Page 35 of What Happens in Paradise

‘Okay.’ I nodded. I’d always loved the rum punch my grandad used to make.

She disappeared, giving us time to look over the menu.

‘Everything sounds so good!’ Alejandro licked his lips and my body reacted.

Bloody hell.We’d barely been here five minutes and I was already turning to jelly. I needed to get a grip.

‘It does,’ I agreed.

‘I made a list of everything Bob recommended. I think that we should try it all.’ He handed me his phone which was open on the notes page.

‘That’s a lot! You know there’s only two of us, right? Not a whole army!’

‘True. I am just so excited to try everything! Perhaps we can try some today and then the rest next time.’

‘Next time?’ I frowned.

‘Sí. The chef will be away for at least a week, so I will still need to research. I can eat alone of course, but going with you to Dunn’s River Falls today showed me that it is better if we work as a team. We know what will work well for the hotel. And I value your opinion.’

My heart swelled. It was nice that he appreciated me.

‘Thanks. I value yours too. You coming along today was helpful. It made writing my report easier.’

‘I am happy to hear that.’

‘Yuh ready?’The waitress appeared at our table, placing our drinks down and then taking out her notepad and pen. Once we’d placed our order, she left.

‘The rum punch looks very colourful.’ Alejandro moved the two glasses to the centre of the table.

‘It is. My grandad used to always make it for family parties. I think it’s a mixture of pineapple, orange and lime juice, grenadine or strawberry syrup and of course, lots of rum!’

‘Sí. I can smell the rum from here!’

‘Funnily enough, it never seemed to affect me that much. I could drink multiple glasses of rum punch and feel fine, but if I did the same with wine, I’d be drunk. Grandad used to joke that if he cut his veins, there’d be pure white rum inside instead of blood, so maybe it’s hereditary!’ I laughed and Alejandro flashed his gorgeous smile.

‘You want to try first?’ he offered.

‘No, it’s your first time, so go ahead,’ I said, remembering not to make an inappropriate virgin joke like I had on the plane.

‘Vale,’ he picked up the glass, took a sip and then choked. ‘Madre mía!’ His eyes watered. ‘It is even stronger than I thought, but I like it. You want to try?’

‘Of course!’ I wrapped my lips around the straw and a tingle raced through me knowing that Alejandro’s mouth had sucked on it a few seconds earlier.

God. If I got a thrill just from sharing a man’s straw, I really needed to get out more.

After taking a long sip of the punch, I swallowed. My eyes bulged and I started coughing.

‘Bloody hell! Grandad’s punch was never that potent! That’s strong enough to strip paint, but it’s also delicious.’

‘Do you know how they make the Guinness punch?’ He picked up that glass.

‘Yes.’ I nodded. ‘It’s another thing my grandad used to make. It’s obviously Guinness, but it’s mixed with milk, condensed milk and different spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and I think vanilla too.’

‘I will try.’ He took a sip. ‘This is also good. So when did your grandad move back to Jamaica?’

‘About ten years ago.’

‘And you keep in touch?’

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