Page 71 of Scandalous Lover

Glancing around the room, I look for something in my own house that feels worthy of sharing with her. This place is no hilltop mansion, but I’m proud of it. I decide on the window over the sofa, where the sunset is just visible through the trees and the white magnolia flowers just outside glow almost golden in the warm light.

I snap the picture and send it. Naomi responds right away.

Naomi: Beautiful! I heard you have your own property somewhere. Can I see it sometime?

I glance back at the cozy green sofa, cast in slanted light from the window. I can imagine her there, smiling up at me as she curls her bare legs beneath her. I have to close my eyes as a pang of longing hits me so hard it takes my breath away.

Sam: Of course.

I don’t know how it’ll work, but I’m not about to deny her anything.

Naomi: I’m having dinner with Reina tonight while Dom works. I’ll be down at the resort tomorrow helping Fran with wedding stuff. See you then?

The thought of waiting until tomorrow to see her, and then seeing her only at the resort, surrounded by people, is not what I was hoping for.

Sam: Sounds good.

Naomi: Well, I guess this is goodnight…

The three dots at the end of her sentence nearly give me a heart attack. What does she mean by that? Does she mean that it’s actually not goodnight and there’s more coming? Did she hit the extra punctuation by accident?

I’m once again baffled that people use this as their main form of communication. It’s no wonder the world is splintering into disarray.

Sam: See you tomorrow

I purposely leave my sentence open, with no period, just in case she wants to keep messaging. I grind my teeth at the sloppy look of my sentence fragment as it hangs in the conversation thread. I quickly add a smiling sun emoji and hit send.

Naomi sends back a palm tree.

I’ve never been so confused in my life.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Naomi

Iwake up in the big, soft, unfamiliar bed and lay still for a long time, looking out at the view of the hills behind the house that are visible from the parted curtains in my room.

I guess this is home. For now, anyway.

I can hear movement in the house, wooden chair legs on tile floors, and voices drifting softly in the warm air.

Getting dressed in soft shorts and a cropped bathing suit top, with every intention of spending my day in the sun and water, I head out to face my new roommates.

Reina and I had a great time at dinner the night before. She’s an incredible person, genuinely kind and open. Thoughtful and observant.

How she ended up with dinosaur Dom I’ll never understand.

Big bro worked until long after I went to bed, pink wine lulling me to sleep after Reina and I got the kitchen cleaned up. It was a big day for a lot of reasons, my move being the least interesting of the lot.

Every time I close my eyes, and even sometimes when they’re open, my brain tortures me with flashing images of that kiss in my hotel room. The feeling of Sam’s hands on my body.

I can still smell the man on my skin.

I hear his words like the soundtrack to my life.

I see you, Naomi. And I know how amazing you are.

I spent the whole evening with Reina distracted and inconveniently turned on, the brush of my thighs together mixing with the memories of him sliding his hands over my stomach and hips, his strong fingers gripping me there. As much as I enjoyed my time getting to know my future sister-in-law, it was often a struggle to focus.

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