Whilst grateful for his reassurance, Carli wondered if she would mind if Niall had to sleep in her tent with her. What better way to enhance the Scottish camping experience than to top it off with a Scotsman? Maybe some no-strings fun.
Who the hell are you kidding? You cannot do no strings with this man. Under no circumstances do you attempt to do no strings with Niall Butler. None. Do you hear me?
Um, yes. Sorry for even thinking it. He’s just so… My body wants him. And that tattoo.
Carli Caselli! Do you want to get your heart destroyed again? He’d say yes and you’d fall for him, and it’d be tears at bedtime all over again.
‘Cass?’
‘Hmm, what?’ Carli had been dreaming and hadn’t heard what Niall had been saying.
‘I was asking if you wanted to go skinny dipping.’
‘What? Are you serious?’
Niall laughed. ‘I’m not serious. I was asking how your dad and sister are.’
‘Oh.’ Carli sat up in her chair and tried to pay moreattention, again a throwback to school. ‘Well, Luci’s good. She’s married to a guy called Adam. We hang out all the time for coffee and dinner, and I’d be lost without her. She feels like my only family sometimes.’
‘In that case, maybe I shouldn’t have asked about your dad.’
Carli focused on the dark, angular outlines of the tents. Focusing on something inanimate when talking about her father seemed the right thing to do.
‘He’s okay,’ she said. ‘He got over his “grief” pretty quickly, married again within two years and rarely mentioned Mum again. His new wife is nice enough, and she’s made a genuine effort with me and Luci, so we go round for lunch from time to time. But…’ She sounded less than enthused about her dad, but she wasn’t about to pretend he was the best dad in the world. ‘You’re lucky to have such a loving dad.’
Niall elongated his leg again and tapped it against hers momentarily. ‘Aye,’ he said. ‘Scottish men of our dad’s generation aren’t known for their over-affectionate nature either, but I do know I was… am loved, even if there were times growing up where I thought he had anything but my best interests at heart.’
‘Your dad is a good guy. And for what it’s worth, you were never one of those Scottish men who don’t show their affection. They broke the mould a bit when they made you.’
Niall half swallowed back his laughter. ‘Um… thanks. There’s a few Aussie women wouldn’t agree with you, but I appreciate the sentiment.’
‘It’s not a sentiment. It’s my experience.’
‘Aye, well, I guess you and I were a bit different.’
‘From?’
‘From me and the others.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Cass, do you really want to talk about this? I know you’re asking, but really?’
Fair question. Why was she asking? Was it her curiosity pawing at the topic like a foolish cat, or was it confidence? Was it that tattoo? Had a signature of permanent ink on Niall’s left hip lent her the confidence to believe that no other woman had surpassed her in his life? They had been each other’s first. That could never be lasered off. But things you did aged sixteen didn’t always stay with you for the right reasons.
‘Tell me about the others,’ she said. She was curious about the landscape of Niall’s love life the past seventeen years.
He rubbed the heel of his hand down the arm of the chair. ‘I’m not going into detail about women, because it doesn’t feel right, but let’s say it’s been a rocky road with a fair few. Turns out being in a relationship with me isn’t as awesome as it might look from the box. And that’s almost a direct quote, by the way.’
‘Gosh! She sounds lovely. But what do you mean? What’s wrong with being in a relationship with you? I enjoyed it. While it lasted.’
‘Like I said, we were different. A lot of women find me a pain in the arse to be with half the time.’
‘How so?’
‘Och, I dunno. I’m unpredictable?’
‘Exciting.’
