Page 36 of Midnight Mooring

“Want to hang out today?”

“Got work.” I cut her an impatient look. “Why don’t you hang out with people your own age?”

I’d never asked her that before because I never minded hanging out with her. But I wasn’t a kid anymore. I didn’t have endless summers to spend doing fuck all. I needed to start making money so I could rent a flat.

“You know they think I’m too much.” She shrugged, her expression going uncharacteristically blank. “Nora MacDuff had a sleepover for her birthday last night and she didn’t invite me.”

“Then she’s an idiot.”

Cameron giggled. “She’ll be delighted to hear you say that. She fancies the pants off you. She tells everyone.”

“She’s a child.”

Her expression fell. “You’re in a mood?”

“Just getting that?”

She nudged me again. “Want to go for a ride around the island?”

“Look, I can’t fucking babysit you all the time,” I snapped, taking all my frustration out on her. “I’ve got to work, Cameron.”

Her wounded expression would haunt me for the rest of the summer. She pushed to her feet, making my heart jump when she lost her balance and tipped toward the water. Just as I was reaching for her, she righted herself and stumbled back. Her cheeks were flushed with embarrassment, and I don’t think I’d ever seen her embarrassed.

“Go fuck yourself, Forde. You absolute prick,” she spat before she marched away, her long hair fluttering behind her like a banner in the morning breeze.

Guilt pressed down and I scrubbed at my face, self-loathing burning through me. “Fuck!”

If I’d been in a bad mood before, the storm inside me just hit category five.

17. Cameron

Present day

Ihadn’t been lying when I told Torin I needed to get onto Stòr before the tide washed out the causeway. Ramsay, owner of said island, had recently built another home there that could accommodate his and Tierney’s growing family.

Before he built the contemporary piece of architecture overlooking the sea on one side and a view back to Leth Sholas on the other, he’d lived in a cabin-like home in a clearing in the woods. He still spent a lot of time there in the adjacent barn that served as his workshop.

Sure enough, when I arrived outside the new home, I found Tierney alone with Maura because Ramsay was working on a commission at the barn.

Being on Stòr meant staying on Stòr for hours because of the tide times, so I set to work helping Tierney with prep for dinner all the while keeping Maura entertained as she sat in her high chair chewing on a teething ring, watching us with wide blue eyes.

The house was coastal modern, and during my travels I’d helped Tierney with the finishing touches on the design, though there were still unfinished rooms. We’d focused on the family living areas, which was a big open-plan kitchen, living room, and dining area, and Maura’s nursery. It was nice to finally see it all come together in real life. It had an airy but cozy feeling.

When using cool tones like whites and shades of blue, it was essential to create layers so a room didn’t feel cold. The easiest way to do that was through accessories. Though Ramsay’s custom media wall and bookshelves throughout the main living space certainly helped ground it.

There was still work to be done on the primary suite and guest rooms, but Tierney wanted to wait until Maura was a wee bit older before she focused on that.

“How goes the search for a full-time manager?” I asked as we chopped up vegetables.

My friend scowled. “Well, I thought I had one. A great one too. An American. A single mom with a teen son. Apparently, she has dual citizenship because her dad was Scottish. She answered the ad, flew over here with her kid for the interview, and then when I called to give her the job, she told me she got offered a higher salary as freaking Torin Montrose’s hotel manager on Scaris. It comes with accommodation too, so it was a no-brainer for her.”

“Does Torin know he swiped your manager out from under you?”

“Probably. I just hope he’s not being a creep about it.”

Feeling defensive on his behalf, especially after he’d just defended me in public, I shook my head. “No way. What do you mean?”

“I mean, she’s a hot mom. Like a really hot mom. A really young, hot mom.” Tierney wrinkled her nose.