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“I’m glad I have your royal approval,” Jenn said, curling her fingers around her mug. “But I think last night was just a one-off.” Her voice was lighter than she felt.
“Oh, it most certainly wasn’t,” Vivi said, absolutely convinced. “You two are perfect for each other. I could see the way you were looking at him. And I wasn’t the only one—everyone was waiting for something to happen between you two. I can’t believe it’s taken this long!”
“Well… you know me.” Jenn gave a self-conscious shrug, cradling her tea. “I’m not very good at this sort of thing. And it’s such a small island. We’ve barely had the chance for anything to happen—if you know what I mean.”
“Well, you wasted all that time with Javi—”
“It wasn’t wasting time! He was lovely!” Jenn protested.
“Pfff. You were using him to avoid anything serious. You always do this, Jenn. The second something real shows up, you’re halfway out the door with your excuses packed.”
Jenn opened her mouth, then closed it again. “…But—”
She couldn’t argue. Not really. Vivi’s words were annoyingly, infuriatingly accurate. Hellisay had a way of forcing her to face things she'd dodged for years.
“You know I’m right,” Vivi added, her tone softening. “And you know I just want you to be happy. You’re in a great place now. This means something. Okay, fine—maybe the Spanish lothario was a useful distraction,” she conceded. “But you should’ve cut it off way earlier.”
“I know. And you’re right,” Jenn admitted with a sigh. “But I don’t want to get my hopes up. Ruairidh hasn’t fully moved back, and I’m only here till March.” She burrowed deeper into her blanket, clutching her tea like a shield.
“Do you not think you’ll stay? Even just a bit longer?” Vivi asked around another bite of cake.
“I don’t know. The contract is only for a year, so I don’t know what I’d do. I’m trying not to think that far ahead or I’ll spiral. I am loving it here, but who knows how I’ll feel in a few months.”
Her phone buzzed.
Jenn glanced down—and froze. “Oh. My. God.”
“What? What? Tell me!” Vivi demanded, cake crumbs tumbling down her front.
“Ruairidh just texted. He wants to meet up!”
“Waaaaaaagh! I knew it!” Vivi crowed, nearly knocking over her tea in triumph. Morag shot her a deeply offended look.
“What did he say exactly?”
“He said… ‘Hi Jenn, it’s Ruairidh here. I hope you don’t mind me asking Màiri for your number. I had an amazing time last night, and I just wondered if you fancied meeting up sometime?’”
“Eeeeeeeeeee! Respond! Respond! Quickly!” Vivi shrieked, nearly vibrating with excitement. Morag let out a meow—either in support or utter exasperation. Possibly both.
“What—right now? Aren’t there rules about these things? Shouldn’t I wait a bit—?”
“Pfff, those rules are a load of pish,” Vivi scoffed, waving a forkful of cake like a sceptre. “People should just do what feels right.”
“Oh God, okay…” Jenn took a steadying breath and fumbled with her phone. “What should I say?”
“Just tell him you had a great time too. And yes, you’d like to meet up. Simple.”
“Right… ‘Hey Ruairidh, I had a great time last night. And yes, I’d really like to meet up’… that okay?” she muttered as she typed.
“Yep—send it.” Vivi nodded like a proud mum at a school play.
“Eeep, it’s gone!” Jenn squeaked, doing a jittery little seated dance on the sofa. “Shit. It’s going to be round the whole island, isn’t it? How many people saw us last night?”
“Who cares?” Vivi declared, all breezy defiance. “If the whole bloody JJ thing’s anything to go by, folk will be talking about it for years. Nothing you can do about that.”
“Yeah, I know, but still—”
“No buts! Look—what’s the bigger regret? Getting off with someone you actually like and seeing where it goes? Or sitting around forever wondering what might’ve been?”
