Chapter 4
PHOEBE
Day two in Hawaii. I barely slept last night.
I tossed and turned, wrangling with my own thoughts and the sudden changes in my life. I thought for sure I’d get a good night’s sleep, given yesterday’s physical exertion in the water and the lingering emotional damage of the cancellation of my wedding.
At least I’ve had a great view all day. August, Dominic, and Theo have been so fun, enticing, and generous with their time and energy. The positivity comes off them in waves, and I feed on it.
Evening has fallen over the beautiful island of Hawaii. “I’ll be right back with your drinks,” the waitress says as we take our seats.
Theo booked us a table at the resort’s Asian fusion restaurant—a Michelin-starred haven overlooking the ocean and part of the private beach. Lush green leaves rustle in the darkness, a warm breeze kissing our skin beneath the starry sky.
“I can’t get enough of this place,” I say, getting comfortable in my seat as I open the menu. “Everything is just perfect.”
“Your ex-fiancé has a smidge of good taste. Gotta give credit where it’s due,” August replies.
Their sand-colored dinner jackets and white shirts set off the copper their dark hair has caught from the sun. Theo has left his blonde mane loose, looking dashing in a pale blue shirt. It matches the hunger glowing in his eyes as he glances my way.
“You’re going to sleep like a baby tonight,” Theo says.
“Who, me?” I ask, blushing.
“Oh, yes. I’ll make sure of it.”
I give him a wry smile. “Oh yeah? I take it you have plans.”
“I made plans long before we got here, Phoebe. I’m just executing them now.”
Dominic chuckles. “It’s been a while since the three of us have been in such perfect sync.”
“How so?” I reply.
“You’re the first woman in a long time to stir us,” he says. The meaning behind his words sink deep into my stomach.
For the first time since I decided to do this, I don’t consider fleeing. I don’t want to back out. Something happened along the way to change my feelings. It was sudden and subtle at the same time, but it worked. Because now I want to see where this leads.
“Consider me curious, then,” I say, casually flipping through the menu.
The restaurant is designed in a minimalist style, with beige and cream seating and pristine white clothed tables.
The plates are an eclectic mix of Mediterranean pottery styles, each set coming in one of four colors—turquoise, coral pink, burnt orange, and sunflower yellow—while the cutlery adheres to the Portuguese aesthetic.
The glasses are elegant smoked glass with metallic stems. Luxurious cloth napkins carry the restaurant’s embroidered logo on one corner.
The menu makes my mouth water.
“I’m having a hard time deciding,” I say as I try to choose an appetizer.
“The crostini are always a safe bet,” Dominic suggests.
“I can’t make up my mind between the sea bass and the tuna steak,” August says, his brow slightly furrowed. “I read the reviews earlier, and people were torn between the two.”
As if summoned to assist us, the waitress returns with our water. She looks pretty in her salmon pink uniform, a gold-brushed belt cinched around her waspy waist. Her shiny nametag introduces her as Hayley.
“Ready to order?” she asks with a perky smile, eyes sparkling as she looks at the guys and practically ignores me.
“Sure, but before we do, I need an honest opinion,” August says. “Sea bass or tuna steak? Which one is king?”
Theo stifles a chuckle. “We’re dealing with an existential crisis here.”
I love to see them so laid back and friendly with people.
My dad always used to say, “Pay attention to how the man treats service staff, drivers, and cleaning ladies. It’ll tell you everything you need to know about him.
” In hindsight, I ignored those things about Matthew because I was just so thrilled to be chosen.
It didn’t matter that he was a dick to every waiter who served us.
“I’m a bit biased,” Hayley giggles. “I’m a tuna steak kind of girl.”
“Well, then, tuna steak it is, but please, let’s hear what the lady wants first,” August replies, shifting the focus back to me.
Suddenly, I feel way too big for my chair. I’m not, but my brain is hardwired to sabotage me, it seems, as I remember all the times I let Matthew order for me. I never wanted the fucking salad.
“Sure,” Hayley says, looking at me with a flat smile. “What can I get you?”
“Honestly, it’s hard to choose between the appetizers alone,” I reply with a nervous laugh. The look she gives me fills my soul with dread, as if I already know what she’s going to say.
“We could start you off with our hummus and crudité as an appetizer,” she says. “I would suggest the pear and salmon salad as your entree; it’s very light and delicious. Lower in calories, too.”
“Lower in cal—” I stop myself before I snap. I’ve heard that line so many times over the years, it sounds like an insult. “I was actually looking at the crostini.”
“Are you sure?” Hayley asks.
And there it is. She doesn’t need to say it out loud. It’s written all over her pretty, tanned face. The contempt. The disdain.
Theo clears his throat, demanding her attention. “Are you implying that our lady shouldn’t eat what she wants, Hayley?”
The tone of his voice casts a grave-like silence across the table. The way Dominic and August look at Hayley has me thinking she’d be better off running for the hills. I’ve never felt more beautiful and more protected in my entire life.
So this is what it feels like when your man actually stands up for you.
“No, sir, that’s not what I meant, it’s just—”
“She’ll have the crostini plate,” Theo harshly cuts her off, then looks at me with a soft smile. “What about the main course, babe? What caught your eye?”
“Oh. Hold on, one second,” I say and flip the page, my heart racing with childlike excitement. “The tempura sounds fantastic, with a side of the perfect French fries, please.”
Hayley takes copious notes, probably wondering if she didn’t just kiss her tip goodbye with that snide remark. “Would you like a dip for those fries? Our chef prepares an exquisite selection, it’s different every week. I could ask him to pair the dip with both the tempura and the fries.”
“That would be lovely, thank you,” I reply.
“We’ll decide on dessert later,” August says. “My brother and I will both have the Korean Mezze platter for starters, and sign us up for the tuna steak, as well.”
“You have identical tastes, too,” I giggle.
Dominic gives me a cool grin. “Once in a while the stars do align, but it’s a rare event. You’ll see what I mean later.”
I caught the underlying promise, and I know it’s not about food. My insides tingle as liquid heat gathers between my legs. Good thing I’m wearing an airy, loose, white summer dress long enough to cover my knees so they can’t see how close together they are right now.
“I’ll have the hummus,” Theo says. “And the pear and salmon salad.”
Hayley gives him a bitter smile, fully aware of the intention. She needs to mind her manners and do her job is what Theo is subliminally telling her. “Thank you, sir. What about drinks?”
“Let’s start with a bottle of Tuscan chardonnay, and we’ll see where the night takes us,” Theo replies. “I noticed a Castello Banfi label on the menu.”
“Yes. I’ll bring one over for starters,” Hayley says. “Thank you.”
She leaves the dessert menu and scuttles away from the table, red-faced and humbled, unable to look me in the eyes. I give Theo, Dominic, and August a shocked gasp. “You went for total damage just now.”
“As we always do,” Theo smiles. “You’re our guest, our friend, and our most precious company, Phoebe. Don’t ever expect less from us.”
There is power in that statement.
The kind of power that fills me with desire and brings a smile to my face. If only I’d met them sooner, perhaps I would’ve never given someone like Matthew the time of day. Alas, our choices are often lessons to be learned. And I sure learned mine.
The evening unravels around us with the sound of laughter and clinking glasses at nearby tables, soft jazz flowing along with the wine.
As we eat our food and talk, the guys and I break barrier after barrier of intimacy purely through conversation.
An hour passes smoothly, and I realize not only are we getting to know each other better, but on a much deeper level.
“In hindsight, there were a lot of red flags about Matthew that I chose to ignore,” I say at one point, three glasses of Chardonnay in and halfway through my tempura extravaganza. “I know we said we wouldn’t mention him again, but to be fair, he’s basically the reason we’re all here tonight.”
“We’ll be sure to send him a gift basket when we get back,” Dominic replies with a playful wink, his gaze dropping to my lips as I pop a French fry in my mouth.
“Damn, they were right about these being the perfect fries,” I mumble, then dip another one in a pink cocktail sauce before eating it, washing it down with a swig of sparking, ice cold water.
Dominic leans closer. “You mentioned spotting red flags in Matthew. I’m curious as to what those were.”
“Oh, where to begin?” I laugh, searching through my memories.
“The way he always had an opinion about my figure. He didn’t always say it outright, but more along the lines of, ‘Are you sure you want to wear that dress tonight?’ Or ‘I don’t think that skirt does what you hoped it would.
’ Before long, I found myself swimming in double extra-large clothes just so I wouldn’t have to hear him say something that would make me go back and change. ”
August shakes his head in dismay. “He had a way of changing women like socks. You were never his type to begin with. You aren’t tasteless and materialistic.
On one hand, we were happy for him. I, for one, thought he’d finally matured and learned beauty was more than skin deep.
We didn’t know he was making all those remarks about your figure, Phoebe. If we had—”