Page 35 of Scandalous Lover

Reina jumps in to pick up the pieces. “I checked out your Instagram, and he’s totally right. You’ll have so many great pictures to post after tonight. And between Sam and I, we know just about everything about where the food came from and the small, local purveyors and fishermen who deliver it every day. Local sourcing and sustainability are important to the Raft dinner program.”

A now all-too-familiar dread mixed with sadness falls over me at the thought of my channel, but I shake it off. “I’m not posting at the moment, but I’m still gathering content for when I get back to it.”

I know they’re all dying to ask, so I wait. The silence turns awkward, and I glance down at my phone again, craving its familiar weight in my hand.

“You don’t have to talk about it, if you don’t want to,” Fran offers.

I smile over at her in gratitude. The last thing I want is to ruin this meal with my own sob story.

“Maybe when I have a few drinks in me.”

“Well, that won’t be a problem here,” Sam muses as the server comes to top off our wine glasses. We haven’t evengotten the first course yet and we’ve all already made it through the first glass of wine.

I lift my glass in a cheers. “Nowhere to drive, right?”

After a few courses and a few more wine pairings, I’m settling in. Gone are the self-conscious worries from earlier. Gone is the dread over my future in the influencer scene. I’m just a girl, enjoying a super fancy meal with friends in paradise.

It feels good to let go. I still take pictures of every dish like they’re my newborn babies, but I also let myself enjoy the food and company.

It might be the best meal of my life, in both regards.

Reina is glowing with wine and more than happy to entertain us with stories about her and Dom’s early days. “The next morning, I get a knock at the front door and it’s two delivery men bringing me a brand-new mattress. Sweet gesture, but everyone was watching, and it was difficult to explain why I was getting a brand new bed and no one else was.”

“You couldn't just tell them that you were banging one of the owners and he needed to replace it for his old man back?” Fran asks and we all crack up.

“Nope. So I told them that everyone was getting a new one.”

“You didn’t?” I’m alive with the energy of the table now, happier than I’ve felt in years.

Reina’s nodding. “I sure did.”

“And the next day,” Sam cuts in, laughter lighting up his beautiful face, “we went to town and Dom was on a secret mission to get over a hundred mattresses imported to the island the following week.”

My mouth drops open in a wide grin. “So he told you about sleeping at Reina’s?”

“Of course not. He claimed that his kitchen staff wasn’t well rested enough so he needed to get them all better beds,” Sam says laughing.

We’re still cracking up when the man in question strolls over to our table, arms crossed. “I’m getting noise complaints from the other guests about you four. Mind keeping it down?”

Even in his gruff scolding, I can see the soft edge of humor in his features. When Reina jumps up and throws herself into his arms, Dom’s face breaks into a contented grin.

I won’t say it’s the first time he’s ever smiled, but it might be the first I’ve witnessed. He doesn’t even try to hide it as he shoos Reina back to her chair and settles his attention on me. “Did you enjoy your meal?”

“It was incredible. I got some great pictures. I can send them to you if you want.”

“Send them to Sam. He’s the one in charge of advertising.”

My spirit falls a few notches and I gaze back down at my plate.

“Stop, Dom,” Reina chimes in. “You’re not fooling anyone.” She grabs one of my hands across the table. “Send him all the pictures. If you don’t, he’s just going to be in Sam’s office first thing pouring over them.”

“Sure,” I say. “No problem.”

“Why don’t we head down to the bar after dessert, and we can all look at them?” Fran pipes up. “Naomi promised to spill her drama once she got some drinks in her, and I’m guessing it’s getting pretty close to that time.” She turns to me, sly smile in place. “Am I right?”

She’s right about the drinks part. The story? Not so much.

I’m not sure I’m ever going to be ready to talk about what happened, but that’s not an option. I’m going to have to get comfortable talking about all this if I ever have a shot at re-starting my channel and making amends to my community. I may as well start practicing.

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