“Me? It’s not my fault; you had the damn thing in front of your face.” Mason proclaims, refusing to take the blame.
The lavender-haired girl—who I presume is Scarlet—tuts. “Always my fault.” She laughs, twisting her lips into a pout then pulling him in for a hug. “It’s good to see you, big brother.”
I look between the two siblings, suddenly feeling nervous to meet Scarlet. She is nothing like what I expected. “Hello,” I say.
She turns to me, blinking rapidly as she looks back to Mason in question. “Hello, I’m sorry, who are you?”
“This is Nina,” Mason replies proudly.
“This is Nina,” she repeats, still smiling as she looks between us. “And Nina is…”
“My girlfriend.”
“The what the what? Girlfriend? That’s a first.” She laughs awkwardly, clearly surprised by the information. “Well, it’s lovely to meet you. I’m sorry my brother has caught me off guard. He didn’t tell me you were coming.”
“It’s fine!” I wave her off, bending to pick up the canapés—although they are no longer edible. “Do you need a hand? I can help you with these.”
“You don’t have to do that, Nina,” Mason tells me, pulling on my elbow.
I shrug him off. “It’s fine. Two sets of hands will get it done twice as fast.” I smile over at his sister, who is on her knees, scraping up the last of the mess.
“My name’s Scarlet, but you can call me Scar.” She puts out her hand, then cringes when she realises it’s covered in a mixture of toppings.
“It’s lovely to meet you,” I tell her, laughing with her when I don’t take her hand.
“My brother hasn’t told you anything about me, though, I presume,” she says, looking up at Mason.
Mason slips his arm around my waist when I stand. “I brought her to meetyou, Scar.”
Her shoulders sag, and something in the air shifts. “Dad’s been struggling,” she tells him.
His hand tightens on my side, and he doesn’t say anything more. An awkward silence settling between the three of us.
“I’m going to get some more champagne.” Scarlet’s eyes lower to the floor as Mase gestures for me to walk on in front of him, but I don’t want to leave his sister alone to clean up the mess.
“It’s okay, you go. I’m going to help your sister.”
“You don’t need to,” he whispers in my ear.
I turn, kissing the side of his mouth. “I want to.”
Scarlet leads me into the kitchen, which sits in the middle of the house. It’s modern but traditional, with a farmhouse feel to it. It’s gotlotsof mess, and it’s homely. It’s completely different to Mason’s.
“Would you like a drink?” Scarlet asks, pulling open the fridge.
“I’d love one, thank you,” I say, sliding onto a stool at the island. “Your home is beautiful.”
She turns, wine bottle grasped in her hand. “Thanks. As you can see, it needs some TLC. I’ve barely managed to scratch the surface over the years, but I’m getting there.”
“You wouldn’t get someone in to do the work for you? I’m sure Mase would know someone. It’s real estate your family is in, right?”
“My dad and Mase, not me. I wouldn’t know where to start with the ‘family’ business, and have you seen Mason’s place? I’d never let his minions loose in this place.” She grins, and I know exactly what she means. “And I kind of love doing it myself; it’s rewarding to finish a room and then pick the next.”
She whirls around the kitchen, opening cupboards and draws until she has two glasses and a bottle opener in hand. I get the feeling Scarlet is a doer. She is quirky in her style and seems like a creative ‘out there’ kind of person. I mean, she is wearing combat boots with her pale blue midi dress and lilac hair, yet she is rocking it. With the money that I presume comes with the Lowell name, I’m shocked at how utterly normal she is.
“I love that. I’m completely awful at all things DIY.” I laugh. “Would Mase not come and help you at least?”
She looks at me as if I’d grown two heads. “Oh boy, you’re in for a ride. He doesn’t come here. Not unless he has to.”
