Whiskey & Wildflowers

Chapter 29

Josie was beginning to rue the day she'd ever laid eyes on Henrik. And the day she'd coupled up with him. And especially the day she realized she was falling for him.

Things were so much easier when she could just do what she wanted, sleep with whomever she liked. It was never in the plans for emotions to get involved, and this was exactly why.

"Urgh," she grumbled into her arms, her face buried in them as she sat at the kitchen counter. "Feelings suck."

"Aw, babe." Priya popped a crisp into her mouth, then patted Josie on the shoulder. "He'll come around."

She lifted her head and pushed her hair out of her face. "But what if he doesn't?"

Josie glanced over at the fire pit, where Lucas was sitting with his body pointed towards Hope, their knees almost touching as the woman talked animatedly, gesturing with her hands. Much like their first date all those weeks ago, although this time, Hope wasn't fully enamoured with Noah. Even from a distance, she could see the smile on Luas's face, the way his attention was focused on her. The arm draped across the back of the bench, reaching just behind Hope's shoulders.

If Henrik didn't come around, she may not even have a second option.

She hadn't seen him since their 'chat' that morning. After he left the terrace, she'd thrown some cushions around in anger before succumbing to her tears. Then she was dragged into the Beach Hut, where she cried some more and brushed off the producers' attempts to get her to talk. She'd already said enough.

Now, she was trying to get some sympathy and advice from two of her closest friends, but nothing they were saying was helping, no matter how hard they tried. Waiting around for Henrik to sort out his feelings was painful.

"Give him time," Bobby said for what felt like the millionth time. Josie was starting to hate those words. "He likes you a lot, and like you said, you didn't do anything."

But it wasn't just about what she had or hadn't done, but about what she'd told him. Honesty was one of the things he valued most — there wasn't a dishonest bone in his own body — and she'd kept the truth from him. It had been to protect him, though. In her eyes, the extent of what she'd done with Magnus was outweighed by the truth of her feelings for Henrik. Why couldn't he see that?

"We may not have time," she replied glumly, snatching the bag of crisps out of Priya's hands.

"Hey! Those are mine!"

"Whatever." She didn't argue as Priya stole the bag back. "Do we have ice cream?"

Bobby chuckled and opened the freezer. "Ah, so you've entered the comfort food stage. Well, I can offer you..." He moved a few things around. "An ice lolly."

Josie pulled a face. Ice lollies, ice lollies... It felt like all they ever had was ice lollies.

"An ice lolly is perfect!" Priya exclaimed. "Make sure Henrik is watching, then lick it seductively."

Bobby and Josie both groaned, but for different reasons. Bobby because he was probably already picturing it himself, and Josie because the last thing she needed to do was get Henrik thinking about blowjobs after the revelations from the previous night and that morning.

But it did give her another idea.

"What if I give him a peace offering of some sort?" she asked, sitting up straighter and looking back and forth between her companions.

"Like what?" Priya asked, digging her hand into the bag of crisps.

"Um..." Her shoulder sagged. "I dunno."