Simmer Down - Sarah Smith Page 0,107

But that’s just the adrenaline talking. I want to do this.

Penelope tucks her blond hair behind her ear then smiles at the screen. “Hey, everyone. I know you’re used to seeing live videos of me chowing down on yummy food or filming gorgeous sunsets, but we’re trying something a bit different today.”

She turns her attention to me. “Today I’m over the moon to have Nikki DiMarco with me. She runs the delicious Tiva’s Filipina Kusina food truck with her mom, Tiva. It’s the best eatery on Maui, as evidenced by their recent Maui Food Festival win. But sadly, that’s been a bit overlooked due to the way a lot of food vloggers and island paparazzi have been prying into your personal life.”

“That’s true, unfortunately,” I say.

“And you wanted to set the record straight.”

I nod, reminding myself to breathe. Even though it’s only me, Penelope, and Mom in the condo right now, I can practically feel the eyes of thousands of viewers on me at this moment.

But that’s what I want. I want everyone to hear what I have to say once and for all.

Penelope flashes another gentle smile that helps ease the nerves whirring inside. “The floor is yours.”

I inhale, then exhale, then dive right in. “First of all, thank you so much for letting me do this. I guess I could have done this on Tiva’s Instagram, but we have a fraction of your followers. And whenever you post or do a live video, you get an insane number of views and likes and comments. And I want as many people as possible to see this, because this is the only time I’ll ever openly discuss my relationship with Callum James from Hungry Chaps.”

With a single inhale, my heartbeat slows. “I met Callum when he and his brother, Finn, parked next to my truck near Big Beach almost four months ago. We started out as rivals, nothing more. That competition between us was one hundred percent real. So was the Maui Food Festival wager we made. I’m guessing most of the people watching this now saw videos of Callum and me arguing. Those were one hundred percent real too.”

When I think back to those ridiculous antics we pulled on each other, I don’t cringe like I used to. Instead, my chest aches. I pause to take another breath and steady myself.

“Our relationship was also real.”

I glance down at my hands folded in my lap. I wonder what Callum is doing right now.

“Close quarters can breed attraction just as effectively as it can breed contempt,” I say.

Even though Penelope knows all this, she stares at me with wide eyes, like she’s hearing it for the first time. I bet she’s wondering if I’ll elaborate for everyone who’s watching. I won’t. That unlikely chance of Callum and me being seated together on the plane ride to London is what changed everything. But I’m not sharing that with them. That’s personal, something I’ll lock away forever next to my heart, in that little space I keep Callum. It’s special and secret and belongs to no one else.

Another breath and I continue. “Every single thing that happened between Callum and me was real. Our initial dislike for each other, the tension between us, our attraction, our arguments, our relationship.”

Our kisses, the glances we stole during busy workdays, the desperate way we touched each other every single time we were together in private. The love between us, even though I waited too long to acknowledge it.

I rest my hands on my hips to steady myself. Looking at the ground seems to help. I take a much-needed breath. “We didn’t fake a single thing.”

This time when I breathe, I feel as light as the breeze flowing in through the window. Everything I’ve been holding in, everything I’ve been hiding, every secret that’s been cooking me from the inside out these past few months is out. It’s the most freeing feeling.

I finally let myself look at her phone screen. My eyes bulge when I see that several thousand people are currently viewing this livestream.

And then I decide to go with this newfound open attitude and look straight at the screen. “Any questions?”

It only takes a few seconds for the first question to pop up.

Penelope leans in to read it aloud. “Do you still keep in contact with Callum?”

For a second I contemplate answering with “not really,” since I have technically spoken to Callum since our breakup . . . just not recently. But that answer is