Chapter 73

Leila chatters non-stop while touching up her makeup in the car. The journey is short; before we know it, we’re stepping out into a scene from the movie Cocktail.

The restaurant is nice and private; it has a beach theme with little palm roofs over each table, which spill out onto the sand near the shore, all strung with fairy lights twinkling now that the light is fading.

As we enter, we spot our party immediately and make our way across the crowded sands of the outdoor part of the restaurant as Jake has picked a table near the shore.

Unaware that we’ve arrived, as we approach, Jake stands up while talking to Daniel in a rather animated way, and Daniel hops about beside his chair, demonstrating something ridiculous. They’re laughing heartily, and Richard shakes his head at whatever they’re reminiscing about, his twin crimson with sheer embarrassment. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that he’s the butt of the joke. Jake looks gorgeous in a white shirt and blue