It Started in Paradise Read online

  “I’ll sing if you sing first.” Chloe raised a brow at Donovan.

  “If you don’t mind the torture. I couldn’t hold a note if it was duct-taped to my chest but it’s all in good fun, right?”

  “Exactly! All in good fun,” Jewel endorsed Donovan.

  Chloe exhaled. “You first.” She pointed to Donovan.

  “Whatever. Let me see what’s on this list.” Donovan took the clipboard from Jewel. His eyes scanned the paper and within seconds he tapped his finger on the selection sheet. “I’ll do this one.” Donovan selected a popular rap song from the late nineties.

  Chloe and Jewel bent over laughing. “I can’t wait to see this,” Chloe said.

  Each of them signed up for a song and headed back to their table.

  “This is going to be epic!” Jewel cracked up.

  They ordered more drinks while the people before them took to the karaoke microphone. Enjoying themselves immensely, they sang along with a group of men who hilariously performed the YMCA song. An obviously intoxicated woman with a nasally sounding voice sang an out-of-tune rendition of Love Shack. By the time she hit the last note, she and the entire audience were doubled over laughing. Being a great sport, she finished with an impressive bow as if she’d just brought down the house with a stellar performance.

  It was Donovan’s turn. He took to the microphone with confidence. The music started and he captured Chloe’s gaze and smiled. She blushed, tickled by the way his smile affected her.

  “Go, Donovan!” Jewel cheered him on.

  Donovan pointed at Jewel and winked.

  The words came up and Donovan missed the first line. He jumped in, tripping over the words in the second line until he caught up. He was off tune but clearly didn’t care. He swayed to the music and poorly belted out the words until he was breathless.

  The crowd cheered him on. Jewel and Chloe both had tears streaming down their faces as they laughed and sang along. Donovan waved his hands instructing the crowd to join him. By the time he finished, everyone was waving and singing. Donovan stepped off the stage as confidently as he had stepped on.

  “Your turn,” he said to Chloe when he got back to where they were seated.

  “You did a fine job,” Jewel teased. They all laughed.

  If Donovan could make a complete fool of himself in front of all those people, why should Chloe feel nervous? She had to admit she was having a great time.

  The crowd settled down and the announcer called Chloe’s name. Her stomach fluttered but she stood and made her way over to the stage. She took the microphone and looked out over the crowd. Closing her eyes, she swallowed and took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes, she noticed her hand trembling. She held the microphone with both hands to ease the shaking. The music started. Anticipating her performance, the crowd quieted. She felt exposed and tried to remember that she was there to have fun.

  “You got this, Chloe!” Jewel yelled, which generated other random supportive shouts from the crowd.

  “You can do it, girl!” one woman yelled.

  “Have fun with it,” another said.

  “Chloe!” Donovan’s deep voice reached her. When she looked over he was clapping, encouraging her in the distance.

  Chloe closed her eyes and started singing. She didn’t need the words. Her exquisite voice floated out over the audience. Whistles, applause and whoops erupted from the crowd.

  “Sing, honey!” someone else shouted.

  Suddenly, the crowd no longer existed to Chloe. The joy of singing returned, rushing over her like the waves crashing into the shore.

  Chloe removed one hand from the microphone and got so into the song that when she finished, she felt like she had blacked out. Cheers exploded from the audience, jolting her back to time and space. She opened her eyes and people were jumping up and down and whistling high-pitched shrieks through fingers. The standing ovation lasted until she’d made it all the way back to her seat where she found Jewel in tears and Donovan’s mouth agape.

  Jewel wrapped her arms around her sister. “Oh my goodness! Chloe, that was absolutely beautiful!”

  When Jewel finally pulled back, Chloe’s eyes met Donovan’s. This time she saw something different staring back at her. It was more than a flirtatious gesture. It was something stronger and magnetic that pulled her to him.

  “That was amazing,” Donovan said, pinning her with his gaze.

  “Thank you.” Chloe lowered her eyes, unable to withstand the intensity of his stare any longer.

  In that moment, something new kindled between them. Emotions shifted. Chloe wondered if Donovan felt it, too.

  Chapter 4

  The sound of Chloe’s beautiful voice reached down deep inside Donovan and triggered something. When she returned from the stage in that flowing sundress, he couldn’t take his eyes off her. Curiosities emerged and suddenly he wanted to find out more about her. Of course he’d known all about her family and where she’d grown up, but now he wanted to know more intimate things about her. What made her smile?

  They continued to hang out for a while longer, listening to those bold enough to take to the microphone. Some were great, most were intoxicated and fumbled over the words to the songs they sang. Many were hilariously horrible, causing laughter to erupt, filling the beach with inebriated elation.

  Despite the fact that Donovan had an early start to look forward to the next morning, he stayed by the bar talking to Chloe and Jewel well into the night. Jewel excused herself to use the restroom, leaving him alone with Chloe. At first, she squirmed under the scrutiny of his gaze. He enjoyed the fact that he affected her in some way. Perhaps she was curious about him as well.

  Chloe closed her eyes and appeared to enjoy the breeze that washed over her. Donovan took that moment to admire how the moon cast soft light across her supple skin. Her shoulder-length hair danced gracefully with the wind. He found himself wanting to trace the outline of her nose and lips with his fingertips and run his fingers through her hair. She opened her eyes and he smiled.

  “You never told me you could sing like that.” Donovan started conversation to shift his focus. He could have stared at her until the sun returned, but he knew that would have made her uncomfortable.

  She chuckled. “When would I have had the opportunity to tell you?”

  “You’ve got a point.” Donovan emptied the last of his drink. “You know what’s funny?”

  “What?” Chloe asked, finally turning to fully face him.

  Chloe blinked and Donovan could have sworn time slackened to slow motion. She fixed her doe eyes directly on him. His body reacted with a spasm in his groin.

  “We’ve known each other since we were kids, attended the same schools and lived within the same social circles for years and there’s still a lot I don’t know about you.”

  “You’re right,” Chloe acknowledged.

  “We should do something about that.” His desire flew past his lips before he had a chance to filter the thought.

  Chloe cleared her throat.

  “How about dinner tomorrow night?” Why waste time, Donovan thought. He wanted to learn more about Chloe Chandler and he had no intentions of toying with his interest. “I know a beautiful place on the other side of the island.”

  “That should be fine.” Chloe looked at her watch and then looked toward the resort’s entrance. “Let me check with Jewel and make sure—”

  “Just you and I,” Donovan interjected.

  “Oh...” Chloe’s surprise and coyness made him smile once again.

  “I’m sure Jewel wouldn’t mind but do check with her to make sure. I wouldn’t want her to feel left out.” The fact that Jewel had never returned from her “bathroom” run wasn’t lost on him. Jewel was rooting for him and he was sure that she was intentionally giving them space.


  “I’ll do that.” Chloe looked at the door again before sitting back.

  “It’s been a while. I don’t think she’s coming back,” Donovan responded to Chloe’s constant looking back toward the hotel.

  “Maybe I should go check on her. She did have quite a few of those rum cocktails.”

  Donovan stood. “Come on.” He held his hand out. “I’ll walk you to your suite.”

  Chloe looked at him for a moment before taking his outstretched hand. A quick current shot through him when their palms touched. Donovan liked it. He wondered if she felt it, too, and if she did, had she enjoyed it as much as he had?

  Helping Chloe to her feet, he held on until she tamed her billowing dress from the gusty ocean breeze. Donovan deliberately slowed to an unhurried stride as they made their way into the hotel. Remembering his former years, he chuckled.

  “What’s so funny?” Chloe asked.

  “Did you know I had a crush on you back in high school?”

  Chloe’s mouth fell open. “Really?”

  “Yeah!”

  “I never would have thought that, especially with all those girls that hung around you and your brother all of the time.”

  “Those were just friends.” Donovan dismissed her comment with a flick of his hand.

  “Yeah, right. Friends with benefits I’m sure.”

  Donovan’s reply was a hearty laugh. “Maybe,” he finally said. He couldn’t deny the truth. As a star basketball player, he always had a healthy following of girls vying for his attention. “You always seemed so mature back then.”

  “People always said that. I think it’s that oldest-child thing. I had to watch over my siblings and be the responsible one.”

  “That’s not always fun,” Donovan said.

  They had reached the door to the resort. Chloe paused with a faraway look in her eyes. “Sometimes I resented always being the responsible one.” She shook her head. “I missed out on a lot of fun.”

  “It’s never too late,” Donovan said. Chloe shrugged as she walked through the door while Donovan held it open. “There’s no better time than the present.”

  “I’m too old for that stuff now.” Chloe waved off his notion, continuing toward the elevator.

  “You’ve always played it safe, huh?”

  Chloe responded with a nod.

  “No wonder I never saw you at the parties.”

  “I bet you saw Jewel there.” Donovan nodded, confirming her suspicion, and Chloe tittered. “I remember her sneaking out her bedroom window. She hasn’t changed much, you know.”

  “Oh, I know.” Donovan raised a brow and pressed the call button for the elevator.

  They continued reminiscing about the years behind them, reaching her hotel suite far too soon. They stood silently for a moment.

  “Are we on for dinner tomorrow?” Donovan leaned against the wall.

  “I’ll let you know for sure tomorrow. Is that okay?”

  “Not a problem.” Donovan leaned forward and kissed her cheek as if it was the most natural thing. “See you soon,” he said after she opened the door. “Good night, Jewel,” he said loud enough for her to hear from the hallway.

  “Good night, Don,” Jewel yelled back.

  Taking in the surprised look on Chloe’s face, Donovan grinned, winked and headed down the hall back toward the elevator. It was apparent that Chloe was the last to realize that Jewel truly did leave them alone on purpose.

  Donovan was thankful for her intuition. He looked forward to spending more time with Chloe the next evening. Jewel’s actions tonight let him know he had an ally and he planned to use her help to satisfy his curiosity about Chloe.

  Chapter 5

  “Jewel!” Chloe shrieked when she had closed the hotel room door behind her. Jewel tucked her head into her shoulders and giggled. “You just left me out there by myself?”

  “You weren’t by yourself. Donovan was there,” Jewel said matter-of-factly. She closed her laptop, got up from the desk and lay across the couch.

  “You know what I mean.” Chloe rolled her eyes and sucked her teeth. She wasn’t really mad at Jewel, she just wished she’d given her a heads-up about leaving her alone with Donovan. “You could have said you weren’t coming back out.”

  Jewel flopped on the couch, hit the mute button on the remote and faced Chloe. “Then you would have tried to come with me. Did you have a nice conversation?”

  Chloe sat on the sofa, fixing a narrowed gaze on Jewel. “What made you think I wanted to be alone with him?”

  “I knew that he wanted to be alone with you. You should have seen the way he stared when you started singing. That man was mesmerized. I thought he had fallen in love right then and there.” Jewel sat up suddenly. “Did you know he had a crush on you when we were in high school?”

  “He told me tonight. How’d you know?” Chloe parked one hand on her hip. Everyone seemed to know what was going on except her.

  “He asked me to hook the two of you up back then. I told him not to waste his time because you wouldn’t be interested.”

  “Why’d you say that?”

  “You weren’t rebellious enough to go against mom’s orders. I knew there was no way you were going to date him. You hardly push back against her now and you’re almost thirty.”

  “None of that’s true. Mom doesn’t run my life, nor am I that close to thirty!”

  Jewel threw her head back and laughed. “You’re on the other side of twenty-five. That’s close enough!”

  Chloe tossed a pillow at Jewel. She caught the pillow, twisted her lips and looked at Chloe sideways before laughing.

  “Whatever.” Chloe paused a moment and then went on to explain herself. “I tried to be an example for you all,” she said, referring to her siblings. “I always felt like I needed to protect the three of you.”

  Jewel sat up, looked at Chloe and sighed. “And we appreciated it, but, sis, we’re all grown now. I just want you to be bold enough to live on your own terms for once in your life.”

  Chloe huffed. “I do live on my own terms.” She didn’t sound convincing even to herself.

  “You never answered my question,” Jewel reminded her.

  “What question?” Chloe was puzzled.

  “Did you have a nice conversation?”

  Chloe shrugged. “He asked me to dinner.”

  Jewel’s eyes widened and so did her smile. “You said yes, right?”

  “I told him that I’d let him know. I don’t want to leave you hanging.”

  “Oh. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. Tell him you’ll go.”

  “It would be nice. We had a great time tonight, but part of me wants to go because he’s a cool guy and the other part feels like I shouldn’t bother.”

  Jewel whipped her head in Chloe’s direction. “Why not?”

  “Why start something that won’t go anywhere?”

  “Who said it won’t go anywhere? Who even cares if it goes anywhere? Just have a good time.” Jewel waved away Chloe’s concerned look. Jewel held her hand up. “And please do not say it’s because our mothers wouldn’t approve because I don’t want to hear that!”

  “Then I won’t say it.” Chloe shrugged, pulled pajamas from her suitcase and started toward the bathroom. She didn’t realize that Jewel had tossed the pillow back at her until she felt it against her back.

  “You better go to dinner with that man,” Jewel yelled after Chloe as she entered the bathroom.

  Squeezing a swirl of face wash in her hands, Chloe thought about what taking Donovan up on his offer for dinner meant.

  She enjoyed his company and couldn’t deny that she was curious about who Donovan really was. If it weren’t for their problematic family history, would she consider seriously dati
ng Donovan? Her answer was an unwavering yes. Who wouldn’t? Donovan was handsome, successful and seemed to have a great personality. The only questionable issue was the fact that the Rivers brothers were known to be ladies’ men and Chloe had never been into players.

  Chloe continued to ponder scenarios pertaining to Donovan as she showered. After all that careful consideration, she wondered why she bothered thinking so hard. He had only asked her to dinner, not for her hand in marriage. How harmful could dinner be?

  Chloe stepped out the shower, wrapped a large plush towel around her body and went to tell Jewel that she’d decided to go to dinner.

  Jewel was sprawled across the bed asleep with the TV blaring and all the lights on. Chloe shook her head, turned off the lights in Jewel’s room and prepared for bed herself. They had another long day ahead of them.

  An hour passed and Chloe lay in the bed still awake. Sleep evaded her while her mind churned with thoughts of how this dinner with Donovan would turn out.

  He’d kissed her on the cheek but she thought nothing of it, considering it a friendly gesture. By the time she finally fell asleep, she’d fully convinced herself that there was nothing wrong with having a friendly dinner. In fact, she looked forward to it. She was on a beautiful tropical island and even though she was there for business, she was determined to play as much as she worked for a change.

  Her sister’s comment taunted her as well. Chloe had to agree, it was time for her to be rebellious enough to live aloud. She no longer had to set examples for her younger siblings. They were all adults. It was time for her to have some fun.

  Despite little sleep, Chloe woke energized and more excited about having dinner with Donovan than she was willing to admit. Feeling giddy, she hummed as she dressed, took extra care with her hair as she delicately brushed it.

  “You sound chipper this morning.” Chloe was so caught up in her own elation that Jewel’s comment startled her.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  Jewel fluttered her hand. “Since when do you hum and sing while you’re getting dressed?” She chuckled. “You’re excited about your date tonight, aren’t you?”