Page 65 of Escape To Paradise
“We’re not going to jump from the top, silly.” I saw a ledge and we walked to it. It was about a fifteen-foot drop.
“I think I should jump in first,” Maverick offered.
“I can jump in first.”
“Are you sure you want to do this?”
I was standing at the edge of the ledge; there was no turning back now. I jumped. The water was very cold, giving me a shock. I heard a loud splash after me; it was Maverick. When I resurfaced above water, Maverick was swimming alongside me. I placed a hand on his shoulder so we could float together. He was smiling; clearly enjoying it.
“Let’s do it again!” I said invitingly.
Maverick didn’t protest. We swam out of the pool and walked back up to the ledge.
“We should jump together,” he suggested. He held my hand and counted to three.
And then, we jumped.
My hands were still on him, but Maverick was very respectful. He didn’t touch me by the waist and was mindful of unwanted touching. We held hands as we swam back to the shore. We jumped back three more times before we got exhausted and went back to the shallow end, where we sat. Our feet were still in the water.
“This is so fun, Maverick. Thanks for taking me here. It’s been a good distraction.”
“We’re not done yet. We’re going on a chocolate tour.”
We went back to his car, where we changed into dry clothes.
“No peeking,” I told him as I changed in the back seat while he changed in the front seat. After getting dressed, I went back to the front seat. I wore a white cotton dress that had a plunging neckline. Maverick tried not to stare, but he did look at my cleavage for a brief second.
We drove for twenty minutes to the chocolate farm. There was a line when we got there. The tour guide came out and stood up in front of the line.
“Welcome to the chocolate factory. On this tour, we’ll show you the process of making chocolate from bean to bar.”
We followed the tour guide as he led us to the cacao plants and then to the factory. He explained the process of roasting the cacao seeds and then pressing them to get the chocolate. At the end of the tour, we got to sample the finished product from seventy-five percent chocolate to ninety percent chocolate. The chocolate was just the right amount of sweetness. We went to the gift shop, where Maverick got a dozen chocolates bars and handed the bag to me.
“I can’t eat all of this, Maverick. I mean, I appreciate the gift.”
“Give it to your friends. They’re my loyal customers anyway.”
“Thank you. You’re the sweetest.”
We drove to our last tour of the day, which was the rum distillery. Similar to the chocolate tour, we also lined up and waited for the tour guide. The tour guide explained the entire process of making rum. At the end of our tour, we did a taste test. At the gift shop, I bought two large bottles of rum and gifted them to Maverick.
“Now we’re even. This is your gift.”
Maverick graciously accepted my gift. “I know what to make with this.”
“Endless possibilities.” I winked.
We drove to The Flamingo to drop off his two bottles of rum. He talked to Viktor for a while, telling him the bar wasn’t going to be open tonight and tomorrow night. Viktor seemed confused. I guess he had never seen his boss take a day off; it confounded him.
“And that’s why, you need to hire more staff,” I suggested to Maverick as we walked back to his SUV.
“Yeah, I have been thinking about it. Viktor’s going to take care of it. He knows good people who can work for us.”
Two other family members of Viktor worked for Maverick, including his cousin, Barry, who also did some occasional errands for Maverick.
“You’re really kind and generous to Viktor and his family.”
“I just want to make an impact on this community. I love it here. I don’t feel like I’m working.”
