Page 17 of White Wedding
Jess looked between the two of them. “What happened in Paris?”
Victoria hesitated. The others knew she’d spent a semester abroad in France during her sophomore year, but only Connor and her father had heard the full story. The fewer people she told, the less chance they’d judge her for what she’d done.
“I…I’d rather not say. But while I was there, I got involved with an older man and made a terrible mistake. Two weeks after I got home, it came back to haunt me. My father was furious and belittled me every chance he got. By August, I couldn’t stand to be around him, so I flew to Los Cabos and checked into a resort in Baja, where my friend Nadine was staying.”
Nadine Hightower, who came from even wealthier stock than the Blackwoods, had booked a monthlong stay at the Villa del Sol for a romantic vacation with her boyfriend. When he bailed at the last minute, she invited Victoria to join her instead.
Victoria had felt so bold, sneaking away in the dead of night with just her passport, some cash, and a suitcase. Though she’d left a note, she hadn’t told anyone where she was going.
Jess came around to Victoria’s side of the bar and hopped up on the stool beside Brody. “A few weeks in Baja sounds like a perfect getaway.”
“At first, it was great,” Victoria said. “Nadine was staying in this huge suite. But three days after I arrived, she got really sick. Some kind of dysentery. She decided to fly home but told me to keep the suite, since it was paid for. Three weeks at a beachside resort should have been heavenly, but the place was totally geared for couples.”
Without Nadine to distract her, Victoria found it too easy to wallow in regret for the mistakes she’d made in Paris. She continued. “Two nights after Nadine left, I went out and drank myself into oblivion.”
“You?” Brody stared at her. “I always thought you were too classy to get drunk.”
His comment reinforced how poorly she’d behaved. “Not this time. I passed out on the beach. I was so wasted I was easy prey for a couple of college boys out looking for a good time.”
Connor whipped around to face her. “What the hell? Did they hurt you? You never told me about this.”
She held up her hands to stop him from flying into a protective rage. “Nothing happened. A bartender who worked at the resort—Rafael—was out for a walk, and he scared them off. He rescued me, like I was a damsel in distress.”
Jess gave a dramatic sigh. “That’s so romantic.”
Victoria looked down. “What wasn’t romantic was the way I lied to him. I made up a fake name and told him I was from L.A. I couldn’t trust anyone, not after…Paris.”
As she sipped her wine, she shared more of her story. How she’d met up with Rafael the following night, after his shift ended, and spent hours talking to him. The next two nights had followed the same pattern. But he’d managed to resist her, even when she upped her flirting game. And then—when he had a couple of days off—he invited her to come camping with him at a site on the beach, near Cabo Pulmo National Park. That’s when it had happened. Without question, the best sex of her life. She’d never felt that way with anyone.
After returning to the resort, they met up every night, going for long walks on the beach, followed by room service and wild, passionate sex in her suite. She never wanted to leave.
Until her father tracked her down, called the resort, and demanded she come home. Immediately. When she balked, he threatened to cancel all her credit cards. So, she took off in the early hours of the morning when Rafael was still asleep.
“I left without saying goodbye,” Victoria said. “Since he didn’t have my real name or my phone number, he had no way to get in touch with me.”
“Didn’t you guys send each other sexy texts when you were together?” Brody asked. “To…umm…build up the anticipation? That’s what April and I…” He flushed. “Never mind. You know what I mean, right?”
Victoria laughed. “Sexy texts? I hope you’re behaving yourself at work. But no, we couldn’t text because I lost my phone when I passed out on the beach. Without it, I could pretend to be anyone I wanted. But Rafael gave me his number so I could call him from the landline in my suite. After I left Baja, I could have reached him at any time and apologized, but I never did. I thought it was better that way.”
Jess flinched. “Speaking from experience, that really sucks.”
Five years ago, Connor had ghosted Jess in a similar fashion. Knowing how deeply she’d been hurt, Victoria regretted her actions even more.
Connor reached across the bar and squeezed Jess’s hand. “Sorry, sweetheart.”
She gave him an adoring smile. “No worries. You’ve completely redeemed yourself.” She turned to face Victoria. “Are you thinking of finding Rafael now that Ben’s out of the picture? To see if the spark is still there? I could help you look for him.”
“Just playing the devil’s advocate, but you might want to wait untilafterBen’s wedding,” Brody said. “You’ve got a lot going on right now.”
“That’s the thing,” Victoria said. “I don’t need help finding him. Rafael is the one who’s catering the wedding.”
She derived a small measure of amusement from the stunned looks on their faces.
“Trust me, I didn’t plan things this way,” she said. “I thought he worked at a place in San Diego. Turns out, he’s been in Escondido working at Tres Hermanos.”
“You’re using Tres Hermanos?” Brody said. “I took April there last month. Their Sunday brunch is awesome.”
“Even if the food is great, don’t you think things will get awkward if you’re working with Rafael?” Jess asked.
