Sea of Lies: Jacqueline & Dwayne's Story: New Beginnings, #1

By JODIE COLLINS

SEA OF LIES

    Jacqueline thinks she has found a charmed life with Dwayne, the Pro Basketball Player.

     He’s handsome, charming and dotes on her. Growing up in San Diego she had always dreamt of a happy ever after, but do dreams always come true?

   What do you do when everything right, goes wrong?

     This is the prequel to New Beginnings, part of the sweet romance Horseshoe Bay series.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brighthavenpublishers.com
• Release date: Feb 28, 2016
• ISBN: 9781524266530

JODIE COLLINS

Jodie Collins is an author of romance and lives in Cornwall in the UK with her husband and two children and two dogs. Jodie has always been a book worm. Studying Literature in college ensured that her nose was always stuck in a book. She followed her passion for reading to the most logical career choice- that of an author.

Book preview

SEA OF LIES

JACQUELINE & DWAYNE’S STORY

THE PREQUEL TO NEW BEGINNINGS

A Horseshoe Bay Romance

––––––––

JODIE COLLINS

PUBLISHED BY:

brighthavenpublishers.com

Copyright © 2016

JodieCollins

This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is entirely coincidental. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events and situations either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used factiously.

All rights reserved. No parts of this book may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written consent from the author or publisher.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER ONE

She closed her eyes and heard the next crash of the wave against the cliff edge. She didn't know why she let Dawn talk her into coming down to this part of the beach. It was rocky and pebbly and the only places to sit were on the large rocks and boulders that looked out to sea. They were positioned as far back from the violent crashing waves that pounded the rocks as possible but, still, it frightened her.

Just for an hour, Dawn had said. I just want to get away from people and chill before we start college tomorrow.

Jacqueline didn't know which she feared the most at that moment; becoming a student at San Diego University or sitting by the white foaming water on the beach. It was a part of the beach she'd never come to on her own. It wasn't particularly beautiful, it was dangerous and very few people came there. But that is exactly what attracted Dawn; she'd said that she and Jacqueline would be studying so hard for the next few years, they might never get any quality time to themselves again away from crowds of people.

Can we go back now? Jacqueline said. She looked up at Dawn, who sat casually on a large rock and put her hand across her brow to shield her eyes from the late afternoon sun. Her large, brown eyes were pleading but Dawn chose to ignore the fear of the waves she knew her best friend had, not really understanding it.

It's okay, Jacks, you’re perfectly safe here. How about we just stay until the sun goes down.

I don't want to be here when it's dark, besides I need to get organized for school.

You couldn't get any more organized than you already are. Just chill, Jacks.

But Jacqueline couldn't 'chill'. It wasn't far from this part of the beach that one of the worst experiences of her life had taken place. She was only seven when her parents took her out on one of many beach combing adventures. She remembered laughing, and the call of her mother saying, Don't go too far, was still a vivid memory.

Her parents had made her feel safe, loved. They'd told her stories about the objects they'd found along the beach in the past; driftwood, shells, shards of glass. Jacqueline had discovered lots of treasures with her parents along the beach and was anxious to show them what she could discover on her own.

It had happened so quickly. One minute she'd spotted something shiny in the sand. She'd run towards it as the waves rolled out to sea and picked it up. The next minute she held it and walked along, her mind miles from the danger coming next. She'd lost her bearings and heard her mother shriek but, before she knew it, her small body was dragged towards the ocean by an enormous wave.

Without realizing it, the seven-year-old, Jacqueline had gone dangerously close to the shore line, fooled by how far the waves rolled out and how high and ferociously they rolled in. Suddenly she was engulfed in the water. It surrounded her, covering her head as she thrashed and kicked. She came up briefly and then was under. She saw nothing, gripped by panic, as she struggled to catch a breath.

With no sense of how much time had passed, Jacqueline had felt a strong grip around her; a hand edged her face to the surface, someone was swimming her back to shore. Her father. She saw his face and that of her mother's above her as she lay on the sand and then, gently, lost consciousness.

Jacqueline never went into the sea again. Her father had tried to persuade her but she refused. She had always been close to him; he'd spoiled her terribly and called her his beautiful little girl – his princess. But even those kind words couldn't convince her to go back into the sea.

Her fear of the water was always coupled by the sad truth that she would never have her father there to help her overcome her future fears because, whenever the memories of almost drowning came to her, it was closely followed by the memory of her father dying of a heart attack when she was just twelve. His death had left a hole in her life and not even the love of her mother could prevent Jacqueline from