Page 89 of Charlie

"Maybe," she laughs, "but they're leaving tomorrow."

"And?"

"And tonight, you and I are going to watch a movie and have some much-needed girl time. I feel like I've hardly seen you recently."

"That will be really nice." I squeeze her tight, thankful for her friendship. The next song starts up, and there's a loud whoop from almost everyone left in the pub. I look around with wide eyes, letting Lach pull me to the edges of the dance floor.

Cameron comes to stand by me, grasping my hand in his. "You should recognize this song," he yells over the noise. And I do, from that night at the pub in Portree. It's strange to re-live so many memories in one night. It's giving me a strong sense of déjà vu. Lach grabs my other hand and we're all thrown into a chaotic dance of clapping and stomping. I look across the circle, giggling as the brothers jostle for a place next to Isla. Her hair is falling around her face, her eyes sparkling, and cheeks rosy.

"Last song of the night," Ewan announces as the band picks back up with something slow.

My attention is forced from Isla as the guys surround me. "We can't all dance together," I laugh, trying not to step on their toes.

"If we can all fuck together, then I'm pretty sure we can figure out how to dance together, Sassenach," Jack rumbles. My nipples pebble, heat pooling between my thighs as his words hit home. I sway with them, their hands roaming over me to the point of distraction. A slight sweep of fingers over my ribs, a palm squeezing my hip, a thumb dragging over my bottom lip. Fuck. The guys shift slightly and I get a glimpse of Isla in a similar position, the brothers taking turns dancing with her. I head to the bar for my drink when the music stops, fanning myself. I lean against the scarred wood as I sip, watching Isla kiss the brothers on their cheeks and then shoo them out the door.

"Isla, that could have been something spectacular," I say as she walks toward me.

She shrugs. "I'm sick of one-night stands. I'm ready for something real."

"Fair enough."

The guys sit Isla and me down at the bar, insisting we relax as they clean up.

"I could get used to this," Isla laughs as she flips off the lights, throwing the sparkling pub into darkness. "Ready for some girl time?"

"Yes," I groan, "my feet are killing me."

Jack opens the Mustang door for me and then wishes me goodnight, leaving me with a kiss on the cheek.

"Have you fucked them yet?" Isla asks as she gets in next to me, her grin bright in the dim car.

"If I had known this was going to be twenty questions, I would have left with one of the guys," I tease.

"Oh, stop. You've got to talk about it with someone, right? We'll change into comfy clothes, open a bottle of wine, and you'll be spilling all your secrets before you know it."

"Mmm. We'll see," I laugh. She opens up the throttle once we're on the main road, my shriek of surprise turning into uncontrollable giggles as we roar into the night.

49

Isla meets me in matching sweats and bunny slippers at the cottage. She has a gigantic bag slung over her shoulder that she proceeds to empty like Mary Poppins pulling things out of her carpet bag. Two bottles of wine, various charcuterie accoutrements, enough chocolate to last us a year, a variety of face masks and scrubs, a bottle of hair mask and a makeup bag filled with nail polish. My jaw drops further with every item she takes out.

"I told you, we’re going to have a proper girls' night. Starting with the wine." She grabs two glasses from the kitchen and pours a healthy amount into each one. "To friendship!"

"To the best girlfriend anyone could ever ask for," I return, touching my glass to hers.

We gossip while we arrange a charcuterie board, taking it back to the couch so we can put on a movie.

"First, you have to tell me what’s going on with you and the guys. I know it’s weird, but all of you are my friends, and I don’t like being left out of the loop."

My heart sinks. "Oh, God. I hadn't even thought about it like that."

"It's fine. We'll all have growing pains, I'm sure. We just need to keep communication open."

I gulp my wine, trying to organize my thoughts. "Since Cameron came back, we pivoted and decided that they should each have one-on-one time with me. Cam and I spent the night together after he came back."

"And?" she asks when I pause a little too long.

I clear my throat. "It was good. Really good."

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