Whiskey and Scotch

Chapter 14

I slept on the daybeds again that night. Despite the fresh outdoor air and the relative quiet compared to the communal bedroom, it was hours before I finally drifted off to sleep. Shortly after my conversation with Marisol, the other islanders had headed inside to get ready for bed, leaving me alone outside with my thoughts. It was those thoughts that kept me awake, running through my head and keeping sleep at bay.

Why would Hope vote for Lucas?

She said he'd be a catch.

She said her date was kind of boring.

She said she got good vibes from him.

She said she was being polite.

She definitely wanted to kiss him during the challenge.

It doesn't make any sense...

When I awoke, the sun was already higher in the sky than it usually was when I got up, the restless night and a couple of early mornings contributing to my sleeping in. My entire body ached, and I wanted nothing more than to turn off the sun and go back to sleep.

The smell of bacon wafted over from the kitchen, and I rolled over, hoping for a few extra minutes of slumber before the islanders started getting on with their day and I would be forced to get up.

Soon footsteps sounded on the deck, and then I felt the bed shift as someone sank into the mattress beside me. I kept my eyes closed, pretending to still be asleep.

"Good morning, Josie," Bobby's voice was soft.

I felt bad ignoring him, but I also wasn't ready to acknowledge that today might be his last in the villa.

"I know you're awake," he said. "Your eye twitched."

"Mmph," I responded into the pillow.

"I hope you like bacon and eggs on toast."

My stomach growled – loudly – and I finally cracked my eyes open and pushed myself up to a sitting position with a yawn.

"You're speaking my love language," I said groggily, resting my head on his shoulder.

He handed me one of the two plates he was holding, and I reluctantly lifted my head and sat up straighter so I could eat. The plate held a fried egg cooked sunny-side up on toast with two slices of crispy bacon – along with two freshly baked chocolate chip cookies.

"We never did get a chance to bake the cookies yesterday," he said, "so I figured I'd do it this morning while I made breakfast. I hope I got the eggs and bacon right."

"You're the sweetest, B," I said gratefully. "Thank you! It's absolutely perfect."

I went straight for one of the cookies, and he gave me an amused look as I brought it to my mouth.

"You're supposed to eat dessert after the main course," he chuckled.

"I thought that's why you gave me two," I said with my mouth full of cookie. "One before, one after. It's yummy, by the way."

He puffed out his chest. "Of course it is, I made it."

"Hey! May I remind you, we made them together."

"Pff, all you did was stir! I did all the important stuff," he smirked.

"Whatever, McKenzie," I laughed. Our easy banter was already making me feel better, and I resolved to push aside the drama and just enjoy the day, knowing it was the last day I would get to spend with either him or Lucas.