The Walk of Shame

Nine.

The Morning After

Oh dear god, Jasmine was right. Evie walked in a daze up Market Street. Nate had said something – well, he had if she took everything at face value. You look hot. I'm glad you're back. I'm into bookworms. She'd assumed they were mere platitudes, pretty words to get her into bed, but what if he were being entirely honest?

'Morning, Evie!' Claire from the grocer's waved at her. 'Your mum said you were back. Good to be home?'

'Yes thanks,' Evie said, genuinely meaning it. Especially as she didn't need to leave. No one hated her, she had a new job, and there was this guy... a guy who just might like her. Quite frankly, it was bloody awesome to be home.

At her mum's cottage, Evie pushed open the garden gate and kicked off her shoes before stepping onto the neat little patch of grass they grandly called a lawn. Home. The turf felt like a massage for her aching soles, a much-needed therapy. For a minute or three, Evie simply stood there, breathing in the morning air, the peace of the Lake District countryside.

But big brothers were made for ruining tranquil moments. The front door opened and Ryan appeared, his scowl emphasised by the porch's shadow.

'Well?' he demanded.

'Well what?'

'What did he do?'

Assuming her brother didn't want to hear the finer details of Nate shagging her senseless, Evie gave a non-committal shrug. 'Nothing.'

'That bastard—'

'What?' Her defensive heckles rose. 'I said he didn't do anything.'

'Including give you a lift home.' Ryan folded his arms. 'What, did he just kick you out?'

'No. He was asleep. I legged it.'

'Why?'

'What the hell, Ry? Because he's your best mate and bloody business partner and that could be an absolute nightmare. I'm not stupid. God! I've... and he's... oh for freaking... because I really like Nate and I didn't want to hang around in case he regretted last night.'

Shit. Evie hurled a shoe, half-aiming at her over-protective brother. I really like Nate. At least she'd admitted it to herself.

'He wouldn't.' Ryan sighed. 'He's kind of... into you for some weird reason.'

'You're such a tosser.' Evie threw her other shoe at him before giving into to raging blushes. 'But it's true then?'

'He told you?'

Evie shook her head.

'He's such a girl sometimes.' Ryan stepped toward her and hooked his arm around her neck, gently hugging her. 'I said I'd kill him if he hurt you.'

'I'm twenty-seven, dickhead.' She nipped his arm, her childhood method of getting back at him. 'But I'm fine.'

Ryan offered her his phone. 'For you.'

On the screen, Nate's name and a photo of him and Ryan filled the screen. Evie stared in horror. Nate was on the phone? While they were talking about him? And when she said—

'He heard all that, you asshole,' she hissed to her brother, snatching the phone. 'Bugger off.'

Grinning, Ryan backed away. 'The death threat still stands, Nate.'

Bloody brothers.

Defeated and resigned to a mortifying conversation, Evie put the phone to her ear. 'Hi.'