Page 21 of What Happens in Paradise

‘Like a baby!’ I replied. The mattress was like sleeping on a cloud and the shower was heavenly.

‘When you’ve finished your breakfast, give me a call and I’ll show you your office.’

‘Perfect!’ I said. ‘I was going to ask where it was because I have a Zoom call at nine.’

‘That’s right.’ Nadine nodded. ‘I think Hortense has some things to update you on…’ Her eyes dropped to the ground. That didn’t sound good.

I looked at my watch and realised it was already after eight.

‘I’d better come with you now so I have time to get everything set up. I don’t want to be late.’ I glanced down at the table. ‘Do you want me to help carry stuff back to the kitchen?’ I asked Alejandro.

‘It is fine. My meeting is at ten, so I have time. You go. I will take care of this.’

‘Okay.’ I got up from the table. ‘And thanks again for breakfast.’

Alejandro smiled and my stomach flipped. It was like his mouth had a Bluetooth connection to my stomach and every time he smiled or spoke, it made it flutter.

‘It’s this way.’ Nadine gestured, leading me down the pathway. ‘Girl!’ She turned to face me, her eyes wide. ‘That Alejandro iscriss. Orhandsomeas you English say!’ She laughed.

‘He’s an attractive man, yes,’ I said as casually as I could, despite being a bit taken aback by her comment. Talking about Alejandro’s appearance wasn’t very professional.

‘You’d have to be blind not to notice that he isfine!’ She grinned. ‘Don’t tell me you wouldn’t want to get somegood, good lovin’from him!’ She raised an eyebrow.

‘We work together, so that would be completely inappropriate,’ I said firmly. Maybe because it was just the two of us she felt she could speak more freely, but it still felt wrong. It was already bad that we were discussing the fact that he was hot.

‘That’s not what I asked…’ She gave a knowing smile. ‘Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me.’

‘What secret? I don’t have any secrets!’ I protested.

‘Here’s the office.’ Nadine ignored my comment and opened the door to a room with one desk, two computers and two chairs. ‘I’ll get you both keys so you can come and go as you need.’

‘Both?’

‘You and Alejandro will share this office. The others are being renovated. I’ve put the log in and Wi-Fi details there.’ She pointed to a piece of paper on the desk. ‘Have a great meeting!’ She slipped out the door before I had a chance to reply.

I couldn’t share this office with Alejandro. There was no time to go after her, though. I needed to shake off my jet lag and get my brain in gear for the meeting. I was looking forward to receiving more information about what my specific tasks and objectives would be for this trip.

Shortly before nine, I logged onto Zoom and started the call.

‘Afternoon, Jasmine!’ Hazel beamed.

‘Hi,’ I said, deciding it was best not to mention that it was morning over here. Spain was seven hours ahead of Jamaica, so it must be four in the afternoon over there.

A woman with dark-brown skin and black-rimmed glasses appeared on the screen. She was wearing a headscarf and it looked like she was at home because I saw an unmade bed in the background.

‘This is Hortense. She will be heading up the team of Love Alchemists there.’

‘Nice to meet you.’ I smiled. Hortense just nodded in acknowledgement. I thought I’d be meeting her at the hotel today, but maybe she was on a later shift.

‘How was your flight?’ Hazel asked. ‘And what do you think of the hotel?’

‘The flight was good and the hotel is stunning!’

‘Excellent! So, I wanted to share a little more about our expectations whilst you’re there. As you know, we’re keen to emulate the success of the Love Hotel in Spain, but in a more tropical setting. The matchmakers will of course do their essential work behind the scenes, but what we need to ensure is that when the guests arrive, they will have ample opportunities to bond and fall in love. Jamaica is known as one of the most romantic destinations in the world, so we need to capitalise on this.’

‘I understand.’

‘So we need you to work closely with Hortense to put together a programme of romantic activities for the couples to enjoy during the first week of their stay, plus have a list of options they can consider for the second week.’

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