“Nice,” Brad said quietly, bobbing his head with joy.
Nick sat up straighter, keeping an arm around Megan as he stared out, one hand over his brow to block the sun. “There it is, ladies and gents. Paradise.” He grinned broadly at me, and I smiled back, unable to take my eyes off of the way his arm looped around Megan. Brad and I hadn’t touched in such a way in years. Young love. Though they were our age, the relationship was young, and I supposed that was what mattered.
As we neared the shore, the energy seemed to switch. We’d all been excited before, but it was nothing compared to the excitement we felt as the boat began to near the long dock. Natasha closed her book, and Jaren lifted his head. All eyes were on the island. This was really happening.
“This is it, you guys!” Andy cried, one hand in the air as the boat came to a stop.
“Wow,” Natasha said softly. “It really does look just like the postcard.”
Within a few moments, the captain appeared, taking off his hat to bow to us. “As you may have noticed, we have arrived at our destination. You may now disembark.”
In a single-file line, we climbed down the stairs, saying goodbye to the crew as we made our way across the ramp onto the wooden dock while they unloaded our luggage. One by one, we collected our bags and began wheeling them toward the end of the dock, where a man dressed in all white was waiting for us. He had thick brown hair, an even thicker mustache, and suntanned skin, and as we grew nearer to him, he took a step forward, meeting us directly where the sand met the wood of the dock.
“Greetings, friends. The island has blessed us with a beautiful day, and we are so thankful for newcomers to share it with. I am the resort owner, Manu, and I will be here for you every step of the way during this beautiful week on my Isla del Amor.” He gave a small bow and walked backward, gesturing that we should follow him onto the sand. We did, and once we were all on the island, he extended his hand toward Brad first. Brad took it, though once clasped, Manu enveloped both hands around Brad’s, keeping them completely immobile, a smile on his face as Brad introduced himself.
“I’m Brad Walker, this is my wife—”
“Brad,” Manu repeated slowly, then moved his hands from Brad’s to mine. “And you are his wife?”
I nodded, swallowing. “Yes. Yes, I’m Laura Walker.”
“Laura,” he repeated, his voice a low, steady rumble. It was oddly soothing. “Pleasure.” He took a step in between us, making his way to the next couple in line. “And you are?”
“Natasha Clemmons,” she answered, her tone clipped, and when he released her hand to take Jaren’s, she widened her eyes at me. I grinned, trying to tame it down as Jaren introduced himself.
He continued the ritual, holding each of our hands clasped in his and repeating our names back until he reached the last couple—Andy and Emily. When Emily introduced herself, she mimicked his actions, gripping both of his hands in hers, her tone suddenly filled with warmth.
“Emily,” he repeated, standing up straight as he released her hand. “You are the beautiful soul who has invited your friends to my paradise.”
“Yes,” she agreed. “Thank you for accepting us, Manu. We are all so excited.”
He chuckled patronizingly. “It is I who should be thanking you.” He spun around so he could see us all again, his back now to the water as we watched our boat start up and begin sailing away. I suddenly felt nostalgic for the crew we’d spent the day with, wishing they were staying, too. “I should be thanking all of you for coming to my island. This has been a longstanding dream of mine, to open a resort beyond the normal expectations. My dream is to see others living theirs.” He held out his arms. “And, alas, it has happened. Of course, there will be kinks to work out. Mistakes will be made. But I truly believe I have hired the best staff there is, to take care of my guests.” He pointed at us, before continuing on.
“Over the course of this week, you will be pampered, you will be able to relax, to play, to get active, to stay lazy, to eat five-star food, to connect with your partner, to connect with your friends.” He paused, letting it all sink in.
“We have every amenity I could squeeze onto the island here. A spa for the ladies, a gym for the men. Kayaks, canoes, beach chairs, hammocks, massages…anything you can think of for a perfect beach vacation—it is all here. My waiters will be at your beck and call, making sure you never get thirsty or hungry and, of course, everything is one hundred percent free to you. We will dine oceanside under the pavilion every night, and you will sleep in your own luxury huts, just steps away from the ocean. If anything, and I do mean anything, is not to your satisfaction, or if you have any suggestions for improvement, I am all ears. All I ask is that you be honest in your reviews and, of course, the most important thing…enjoy yourselves.”
My chest swelled with pride and excitement. For the first time, I was so happy we’d decided to take this trip. It was everything I could’ve hoped for, and any feelings of worry were washed away like the water across the sand.
“Now, if you will all turn around, your stewards await you to take you to your new homes for the week. Get unpacked, relax for a moment, freshen up, and then I will ask you to join us for dinner at six. Welcome again, and I look forward to getting to know you more this week.”
We turned around, and I jolted at the fact that our stewards were literally right behind us. Half a step away, stood a group of four employees, all dressed in identical garb to Manu. Two men, two women.
“Andy and Emily?” called one of the men.
They stepped forward happily, and the man grabbed their bags. I watched them walk away, their deep footprints trailing in the sand as they lost themselves in conversation with the man.
“Brad and Laura?” the second man called. He was tall and bald, with a friendly smile. His white pants and flowy, relaxed shirt that matched the other employees blew in the breeze. When we raised our hands, he moved toward us, taking our bags at once. “I’m Malik. Right this way. I’ll take you to your hut.”
We followed Malik across the hot sand; I eventually gave up and kicked my sandals off as they kept filling with every step, making it harder and harder to keep up.
“Welcome to Isla del Amor,” he said, slowing down when he noticed we were so far behind. “Is this your first time at a resort?”
“For me, yes,” Brad said, “but Laura went to a few resorts with her parents as a child.”
“Yes, and we’ve planned to bring our own kids to some, but they’re just now getting to an age where I think they’d finally start to enjoy them.”
“Oh, you have kids? How old?” Malik asked.
“We do, two daughters. Britta is six and Elena is four.”
“So precious,” Malik said, nodding. “I have a sixteen-year-old, Oliana.”
“That’s beautiful…” I told him, trailing off as our hut came into view. Andy and Emily were just ahead of us, saying goodbye to their steward from the doorway of the third hut as Malik stopped at the second.
The huts were gorgeous, walls consisting of large windows, with a structure of mostly bamboo and a ceiling covered in straw. The fronts were set up on stilts so they were just a few feet off the sand. Like the brochure promised, they sat just a few yards away from the ocean, and several feet from each other. There were four in total, and I could see another group of them off in the distance, past a thick set of palm trees.