Whiskey & Wildflowers

Chapter 3

"Oh, sh—feck!"

Those were the words Josie woke up to, before a stream of scalding hot liquid splashed over her blanket and a heavy body landed on her legs.

"Oomph!"

She threw back the duvet as the liquid seeped through and met her skin, the sudden heat of it making her jump up to a sitting position and inadvertently kick whoever was at her feet.

"Ow!"

"What the fuck, get off me!"

It was still dark in the bedroom, but only for another moment, as the lights flicked on and, after her eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness, she found Bobby draped over their bed on his stomach, quivering with laughter. A mug was still in his hand, with only remnants of tea still inside — the rest of it seeping into the fabric of her duvet and creating a puddle on the floor.

"Bobby?! What are you doing?"

"Sorry, lass," he said as he rolled over, still laughing and not sounding very apologetic at all. "I was trying to bring you tea."

"I prefer my tea in a mug rather than all over me," Josie replied wryly, extricating herself from the wet covers.

"Wha's goin' on?" someone from across the room mumbled as other Islanders stirred in their own beds, blinking over at the commotion with curious eyes.

"Bobby spilled tea all over me."

"That's not on," Gary said, sitting up in bed as Hope rolled over beside him, burying her face in her pillow.

"I'm sorry!" Bobby exclaimed, finally calming down and helping Josie strip the dirty linens off the bed. "I just wanted to make a nice gesture, but I tripped over something in the dark and, well..."

"Your service needs work, mate."

"What did you even trip on?" Josie asked, looking at the floor.

"His own feet, probably," Gary joked.

"Someone's shoes, I think!" Bobby replied, leaning down to pick up the offending pair of men's sandals, then quickly dropping them and covering his nose. "Woof."

Josie looked over to the bed beside theirs, where Rocco was still sprawled out on his stomach, completely oblivious to what was going on next to him. Lottie was nowhere to be found, having spent the night elsewhere.

"He must've left them there last night," she said, jerking her chin towards him.

Bobby sighed, looking at the empty mug still in his hand. "Want me to make you another cuppa?"

"I think I've had enough," she replied dryly. "I'm gonna bring these linens to the laundry, then go take a shower. I'll have something later with breakfast. Maybe next time, just give me morning cuddles?"

"But I want to be the guy who gets up and makes everyone coffee in the morning!"

"Sure. Just wait until the lights are on before bringing it to us."

Bobby sighed, his shoulders dropping in defeat. "Oh, alright."

"Thanks anyway." Josie smiled at him, then leaned in and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "It was a nice thought, even if the execution was a bit lacking."

After showering and applying a light layer of makeup, Josie returned downstairs and went out to the kitchen in search of breakfast. What she found was Priya and Hope, both hunched over the counter with very different expressions on their faces. Priya seemed pleased with herself as she rolled a crepe and set it onto a plate, while Hope looked frustrated and annoyed as she stared into a frying pan.