Beautiful Disaster (A Pirate Romance book, Historical Romance) (3 page)

Chapter 5

“So,” Izzy began, staring at her front door.  Her arms were placed behind her back and her head was tilted ever so slightly to the left.  Her brown eyes quickly glanced up at Johnny, who faced the opposite direction, seemingly entranced by the cars that moved across the street.  Upon hearing her soft phrase, he met his brown eyes with hers, but instead of responding, perked his brow a bit, silently asking her to go on.  “For someone,” she began again, looking away and down at her cell phone.  She had called Bex ten minutes ago and was hoping that her friend and her friend’s boyfriend Brandon would be here by now.  They lived only a few blocks away.  “For someone so firm in his claim of being from the past, you oddly don’t seem too disturbed that you were sent here.  And you don’t seem intent on trying to find a way back.”

Johnny shrugged, and gave her a look that matched his sentiments.  “I miss my ship,” he told her, “but the sea is the same here and there.”

“I disagree,” Izzy told him, turning around and facing the beautiful view of the sea her front porch provided.  “The sea is always changing.  The waves are never the same.  The sparkles are never the same.  It’s always changing.  The sea that you are familiar with is most certainly not the same sea I am familiar with.  It can’t be.”

The pirate narrowed his eyes at her profile, as though he was trying to study her.  He didn’t expect such a subtly passionate description of the sea coming from someone here.  He had been here about twenty-four hours, give or take, and he could see, though he couldn’t quite understand, all the new technological advances this world had.  And he also knew that while technological advances made life more convenient, they also distracted people from natural beauties.  To hear her speak so eloquently about his love intrigued him.  There was more to her than he first realized.

“I’m not particularly keen on going back right now,” he told her.  Johnny hated to admit it, but he wasn’t a war-fighting-leader kind of person.  He liked his ship; he liked running it, but he didn’t like being depended upon, and this upcoming war amongst the pirates and the law called for him to lead his people into battle.  So when he fell into this place, he realized that Willow had answered one of his silent prayers.

Izzy rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest.  “Whatever you’re running from, be it this lifetime or your past one, will catch up to you,” she murmured.

“If that happens,” Johnny said, grinning down at her, “then I’ll just start running again.”

“You can’t run from life,” she replied, and suddenly her eyes brightened, encountering her best friend Bex and Brandon.

Bex was a few inches taller than Izzy, with long red hair and pale skin.  Her eyes were almond shape and dark brown, rivaling those of Johnny’s.  She was always fashionably dressed; today, she had on a fuchsia dress that reached the middle of her thigh, with black, knee-length leggings and cute beige ankle boots.  Brandon had long dark hair and crystal blue eyes.  He was a couple of inches shorter than Johnny, but the two men had built bodies.

“Izzy, what’s up, sweetheart?” Bex asked as she made her way up the narrow staircase, with Brandon following behind her.  When she reached the top, she gave Johnny a long stare before turning her attention back to Izzy.  “He so does
not
look like Jack Sparrow,” she told Izzy.  “I mean, look at him.  He has no bandana or hat, and he doesn’t even wear eyeliner.”  She glanced over at the man who was eyeing her rather oddly.  “Smile,” she told him.  Johnny arched a brow at her random request, causing Bex to sigh, and then bat her eyelashes before saying, “Please?”

Before Johnny realized what he was doing, he glanced over at Izzy, as though he was silently asking for her approval on the matter.  Oddly enough, Izzy seemed quite skillful at reading his eyes, and nodded once, indicating that it was okay for him to do what Bex had asked.  So Johnny forced a smile.

“And no gold teeth,” Bex concluded, turning back to Izzy.  “Although, they are rather straight.  You know, if he was
really
a pirate from the seventeen hundreds, his teeth would not be so perfect.”

“Good genes, I suppose,” Johnny interjected, hoping this woman was not filling Izzy’s head with ridiculous notions.

“I can’t believe you guys are even contemplating this!” Brandon exclaimed, obviously incredulous at the situation.  “There is no way this guy’s from the past.  It’s just not possible.  Yeah, he looks just like a pirate, and he sounds like a pirate, and he certainly smells like a pirate,” he continued, ignoring Johnny’s offended “Hey!”  “But there’s no way!  I mean, why would he be sent here anyways?  Out of all the people that could possibly benefit from being sent to the future, why him?”

“I get the distinct feeling that you do not like me very much,” Johnny said, taking Brandon’s pause as a moment to spring in.  He was holding up his hand, his index finger extended.

“Obviously,” Brandon said, rolling his eyes.

“Oh, shut up Brandon,” Izzy said, rolling her eyes as she unlocked the door to her apartment.  “Just because
you
don’t understand it doesn’t mean it’s not possible.”

“I can’t believe you’re buying into this bullshit, Izzy,” Brandon said as the three guests followed her inside.

“You guys, don’t even start this,” Bex said, closing the door behind her.  “I have a perfect idea.  How about, while we three,” and here, she motioned at herself, Izzy, and Brandon, “clear out the asshole’s stuff, he can watch
Pirates
, hmm?  I think that sounds reasonable.  If he’s really a pirate, he can point out all the mistakes in the movie, right?”

“Either that, or he’s a history buff or has common sense,” Brandon pointed out dryly.

“I think that’s a good idea,” Izzy said, turning to look at Johnny for a moment.  “And if worse comes to worse, we can take him to Tina’s mother.”

“Oh my gosh, I totally did
not
think of that,” Bex said as she covered her mouth with her palms in a form of surprise. “That’s brills, Izzy!”

“God, she is just as much of a quack as this guy is,” Brandon said.  “Just because she predicted Izzy’s breakup” -

“What?!” Izzy asked sharply, glancing over at the two.

“Oh nothing, sweetie,” Bex said, waving Brandon’s comment away while giving him a glare.  “See, the thing is, I ran into Tina’s mother a few days ago and she wanted me to tell you that you and that asshole were going to break up due to infidelity, but the same night, you were going to meet a handsome stranger who was more than he seemed.”

“Well, thanks for the warning,” Izzy replied.

“Like I was going to know that you were coming home early,” Bex pointed out, her hand on her jutting hip.  “And she was right, wasn’t she?  In fact, I think after all of this, we should definitely take him to her, just to check him out.”

“You guys have fun with that,” Brandon said.  “But after this, I’m going home.  Baseball’s started back up, and there is no way I’m going to miss a game for this nonsense.”

“Well, you’re not invited anyways,” Bex said, sticking out her tongue.  She then brought her hands together and clapped.  “Okay, Izzy, why don’t you go set up the movie for pirate boy over there while Brandon and I start on
that guy’s
things?”  Before Izzy could agree or disagree, both Bex and Brandon disappeared in the room she had shared with…

She didn’t want to think about it.

“What’s a movie, anyways?” Johnny asked, his low voice breaking through her thoughts and giving her something to focus on.  “And why is Brandon… the way he is?”

“Brandon’s just an asshole,” Izzy murmured, going over to her vast DVD collection.  Her long fingers brushed the spines of the boxes until she found the one she wanted.  “I have no idea why Bex is dating him, but then again, I have no idea why Bex dates most of her boyfriends.  Anyways…” Very carefully, Izzy slid the disk on her finger and brought it to the DVD player.  After a few moments, Izzy stepped back and turned on her television before flipping through the channels until she spotted the right one.  “A movie is like… it’s like real life, except, for the most part, the people aren’t real.  The plotline is imagined, and the characters are just… characters.”  She looked over at Johnny, her brows pushed together.  “Does that make any sense?”

Johnny gave her a small, reassuring smile.  “I’m sure it will once I watch this…
movie
,” he told her.

“Good,” Izzy said, returning his smile.  “Well, just so you know, there are three of these movies, so if you like this one, I’d be happy to put on the second, and then the third.”  She sighed wistfully as she stared at the DVD’s menu screen.  “I love these movies.”  She paused for a moment, realizing that she had just said that aloud.  “Anyways, if you need anything, I’ll be in… my room.  And don’t pay attention to Brandon.  He’s a jerk.”

“Isabelle,” he called softly.  The use of her full name was not as annoying as it sounded coming from anyone else’s lips.  She swallowed, pushing the thought away, and looked at Johnny quizzically.  “Thank you.  For everything.”

Izzy just smiled and started the movie before disappearing into her bedroom.

Chapter 6

“This movie, as you call it, is completely unacceptable in terms of authenticity!” Johnny exclaimed as soon as the credits started rolling.  He pushed himself off the couch and glanced down, his eyes focusing on the two women who were both writing on boxes with permanent markers.  Brandon had left about an hour ago, once everything had been officially packed.  Izzy and Bex hadn’t wanted to disturb Johnny, and since both were so fond of the movie, they decided to join him as they marked up the boxes.

Izzy glanced around from her sitting position, looking at the apartment.  It looked so much… emptier.  Not that that was a bad thing or anything.  Sometimes emptiness was a requirement for closure, but that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt any less.  Her eyes were drawn to the bedroom –
her
bedroom.  Though the dresser drawers were closed, she still knew Zach’s previous side was empty.  All of his stuff from his part of the bathroom was gone.  His Xbox 360 and all of the video games that went along with the game counsel were tucked away as well.  Save for the boxes that now cluttered a portion of her living room, he was all but physically removed from her life.  Now if only she could erase three years of memories…

“…and that bloke who was supposed to play me (because, let’s face it; Jack Sparrow is
obviously
a play on Johnny Clover),” Johnny continued, flailing his arms around in obvious frustration.  “How could you think he looks even remotely like me?  I am so much taller, not to mention built – and I have excellent dental care, thank you very much.  No gold teeth for me.  And that hair is the most ridiculous sight I have seen in a long time – and I’ve seen a lot of odd things, let me tell you.  Don’t even get me started on the magic!”

“But the magic is real,” Bex pointed out, her dark eyes surveying the pirate seriously.

“What makes you say that?” Johnny practically snapped, although that was not his original intention.  Izzy placed her palm over her mouth in hopes to contain a mixture of a giggle and a snort, and succeeded only slightly.  Nobody paid her any attention, however.  Brown eyes were currently battling against brown eyes.

“Well, you’re here, aren’t you?” she asked him, jutting her hip out and placing her hand on her hip.  Izzy immediately recognized this as Bex’s defense pose.  Once her dark eyes narrowed into Johnny’s, Bex completed the look.

Johnny opened his mouth to retort something, but after a small pause, shut it abruptly.  He realized that, at least for the time being, magic did exist in the form of a tall, lanky witch he knew personally.  He frowned at this, causing Bex’s lips to curl into a smirk and Izzy to release her mouth.  Still, shepressed her lips together to camouflage her own grin.

“Anyways,” Bex continued, shrugging off her victory by flicking her long, red hair over her shoulder.  “It’s just a movie.  There are supposed to be mistakes.”

“Plus, Johnny Depp’s in it,” Izzy said, deciding to add to the conversation.  She let out a pleased sigh as the pirate rolled his eyes.  “That man could sit on a box and read the phone book, and I’d pay the extra five bucks to watch that movie on the IMAX screen.”

Bex chuckled as she reached down to pull Izzy up into a standing position.  “Come on, now,” she said.  “We have to get Johnny Straight Teeth over here to Tina’s mother.  Hopefully, we’ll get this whole thing straightened out.”  She glanced over at the boxes before looking back up at Izzy.  “Are you going to call Zach about the boxes?” she asked as she perked her brows.

Izzy sighed as she subconsciously rubbed her forearm.  “Yeah,” she said after a moment.  “Let me grab my cell phone and I’ll call him on the way over.”

“Ladies,” Johnny asked as his eyes followed Izzy into her bedroom.  He clapped his hands together as his brows pushed up.  “What, exactly, is a cell phone?”

--

Johnny leaned back in the cushy seat, his face perplexed as his long fingers ran over the coarse material of his safety belt.  Bex and Izzy tried to explain to him what, exactly, a car was, but they soon realized just how hard it was to explain something so familiar.  Johnny, however, was smarter than they originally gave him credit for, and grasped the concept, though his fascination had yet to dim even after fifteen solid minutes.

Dani Garfunkle’s cottage was located on a secluded piece of beach, hidden by tall, thick palm trees that provided heavy shade all year round.  The car slowed until it finally pulled into a parked position before the road ended and sand took over.  The two women got out of the car, but Johnny wasn’t sure how to free himself of his safety restraint, and after a long moment, began to feel himself panic.  When Izzy realized why Johnny had yet to emerge, she smiled to herself and walked over to the backseat, opening the door.  Without a word, Izzy leaned over him, careful not to touch him fully, and pushed the red button Johnny had not noticed.  Like magic, the belt snapped out of its holster, and Johnny was finally free. 

Once the door was shut and the car was locked, the three proceeded to walk into the beach, the sand getting lost between Izzy’s toes.  It was an overcast day, Izzy’s favorite type of weather, and she pulled her jacket tighter around her as the breeze pushed itself against the three moving forms.  The ocean looked especially cold today, but it emitted a soothing sound as it rushed towards the shore before crashing down and then pulling back, only to do the same thing once again.

Johnny hadn’t had rolled tobacco in a while, and his lips itched to taste it once again.  While the two women headed inside, Johnny stayed outside, lighting one of his rolls and losing himself in his temporary euphoria.

“Rebecca!” a woman exclaimed upon seeing Bex, a brilliant smile touching her face.  Dani was barely five foot, her long, curly hair swept up messily into an awkward bun.  Her freckled gold eyes shone brightly, and as she moved towards the two, all of the necklaces and bracelets clinked together.  “Isabelle!”  She thrust her arms out, pulling the two women into a tight, familiar hug.  “It is so good to see you!”  She pulled back after a moment, her knowing eyes looking between both of them.  “He’s here, isn’t he?”

Izzy pushed her brows together, tucking her chin underneath her face curtly.  “Who?” she asked.

“Your handsome stranger, silly!” Dani replied, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.  “I mean, I assume you and Zach…”

“Yup,” Bex replied.  “We brought him here” -

“He says he’s from the past,” Izzy interrupted, her impatience getting the better of her.  She threw an apologetic look at her friend before returning her brown eyes into Dani’s.  “A pirate from the past.  I mean, is that even possible, Dani?”

“Anything is possible, my dear,” Dani told her, a mysterious smile on her red lips.  “Now, where are my manners?  Come, come, girls!  Come sit down.”  The two young women followed the psychic into the living room, and Dani thrust her arms out to the couch, covered by a dark green blanket, offering them a seat.  “Tea?” she asked as the three sat down.

“Yes, please!” Bex exclaimed, while Izzy smiled politely but shook her head.

Just as Dani handed Bex a teacup, Johnny entered, peeking his head around.  When his eyes found Izzy, he grinned, happy to be in the right place, and entered the house before shutting the door behind him.

“You must be our guest,” Dani said, watching him as he took a seat next to Izzy on the couch.

“You smell like smoke,” Izzy muttered, her nose scrunched up in disgust.

“That’s probably because I was smoking,” Johnny retorted, although he kept his eyes fixed firmly on the woman before him.

“Now,” Dani said, her eyes looking at Izzy.  “You are here because you are not sure whether or not you can trust what this man says, that he really is a pirate from the eighteenth century.  Am I correct?”  Izzy said nothing, but nodded once.  “Let me tell you, I can assure you that what he says is true.”  Johnny smirked at this, feeling as though he won a battle, though neither girl paid him any mind at the moment.  “Captain Johnny Clover is not of this world.  He is searching for something he knows naught of, and yet…”  Dani smiled her mysterious smile once again.  “Yet it is staring him in the face.”  Her eyes then focused on the handsome pirate, and her mysterious smile slid into politeness.  “He must have been sent here to pay some sort of karmic debt, and has probably hurt those who trust him.”

“How does he go back?” Bex asked, tilting her head to the side slightly.  “I mean, what does he have to do to return to his time?”

Dani smiled again.  “This man obviously has a lot of faults,” she replied.  “What man doesn’t?  But if he –“  She looked directly into Johnny’s dark orbs now.  “-If
you
can find someone who loves you despite all your faults, and if you face that which you are running from, your debt will be cleared and you will return home.”

Johnny nodded, and the three guests stood.  Bex pulled Dani into a tight hug and thanked her for the tea, while Johnny nodded once.  He followed Bex out the door, but Izzy hung back, her eyes worried and unsure.

“Yes, Isabelle?” Dani asked, but her eyes revealed that she already knew what was troubling the young woman.

“I-“ Izzy began, but shut her mouth.  “What should I do with him, Dani?”

“Of course you must do as you wish, Isabelle,” Dani told her wisely, “but I suggest you keep in mind that he was sent to
you
for a reason.”  She paused and then gently cupped Izzy’s cheek into her own.  “He will not harm you, if that is what worries you.”

Izzy stood there for a moment, pondering everything she just learned, and nodded finally.  Dani smiled and dropped her hand from her face.  At that moment, Johnny’s head popped back in the doorway, his dark eyes searching for Izzy.  When they reached her, he arched a brow, trying to mask the concern that was pooling in his eyes with a quizzical look. 

“Who knows?” Dani murmured before Izzy left her presence, making sure Johnny couldn’t overhear their conversation.  “He may show you things you would never have imagined.”