Page 20 of What Happens in Paradise

After stepping out onto the balcony, I inhaled the fresh sea air. This place was beautiful. There wasn’t a single cloud in the sky, the sea was multiple beautiful shades of blue and the white sand was stunning.

I definitely wanted to have breakfast out here to take in the incredible views.

Just as I was about to pick up my phone and call Nadine, there was a knock at the door.

‘Coming!’ I called out. I thought it was Nadine, but when I opened the door, my jaw dropped.

‘Hola, buenos días!’ Alejandro smiled. ‘I brought you breakfast.’

He was clutching a tray with a plate topped with a silver cloche and what looked like three glasses of juice.

‘Good morning to you too and wow, thank you!’ I looked at my watch. ‘It’s seven thirty! What time did you wake up to do all of this?’

‘I could not sleep, so I thought it would be better to do something productive. I walked around the resort and was able to get access to the kitchen. There was not much there, but there was enough. Would you like to sit with me and eat outside? It is a beautiful day.’

‘Oh, okay! Yes.’

Alejandro led me down the perfectly landscaped pathway which looked even more impressive in the daylight, with the lush, green grass, tropical plants and bright flowers.

When we arrived at the beach, I gasped. The views from my balcony were striking, but nothing compared to seeing it up close.

The sand was pure white and oh my goodness, the sea!

At our hotel in Spain, the sea was beautiful, but here, the crystal-clear, turquoise waters were unreal. It was so clean and transparent, you could see everything. It was like staring into glass.

And Nadine was right: the floating villas I spotted in the distance looked incredible. One day I’d love to have the chance to stay in a place that was built on the sea.

This was paradise.

And it wasn’t just the scenery that made me gasp.

On the beach was a single table with two chairs, a crisp, white tablecloth and some cutlery laid out neatly.

‘This is for us?’ I asked.

‘Sí.’ He placed the tray on the table, then transferred everything on top before putting the tray on the sand and pulling out a chair for me.

‘Oh!’ I was a little taken aback by the gesture. It seemed so… romantic. ‘Thanks.’

‘De nada.’ He sat down, then lifted off the cloche to reveal slices of fresh mango, banana, guava and pineapple, all neatly arranged on a branded Love Hotel white china plate.

‘This looks delicious!’ I stabbed my fork in a juicy piece of mango.

‘I wanted to make something like pancakes or even churros, but I could not find all of the ingredients I needed.’

‘Ilovechurros.’

‘Me too. But of course, I want to learn how to make the Jamaican breakfast. I was reading about the fritters and the ackee fruit?’

‘Yes! Saltfish fritters are my favourite! They’re like mini savoury pancakes with salted cod, peppers and onion. I think ackee is the national fruit of Jamaica. I remember my grandma used to make it with saltfish too.’

‘I am looking forward to trying it.’

I was so hungry I literally inhaled my breakfast at lightning speed. Just as I was about to ask Alejandro whether he wanted the last few slices of fresh pineapple, I spotted Nadine walking towards us.

‘Good morning!’ She smiled. ‘How did you guys sleep?’

‘Bien,’ Alejandro said.

---