Whiskey & Wildflowers

Chapter 13

Helvete = Hell

***

Josie walked into the dressing room and sat down at the vanity, setting her mug of tea in front of her.

"How's everyone this morning?" she asked, looking in the mirror and running her fingers through her hair. Her roots were growing in, the original colour still red but less vibrant than the dyed lengths. She hoped they'd bring a hairdresser in some day to give them the touch-ups they needed.

"Amazing, babes!" Chelsea exclaimed, while the rest of the girls gave more muted greetings. Instead of sitting at the vanity, she was doing her makeup on the floor, cross-legged. "I can't wait to get my tan on today! Do you think we'll be doing another challenge?"

Josie shrugged and picked up her moisturizer, squeezing the product into her hand. Life in the villa was both predictable and unpredictable. They never knew what each day would bring... except for a lot of sitting around and chatting.

"Is Lottie still in the Hideaway?" Hope asked as she swung open Lottie's cupboard. "She said I could wear that one strappy bikini of hers I liked..."

"Which one?"

"The black one."

"Isn't that most of them?"

"Aha!" Hope raised a bundle of black fabric in her fist. "Found it!"

"What's taking them so long?" Marisol asked. She picked up her coffee cup and frowned, looking inside and setting it back down before grumbling, "Empty, again."

"Probably sleeping in," Josie replied with a wistful sigh, wishing once again that it had been her and Henrik in the Hideaway. "That's what I would've done. Take advantage of a private bedroom."

"Maybe they are taking advantage of it." Priya winked, smirking as she picked up one of the many glass bottles laid out in front of her. "If you know what I mean."

Chelsea gasped and spun around to face her. "Bobby and Lottie?! No way! Do you think?"

The room filled with the scent of tropical fruits as Priya let loose a fine mist of body spray.

"Why not?" She shrugged. "Just because they're friends doesn't mean they don't have needs."

A wrinkle appeared between the blonde's eyebrows as her bottom lip protruded slightly, and Josie wondered if that would possibly change things for Bobby with the new girl. For his sake, she hoped he hadn't done anything he'd later come to regret. Although sleeping with Lottie would be regrettable either way.

"It was certainly quieter in the bedroom last night," she commented in an attempt to change the subject. The thought of one of her closest friends in the villa getting his rocks off with the girl she liked the least wasn't a pleasant one first thing in the morning. "Without Lottie's snoring."

"Yeah, but Noah started earlier than usual," Marisol replied. She cocked an eyebrow in Hope's direction. "You two must've been tired."

Hope made a non-committal noise as she stood in front of the floor-length mirror, checking herself out. She'd changed into Lottie's bikini and was adjusting the fabric and tugging at the straps, ensuring everything was in place just so.

"Is everything still going well with you two?" Marisol pressed.

She gave her reflection a tight-lipped smile. "We're fine. Everything's fine." Turning to look at her side-profile and check out her bum in the mirror, she gave a satisfied nod. "That's me done. See you downstairs!"

Giving them a small wave, she sauntered out of the room.

"Hm." Marisol tapped a makeup brush on her lips. "Evasive. Something's going on."