Page 13 of Midnight Mooring

Sometimes it was hard to believe I knew someone like her in real life. Cameron could be in the movies with her big personality and gorgeous body. She wore no shoes and a glance down at her feet revealed purple painted toenails, a silver ring on her right middle toe, and a silver anklet around her left ankle. I lifted my gaze, trying to adopt an amused look you might give a wee sister, even though what I felt right now was nowhere near brotherly.

To be honest, it made me feel like shite because Cameron deserved better than me getting fucking horny over her. She was Quinn’s wee sister. To be protected at all costs. Even if she was eighteen now and built like a glamour model.

“This your doing?” My voice was gruff with the heat coursing through me.

Cameron lifted my hand and placed a chilled beer bottle into it with a flourish. “You said you didn’t want a twenty-first birthday party so, of course, I decided to be a pain in the arse and throw you one.”

She grinned, big and sexy, and I laughed, tenderness scoring across my chest.

Cameron always went out of her way to make me feel special. Like I mattered.

Before I could thank her, I was surrounded by my mates, clapping me on the back, wishing me a happy birthday. Girls from school, some I’d had casual hookups with over the years, gave me the eye as they kissed my cheek and offered well wishes.

I was surprised to see my best mate pushing through the crowd to smack me on the back. Quinn was married now, as unbelievable as that was, and I would never say it to him, but I hurt for the bloke. He married Kiera, who was a lovely lass, but she wasn’t Taran. Unfortunately, after he and Taran split up, he got Kiera pregnant and with the worst timing ever, it happened just when Taran came back to reconcile. Quinn chose his baby and Kiera, even though I knew it fucking destroyed him to. Now he was dad to a baby girl.

“Kiera with Heather?” I referred to his wee lassie.

“Aye. I told her I’d stay in, but she wanted me to come.”

Aye, Kiera was a good lass. Unfortunately for them both, she wasn’t Taran and I didn’t see good things in their future. I kept that to myself because it wasn’t exactly helpful.

“Did you at least try to talk Cameron out of this?” I raised my voice as the party grew louder. I hoped it didn’t piss off my neighbors too much. I’d given Cameron a key after she begged me to let her soften the place up with some “stuff.” She was doing an online course, studying interior design at the University of Highlands and Islands, and I was her guinea pig. It didn’t bother me. Though it appeared it had been a ruse to set up the party.

Quinn shrugged. “You know what it’s like when she gets something in her head.”

“Can’t believe this many folks showed up.” My place was packed.

“Aye.” Quinn smirked, not hiding his bitterness. “All’s forgiven and forgotten.”

As soon as he said it, I felt like crap. I know he didn’t mean it, but tonight was not the night to even hint at the tragedy of Liam McCall’s death, our friend who disappeared after he, Quinn, and I went out on a fishing boat and got rip-roaring drunk. Quinn was the first to wake up the next morning to no sign of Liam on the boat. It was eventually written off by the police as a tragic accident, the supposition being Liam was drunk and fell overboard while me and Quinn were passed out. But Liam’s dad had tried to get the whole town to turn on us, saying we’d killed his son and made it look like an accident. In truth, Eoghan McCall was an abusive bastard and Liam was a depressive.

I was convinced he’d killed himself that night.

But for a while, people in Leth Sholas suspected us, including my aunt and uncle, and we were treated like lepers. Not only were we left to grieve our friend alone, but we had to deal with nasty neighbors. The one person who’d had my back was Cameron. She’d called out the locals on their bullshit too, pissing them off and isolating herself right along with us. But she hadn’t cared. It mattered more to her to stick up for us.

When the police cleared us of any wrongdoing and the McCalls left the island, we were welcomed back into the fold. Living on a small island meant you had to forgive your neighbors and move on.

Still, it had felt like shite and had taken me a while to find my feet within my community again.

Having them show up like this to celebrate my birthday felt good.

I didn’t need Quinn reminding me of when it was rubbish.

“Sorry.” He winced, seeing my expression. “I’m in a fucked mood. I think I better go.”

“Quinn—”

“Happy birthday, pal.” He clapped me on the shoulder and then pushed through the crowd to get out.

Concern held me frozen, and I was seconds from going after him when Cameron bounced into my line of sight. “Where’s he going?”

“He’s not in the mood.”

“Poor Quinn.” Cameron sighed, searching my face. “Nah, forget about it. Don’t even think about going after him because you know it’ll just piss him off. We’ll look after Quinn tomorrow. Tonight is for you, and he would want it that way. Come!” She grabbed my hand and pulled me into the middle of the dancing crowd. They were moving to some pants pop song, but I took a big chug of beer and let the good times roll over me.

Amber Dell had been in my year at school. Our school hadn’t exactly been a big place, so it was kind of incestuous, to be honest, in regard to who had fucked who. Even though she was engaged to Brody McIntyre, she was here without him and reminiscing about the night she and I hooked up on Calvin Beach.

My skin was hot and eyes a bit bleary from the many beers that had been put in my hand since the party started. I was only listening with one ear as her beer-scented breath wafted over me. My eyes were on Cameron as she danced with utter abandon to Letters to Cleo, an alt-rock band she liked. Affection turned to heat as I admired her lack of self-consciousness, but then my gaze caught on a group of guys who were part of Laird’s fishing crew. They stood off to the side, sipping their beers, adjusting their jeans as they watched Cameron like she was a stripper.