Penelope. “Thank you both. Seriously. He’s been driving me insane. They all have actually.”
Penelope pulls me into another hug. “I’ve got your back. And nothing will keep me from your delicious cooking, not even some douchebag paparazzi wannabe.”
I turn to address the remaining vloggers. “Anyone else have anything to say?”
They all stand quietly while shaking their heads “no.”
“Good. I have customers to feed. If you want to eat something, line up just like everyone else. If not, please get the hell out of here.”
The remaining vloggers take their place in line.
Penelope walks back to the truck with me. “That’s probably not going to be the last time they’ll try to bother you.”
“I know. But the prospect of being attacked with soda bombs should scare them off for a few days, though, right?”
Penelope chuckles and I hop back into the truck, where I’m greeted with Mom’s disapproving frown. I can hear the words before she speaks them, about how unladylike it was for me to react that way, that she didn’t raise her daughter to act like a barbarian just because someone was rude.
I sigh. “Okay. Let me have it.”
A soft hand lands on my arm. She flashes a smile. “You gave that jerk exactly what he deserved.”
She pulls me into a hug. My phone buzzing in my back pocket interrupts our embrace. Another unfamiliar number.
I muster my newfound boldness, endorsed by my mom, and pick up the phone. “I swear to God, if you call me one more time—”
“Um, is this Nikki DiMarco?” It’s a shaky English accent on the other end of the phone. Not Callum’s though. My chest throbs.
“Who is this?”
“Ted, from Travaasa Hana.” He clears his throat. My face promptly bursts into flames. “Sorry, is this a bad time?”
With my free hand, I cover my eyes. Like that will do much good while I’m dying of embarrassment on my end of this phone conversation. I just snapped at the general manager of the Travaasa Hana resort. Well done me.
“I’m sorry, I thought you were someone else.”
“It’s quite all right.” He lets out a good-natured laugh. “Things have been stressful lately, haven’t they?”
His soft tone, the obvious empathy in his voice helps dial back the embarrassment a touch. I wonder if he’s read all the crazy stuff online about Callum and me. I wonder if he’s seen the shaky video of us having it out at the festival. Last I checked, which was a few days ago, the video that @IEatEverything posted was up to nearly fifty thousand views. So yeah, he’s probably seen it.
I swallow back the urge to groan out loud.
Ted clears his throat again. “I was wondering if you were still interested in being our featured chef at the resort once a week.”
“Oh.”
Memories of the night Callum and I served a surprise three-course Easter dinner at a high-end resort on a total whim swoop through me. I blink and see Callum’s full lips stretched into a satisfied smile when we finished serving, every single diner raving about our dishes. I blink again and see his naked form in the hot tub of our room. I remember his hands on my body, his breath on my skin, his heart beating so hard, I felt it inside me.
I hear the words he spoke to me in that delicious guttural whisper.
Good would be doing this with you every day. Good would be getting you to admit when you’re jealous and want only me. Good would be calling you mine.
Given the way he shut me down at his condo the other day and how I haven’t heard from him since, he wouldn’t be interested in working with me ever again. A lump lodges in my throat. It’s a second before I can collect myself and answer Ted.
“I’m sorry, Ted. I can’t. As much as I want to, I just don’t think I can handle prepping another dinner with Callum. We had a falling out, in case you hadn’t heard.”
The awkward pause and throat clear on the other end of the line tells me he did indeed hear about it, just as I suspected.
“I’m sorry, I should clarify,” Ted says. “Callum won’t be part of this. I want to contract you and only you to serve a weekly dinner at the resort restaurant. Would you be interested?”
When the words sink in, I nearly drop my phone. “I don’t understand . . .”
Ted waits a beat before speaking. “Look, I’m sorry to hear about you and Callum not working out, but