Page 29 of Reckless Kiss

“My aunt owns every inch of this island. I thought she would let us run the hotel, wedding business, and cottage rentals.”

“That sounds like a good idea. You’ll all be working together side by side. Presumably, your skills are transferable.”

“Mostly,” he said. “Luke will have to adapt the most.”

He wasn’t sure how much forklift trucking Daisy would be able to achieve, but he had a hunch she wanted to pursue her accountancy qualifications.

“Kissing,” she said and did a double lift of her eyebrows.

Archer was feeling the pressure of confessing what he’d agreed to. He had to say it out loud to someone other than his siblings. It sounded crazy.

“I went to my aunt, who, by the way, is nearly eighty, and proposed the idea.”

“And what did she say?”

“She had a counter-proposal or a condition. A big one.”

Sitting up, Erica took a swig of her beer and gave him a stern look. “This is like drawing blood from a stone, Archer. I’m on tenterhooks.”

“She’ll hand over the hotel, wedding business, and cottages on one condition.”

“You find a wife,” Erica blurted out, then clapped her hand over her mouth.

“How the fuck did you know that?”

Archer looked around to see if there were hidden cameras or one of his brothers hiding around the corner, setting him up.

“I saw it in a movie once,” she said, her eyebrows almost reaching her hairline.

She wouldn’t look him in the eye. The grape on her plate was far more interesting.

“Really?”

“Yeah. Something about him getting his inheritance and proving that he could find his wife to his father. It was only supposed to be for a year, but they fell in love.”

“Wow.”

“It’s a bit far-fetched, but some people are more old-fashioned than their age.”

“That’s my grandmother to a T.”

“So, kissing is off limits while you find a wife? I’m guessing you will find a wife because you care about your siblings. This place reeks of old money and tradition. If you turn down the deal, you could be looking at twenty years waiting for her to die. That’s morbid and depressing and no way to live.”

“I want to marry for life, ya know? My aunt has very traditional views on marriage. It wouldn’t occur to her to have a love match. For her, marriage is about convenience and making sure the Turner line keeps going.”

“Good job your mum could have four kids. Less pressure on having children if you were an only child.”

“Are you an only child?”

“Yep.”

“Do your parents pressure you to have children?”

“They’ve never mentioned it, which tells me they do.”

“There were so many reasons why I shouldn’t kiss you. I didn’t want to kiss you and then tell you I needed to find a wife. Then I didn’t want to kiss you if you thought I had ulterior motives. I didn’t want to kiss you, feel your lips on mine, and then stop because I’d have to start dating another woman. My sister has set up a dating profile for me.”

“You think way too much. You know that Archer?”

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