Chapter Fifty-One
Kaylee
An hour later, I’m pulling out of Banana Burger. I’ll give it to Sally, she’s a woman of her word. And now that I’ve filled out all of my paperwork and have my uniform, I’m officially employed. Thank goodness. It feels like a weight has been lifted off my back.
Now it’s lunch time, and that means the Beaky Tiki. Only today feels different. Yes, I’m meeting my friends, but I’m certainly not lying to them for that asshole Chase. It feels like that whole part of my life is over anyway.
I get to the Beaky Tiki early, pushing through the crowd to fight for our favorite table. Then I sit, order a drink, and wait to see the uber surprised look on Angie and Fi’s faces when I’m actually early for once.
As I sip my drink, I suspect that I’m getting a few odd looks. Not from the locals, but from the paparazzi.
Nothing to see here, I think as I give a sarcastic smile and wave to them. I’m just a girl who now works at Banana Burger.
One of them, to my surprise, actually does take my picture. I glare at him, wondering if I should get up and confront him. That’s not cool.
That’s the exact moment that Fi shows up, though. So I just smile up at her as she approaches and soak in the shocked expression on her face. She even pretends to fake a heart attack as she approaches the table. I give her a polite golf clap.
“What the hell, Kaylee?” She looks at her watch.
“Oh, I had free time this morning,” I answer.
She knows by the tone of my voice that something’s off. “What are you talking about?” she asks suspiciously. “You never, ever, ever have free time.”
“I got fired.”
Fi, who hasn’t sat down yet thanks to her theatrics, drops her purse in the sand. She stoops to pick it up and then sits, placing it heavily on the table. “What are you talking about? You’re the best pastry chef that restaurant has ever had.”
I look away. The emotions I’m still feeling over it all are still raw. About Chase, about the job, about my life. All of it.
I try to meet her eye. “The tabloids. Irrefutable proof that I wasn’t sick all weekend. And that I was right here at the resort all along.”
Fi shakes her head. “Oh, Kaylee, I’m so sorry, love.”
Angie seems to materialize out of nowhere, probably because I’m not paying attention. “Now this is more like it,” she says with a wink. “I’m supposed to get here last.” Then she looks around and her expression changes. “Uh-oh, what did I miss?”
“Kaylee got fired,” Fi fills her in.
“What the hell is wrong with them?” Angie demands.
“I know, right?” Fi chimes in.
I shake my head sadly. “Hey, I hate it, but I don’t blame them. I got caught lying. And all for that asshole Chase.”
Fi’s eyes flash. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. There’s more? Hold on, I’m going to order our food because I have a feeling we’re going to need it. Nobody say anything that’s important while I’m gone, okay?” She points her finger at Angie and then at me and we both nod.
Happy to change the subject, I ask Angie how things are at the animal hospital.
She shrugs and takes a sip of her water. “Oh, it’s actually pretty quiet today. Nothing crazy.”
I nod. That’s good.
Fi comes back from the bar area with a frown on her face.
“Problem with the food?” I ask, hoping that’s not the case.
She sits down and scoots in. “Nope, the food is all good. It’s just that the photographers are giving you a really hard second look. They might be onto you. If they were suspicious before, well, they’re more than that now.”
Oh yeah, I forgot my giant, stupid looking hat. Well, I didn’t forget it, it’s just that whatever part of my life that was, it’s over now anyway. The truth is I miss my hat, it keeps the paparazzi from recognizing me. And I miss Chase too.
That settled, Angie leans forward, and the look of concern on her face has me fighting back tears. “Tell us what happened, Kaylee.”
I take a few deep breaths to steady my nerves, because the truth is, I don’t even really know what happened. “I have no idea.” I’m honest because I’m done lying for him. Forever. Even though that’s a lesson I learned way too late.
“We had a great time last night. He got exactly what he wanted out of that zoom meeting or whatever.”
“And there it is,” Angie interjects. “He got his way. And then what?”
“Then we went out for dessert.”
“Oh, dessert,” Angie says, “where?”
“Maui Island Treats.”
“Okay,” Fi says, “that sounds pretty good.”
“It was,” I say, thinking back. “Everything was fine. More than fine, even.”
“What happened next?”
I shrug. “We went back to his suite. Went to bed. He didn’t even say goodnight. In the morning he was grumpy as hell and looking for a fight. I think he just wanted me out. And it worked.”
“I’m so sorry,” Angie says. “That’s so not fair. Then you got fired? One right after the other?”
“One right after the other,” I say. “Vivian was with Ralph, and she had the tabloid right there in her hand. With me on the front cover. Exploits of the woman helping the billionaire. Only they don’t know it’s fake.”
“Shit, Kaylee,” Fi says. “Hey, at least you’ve got the money, right? You’ll show them when Scrumptious Chocolate takes off and becomes a national company to be reckoned with.”
Then our food arrives. And chips and salsa too because my friends are the best and they love me. I need that cheeseburger more than I ever needed a cheeseburger in my life. And it doesn’t disappoint. “Oh, yes. This is exactly what I need after a really crappy morning. Thank you, guys.”
“No problem,” Fi smirks. “So, when are you going to be ramping up chocolate production? I have