Chapter 1

"Welcome to paradise," Kelsey Kenny muttered morosely as she stepped off the plane and walked through the long hallway into the airport. She looked around as people smiled at familiar faces or hugged. No one was there for her, so she strolled through the airport to baggage claim.

Passengers were already plucking pieces of luggage off the rotating table like they were precious prizes. Then, just as quickly, they turned to hurry out of the airport in search of their tropical vacation in paradise or perhaps some of them even lived here.

Ah, the Virgin Islands. Kelsey couldn't imagine living there—then again, she could work from anywhere.

Kelsey was in no hurry. Yes, she guessed this could be considered a vacation for her, but it simply didn't feel very festive. As she walked to the end of the baggage claim and found a place to wait, she spied her bright blue hard-sided suitcase beginning its trek around the sliding tabletop. She hadn't packed much, just a few swimsuits, some shorts, and a couple of cute dresses that she could dress up for dinner or dress down for a casual day at the resort.

A woman hurried towards where Kelsey stood. She was having trouble corralling her oversized purse and what looked like a computer satchel as she reached for one of the bags.

"Dammit," she huffed as the bag passed her by.

Kelsey watched this playing out and could see how frustrated the woman was, so she reached down and easily plucked the bag off the carousel.

"Here you go," Kelsey said as she rolled the heavy suitcase towards the woman.

The woman gasped. "Thank you so much! I missed it."

Kelsey smiled. "Glad I could help."

"I've got another one and you'd think they'd be together," the woman said, staring at the opening where the bags tumbled onto the table.

Kelsey smiled at the woman's Southern accent. It reminded her of syrup, sweet and slow. She turned back to the table only to realize she'd let her own bag pass by.

"Way to go, Kelsey," she mumbled.

"Excuse me?" the woman asked.

Kelsey chuckled. "I let my bag get by me. I'll just have to wait until it comes around again."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I'm in no hurry."

The woman sighed. "I just want to get to my room. I hope there's a shuttle waiting outside."

Kelsey nodded and kept her eye on her bag as it came into view once again.

"Oh good, there's my other bag," the woman said happily.

A bag matching the suitcase Kelsey had taken off the carousel for the woman was directly behind Kelsey's blue suitcase. This bag looked even larger than the first one. She must be staying for several weeks, Kelsey thought.

Kelsey reached for her bag and easily pulled it off the table. She could see the woman was having trouble lifting the large suitcase over the short rail, so Kelsey reached under the bag and gave it a push.

"Thank you!" the woman exclaimed. "I've done this before, but maybe I packed too much."

"You think," Kelsey said under her breath.

"I promise you, I handled both bags with no problems when I boarded in Charlotte. Just watch," the woman said.

Once she had both bags on their wheels and their handles pulled up, she slipped the satchel over one handle and her purse over the other. She rolled the bags away a short distance and spun each bag to do a little pirouette.

"See what I mean." She smiled and did a slight curtsey.

Kelsey chuckled. "You are skilled." She rolled her bag near the woman and smiled. "I can only manage one bag, so I have to cram everything inside."

The woman smiled. "I doubt that. I think you're just being nice."

Kelsey raised her eyebrows in surprise, and then smiled. "Let's see if we can find a shuttle."

They fell in step next to each other and rolled their bags the short distance to the exit. Outside, Kelsey looked both ways and then saw the shuttle for her resort.

"Thank God!" the woman exclaimed as she started towards the small bus. She turned back to Kelsey and smiled. "Thanks again for the help."

Kelsey returned her smile. "I think we may be going to the same resort." She nodded towards the bus and followed the woman.

"I'm going to The Coral Bay Resort," the woman said.

Kelsey nodded. "Me too. Let me get on the bus and I'll help you with your bags." She didn't wait for the woman to reply. Instead, she stepped onto the bus, smiled at the driver, and rolled her bag into the empty space in front of the first seat.

She turned back just as the woman was lifting her first bag onto the bus.

"Here, I've got it," the bus driver said, quickly getting up from his seat.

He took the first bag and rolled it in front of an empty seat then took the second bag and rolled it into the space across from where Kelsey had left her bag.

"Thank you," the woman said, taking her seat next to the bag.

Kelsey sat down and smiled.

The woman leaned over, extended her hand, and said, "I'm Isabella Burns."

At that moment the driver revved the bus and Kelsey barely heard the woman"s name.

"I'm Kelsey Kenny." She took her hand and shook it.

"Thank you again for your help, Kelsey." Isabella smiled.

"You're welcome, Bella." Kelsey appreciated her nice, firm handshake.

The driver pulled away from the curb and Kelsey leaned back to glance out the window. What a beautiful place. If her girls didn't want to be with her at Christmas then surely this little piece of paradise would keep her from missing them.

She sighed and shook her head. It wasn't necessarily that her girls didn't want to be with her; they just wanted to do their own thing, which didn't include her. They knew she wanted to spend Christmas at a beach somewhere instead of skiing in the mountains like they'd always done in the past. But this wasn't what she'd had in mind; she wanted her daughters to be with her.

Kelsey had planned to stay home and work, but she knew the girls would feel guilty. When the opportunity arose to spend Christmas at one of her client's resorts, it seemed like a good idea. The folks at Coral Bay were so excited she was coming so that she could see and experience the resort at its best.

Once she was in her room, she'd give each of her daughters a call, and then try to enjoy the experience. She watched as the palm trees whizzed by.

Kelsey sighed, then glanced over at Isabella and saw her gazing out the window as well. She wondered if she was meeting her family here. Surely she wasn't traveling alone with all that luggage. Just then Isabella looked over at her and smiled.

"It's gorgeous," Isabella said, gesturing towards the window.

"Yeah, it is," Kelsey replied.

"It feels a little strange to be spending Christmas on a tropical island," Isabella remarked.

"It does to me, too," Kelsey agreed. "I noticed a Christmas tree in the airport, though."

"Oh, I missed that." Isabella chuckled. "I was hurrying to baggage claim. Maybe that's a sign I need to slow down and enjoy this beautiful paradise."

Kelsey nodded and smiled. Perhaps Isabella was right. It shouldn't be hard to enjoy these beautiful views, the crystal clear water, and island breeze. She'd wanted to spend Christmas at the beach and here she was, only minutes away.

This was an opportunity to get to know her client and their product better, so it was a plus for her work life. As far as her personal life, she was at a beach resort on a tropical island. Come on, Kelsey! she chided herself.

"Are you okay?" Isabella asked, drawing Kelsey's attention back to her.

Kelsey grinned. "You're right. What's not to enjoy? Merry Christmas."

Isabella chuckled. "Merry Christmas to you, Kelsey."

The driver pulled up to the front door and Kelsey noticed Isabella stayed in her seat. She looked over at her and furrowed her brow. "Do you need any help?"

"With all the trouble my bags have caused since deplaning in St. Thomas, it's best for me to wait and let the other people get off first." Isabella chuckled.

"Are you sure? I don't mind helping you."

"I can get it," Isabella assured her. "I don't want to get in anyone's way."

Kelsey nodded. "It was nice meeting you."

"You too, Kelsey. Maybe I'll see you around."

"Maybe," Kelsey said, then exited the bus. At least Isabella would be a familiar face since she didn't know anyone else at Coral Bay.

"Can I help you with that?" an eager attendant asked her as he held open the front door to the reception area.

"No, but there's a woman on the bus with two large bags that could use your assistance," Kelsey said with a smile.

"I'm on it," the young man said, walking towards the bus.

Kelsey chuckled. She figured Isabella could handle her bags, but a little help was always nice.

"Welcome to Coral Bay," a woman with a cheerful smile said from behind the counter.

"Hi, I'm Kelsey Kenny. Carmen Oliver said to ask for her when I check in," Kelsey explained.

"Oh, Ms. Kenny, right this way."

Kelsey followed the woman down a hallway. There were a couple of meeting rooms on either side and executive offices at the end.

The desk clerk stopped in the doorway of a large office. "Carmen, this is Kelsey Kenny."

"Kelsey!" Carmen exclaimed, coming out from behind her desk. "You made it."

Kelsey shook Carmen's hand and smiled. "It's nice to meet you face to face."

"You as well. How was your trip?"

"It was uneventful, just the way I like it when I'm flying."

"Isn't that the truth? I have you all set up in one of the bungalows right on the water," Carmen said.

"Shouldn't you be using that for your paying guests?"

"You're a special guest. Let us spoil you a little. After all, it's Christmas."

"I can't wait to see everything. The pictures you've shared with me don't do it justice."

"I've told you to come see for yourself and I'm happy you finally have," Carmen said.

"I already have ideas for updates on the website," Kelsey said.

"Our website is as beautiful as our resort, but I trust you to make whatever changes it needs," Carmen said. "We've just gone through a branding change and thought it would be a good idea for you to meet the new team while you're here."

"That sounds great. I want Coral Bay to be successful and am happy to do anything I can to help," Kelsey said.

"I know you're a team player. That's why you've been our web designer all these years."

"You are a valued client," Kelsey said.

"That's enough business talk for today. Terese will take you to your bungalow so you can get settled in. I'd like to have a short meeting with you and the brand designer in the morning," Carmen said. "Don't worry, it won't be early. Everything moves a little slower on the islands."

"Sounds great. I'll see you in the morning," Kelsey said.

Terese, the desk clerk, took Kelsey's bag and she followed her out the back of the building down a path that went by an inviting swimming pool, and then opened up to the most beautiful beach.

"This is incredible," Kelsey said.

"I know. I've lived here all my life and the view never gets old," Terese said.

They left the path to walk over to a private bungalow. It had a small front deck with two chairs for lounging. Terese opened the front door and Kelsey was immediately drawn to the floor to ceiling windows that framed her own private view of the water.

Kelsey gasped. "This truly is paradise."

Terese chuckled. "You have a deck through those doors. Sapphire Beach runs along the entire resort. It's not too crowded this time of year, so it's kind of like a private beach for you, especially after sunset."

"Thank you, Terese," Kelsey said, reaching into her purse.

"Oh, no, Ms. Kenny. It's my pleasure," Terese said, holding up both hands.

"Will you at least call me Kelsey?"

Terese smiled. "I can do that. If you're hungry, I recommend the fine dining in the restaurant we passed when we exited the main building. The seafood is always fresh. If you need anything, please let me know."

"I can't imagine needing anything," Kelsey said, looking around the room.

"Enjoy your stay. I'm always nearby if you need anything." Terese laid the key card on the table and closed the door.

Kelsey opened the door onto her back deck and inhaled deeply. "Hello, paradise," she said with a touch of optimism in her voice.