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“Bubbles, ladies?” Lizzie offered, already holding up two very full, freshly poured glasses.
A short while later, the group had settled into the living room with their bubbles, sharing the latest gossip and soaking up the pre-party glow. Then Cathy Ann and Vivi made their entrance.
“Waaaah!” Màiri squealed, nearly sloshing her drink all over herself. “It just keeps getting better! Everyone looks so good!”
Cathy Ann looked like some kind of medieval devil fairy in black and red, with massive, feathered wings. Her makeup—already legendary—was now full-on celestial: smoky, sparkling, and bold, with gems scattered artfully across her cheekbones. Vivi, in contrast, was positively angelic—and the two of them together made quite the vision. She’d channelled a golden Tinkerbell, complete with dazzling strappy heels that showed off her sculpted legs, enormous white feathered wings dusted with gold glitter, and delicate white and gold flowers pinned in her hair. Vivi was never shy about her body—years of gym workouts had seen to that—but she could be a bit self-conscious about her very ample chest. Not tonight, though. The girls were out.
“I actually can’t stop saying how amazing everyone looks,” Lizzie said, eyes wide with wonder. “It’s magical. And you know I’m not usually like this.”
Jenn smiled—this night was turning out even better than she’d hoped.
“Right!” Cathy Ann clapped her hands and sat down beside the mountain of makeup bags. “Let’s get Cairistìona and MT sorted, then we can focus on partying.” She was already sorting through trays of glitter, rhinestones, and shimmer palettes like a woman on a mission.
Màiri brandished another bottle. “I think we need more bubbles!”
As glasses were topped up again, Jenn let herself pause and take it in. The room shimmered with laughter, glitter, and bubbles—and somehow, Vivi fit right in, like she’d been part of the gang forever. Jenn still couldn’t quite believe she was here on Hellisay, having this much fun. She was over halfway through her year-long contract. The future was still wide open, but she’d built a little nest egg and ticked off some online courses on food hygiene and business management for the airport—all things that could help if she ever wanted to take her baking further. She felt relaxed. She felt happy. And—maybe for the first time in years—she felt hopeful.
“Woot woooo!” Vivi wolf-whistled as Cairistìona and MT showed off their costumes.
Cairistìona wore darker shades of blue and silver compared with Lizzie’s ethereal sea-nymph palette. MT wore deep greens and earthy tones that made her look like a regal woodland warrior. She was tall—like her brother, Ally—but otherwise, she and Jenn couldn’t have looked more different. Still, they were an eye-catching group in every sense.
“Do you know what time Ruairidh and Ally were heading over?” Màiri asked.
Vivi flicked a quick, not-so-subtle glance at Jenn. Definitely a Ruairidh reference.
“Pretty sure Ally said he was meeting Ruairidh about eight,” MT replied, eyes closed for glitter application. “They’ll probably hang in the pub first. Means they’ll be fashionably late, as usual.”
Cairistìona rolled her eyes. “Translation: they’ll want to make an entrance and soak up all the attention.”
“We need loads of pictures!” Màiri squealed, phone already in hand. “Everyone scoot in! Get your glasses. These are going to be epic.”
“Yes, definitely get some now before I look a state later,” Cathy Ann said, laughing. “Apparently there are lethal cocktails on offer tonight!”
After several rounds of posing, pouting, rearranging, clinking glasses, and laughing uncontrollably, Màiri finally declared she had enough shots to flood social media.
“Right—bottoms up, ladies!” MT cheered. “Let’s go!”
Chapter 24
“Oh my God, ladies, I am so sorry about my brother!” Màiri wailed, looking at her phone. “He’s such a bloody skank!”
“I think it’s hilarious,” Jenn said, laughing as she read the comments. Donnie had apparently taken quite a shine to Vivi—wherever he was in the world—and was commenting lasciviously on all of their photos.
“Poor Dol! Stuck with Donnie in the middle of the ocean,” MT said. “He’s so jealous he can’t be here.”
“I miss him…” Màiri admitted sadly.
“It’s not too long until they’re home,” Cairistìona said, giving Màiri a tight squeeze.
“A month and a half,” Màiri said, perking up and giving her sister a warm smile.
“Here we go, ladies!” Vivi announced as she, Lizzie and Cathy Ann returned to their table from the bar with various jugs of cocktails and bottles of bubbles in hand.
“Wow!” Jenn exclaimed at the amount of drink they had brought back.
“The bar was heaving! So we got a couple of rounds,” Cathy Ann explained.
The hall looked fantastic. Each table glowed with a Halloween centrepiece and lantern, while horrible, ghoulish decorations dangled from the walls and ceilings. Theatre smoke curled out from the stage, pooling into a low, eerie carpet across the floor. The Gambler was on a short break, so a couple of the Hellisay FC lads had taken over with a fast reel. Fiddles skirled, feet thudded, and the dance floor was a blur of flying limbs, masks, and bits of costume.
