Chapter 99

  Leila chatters non-stop while touching up her make-up in the car. The journey is short, and 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 of the tables, which spill out onto the sand near the shore, all strung with fairy lights which are 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 bistro as Jake has picked a table near the shore.