had wrapped her in a fierce hug that smelled of coffee and vanilla candles.
“Don’t you dare fall in love with that place and forget to come home,” Harper had whispered against her ear, but there’d been affection beneath the warning.
“I promise I’ll be back in a few weeks,” Isla had replied, though something deep in her chest had whispered that promises were fragile things when destiny came calling.
Now, thirty thousand feet above the Pacific, Isla found herself relaxing into the plush first-class seat that Gerri had somehow arranged at the last second.
The older woman had shed her pink blazer hours ago, revealing a silk tank that complemented her designer pants, her white bob still perfectly styled despite the long day of travel.
“You know,” Isla said, accepting the glass of champagne the flight attendant offered, “I haven’t talked this much about myself in... well, years.”
There was something about Gerri that invited confession, a warmth that made secrets feel safe to share.
Perhaps it was the way her eyes seemed to hold genuine interest, or how she listened without judgment, but Isla found herself opening doors in her heart that had been locked since her parents’ deaths.
“Your parents sound like they had something truly special,” Gerri said, her voice gentle as Isla finished describing Jonathan and Eleanor Quinn’s love story—how they’d met at a bookstore much like hers, how her father had courted her mother with handwritten poems tucked between the pages of classic novels, how they’d weathered his long battle with cancer together until the very end.
“They did. It was the kind of love that made you believe in fairy tales.” Isla’s fingers traced the rim of her champagne flute, the bubbles catching the afternoon light streaming through the airplane window.
“My mother used to say that when you find your person, you just know. Like the universe rearranges itself around that certainty.”
But the universe can also take it all away.
The thought came unbidden, carrying with it the familiar ache of loss. Her mother had indeed known—had loved so completely that when Jonathan died, Eleanor had simply... faded. As if her heart had forgotten how to beat without its other half.
“So, speaking of finding your person, I was actually planning to ask you yesterday at the bookstore—after you mentioned being a matchmaker—if you might consider taking me on as a client.” Isla laughed, but it came out shakier than intended.
“My dating history reads like a cautionary tale. There was Mark, who turned out to be married. Then David, who was decent enough until he started borrowing money. And Chad...”
Her voice caught on the name, the wound still tender even two years later.
“Chad was different. Or I thought he was. Handsome, successful, attentive. He made me feel like I was the center of his world.” The champagne had loosened her tongue, or perhaps it was the safety of being miles above the earth, suspended between her old life and whatever waited ahead.
“Until Harper caught him at a restaurant with another woman. Apparently, I wasn’t the only center of his universe. ”
Gerri’s expression shifted, something flickering across her features that Isla couldn’t quite identify—surprise mixed with what looked almost like resignation.
“Well, dear,” Gerri said slowly, setting down her own glass with deliberate care, “I suppose there’s something I should tell you.”
The change in Gerri’s tone sent a flutter of unease through Isla’s stomach. “That sounds ominous.”
“Not ominous. Just... orchestrated.” Gerri’s smile held secrets and starlight. “I didn’t exactly find you by accident yesterday at your bookstore.”
Isla blinked, her mind struggling to process this revelation. “I’m sorry, what?”
“Oh, I was there for Jasmine’s signing, that part was true.
But I might have specifically requested that she hold her event at your store so I’d have a reason to meet you.
” Gerri’s eyes began to gleam with that peculiar golden light Isla had noticed yesterday.
“You see, the woman you’ll be helping with her bookstore—Evelina—she’s the sweetest soul you’ll ever meet.
But she came to me with a rather stubborn problem. ”
The airplane seemed to shrink around them, the hum of engines fading as Isla focused entirely on Gerri’s words.
“She has a nephew. Damon. A good man, but one who’s been running from love for far too long. Evelina asked me to find his match, to give him what she called ‘a nudge in the right direction.’” Gerri reached over and patted Isla’s hand with maternal affection. “That match, darling, is you.”
The champagne glass trembled in Isla’s grip. “Me? But how could you possibly know that? We’ve barely met—”
“A matchmaker never reveals all her methods,” Gerri interrupted with a wink that somehow managed to be both mysterious and reassuring. “But I will say this—I’ve never had an unsuccessful match. Not once in all my many years of bringing fated pairs together.”
Fated pairs?
The words sent a shiver down Isla’s spine.
“This is...” Isla struggled for words, feeling simultaneously blindsided and intrigued. “It seems like quite a coincidence that his aunt happens to be opening a bookstore, and I happen to own one.”
“Coincidence?” Gerri’s laugh was like silver bells. “Oh, honey, there’s no such thing. The universe has a way of aligning things just so. But sometimes it just needs a little help from someone who knows how to read the signs like me.”
Isla stared out the airplane window at the endless expanse of blue ocean below.
Everything felt too convenient, too perfectly arranged, like stepping into one of the romance novels she loved so much.
But wasn’t that exactly what she’d always dreamed of?
The kind of destined love her parents had found?
So why does this feel more terrifying than exciting right now?
“There’s more to this story, isn’t there?” she asked, turning back to Gerri. “More that you’re not telling me.”
Gerri’s smile held depths that seemed to contain centuries of secrets. “There’s always more to every story, darling. But some chapters have to be discovered rather than explained.”
The plane began its descent toward Honolulu, where they’d catch the boat to Everflame Isle.
“I tried to find Everflame Isle online,” Isla said, voicing the question that had been nagging at her since last night. “It doesn’t appear on any maps.”
“Oh, it’s very small and remote,” Gerri replied with the kind of casual dismissal that somehow made Isla more curious rather than less. “The kind of place that prefers to stay hidden from the world. You won’t find it on any tourist sites.”
Hidden from the world? The phrase sent another flutter of unease through Isla’s chest.
An hour later, as they stood on the dock in Honolulu waiting for the private boat that would take them to the mysterious island, Gerri placed a gentle hand on Isla’s shoulder.
“Listen to me, dear. You don’t need to worry about anything once we get there. Trust your instincts—they’ve served you well so far, haven’t they? Evelina will help you get acclimated to the island and its... unique community. You’ll be staying with her during your visit.”
The breeze lifted Isla’s long auburn hair as she took a deep breath of the ocean air that somehow tasted different here—more primal than the familiar Atlantic waters of home.
Trust yourself, she thought as a boat approached the dock. It’s gotten you this far in life. No need to start doubting yourself now.
But as the boat pulled away from the dock and headed toward an island that didn’t exist on any map, toward a man she’d never met who was supposedly her destined match, Isla couldn’t shake the feeling that she was sailing into something far more extraordinary—and dangerous—than a simple business trip.
The boat cut through crystalline waters toward what could only be described as paradise incarnate.
Isla gripped the railing, her breath catching as Everflame Isle revealed itself like something torn from the pages of a fairy tale—pristine white sand beaches curved around emerald lagoons, while towering palm trees swayed in the tropical breeze.
The late afternoon sun painted everything in gold, and the ocean surrounding the island shimmered like liquid sapphires.
I could get used to this, she thought, inhaling the warm, salt-tinged air that carried hints of exotic flowers and something indefinably wild.
As their boat approached the dock, a man emerged from the shade of a cluster of palm trees. He was tall and lean with auburn hair that caught the sunlight, his easy grin immediately putting Isla at ease as he caught the rope Gerri tossed to him.
“Welcome to Everflame Isle,” he said, extending a hand to help Isla onto the dock. His grip was warm and steady, his bright blue eyes sparkling with genuine friendliness. “I’m Kaelith—Evelina’s security detail and Damon’s best friend. I’ll be your friendly face around here while you’re visiting.”
Security detail? Isla filed that interesting detail away, though Kaelith’s easy manner didn’t scream bodyguard. More like the kind of guy who’d be fun at parties.
“It’s wonderful to meet you,” she replied, accepting his help gracefully. “I’m Isla. This place is absolutely breathtaking—like something out of a dream.”
“Wait until you see the sunset from the cliffs,” Kaelith said with obvious pride. “Nothing quite like it anywhere else in the world.”