(Paradise Bay, #5)

Publication date: September 22nd 2022

Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Romance

From best-selling author Melanie Summers comes a enemies-to-lovers tale that’ll have you laughing, swooning, and blending up a pitcher of fruity girl drinks…

I’m Nora Cooper—single woman about to turn thirty, wildly unsuccessful plant fanatic, and event planner at Paradise Bay Resort. My shot at ‘the big time’ has finally arrived—the resort is hosting the World Bartender Championships and I’ve been asked to head up the hospitality team.

There’s only one big problem. And his name is Theo Rojas. You’ve heard of his family—they own Rojas Rum (and about 200 other premium liquors, some of which may be on your shelf right now). As the major sponsor of the event, Theo has decided to be onsite, micromanaging every second of the competition.

He’s stuck up, rude, and arrogant (and a bunch of other adjectives I had better not use). He also seems to have added ‘make Nora’s life absolute hell’ to the top of his to-do list.

Too bad for Mr. Grumpy Chinos because he doesn’t know who he’s dealing with. I’ve taken on far worse foes than him. And if he thinks he’s going to get the best of me, he’s in for a wake-up call.

So when we find ourselves stranded on a private island overnight, I’m determined to put him in his place once and for all.

Only somehow, instead of continuing our constant sparring, we wind up kissing. And I did NOT expect him to kiss like that.

And now I have totally forgotten all the nasty things I was planning to say to him. Something about him being arrogant, right?

Gah! Someone please send help because I absolutely CANNOT fall for this guy…

Excerpt

“This storm was supposed to blow in this evening, but it got here a lot faster than the forecasters expected. It’s also a lot worse than they said it would be. The Coast Guard has issued a tropical storm warning with a potential storm surge.”

My heart drops at her words. Theo, who has returned with a couple of towels, screws up his face in confusion.

“How long until it passes?” I ask, taking a towel and pressing it to my face.

“The Benaventes will be under the warning for twelve hours minimum.”

“Twelve hours?” Theo asks, rubbing his hair with his towel. “I have an important meeting at five.”

Okay, Mr. Big. We’ll stop the storm for you. I press the button again. “That’s not going to work for Mr. Rojas. He has a meeting at five.” I add, “An important one,” just to be extra assy.

There’s a pause, then Rosy says, “He’s joking, right?”

“No, I’m not—” he starts, then gestures for me to push the button. “I’m not joking. There must be some way to get back. You can’t just leave us stranded out here.”

“We’re not going to risk your life or the lives of our employees because you have a meeting, but I’m happy to make some calls for you to cancel it on your behalf.”

“Mierda,” he mutters. “Thank you, yes. Could you please call my brother’s room, explain what’s happening, and tell him to get ahold of Jaquell immediately?”

“Of course.”

While he talks, I calculate what time it’ll be when the storm is supposed to end. At a break in their conversation, I say, “Umm, Rosy, twelve hours from now, it’ll be the middle of the night.”

“That’s correct.”

Theo’s eyes grow wide, so clearly he knows what my next question is.

“So, no one’s coming until tomorrow morning then,” I say, shutting my eyes (because that’s what one does when one doesn’t want to hear an answer).

“That’s right. You two will be fine. There’s no chef, but there should be food you can cook for dinner.”

Theo sighs and rakes his hand through his wet hair. “Rosy, I need you to pass another message to Markos for me. Please tell him to keep watch tonight. He’ll know what that means.”

I wonder what the hell he’s talking about but know he’s not going to tell me, judging by the whole “he’ll know what that means” thing.

“Okay.” Rosy sounds as confused as I am. “Nora, is there anyone you want me to call for you?”

My cheeks heat up at the fact that there isn’t anyone at home to worry about me. “Um…if you can let Hadley know, she can tell my parents. Oh, and I was supposed to place the alcohol order this afternoon when I got back.” Shit. “It’s completed, but I ran out of time to write a quick email to go with it.”

“Why don’t I tell Kat to do it?” Rosy asks.

I consider telling her it’s far too important but realize it’s going to sound as if I don’t trust Kat to do something as simple as pressing send on an email. This is my chance to prove I can be a good manager. Trusting your employees is part of that, isn’t it? Besides, I can check it tomorrow when I get back. “Yes, sure. If you can have her log onto my computer, then open the email for Jaquell Morales—it should be on top of my drafts and the attachment is already there—have her type in a quick note to Jaquell, thanking her for her help and signing my name to it. Hit send, and that’s it.”

“Consider it done. Just give us a holler if you need anything else.”

“Except actual help,” Theo mutters.

“Thanks so much, Rosy. Over and out.”

“Over and out.”

I place the receiver back in its cradle. “I guess we’re stuck here.”

The question is, what are we going to do about it?

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About the Author

Melanie Summers also writes steamy romance as MJ Summers.

Melanie made a name for herself with her debut novel, Break in Two, a contemporary romance that cracked the Top 10 Paid on Amazon in both the UK and Canada, and the top 50 Paid in the USA. Her highly acclaimed Full Hearts Series was picked up by both Piatkus Entice (a division of Hachette UK) and HarperCollins Canada. Her first three books have been translated into Czech and Slovak by EuroMedia. Since 2013, she has written and published three novellas, and eight novels (of which seven have been published). She has sold over a quarter of a million books around the globe.

In her previous life (i.e. before having children), Melanie got her Bachelor of Science from the University of Alberta, then went on to work in the soul-sucking customer service industry for a large cellular network provider that shall remain nameless (unless you write her personally - then she'll dish). On her days off, she took courses and studied to become a Chartered Mediator. That designation landed her a job at the R.C.M.P. as the Alternative Dispute Resolution Coordinator for 'K' Division. Having had enough of mediating arguments between gun-toting police officers, she decided it was much safer to have children so she could continue her study of conflict in a weapon-free environment (and one which doesn't require makeup and/or nylons).

Melanie resides in Edmonton with her husband, three young children, and their adorable but neurotic one-eyed dog. When she's not writing novels, Melanie loves reading (obviously), snuggling up on the couch with her family for movie night (which would not be complete without lots of popcorn and milkshakes), and long walks in the woods near her house. She also spends a lot more time thinking about doing yoga than actually doing yoga, which is why most of her photos are taken 'from above'. She also loves shutting down restaurants with her girlfriends. Well, not literally shutting them down, like calling the health inspector or something--more like just staying until they turn the lights off.

She is represented by Suzanne Brandreth of The Cooke Agency International.

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