Whiskey and Scotch

Chapter 18

I slept better than I had in days, and woke up in the morning feeling refreshed. Sitting up, I looked around and realized the other beds were already empty. I dragged myself out of bed, looking back at the pillows longingly. The outside door opened, and Henrik walked in, his skin glistening with moisture and his hair dripping.

He noticed me and grinned. "Good morning!" he said, walking over to me and kissing my forehead as he wrapped his arms around me.

"You're all wet!" I complained, before returning the hug.

"Yeah, I got pushed into the pool and didn't have a towel. Consider it a pre-shower. Like, a shower before you shower."

"Very funny." I stepped out of his grasp and he went in search of a towel while I headed upstairs to get ready for the day.

As I reached the dressing room door, Lottie walked in from the roof terrace. We both stopped, her eyes narrowing as she took in my sudden appearance.

"Lottie, can we talk?"

"I have no interest in talking to you," she said coldly, standing just inside the door. She looked at the open doorway behind me, as if calculating her odds of being able to squeeze past me.

I stood my ground, crossing my arms. "Well we can't keep tiptoeing around each other, and we have to have this discussion at some point. The sooner the better, for the good of the villa."

She snorted, her lips curling in disgust. "The good of the villa? Since when do you care about anyone else in here? You just do what you want, to hell with everyone else's feelings."

"Why on earth would you think that?" My eyes burned as they filled with tears, and I shook my head in frustration. "Just because I made one mistake doesn't mean I don't care about anyone else. Just let me explain what happened."

She huffed, folding her arms as she leaned against the doorframe, keeping her eyes steady on me. "Save your excuses, Josie. I don't want to hear them."

"Who says I'm trying to make excuses? I just want to give you the facts about what happened!"

"Oh, right, as if knowing all the juicy details is going to make me feel better. As far as I'm concerned, you broke girl code, and I'm not ready to hear about it."

I closed the dressing room door behind me, moving to sit on one of the vanity chairs instead. "Well what about last night, then? You seemed upset when I picked Henrik. I thought you'd be happy to couple up with Bobby."

"Bobby? What on earth possessed you into thinking I wanted to couple up with Bobby?" She unfolded her arms and pushed herself away from the door, brow furrowed in confusion.

"Um, maybe all the flirtatious moments between the two of you I've noticed in the last few days? The cupcakes? You stealing his phone and reading his text? Going on a date together?"

"Are you for real?" She gawked at me. "Bobby and I are friends, just like he's friends with you! He bakes for people he cares about, and don't try telling me he hasn't done the same for you! A little friendly banter isn't the same as flirting, and by the time I got to pick a date, the only options were Bobby and Rahim! And as much as I like Rahim, a date with Bobby sounded like a better time!"

"So you're mad at me because I picked Henrik?"

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner!" She threw her arms up in annoyance, rolling her eyes.

"But how was I supposed to know you liked him?"

"Maybe if you didn't have your head stuck so firmly up your own ass the last few days, you would have paid attention to what was going on around you?" Lottie cocked an eyebrow, crossing her arms again.