Instead, I brushed past him and walked out of the villa to the waiting car. The driver held the back door open, and I climbed in. So far, he’s the only staff member I’ve seen. Clearly, there are more, since someone delivered my luggage to my room.
Inside of my room, I found all of my essentials, including my medication. When I asked Liam, he told me he’d reached out to Summer to pack it for me. He also said he’d asked her not to mention it to me, since he wanted to surprise me. I messaged her my thanks, and she replied with a thumbs up and told me not to worry about anything. If only it were that easy, considering I’m positive my inbox and my social media platforms are blowing up with messages.
In a way, it’s good to be ignorant, I guess. If I don’t know how bad things are, I won’t have to put salvage operations in place. On the other hand, if things are worse than I think, then good god, it’ll be the end of my career—the end of me as a person… The end of everything I’ve been working toward. And what if my family sees the media reactions? Not that they spend much time online, but what if they do? How am I going to explain it to them? And Lila? I left her another message, asking her to call me back, but it went to voicemail. Again. Oh, god. If she sees the media reactions, she’s going to be so hurt. I’m a terrible friend and a terrible daughter and—
"Don’t." A touch on my hand sends a current of heat shooting up my arm. I glance down to find Liam’s big hand engulfing mine. "You’re going to give yourself an ulcer or something with this level of stress," he says from his seat across the table.
"Or something." I glance away. Tears prick my eyes. "I know I overthink things. And I keep making up scenarios in my mind, most of which imagine the worst possible results to a situation. It’s just... I want this so badly, you know? It’s been my dream since I was a teenager and saw Jennifer Lopez inThe Wedding Planner. She’s my idol, my queen, and when I saw her so sexy and confident and making the dreams of so many brides come true, I thought she was a princess. I wanted to be her when I grew up."
"And you are, only sexier."
I half laugh. "No one is hotter than J-Lo."
"Except for Is-lo."
I chuckle. "That was pretty bad, but I’ll take it."
"You look stunning when you laugh. Come to think of it, you look stunning any which way."
My cheeks flush. "Liam please. Don’t you think you’re laying it on too thick?"
"I never say anything I don’t mean, LadyBird."
I curl my fingers around the stem of my champagne flute. "Thanks… I guess."
The waiter arrives with the first course, and sets the plates down in front of us.
"Wait a second, I didn’t order—" I take in the food. "Is that—?" I shake my head. "No," I laugh. "You ordered—"
"Butternut, sage and hazelnut mini-quiche."
"That’s my—"
"One of your favorite dishes, I know." His lips kick up.
"And what did you order for my main?"
"Why don’t you let it be a surprise?" He reaches for my hand, and I let him take it.
"Tell me," I insist.
"Vegan cannellini nut roast for your main, followed by tiramisu ice-cream cake, also vegan."
"How did you know? I mean, I know you investigated me, but still. You remembered what I love to eat?"
"I remember everything about you" —his eyes burn with intensity— "including whatever it is that you haven’t told me yet."
"Liam, please."
He draws in a breath. "Right, no more serious talk. Tonight, we’re simply a man and a woman who enjoy each other’s company, and who love to eat good food and relish the best champagne in one of the most romantic cities in the world." He reaches for his glass and raises it.
I clink my glass with his, then take a sip. It’s as if I’ve consumed an entire flower garden. "This champagne is exquisite."
"You are exquisite."
My cheeks burn. At this rate, I’m going to turn into a fiery mass of magma. "What are we doing after dinner?"
"What do you want to do after dinner?"