Whiskey & Wildflowers

Chapter 24

The next day was as cloudy as Josie's mood. She'd woken with a start sometime during the wee hours of the morning as the bedroom door clicked shut and Henrik trudged inside, smelling damp. Apparently, even he couldn't sleep outside when it was raining, at least not without a proper covering. The canopies over the daybeds were great for shielding them from the hot afternoon sun; less so for shielding them from the other elements.

He spent the rest of the night on the couch in the living room, but the interruption to her sleep was enough to keep Josie up awake for hours afterwards, tossing and turning and thinking about the events of the recoupling and what she was going to do next. By the time she finally drifted back to sleep, she still had no answer to her dilemma.

Waking up to find that it was still raining with no sign of letting up didn't help. Almost everyone was grumpy once they realized they were stuck inside for the duration. No sunbathing. No working out. No swimming.

"Man, this has seriously dampened my mood." Bobby's glum comment as he stared out across the lawn almost made her smile. Almost. She was still mad at him, and she would deny the allegation that her lips might've twitched a little.

"Nice one," Gary said appreciatively. A few of them were hanging outside in the kitchen, raiding the cupboards for the meagre snack offerings and getting some fresh air. There were only so many things to do, so many places to hang out inside the villa.

"Rain, rain, go away..." Chelsea sang in a singsong voice. Even her brightness had dimmed once she realized she couldn't work on her tan. "Come again another day... preferably after we've all gone home..."

"Here!" Henrik tossed a couple of snack-sized bags of salt and vinegar crisps out of the larder. "They were on one of the top shelves."

Chelsea gasped. "Do you think Jakub hid them there?"

Gary snorted as he picked up a bag that had dropped to the floor and handed it to Chelsea, who ripped into it voraciously. "I knew he was sneaking carbs when we weren't looking."

A cold shiver came over Josie, and she hugged herself for warmth, rubbing her arms. She'd come outside to make a cuppa, not expecting to be in the same vicinity as Henrik while she did so. He was the only one who was seemingly unaffected by the weather; if anything, he appeared to be enjoying it. He was in his element, happier than she'd seen him since... well, since before Casa.

The kettle boiled, and she poured the hot water over the tea bag, then sat back to wait for it to steep.

"Crisp?" Bobby offered, holding out an open bag like a peace offering as he popped one into his mouth.

Josie sighed. Yeah, she really wanted one. "Fine, but I'm still mad at you."

"You'll forgive me eventually. I—ooh, what's this?" His phone pinged, and his eyes lit up. "Text! I got a text!"

"TEXT?!?" Chelsea exclaimed a little too loudly, making Gary wince. "Everybody, we got a text!"

She ran into the villa to find the others and bring them outside.

"Bruv, what's it say?" Gary asked, nudging Bobby, who was already reading the screen with a slow smile spreading across his face.

He shook his head, looking pleased with himself. "Gotta wait for everyone else."

"Well, they better hurry up, then," the other man grumbled.

Henrik remained quiet throughout the exchange, but Josie could sense his presence. Somehow, she always could.

Chelsea returned with the others in tow, most of them looking bored or blurry-eyed, as if they'd been woken from naps.

"This better be good," Blake mumbled, crossing her arms.