“Nina.”
“I’m in your bed. At Lowerwick.”
“Fucking hell.”
I start to giggle.
“Why are you there?” he asks.
“I was helping your sister decorate. And, maybe I feel close to you here.”
“You could be close to me, like really really close to me,” he groans.
“You were being an ass. I didn’t want to actually be with you.”
“Thanks,” he deadpans, but I can hear the smile hidden in his voice.
“I’m going to look at a studio tomorrow.”
“Yeah? Tell me about it.”
I start to ramble on about the studio and all that it has going for it, and he sits and listens, only answering when I allow him the chance to ask a question.
I’m midway through talking about the exposed piping when my phone vibrates in my hand. I put Mase on speaker and open the message.
“Oh, wow.”
“What?” Mason asks.
I stare at the picture Joey has sent me, one I haven’t seen yet.
It’s my profile, and I’m reaching out to squat him away. It was when he was messing about and took photos of me randomly. The shot looks like I am reaching out to the person on the other side of the camera. It’s incredible, and I love it instantly.
I decide to test the waters; he seems to be in a good mood. “So, you know I had those photos taken. Joey, he took them?”
“Yes.”
“Well, I went to look at them today. They are incredible, Mase, and he just sent me this photo now, and I think you’d love it. Can I send it to you?”
“You met with Joey today? I thought you said you needed to find a studio?”
“I do, I am. Joey called and asked if I could go over the pictures.”
He snickers down the phone, and my eyes close in regret—not for meeting Joey and not for telling him I did, but regret that I ever believed he would be okay about it. “Sure, send the photo. I’d love to see it. I mean, if I can’t have the real thing I will take the scraps,” he says flippantly.
I run my tongue against the front of my teeth. “Grow up, Mason. You do realise if you weren’t such an ass this week, I wouldn’t be away from you right now.”
“I will add that to the list of endearments, angel.”
“Don’t call me that,” I snap.
“Angel?”
“Yes! You don’t get to call me that right now.”
“What doesJoeyget to call you?”
I hang up, fuming at the infuriating idiot. My phone starts to ring instantly, and I decline the call, then I turn it off and drop it onto the bedside table.
