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“You don’t have to do that. We can stay in our bungalow,” Isabella said.

“Absolutely not,” Liz said. “Let us show you a little island hospitality.”

“You’ve been showing us that since we’ve met,” Kelsey replied.

“Then let your friends do something special for you,” Riley countered.

“Besides, you’ve been bringing us business,” Sylvie said. “This may have started with highlighting the resort, but it’s helped me and other businesses, too. Come on, I’ll be your private water taxi.”

Isabella looked at Kelsey and widened her eyes. “What do you think?”

Kelsey smiled. “I think we have a date tonight.”

30

Kelsey was standing on the deck of the bungalow and couldn’t wait to see Isabella. They had stayed at Peaches and had another drink with their friends before Sylvie took them back to St. Thomas to get ready for their date.

Riley, Alex, and Liz had planned a special evening for them and Kelsey couldn’t quite believe it. She knew the islands could be magical, but she’d attributed that to the beautiful surroundings and how the people catered to tourists. But this was more than that. These were their friends and they were happy she and Isabella had found their way to each other.

Kelsey decided to stop questioning everything and just enjoy it. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and let the sounds of the waves along with the breeze give her a moment of calm.

“Hey there, sexy,” Isabella said from the back door.

Kelsey turned around and with one look at Isabella, she lost her breath. “Bella,” she gasped. “You’re so beautiful.”

“Do you like it?” Isabella held the hem of her dress out and twirled in a circle.

She was wearing a short dress that hugged her waistline as the skirt flowed around her thighs. The spaghetti straps were hidden under her loose blond curls that rested on her shoulders. The azure color of the dress made Isabella’s eyes sparkle an even deeper blue.

“I love it,” Kelsey said. “I can’t stop staring at you.”

“Oh, honey. Look at you! I won’t be able to take my eyes off of you all night,” Isabella said.

It was Kelsey’s turn to do a little twirl with a shy smile. She was wearing a soft floral print dress with a high-low hem and flowy skirt. It was a sleeveless V-neck, also with spaghetti straps, and an open back. It was more revealing than anything Kelsey had ever purchased for herself, but when she saw it she knew she wanted to wear it for Isabella.

Kelsey remembered Isabella commenting on their first trip how much she liked it when she wore her hair down. So Kelsey decided to let her curls hang loose just above her shoulders.

Isabella walked over and reached for Kelsey’s hands. Kelsey watched as Isabella gazed up and down her body then met her eyes. “You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, Kels.”

Kelsey grinned. “We are a stunning couple.”

Isabella leaned up and gently kissed Kelsey’s lips. “Mmm, are we sure we want to do this? Our bungalow is pretty inviting right about now.”

Kelsey chuckled. “Oh no, we’re going out for a romantic evening, my gorgeous love.”

They heard a knock at the door and Kelsey furrowed her brow. “I wonder who that could be?”

“We’re not supposed to be at the dock to meet Sylvie for another twenty minutes,” Isabella said.

Kelsey opened the door to find Carmen smiling at them.

“Hi,” she said. “Oh, my. You both look absolutely incredible.”

“Thank you,” Isabella said. “We never get to dress up on these trips and it’s fun.”

“Is something wrong?” Kelsey asked with a flutter of uneasiness in her stomach.

“No, no. Everything is fine. I wanted to drive you to the dock to meet Sylvie,” Carmen said.