Page 15 of Isla

Before she can ask, I hear gravel crunching behind me. "Did you losers forget about me?"

"Oh my god, Theo! I thought you left ages ago!" Isla turns toward him, her hand coming up to cover her mouth.

"Sorry, man." I hit him on the shoulder affectionately. "Need a ride?"

He eyes the Mustang. "Nah, I'll just sleep in the pub," he deadpans.

Isla rolls her eyes. "And you calleduslosers?"

"You haven't told her yet, have you?" I nudge Theo right in the ribs with my elbow.

"Told me what?"

"That I'm not scared of going fast; I'm just scared of your driving," Theo tells her, scowling at me over her head.

"You're such a jerk sometimes," she huffs. "Except when you make me cottage pie."

"He races. Cars. Motorcycles. Pretty much anything with an engine," I explain, spilling his secrets.

Isla turns to Theo. "Seriously? Do you work on them, too?"

Theo raises an eyebrow. "Something wrong with your car?"

"No, my motorcycle. I haven't had the time to get it looked at,” she says, catching Theo by surprise. Isla tells him about it, her hands moving a mile a minute. By the time she's finished talking, he may as well be that cartoon wolf with hearts coming out of his eyes. It’s that moment I realize that no matter how ornery he acts, he's just as smitten as me and Henry. This summer will be one hell of a ride.

7

The guys meet me at the castle bright and early the following morning. I’m not happy about giving up my gym time for the second day in a row, but mornings are the only time we can all meet, and I want them to get started on the renovations ASAP. I called Jack yesterday to give him a heads-up, and despite wanting to fight someone over the sale of the pub, he was pleased to finally have help.

We enter through the back service door, straight into the kitchen. Charlie and Cam are cozied up at the table, Jack is making coffee, and Lachlan is behind the stove in an apron. Charlie jumps up to hug me.

“Guys, this is Charlie. Charlie, this is Theo, Henry, and Dylan,” I say, introducing them.

“Nice to meet you!” Charlie turns her back on them and wiggles her eyebrows at me. “Why don’t you all sit down? Breakfast will be ready in just a couple of minutes.”

“You’re American,” Theo says, studying her.

“You caught me!” Charlie laughs. “I came over for work, met these assholes, and never left.”

My heart rate ticks up. I hadn’t considered how the guys would react to Charlie’s relationship with my brother, Lachlan, and Cam. Itfeels so normal–so right–that I didn't even think about the fact that they may not receive it well. I watch as Theo studies them, then glance over to see Dylan and Henry whispering to each other. Fuck. I should have said something before we came over.

Charlie and Cam help Jack and Lach plate up the food, then carry the platters to the table. As Charlie bends over to set her platter of eggs down, Jack slaps her on the ass. She squeaks in indignation.

Lach pulls her to him, rubbing her butt with his palm. “I’ll make it better, Care Bear.”

She pulls out of his grip and stumbles into Cam, who kisses her long and hard. “The three of you are insufferable,” she says when she finally pulls away, her cheeks rosy, eyes sparkling.

Theo pushes away from the table, his chair grinding against the floor, and storms outside. Henry and Dylan look at each other and then scramble to follow him.

“Sorry, guys, give us a second,” I apologize, running after them.

Theo is standing in the courtyard waiting for me, his anger palpable. “Is this some sort of fucking joke?”

“I’m sorry. I should have told you guys before we came over,” I stammer, wracking my brain to figure out why he’s so upset.

“How’d you find out?” Theo demands.

I pull my brows together in confusion. “Find out what?”

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