Lucky Like Love: The Fae Legacy #1

by Rachelle Ayala

  Ireland, watch out!

  On the way to the airport, Marisa took one last look at the San Francisco Bay Area where she’d moved to be closer to her stepsister. They hadn’t grown up together because her father was married to Carol’s mother and she’d only gotten together with them for alternate holidays and a few vacations. Her mother fought her father for every hour of visitation, so she rarely saw Carol and her brother, who got the bulk of her father’s attention. So unfair.

  At least Carol was taking her to the airport.

  She wanted more.

  “If I win, I get to invite my family on a vacation anywhere in the world,” Marisa said. “Do you think your mother would have a problem if my mother came along also?”

  “Why don’t we worry about it when you win?” Carol said, without taking her eyes off the road.

  “Do you think I’ll win?” Marisa wished Carol were concerned enough about her to assure her she would win.

  “It depends on what they define as winning,” Carol said. “You do know they’re going for maximum entertainment value, and that means you will more than likely be humiliated.”

  “You think I won’t get lucky?”

  This time, Carol cast a distinctively sympathetic glance with her fern-green eyes. “Will you listen to me if I warn you?”

  A hint of sisterly caring was better than nothing.

  “Yes, go ahead,” Marisa mumbled. “You’re going to tell me I’m going to strike out.”

  “Actually not,” Carol said. “You’re going to get plenty of attention. Every man in Ireland, if they watch America’s Unluckiest, will try to make a go of it with you, if only for the prizes and the perks.”

  “They might try, but it won’t be easy to win,” Marisa said, even though she had her secret weapon. “He has to propose.”

  “Yeah, but would you want to marry a stranger?” Carol raised an eyebrow.

  “As long as he proposes on air, I can still turn him down later after I win.” Marisa figured the hired bad boy would have no problem doing what she asked.

  “You must not have seen the rule change,” Carol said. “It was posted this morning.”

  “What rule change?” Marisa’s nerves bristled, and she suddenly felt too hot. She’d been too busy visualizing her Irish good luck to check the show’s website.

  “You can only win if the producer believes it’s true love. Too many contestants were cheating by getting the proposal and turning it down, then splitting the prize money.”

  “How the heck is the producer going to know if it’s true love?” Marisa’s heart felt like a chunk of lead plummeting into her gut. Her entire plan of paying for the Bad Boys for Hire was going to unravel unless they could fool the producer, Ronaldo Silver, who was rumored to be a bad boy to end all bad boys.

  “He’ll set up tests, I suppose,” Carol mused. “Also, beware of your personal assistant. She won’t have your best interests at all. She’s likely to be a spy for Mr. Silver.”

  “I’m well aware that she was last year’s loser,” Marisa said as they approached San Francisco International Airport.

  “Right, but mostly, you should be careful of yourself.” Carol pulled her van over to the curbside departures area. “You’re always seeing love where none exists. I don’t want you to get hurt again.”

  “Especially after Bruce, right?”

  Bruce was the guy she was convinced was the real thing until she caught him in bed with his best friend.

  “You’re too quick to fall in love.” Carol reached over and grasped Marisa’s hand. “This time, go into it with your eyes wide open. If you ever need to talk, I’m always available.”

  “Sure, thanks.” Marisa felt a lump rising in her throat. “I hope we can be closer—as sisters.”

  “Same,” Carol said, glancing at a security guard waving at her. “I better pop the lift gate so he knows you’re getting out. Take care of yourself.”

  “I will.” Marisa gave Carol’s hand a squeeze.

  “It’s okay to come back emptyhanded,” Carol said. “Don’t force yourself to settle on a lucky guy just so we can have a family vacation.”

  “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine,” Marisa said as she stepped out to gather her overstuffed and still partially unzipped luggage.

  She was definitely not coming home emptyhanded, no matter how much of a loser her family thought she was. This time, she was guaranteed to win. She’d paid a pretty penny for her genuine Irish Bad Boy, and she was going to show everyone on national TV that Marisa Monroe was the luckiest woman on the planet.

  If it took a quickie marriage to prove it, she’d do it.

  After waving goodbye to Carol, Marisa texted Rex to make sure her bad boy was locked and loaded.

  He’s all yours, Rex texted back. Look for a hunk in a green derby hat. Name’s Liam Donohue. May the luck of the Irish smile on you.

  Now why hadn’t he sent her a picture?

  Liam Donovan flashed his limo pass and drove through the checkpoint to the arrival flights pickup line. He double-checked the arrival time of the Aer Lingus from San Francisco before sliding his uncle’s stretch limo into its designated parking spot.

  Marisa Monroe was on that flight, and by a stroke of good luck, he’d heard about it at The Crooked Style Pub the night before. One of the local tough guys, a washed-up rugby player, was bragging about getting a job from Bad Boys for Hire to escort Marisa Monroe, the current America’s Unluckiest contestant.

  Apparently, someone had paid him to pretend to sweep Marisa off her feet and change her luck, all while being filmed for the reality show.

  Liam wasn’t sure how the douchebag got the job, but it wasn’t going to stop him from competing for the spot. After all, he was a trained actor, having spent his mother’s retirement money on acting school. Getting on America’s Unluckiest reality show could be his big break and allow him to pay his dear mother back, especially since she was now confined to a wheelchair.

  He parked the limo and put on a green derby hat, the pre-arranged signal the braggart had said Miss Monroe was looking for.

  The camera crew would be at the airport to film Marisa Monroe’s arrival in Dublin. Liam intended to insert himself into the reality show before any other man latched onto her—least of all the has-been rugby player who reeked of sweat and beer.

  As Liam paraded himself in front of Immigration and Customs, he boned up on everything he knew about the latest contestant. She was a nurse, and her life story was one hard knock story after the next. Her family had their share of bad luck, too, including a stepsister who’d fallen off a mountain and broke her back.

  He brought up Marisa’s picture on his phone and studied her face, not that he hadn’t memorized it. A good actor always over-prepared.

  Marisa had large, pretty brown eyes, and a long face with a strong jaw. Her Roman nose gave character to her face. It was set over lush lips, much more delectable than the thin lips of the average Irish lass. He would bet hot Latin blood ran through her veins, and she looked like she had enough curves to warm the iciest bed.

  While she wasn’t a conventional beauty, she was attractive enough in a sultry, aggressive way, for a good actor like him to pull off a credible love story. Even if he failed, the constant exposure on a major American reality show would be a remarkable boon for his so-far unsatisfying acting career.

  Touching the lucky key he wore around his neck, he narrowed his eyes when he spotted the former rugby player.

  His rival was wearing a cheap, plastic St. Patrick’s Day derby hat and holding a sign which read, “Marisa Monroe.”

  Liam headed toward the brute and greeted him, “Good day. Would you do me a favor?”

  “Sure, you waiting for someone?”

  “Yes, a VIP. You might have heard of him, Malcolm Mason? Big tipper. He could be here any minute, but I need to use the loo.” He handed a sign he’d prepared earlier to the rugby player. “I’m Liam Donovan, by the way.”

  The larger man grasped the s
ign. “I’m Liam Donohue. Used to play center for Munster. Seen you around town driving for Paddy Wagons.”

  “It’s Paddy Limos,” Liam said, correcting the nickname people gave to his uncle’s limo service. “Didn’t know you were a chauffeur.”

  Liam narrowed his eyes at the larger man who looked washed out from his glory days on the rugby field: typical muscles on their way to flab and pouches under his eyes, with fine spider veins on his nose suggesting too much sun and too much drink.

  About the only thing he had going for him was a thick head of short-cropped hair.

  Whose bright idea was it to hire Rughead? Unless he was supposed to cause Marisa’s luck to turn from bad to worse.

  Liam didn’t care whose luck went where, except his own. He needed the exposure the show could bring, and he’d just as soon let Rughead keep the money, if he would stay out of the way.

  “I’ll be right back. If you catch Mr. Mason, let him know to wait two minutes.” Liam tipped his genuine wool derby hat and headed for the restroom.

  As expected, the eejit placed Liam’s sign with the banker’s name on top of his original sign for Marisa Monroe.

  Liam circled around in back of the other drivers awaiting their passengers. He checked the monitor and looked down the breezeway at the passengers exiting the controlled area.

  Several important-looking businessmen strode toward the limo line, eyes intent on the line of drivers. One of them raised his index finger at Rughead and handed him the handle of his roller bag.

  Rugby Liam shook his head, but the banker was insistent. Meanwhile, a woman wearing a tight Kelly-green dress embroidered with shamrock lace and horseshoe appliques struggled with a bright pink-and-white striped zigzag roller bag with one wheel while another one was tied precariously to its handle. At any moment, the whole kit and caboodle could come tumbling down.

  A cameraman and soundman slipped around the line of limo drivers and approached Miss Monroe.

  Marisa looked up and flashed a smile at the camera. She hooked her thumb up, then ran into the man in front of her who’d stopped to check his pockets.

  Bam. Marisa stumbled over the man’s foot, followed by the tumbling towers of pink zigzag luggage. A lady squeaked when a bag knocked her over, and a little boy pounced on the runaway bag with the single wheel.

  All the commotion drew the attention of Rughead. He pushed the irritated banker aside and pointed at Liam. “That’s your driver.”

  It was now or never.

  Liam stepped over the barrier and waved his green derby hat. “Miss Monroe, I’m Liam, your Lucky Irish Lover. Please, let me get your bags and we’ll be on our way.”

  End of Excerpt. To read more, pickup Bad Boys for Hire: Liam from your favorite online retailer.

  Many Thanks

  Many thanks to my early readers, Frances Hampton and Amber McCallister, for their encouragement and questions while writing Clare’s story blurring the lines of fantasy and reality.

  Have you ever been to a family reunion where everyone remembered a certain significant event differently? Did you know that eyewitness accounts can be shockingly inaccurate? Have you noticed a family member changing a story each time it’s retold?

  While researching Griffin’s memory loss and recovery, I’ve realized that a lot of our memories are stories we’ve retold ourselves. We might remember certain images and feelings, but we tend to fill in the narrative with a story to make sense of it. We ascribe motives to others, imagine reasons and even add chance, luck, or fate.

  It turns out our memories are not like a video recording that is fixed and replays exactly the same. Instead, they are reconstructed like pieces in a puzzle into a semi-coherent story. New events, knowledge, and even the questions used to elicit memories can influence the recall of our memories, causing them to be fluid and reinterpreted in light of new experiences.

  We are not lying or purposely reframing our past, but the story we live in changes as we live. Each of us is the hero or heroine in our own ever-changing story, and each of us is a writer who reimagines and adds color, tone, feelings, and sensations to our history. It’s what makes us unique and wonderful.

  I hope Clare and Griffin’s story inspired you to rethink your memories and write your own story—maybe reframing something you thought was negative into a positive. Instead of a victim, you were a survivor. You turned negatives into positives. The decisions you made that you felt were mistakes were actually turning points that created the strength you have today.

  I thank you for reading and always appreciate your comments. Thanks go to my editor, Brittney Becker, my proofreader, Kimberly Dawn, and to beta readers Amber McCallister, Isha Coleman, Marlys Frisby, and Gina Johnson.

  Reading List with Heat Levels

  Note on Heat Level: Sweet, kissing only, love scenes (if any) are behind closed doors. Sassy, love scenes are summarized and non-descriptive. Steamy, love scenes are detailed and descriptive.

  Contemporary Romance: Bad Boys for Hire Series (Steamy)

  Bad Boys for Hire - Ryker Terri Martin gets caught in the middle of a motorcycle club vendetta when she tries to hire a biker for her birthday date.

  Bad Boys for Hire - Ken After Jolie Becker is left at the altar, her friends secretly hire a hunky beach bum to cheer her up.

  Bad Boys for Hire: Nick, This Christmas, paraplegic Carol Cassidy is caught between the naughty and the nice: a hired Santa and a disabled firefighter.

  Bad Boys for Hire: Liam, The unluckiest woman in America heads for Ireland and gets caught between a bad boy and a black cat.

  Bad Boys for Hire: Gage, Sherelle’s bestie turns into a bad guy when he catches her snowed in alone at a mountain cabin.

  Sweet Romance: Have A Hart Romance Series (Sweet)

  Christmas Lovebirds Can two little lovebirds and Christmas cheer open Melisa’s heart to giving Rob another chance?

  Valentine Hound Dog A fashion designer and her basset hound puppy convince a burned ex-firefighter that beauty is never skin deep and neither is love.

  Spring Fling Kitty A stray cat shows a fire chief and his fiancee’s sister that doing the wrong thing is sometimes right when it comes to love.

  Blue Chow Christmas Brian and Cait have been married for twelve years, but their secrets could blow them apart. Can two lost chow dogs and a special boy open their feelings up for true love and commitment?

  Valentine Wedding Hound Jenna loses sight of the true meaning of her wedding when she signs up for a reality show full of tricks and dares.

  [Sassy] Summer Love Puppy Can love rebuild a ruined past? Grady and Linx share more than a hidden dog and devastating secrets.

  Dog Days of Love Nessa has a doctorate. Dale is a dropout. Can a woman looking for Mr. Perfect fall for a happy-go-lucky Mr. Wrong?

  Valentine Puppies and Kisses Jenna and Larry’s Valentine Anniversary party turns into a nightmare. Will puppies save the day and their marriage?

  [Sassy] Lucky Like Love Clare Hart finds it hard to separate fantasy and reality when she swipes a piece of Fae magic from a man who claims to be a thousand years old.

  Sports Romances (Steamy)

  Played by Love, A soccer star dons nerd glasses to score a anime fangirl who won't date jocks.

  Roaring Hot! A playboy motorcycle racer hires an aspiring actress when he is challenged by his grandmother to bring a real girlfriend to her birthday party.

  Intercepted by Love, A quarterback hiding from his Super Bowl losing interception meets a small town librarian with an active fantasy life.

  Blush of Love, A hot New Year’s Eve date with bad boy quarterback Matt Swanson leaves Safire wondering if it's love at first blush.

  Men of Spring Baseball Series (Steamy)

  Playing the Rookie, A rookie pitcher and a sports intern on the rebound connect to get over their exes.

  Playing Without Rules, A ballplayer's girlfriend hides his daughter from him because she fears he's like his abusive father.

  Playing Catch, A baseball
catcher meets his match with a troubled bartender who can’t seem to keep her panties on.

  [Sassy] Playing for the Save, A veteran relief pitcher is attracted to a single mother with an autistic son while hiding a secret of his own. [Gold Award Winner, 2017 Readers’ Favorite]

  Playing Fastball, An unusual friendship between a female ex-con and a billionaire widower divides family and friends, especially his son who is determined to split them up.

  Sweet Romantic Suspense [Sweet]

  Hide My Heart, Single mother Amber McKay must hide her baby from danger, and there’s only one man she trusts.

  Beach Reads

  [Steamy] Leap, Laugh, Love, A pro surfer on holiday after being attacked by a shark gets tangled up with an Army Ranger on leave with a mission.

  [Sassy] Lucky in Laguna, Scriptwriter Lucky Lenigan regrets writing dog walker Tally Tallahan into a reality show as another man’s love interest.

  [Sweet] Jade: Perfect Match, A matchmaking agency matches a romance author with a Navy SEAL who is a big fan of her plagiarizing ex.

  [Sassy] Bride for Breakfast, Bad Girl Brides #1, Jane must complete the renovations of her Caribbean bed and breakfast in time for her wedding, but the entire island is intent on sabotaging her plans—unless the groom is the caretaker’s son.

  [Sassy] Seashells & Mistletoe, after you're dumped by your groom and end up on a cruise ship with a guy full of mischief who impersonates the Norse god, Loki.

  Christmas Romances

  [Sweet] Christmas Stray A couple grieving for their son is snowed in with a stray puppy and a little boy. Is there room in their hearts for a Christmas miracle? [Gold Award Winner, 2016 Readers’ Favorite]

  [Sassy] Deck the Hearts, A Christmas Creek Romance Can Holly’s jolly Christmas spirit help Grinchy Gordon Gills save the town of Christmas Creek?