Chapter 13

Isabella looked over at Kelsey as she waved goodbye to Carmen and Sylvie. The smile on her face could light up the growing darkness. They'd come back from Peaches after the sun had set but there was still enough light for Sylvie to navigate the water.

"Not bad for a Christmas Day away from home, wouldn't you say?" Isabella said to Kelsey as they turned to walk through the resort and out to their bungalows.

"It was a good day, but it isn't over yet," Kelsey said.

"Do you want to have dinner?"

"I ate enough stuff at Peaches that I'm still full. How about you?" Kelsey replied.

"Same," Isabella said. "Let's go to the bungalows, exchange gifts, then we can do our usual walk along the beach."

Kelsey nodded and Isabella saw an uncertain look on her face. "Would you rather do something else?"

"No," Kelsey said.

"Then what's wrong?" Isabella watched Kelsey give her a sideways glance.

"Nothing is wrong," Kelsey said. "I'm kind of rethinking my gift. Do you remember when you told me my love language was doing for others?"

Isabella grinned. "Of course I do." She stopped and reached for Kelsey's arm to stop her as well. "Your gift will be perfect because it came from you and you obviously thought about it, so stop worrying," Isabella said, widening her eyes.

Kelsey chuckled. "Okay."

"You are definitely the thinker in this couple," Isabella teased as they started walking again.

"Someone has to do it," Kelsey said.

Isabella scoffed. "Just because I like to do things in the moment does not mean I don't think things through." She watched Kelsey smirk and raise one eyebrow. "Most of the time."

Kelsey laughed. "Whatever our dynamic is, it seems to be working, so I'd say we're fine."

"Sometimes you need a little spontaneity and sometimes you need a plan," Isabella said.

"As a couple we have that on lock."

Isabella chuckled. "We do."

They stopped at Kelsey's front door and Isabella said, "I'll be over in a minute."

Isabella went inside her bungalow and found Kelsey's gift where she"d left it next to the TV. She walked into the bathroom and took her hair down. She'd worn it up all day, but wanted to leave it down tonight if it didn't look too bad. She fluffed it and noticed a crease where the hair tie had held it all day, but it would do.

A smile played across her lips as she walked back into the room. She couldn't help but wonder what Kelsey's gift to her was. It didn't really matter. She knew she'd love it because it was from Kelsey. Each day they had gotten to know each other better and Isabella wouldn't be surprised if they were best friends by the end of the trip.

She grabbed the gift and walked next door to Kelsey's back deck. "What's that?" she asked Kelsey while she fiddled with something.

"It's a speaker I borrowed from Riley. I'm just pairing it to my phone. We like to listen to music while we sit out here, so I thought it might sound better," Kelsey said.

"What are we drinking? I almost grabbed beer, but we drank that all afternoon," Isabella said.

"There's wine left in my fridge," Kelsey said. "How about we finish it?"

"That sounds good. Can I get it while you finish there?" Isabella asked.

"Please do. The glasses are next to the ice bucket."

Isabella went inside and found the bottle in Kelsey's refrigerator. She wasn't surprised at how neat and tidy the room looked. That was Kelsey's personality, but Isabella had discovered that she was a lot of fun, too.

"Here we go," Isabella said, pouring each of them a glass.

"Thank you." Kelsey took the glass Isabella offered her. "Merry Christmas."

They softly clinked their glasses and both took a sip then sat down at the table.

"Do you realize we're going to be here for five more days?" Isabella said. "That's a lot of adventures."

Kelsey chuckled. "Do you think we can't handle it?"

"No, but I do think we should be selective," Isabella said. "There are a lot of boats willing to take us on excursions. That doesn't include the yachts that will take us on more private tours."

"Hmm, I see what you're saying. I hope once we start this, Carmen will have someone dedicated to do booking. I think people are going to want to do what we do," Kelsey said with a smile.

"That's confidence."

"Think about how much fun we had yesterday. Once we do a post on Honeymoon Beach, people are going to come here," Kelsey said.

Isabella furrowed her brow. "We have to make it interesting and get it out there though."

"We will," Kelsey smiled. "But we don't have to talk about that today. It's Christmas, we'll do work tomorrow."

"Right." Isabella nodded. "Here is your Christmas present," she said, handing the small bag to Kelsey.

"You even wrapped it," Kelsey said with a grin.

Isabella watched Kelsey reach into the bag. She suddenly felt her heart speed up and hoped Kelsey liked the gift.

"Oh, Bella!" Kelsey exclaimed. "I love it! When did you get this printed?"

"I have my ways." Isabella winked. "We've taken a lot of pictures since we've gotten here, but I thought that was the best one of us."

"Look at our smiles," Kelsey said, staring at the picture. "You can't tell we're drunk."

Isabella gasped. "We weren't drunk. That was before."

Kelsey laughed. "I remember you taking this."

Isabella met Kelsey's gaze and looked into her eyes. It was too dark to see what color they were, but Isabella was sure they were golden brown with a hint of green around the outside. She remembered how happy and carefree they had been that afternoon and Kelsey's eyes had sparkled.

"I printed that picture and put it in a frame because I want you to put it on your desk at home. When you're having a tough day or you're busy with work, you can take a look at us and remember the breeze, the sand, the water, and most importantly, the happiness," Isabella said with a smile.

"I'll remember you," Kelsey said softly. "Thank you, Bella."

"You're welcome, Kels."

Kelsey put the picture on the table where they both could see it then stood up and reached for her phone. Isabella watched her scroll and click then Kelsey turned to her.

"My gift to you is a dance," Kelsey said. "You mentioned wanting to dance with me again, so…" Kelsey held her hand out.

Isabella's eyes lit up with delight. When the music began to play through the speaker, she gasped. "Is that the same song we danced to at Peaches?"

Kelsey nodded. "It's called ‘STRINGS' by Max."

"I'd never heard it before, but it sounded like how the beach made me feel earlier that day," Isabella said, taking Kelsey's hand. "It's hard to explain."

"I get it. This place is beautiful. I know we keep saying that, but it is and this song is beautiful as well. It's like if we could put into music how this place looks and how it makes us feel, it would sound something like this."

"You do get it!" Isabella exclaimed. "Can you start it over?"

Kelsey punched a button and when the music began, Isabella put her arms around Kelsey's neck. She felt Kelsey's hands on her hips, but they weren't tentative this time. Isabella rested her head on Kelsey's shoulder as they began to move to the music.

This gift was better than the jewelry or things her husband had given her on various occasions because this meant something to Kelsey, too. Isabella's heart pounded and electricity flowed through her body. She could feel Kelsey's fingers on her lower back where her shirt didn't quite meet her shorts and warmth shot through her body.

Isabella moved her hands across Kelsey's back and could feel the heat of her skin through the thin shirt she wore. Suddenly, Isabella was aware of every place their bodies touched. She inhaled and could smell the sweetness of Kelsey's skin underneath the sun and sand of the day.

Isabella closed her eyes, wanting to burn this moment into her memory. She wanted to remember how it felt to have Kelsey's arms around her. She wanted to remember the scents, the cool breeze, and the music. Mostly she wanted to remember how her heart was beating with Kelsey's. She'd never felt this close to another soul. Is that what was happening? Was Kelsey's soul talking to Isabella's?

"Merry Christmas, Bella," Kelsey said softly.

Isabella raised her head and pulled back until she could see into Kelsey's eyes. "I'll always remember this."

"Me, too." Kelsey smiled. "This is your gift, but it's been so long since I danced with another woman I'd forgotten how much I love it, so it's a gift to me, too."

Isabella smiled. "I've never danced with a woman. Going forward, I'm not sure I want to dance with anyone else but you." She hadn't even thought about them being two women in the moment. It was Kelsey. Yes, she knew Kelsey was gay, but that didn't matter to Isabella right then. They were enjoying a dance as a Christmas gift. It didn't have to be anything other than that, did it?

Kelsey chuckled. "This can be our thing when we come to Coral Bay."

"I love that idea," Isabella said. She shook her head. "You've got a romantic streak in you that's wider than this island."

Kelsey smiled. "I admit it."

Isabella grinned. "We're selling romance, Kels. It's a good thing."

"I hope you don't mind me being sappy and romantic from time to time," Kelsey said as the song ended. "It's so easy with you."

Isabella dropped her hands and furrowed her brow. "Easy with me?"

"Yes, it's easy to be myself with you and sometimes romance may come out. If it makes you uncomfortable?—"

"It doesn't." Isabella stopped Kelsey mid-sentence. "It makes me feel special, Kels, so thank you."

"Thank you. It's nice to do something for someone else, you know?"

"No, I wouldn't know. I'm a self-centered, brand-minded influencer. We don't do for others," Isabella teased.

"Oh my God! You are not those things!" Kelsey protested then laughed.

"Watch out, Kels. You never know," Isabella said. "Let's walk."

They left their shoes on the deck and walked out onto the sand. "The moon is beautiful," Kelsey said.

"This Christmas has been much better than I expected," Isabella said, "thanks to you and our new friends."

"I don't think I'll ever forget it," Kelsey said.

"We're doing it again next year, so you'll have something to compare it to," Isabella said.

"Wow, that's something to think about," Kelsey said. "I wonder what we'll be doing this time next year."

"I hope we'll be on this beach together celebrating Christmas with our families," Isabella said.

"Let's make it happen," Kelsey said.

"Okay." Isabella stopped and took Kelsey's hands in hers. "Since we're a couple now"—she winked—"I vow to spend Christmas with you next year on this beach."

Kelsey chuckled and repeated Isabella's words. "I vow to spend Christmas with you next year on this beach."

They both laughed, then went back to Kelsey's deck to finish their wine.

Later that night as Isabella lay in bed trying to go to sleep, she thought back on her dance with Kelsey. She had never been attracted to another woman, but there was something about Kelsey. Isabella had known it the first time their eyes met at the airport.

They had done so much in just a few days and with this huge project to complete, she hadn't given herself a moment to think about Kelsey. Was something beginning between them? Surely not.

Isabella sighed. "I'm not going to think about this right now. I'm going to spend the rest of the week with Kelsey, have a great time, and then we'll see what happens when I get back home," she mumbled. "This is vacation stuff, not real-life stuff."