Chapter 22
“Everyone thinks I’m dead now?”
“It was a friend’s dad’s funeral,” Mum said.
“That photographer saw Femi dressed in black and then followed her to the crematorium. When she told Jarell, he threatened him with the police. And now there are all these lies on social media that it was your funeral. That you killed yourself because you couldn’t come to terms with your injuries and we’re keeping it all a secret until after Christmas. ”
“The only truth in any of it is that your sister attended a funeral,” Malek chipped in. He was standing behind Mum, thick arms crossed over his barrel chest in a bodyguard stance. “Femi said when everyone was leaving, there were more reporters hanging around outside.”
“They blocked cars,” Mum added. “Took photos through the windscreen. It’s disgusting.”
“I know.” Dan gritted his teeth. If Karim wasn’t in the room, he’d have been going ballistic. Those fucking hounds had gone too far this time.
“And Isabella…” Mum wrung her hands. “She messaged Gabi to say that she’s releasing a statement immediately to tell her followers that you’re not dead, that you’ve not committed suicide.
But social media is unreal. The things people are saying!
And all because of that awful man following Femi and spreading lies. ”
Dan rubbed his forehead. That was good of Isabella to do that, but clearly, mentioning her ex-would-be-daughter-in-law hadn’t helped curb Mum’s anxiety over all the other things people were saying.
“God, I hate journalists,” Mum hissed through gritted teeth.
Dan glanced at Libby, who quickly turned her attention back to Karim, something like shame flickering across her face.
“Not all journalists are bad,” Dan said. Mum and Malek’s heads snapped up. “I know, I know. I’ve changed my tune.” He stepped over to Libby. “Libby is a journalist—a very good one.”
“Oh…” Mum’s face turned from angry to embarrassed. “I’m so sorry, Libby. I didn’t know. And I didn’t mean…”
“It’s okay, Carina. There are some really rotten eggs out there, and I can understand your hatred.” She looked back at Karim, eyes focused on her child as he played with his cars on the floor by her feet. “Gossip journalists are the worst,” she added.
“But that’s not your kind of journalism.
” Dan turned back to his mum and Malek. “Libby writes parenting and travel articles. And she makes videos too.” He told them about Libby’s channel and the content they were making.
“We planned to release them in the new year, but now…” His gaze found Libby’s, who was waiting for his next words like she already knew what they’d be.
“I know you need time to prep your social channels. I know our interviews are to help your career as much as mine and that you need time to set everything up to maximize the exposure…but…but it’s—”
“—the only way to stop the rumors,” Libby finished for him. Then she stood and clasped her hands together. “All right, Dan. It’s time.”
“Time for what?” Mum asked, looking between them.
Dan grinned at Libby. She grinned back, and the heat of their connection lit a fuse inside him.
“It’s time to blow up the internet.”
For the next hour, Dan and Libby worked solidly, recording and editing a statement in Tia Rosa’s garden while Mum and Malek kept Karim entertained.
“So here I am, everyone,” Dan had said into Libby’s camera.
“Alive and kicking. Taking a holiday.” He’d then thanked everyone for their continued support and reassured them he was recuperating well.
At the end of the statement, they included a short montage of the footage they’d shot on Atiu—of him swimming, diving, and dancing.
The sequence ended with footage of his lightning strike victory pose at the island dance and a funky graphic that read, Subscribe and check out Part One!
“It’s done,” Libby said when it was time to upload and go live. “You ready?”
“Go for it.”
Libby dropped the video statement on each of their social media platforms.
“There you go.” She blew out her breath and stood from her laptop. “You’re officially alive now.”
He went to reach for her, wanting to kiss her, but Mum came in at that moment with Karim, who charged into Libby’s legs.
“Pee-pee,” he said.
Libby congratulated him for telling her, took his hand and said over her shoulder, “Please, pause the biggest moment in social media history while I take my son to the bathroom.”
Dan smiled and ruffled Karim’s hair. “When you’ve gotta go, you’ve gotta go.”
As soon as Libby shut the bathroom door, Mum said, “She’s so lovely.”
Uh-oh. Dan recognized that tone.
“Yes, she is,” he said evenly. Whatever he and Libby had started last night was new and fragile and definitely not up for discussion.
He and Libby had an understanding—a mutual understanding—just between them and no one else.
He quickly changed the subject. “So, we’ve posted the statement, and now that I’m back from the dead, we’ll upload our Part One video. ”
“Are you sure you’re ready for this, Danny?” Mum asked. Worry had returned to her eyes. “The attention on you will increase when you get back home.”
“That’s the whole point, really.” But he couldn’t think about that now.
Even though it was only two weeks away, returning home felt so far in the future that it didn’t quite seem real.
If his and Libby’s plan worked, that pack of wolves would get bored and stop looking for dirt, but not immediately.
“The important thing is that people leave my family alone. They went too far with Femi. I’m sorry I’ve put everyone through such a hard time. ”
“It’s been harder for you,” Mum said. “You do what you have to do, but don’t feel pressured to do any of it. Isabella’s got a whole team of people behind her. And you’ve got no one.”
“I’ve got Libby.” She wasn’t a well-oiled media management machine like Isabella’s team, but she was all he had right now. And all he wanted. “Libby’s clever, honest, and creative. She’s also a lot of fun.”
“I can see that.” Mum smiled. “It sounds like she’s been a good friend to you.”
“She has. And we’ve got a good plan. I don’t need a team of PR gurus helping me through this. Libby and I are completely in control of our content, and we’re going to make it work in our favor.”
Something like pride flashed in Mum’s eyes.
Libby and Karim came back from the bathroom, and Mum nodded at Malek. “We’d better go. We’ll update Femi and Gabi. See you at dinner.”
They’d all agreed to meet in the restaurant on the beach, which was walking distance from the hut so that Karim wouldn’t be in bed too late.
“We’ve got three hours before dinner,” Libby said as soon as Mum and Malek left. “We can edit the next video and—”
“Take Karim to the beach,” Dan told her.
“You’re kidding me, right? Dan, we’ve got to be on—”
“Let’s leave it for now, Libby. We’ve done what we set out to do today. Let’s take a break.”
“But we—”
“Mamma, look.” Karim pulled his ball out from the beach bag.
“Take Karim for a swim and chill,” Dan said. “Everything else can wait.”
“We have to monitor the reaction.”
“I know.” He placed his hands on her shoulders. “But whether we check now or later won’t change anything. Let the internet do its thing without it controlling us.”
On an exhale, Libby nodded. “Yeah, you’re right.” She picked up Karim, who was still holding his ball. “I get so hyped, you know?”
“I know.”
“This is big,” she said. “For you. For me. For our plan. I don’t want to mess it up.”
“You won’t. We won’t.”
Again, he wanted to kiss her. But Karim was in her arms, and Dan wasn’t sure how she’d feel about him watching. The little kid looked desperate for the beach, anyway.
“Mommy, splash.”
“Coming right up, sweet cheeks.” Libby turned back to Dan. “You coming, too?”
He shook his head. “I need to exercise and stretch.”
After Libby and Karim left, Dan stood quietly in Tia Rosa’s garden, resisting the urge to jump on Libby’s laptop to see the reactions to their post. But he’d meant what he’d said.
If creating content with Libby was to be his new venture for the next couple of weeks, to debunk rumors and get the gossip press off his back, they needed to set some firm boundaries.
Otherwise, social media would control and take over their lives.
And he’d never wanted to be one of those people who lay in bed on his phone checking what strangers were saying about him.
He’d rather spend that time doing other things in bed. Preferably with Libby. Naked.
Which brought him to the real reason he wasn’t joining her and Karim at the beach. There was something he needed to do before dinner. Something he’d been thinking about all day.
He checked the time, grabbed his wallet, and headed out to the road.
On the way back from the beach, Libby entered the little store not far from Tia Rosa’s hut, attracted by the sign out front that promised milkshakes.
She and Karim were sticky with seawater and sand and needed a refreshing treat.
Excitement over her and Dan’s first post going live still buzzed through her, and she was itching to check the reaction, but Dan was right.
It had been an intense, roller coaster of a day—on so many levels—and she’d needed the break and playtime with Karim.
As she approached the counter, her mouth watered when she saw the milkshake machine. She ordered a small banana one for Karim and a regular strawberry one for herself, then noticed the toiletries section to the left of the counter.
Toothpaste, shaving foam… Condoms.
The woman set the drinks down in front of her. “Can I get you anything else?”
Well…actually.
“I’ll have a box of those, please.” Libby pointed quickly at the bright-red packets on the shelf.
Without batting an eyelid, the woman placed one next to the milkshakes. It beamed like a million-watt flashlight.
“Anything else?” the woman asked.