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I hope they packed comfy shoes and bug spray. Evie yawned again. No fancy people carriers will be driving down that path.
The lead actors and several extras, some holding travel mugs, others wearing headphones, disembarked from one of the SUVs, their Victorian finery on display.
Evie smiled at the anachronism unfolding in front of her as Nick climbed out of the other vehicle, lavender shirt on point, jacket hung over his arm, and jeans hugging his butt to perfection.
Still hot. A giddy flutter frolicked through her chest. In the days following their catch-up during errands, their rapport had become more relaxed, and her feelings…less angry.
Their breakup had felt like the end of the world, but seeing him again and working side by side made Evie think maybe it wasn’t. Maybe I’m stronger than I thought. She toyed with her truck’s keys as Nick chatted with the production manager. And people change, grow up. I have. So has Nick, I think.
Spotting her, he lit up and headed her way. “Morning! It’s official—Hoy is extraordinary!”
“Careful.” Evie chuckled. “That sounds a little too much like you’re enjoying it here.”
“Well, Gran came from Hoy so can’t be all bad, right? I took one of the SUVs yesterday and did a little tour, saw where she was born and lived as a young girl.”
“Aw, that’s great. Was it emotional?”
“Yeah. More than I expected. I wish I’d come here when she was alive.” He chewed the inside of his cheek. “I wish I’d come here with you.”
Me too. Evie’s ribs tightened like a vise, bottling her breath. So many times they’d planned to visit, but school, work, and family always stood in their way.
Nick glanced upward. “Hope the rain holds off.”
She eyeballed the swollen clouds beyond the island’s soaring red-sandstone cliffs. “You’ll be okay. You’re filming inside the bothy, right?”
“No, I meant for breakfast,” said Nick.
“Oatmeal heats up quick. I’ll have everyone fed and on their way before you know it.”
“Perfect.” His eyes loitered, traveling down the navy jumpsuit she had bought the previous year but was wearing for the first time. “Love the outfit by the way.”
Evie’s grin grew along with Nick’s, the pleasure of being friends again lingering.
Today’s gonna be great.
* * *
With the late lunch service completed by three p.m. and everyone down at the bothy for the last hours of filming, Evie cleaned her slow cookers, riding out each gusty lurch and tormented creak of the catering truck. Her windy wish was coming true, albeit more violently than she would’ve liked.
The alarm on her phone sounded, a reminder to pop an antibiotic for the sinus infection diagnosed a few days earlier. A compromised immune system was one of the side effects of her medication infusions, making her susceptible to all sorts of illnesses. When something nasty took hold, her next treatment—like the one scheduled in twenty-four hours’ time—would be delayed, a situation that could trigger a flare. Evie had no choice but to cross her fingers and hope for the best.
Lowering her water bottle, she looked through the rain-beaten window. The tall grass along the path bowed as a hunched Nick, messenger bag clutched against his nylon jacket, ran on an angle, fighting to stay upright. Evie waved, ushering him in.
“Fuck me, that blew in quick.” Nick slid the door closed behind him, his clothes mottled with fat raindrops. “I hope we get everything shot before this thing really hits.”
“I thought it was going well,” said Evie.
“No. It’s been one crisis after another. Ashley and two actors called in sick then the generator wouldn’t work. Now it’s the winds playing silly buggers with the sound in the bothy.” Nick removed his phone and lowered his bag to the floor as another gale rattled the truck. He braced himself against the wall. “Wow, this thing rocks—and not in a fun way!”
“This is nothing. The ferry ride will be even worse.” Evie hung up a dish towel as the rain’s ire grew more tenacious, lashing the window like a car wash. “You missed both meals. Are you hungry? I can make you a sandwich or”—she flipped open a large box on the counter and lifted a cupcake with blue icing—“I saved this one for you.”
Nick’s eyes shone as he set his phone down. “Smurfy blue!” He claimed the dessert, admiring it aloft. “You know me so well.”
I used to. Evie smiled wistfully. “I guarantee it doesn’t contain weed.”
Nick snickered and pulled off the paper liner. “Been there, done that, have the trampolining scars to prove it.”
Taking his discarded wrapper, Evie threw it in the bin as Nick tore away the cakey bottom and, like she remembered, pressed it on top of the blue cloud of frosting.
