Cinderella's Costa Rican Adventure, page 1
The Christmas Pact
From festive flings to forever love...?
When their parents shockingly announce they plan to spend Christmas on a month-long cruise, single sisters—and best friends!—Sienna, Thea and Eliza Kendall decide to shake things up for themselves too. The idea? Each sister will organize a surprise trip for one of her siblings, the details of which shall remain secret until they all arrive at the airport.
What starts out as a bit of festive fun transforms into a life-changing experience when excitement, adventure and romance combine for a Christmas the sisters will never forget...
Join eldest sister Sienna on her sun-soaked adventures in Bora-Bora in
Mistletoe Magic in Tahiti by Kandy Shepherd
Travel to the stunning Costa Rican rainforest with youngest sister Eliza in
Cinderella’s Costa Rican Adventure by Scarlet Wilson
Wrap up warm as you head to the mountains of Japan with middle sister Thea in
Snowbound Reunion in Japan by Nina Milne
Dear Reader,
Taking part in The Christmas Pact trilogy was a dream come true. Christmas is my favorite time of year, and this year, I got to take part in a trilogy about three sisters. What’s even better is that each of the sisters ends up in a different location for Christmas and I got Costa Rica!
Eliza Kendall takes a plane to Costa Rica for her holiday of a lifetime, courtesy of her sisters. In her jungle paradise she meets ever-so-slightly grumpy Matt Campbell, who has reasons of his own for being the Christmas grinch. But Eliza’s bright mood makes him shake off his solitary existence and finally want to connect with another human being again.
Setting a story in a place I’d never been before gave me lots of opportunities to research and watch millions of YouTube videos. Costa Rica certainly looks like the trip of a lifetime with its natural beauty and glorious wildlife. As of now, it’s moved to the top of the bucket list!
Hope you enjoy,
Scarlet Wilson
Cinderella’s Costa Rican Adventure
Scarlet Wilson
Scarlet Wilson wrote her first story aged eight and has never stopped. She’s worked in the health service for more than thirty years, having trained as a nurse and a health visitor. Scarlet now works in public health and lives on the west coast of Scotland with her fiancé and their two sons. Writing medical romances and contemporary romances is a dream come true for her.
Books by Scarlet Wilson
Harlequin Medical Romance
California Nurses
Nurse with a Billion Dollar Secret
Night Shift in Barcelona
The Night They Never Forgot
Neonatal Nurses
Neonatal Doc on Her Doorstep
Marriage Miracle in Emergency
Snowed In with the Surgeon
A Daddy for Her Twins
Visit the Author Profile page at Harlequin.com for more titles.
This book is dedicated to my fellow romance writers Kandy Shepherd and Nina Milne, who made taking part in this trilogy such fun!
Praise for Scarlet Wilson
“Charming and oh so passionate, Cinderella and the Surgeon was everything I love about Harlequin Medicals. Author Scarlet Wilson created a flowing story rich with flawed but likable characters and...will be sure to delight readers and have them sighing happily with that sweet ending.”
—Harlequin Junkie
Scarlet Wilson won the 2017 RoNA Rose Award for her book Christmas in the Boss’s Castle.
Contents
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
EXCERPT FROM HAWAIIAN NIGHTS WITH THE BEST MAN BY CARA COLTER
PROLOGUE
ELIZA STARED AT her parents. ‘Wh...what?’ she finally stuttered.
They looked at each other and beamed. ‘Like we said,’ her dad started again, ‘We’ve decided to do something different for Christmas. We’ve booked a month-long cruise!’
Eliza opened her mouth and closed it again, struggling to find the words. She could tell from the silence of both of her sisters that they were just as flabbergasted as she was.
Since she’d been small, Christmases had always been special in their household, and for the most part the same. Even though all three daughters had grown up, and Sienna and Thea had moved out, at Christmas they always got together at their parents’ house. They spent the whole time together—cooking, sharing tasks, decorating the house and tree and, after their delicious Christmas feast, all donning their pyjamas and collapsing on the sofas to watch a Christmas film.
All of Eliza’s Christmases had been full of love and laughter; she’d never even imagined an alternative. Why should she?
‘I should have known there was an ulterior motive for this spontaneous lunch,’ muttered Sienna as she glanced around the pub.
Eliza’s mum held up her hands. ‘It’s our fortieth anniversary this year.’ She exchanged a glance with the girls’ dad. ‘We just wanted to do something for ourselves.’ She met their gazes individually. ‘I mean, you’re all good. You have your own lives.’
Her face turned to Sienna and Thea. ‘You’ve both got your own places—and all your own circle of friends. I thought you might all want to do something different this year.’
Thea rolled her eyes. ‘Next, you’re going to tell us you’ve sold the family house,’ she said darkly.
‘What? No,’ said her dad, a confused expression sweeping his face. ‘Why would we do that?’
‘Well, why would you do this?’ Sienna shot back.
Eliza could tell things were going downhill. Her mother turned to her, as if sensing that Eliza might be the only one she could get on side. ‘You understand, don’t you? You’ve been completely discharged from hospital now. No more follow-ups. It’s like a ton weight from all of our shoulders.’
And that was when she knew. Her heart sunk in her chest. Part of this was about her. Eliza—the sick child, diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia when she’d been six, and a second time when she’d been fourteen. For years, the family had wrapped her in cotton wool, watched her every move. They’d tried to shield her from every cold, every cough.
Of course, that hadn’t been entirely successful and, whilst undergoing her treatment, she had been unwell on a number of occasions. Her diagnosis had hung over all their heads for several years. But no one had ever complained—least of all Eliza. She’d been cocooned by her family, secure in their love. And she’d never for a second questioned what that diagnosis might have done to them all.
Now, she could see the lines on her parents’ faces—the grey hairs, the fatigue. When was the last time she’d seen a sparkle like this in her mother’s eyes?
‘It sounds wonderful,’ she said quickly, a smile spreading across her face, even though she knew it wouldn’t reach her eyes.
Her sisters’ confused faces turned towards her quickly, but neither of them spoke.
‘Really?’ asked her mum, the hopeful upward lilt in her voice pulling at every heart string Eliza had ever had.
Her mum shot an excited look at their dad. ‘Of course,’ said Eliza, letting her mouth run away, hopefully to say all the things she should. ‘It sounds wonderful. You’ll have a fantastic time, all that sightseeing, with someone making every single meal for you. You deserve it, both of you.’
She quickly moved across the room to give them a quick hug, before her eyes filled with tears, then turned back to her sisters. ‘Sienna, Thea, come and help me get another round of drinks.’
Her voice wavered ever so slightly, and she knew that both her sisters caught it. They immediately got to their feet and followed her through to the next room, where the bar was. Eliza gestured with her finger, making sure they were all out of sight from their parents, and pulled them down onto some chairs at another table.
She took a deep breath. She knew she was shaking a little, but she was trying to pretend not to notice.
‘You okay?’ Sienna sat on one side, and Thea on the other, her hand reaching over and covering Eliza’s.
This was automatic to her sisters—her protectors. They always had been, and she knew they always would be—no matter if her stubborn brain asked them to stop.
‘I can’t believe this,’ sighed Thea. She sounded wistful, and maybe a little hurt.
‘We have to let them go,’ said Eliza.
‘I just don’t understand,’ said Sienna. ‘This just seems to have come out of nowhere.’
Eliza leaned back and pulled her hands up to her face for a few moments. ‘It’s time,’ she said, a tiredness sweeping over her. ‘They’ve spent years worrying about me. You all have. They deserve this. They need a break. A chance to concentrate on themselves again.’
Something crossed Thea’s face. She didn’t speak but gave a small, slow nod.
Sienna sighed. ‘But I like our Christmases. I always have.’ She held up her hands. ‘Is it wrong that I
Eliza smiled. ‘We all do. But, this year, it has to be different.’
Thea gave a small groan. ‘But what will we do instead?’
Eliza said the first thing that came into her head. ‘We do something different too.’ She was determined to shake off this wave of tiredness. ‘Let’s make a pact.’
Sienna’s brow furrowed. ‘A pact? We haven’t done that since we were teenagers.’
Thea laughed. ‘And the leave-the-windows-open pact, so we could sneak in and out, didn’t exactly work.’ She pushed up the sleeve of her jumper and revealed a small scar at her elbow. ‘I have a scar to prove it.’
They all laughed. Eliza shook her head. ‘This will be our Christmas pact—let’s all do something different. Go away for two weeks before and during Christmas.’ She was starting to get excited now. ‘We can choose for each other and do it in secret. We all turn up at the airport—we pack each other’s cases and find out our destinations at the airport.’
‘She’s lost it,’ said Thea, shaking her head and smiling at Sienna.
‘She has,’ agreed Sienna. ‘But it’s not the worst idea I’ve heard.’
This was normal for her sisters, ganging up on her. But Eliza didn’t care. ‘It could be brilliant.’ Then, reality thudded home. ‘Oh, but how will I pay?’
Eliza’s sisters both had good jobs in the City. They were likely paid four or five times what she currently earned. That was the trouble with having had an education hampered with illness and treatments. By the time Eliza had finally started her degree, all her friends had completed theirs and she’d been left behind. When she’d finally finished, she hadn’t really settled on what she actually wanted to do with her life—likely because she’d spent so much of it in limbo.
Thea reached over and exchanged the briefest of glances with Sienna. ‘We can cover it.’
‘But that’s not fair.’ Eliza threw her hands up in frustration and took a few steps away. But, within an instant, both her sisters were there.
‘You know, I think I like this idea,’ said Thea, glancing from one sister to the other with a gleam in her eye. ‘I like even better that we get to pick for each other.’
Sienna held up one finger in warning. ‘Just remember, whatever you do to me, I can do it back—and twice worse.’
They all laughed. It had been a saying they’d used throughout their childhoods while playing together and taunting each other.
‘We’re really going to do this?’ asked Eliza, becoming hopeful again.
Sienna nodded. ‘We’re doing it,’ she said confidently.
She held out one fist, her knuckles facing her sisters. ‘To the Christmas pact.’
‘To the Christmas pact!’ Thea and Eliza replied, bumping their fists against Sienna’s.
‘And what have I just let myself in for...?’ laughed Thea.
CHAPTER ONE
ELIZA’S HEART WAS beating madly as she walked through the sliding doors of Departures at Gatwick Airport. They’d all agreed how this would work. She knew which London airport to arrive at, what time and what ticket desk to report to.
She tugged her red case behind her, the wheels rumbling across the tiled floor. Thea and Sienna had packed for her. She had no idea what was inside. They’d all been allowed to give each other a list of essentials, but she hoped they’d packed her favourite clothes.
Her eyes flicked to the departure screen, seeing the multitude of possible destinations: Greece, Spain, South Africa, Budapest, Iceland and a million other places. The temptation to Internet search all the flights that left Gatwick around this time had been high last night. But she’d resisted. Part of the fun of the pact was the not knowing.
She made her way to her designated desk. ‘Eliza Kendall, to pick up tickets and an itinerary.’ She hated the way her voice shook a tiny bit as she said the words.
The woman behind the desk had perfect eyebrows, impeccable red lips and a badge that read ‘Kaleigh’. She flicked through a folder in front of her and pulled out a large envelope. ‘No problem, Miss Kendall. Can I have a quick check of your passport to confirm your identity? I wouldn’t want someone else getting this holiday of a lifetime.’ She beamed.
For the first time, a little tingle surged through Eliza’s blood. ‘Holiday of a lifetime’ sounded good. She’d half-wondered if her sisters might spring some kind of surprise on her and send her somewhere ropey for coming up with this idea in the first place.
Her hand slid across the desk, letting Kayleigh check her passport before setting the envelope in the palm of Eliza’s hand. ‘Check in at desk thirty-two, Miss Kendall. Have a wonderful trip.’
Eliza took a few steps away and pulled out the contents of the envelope. Her eyes went straight to the paper itinerary in front of her: San Jose airport. Where was that?
She frowned and glanced at the departure boards again. There it was: San Jose flight leaving in three-and-half hours. But it didn’t tell her where San Jose was.
She took her phone out and searched. It took a few seconds. There was more than one place called San Jose. She looked at the airport designation again: SJO.
She sucked in a breath. Costa Rica. She was going to Costa Rica!
Eliza stood for a few moments. Geography hadn’t really been her subject at school but, as she read down the itinerary prepared by her sisters, her heart started to pound.
Get ready for the holiday of a lifetime. You’re heading to Costa Rica, to a luxury eco-resort in the middle of the Costa Rican rainforest.
Natural Paradise Escapes is out of this world, so prepare yourself for a Christmas like never before.
Alice Bates, the PA of the CEO, will look after you—and you’re in safe hands!
The note was signed by both Sienna and Thea, and there were a few accompanying photographs. A thrill spread across her chest. The accommodation was actually set amongst the trees—wooden structures with thatched roofs open to the world around them. She saw white tied-back curtains, a large bed then a bubbling bath, all in this luxurious setting. Her breath caught midway in her throat.
She’d enjoyed plotting the other holidays for her sisters, and she’d wondered what they’d plan for her. She kind of thought she might end up in Iceland or somewhere snowy and very cold. The rainforest had never even entered her mind. What an opportunity!
The noise and hustle and bustle around her had increased, so she quickly went to the check-in desk to relieve herself of her case, then found herself heading to the first-class lounge.
For a few seconds, she wondered how much all of this was costing. But both Sienna and Thea travelled frequently for business. They always talked about accumulating air miles, and she hoped that her trip had been reimbursed in some part without them digging too deeply in their pockets.
The first-class lounge held a few minor reality-TV stars, who seemed desperate to let the world know that they were there. But Eliza also spotted a much more famous female film star in the corner who was totally minding her own business, and a well-known Scottish author having a pint at the bar.
She sat down next to him, ordering herself a cocktail and pulling a book from her bag. He gave her an easy smile. ‘I know him.’ He pointed at the book.
She nodded in acknowledgement. ‘Nice, or not so nice?’ she quipped.
‘Nice,’ he said, then added, ‘But also tight. Can’t remember the last time he bought a round of drinks.’
Eliza couldn’t help but laugh, and before she knew it she’d told him about her sisters and the Christmas pact. He raised his eyebrows. He was travelling to a book festival in Canada. ‘“The Christmas pact”: can I put it in a story?’
Eliza answered quickly. ‘At the rate you murder people in books, there’ll need to be a cast of around a dozen!’
He laughed and clinked his glass to hers as he wished her well and headed for his flight.
If she’d been bolder, she’d have asked for a selfie, and for him to sign a book for her dad, but she got the impression that would have spoiled things. She’d seen him glance at the reality TV stars in the corner of the lounge and sigh, so she resolved just to text her sisters instead.
