Page 42 of Reckless Kiss

“Agreed. I don’t have much confidence in my strength at the moment.”

“If you work hard, it won’t take long. Then if you’re feeling like an adventure, I could take you to see the seals. We can swim with them.”

Erica stopped at the junction between the sand and the dirt path winding back up to the back of her garden. “There are seals here, and you can swim with them?” she asked, looking back out to the island they’d spent the last couple of hours on.

“Yeah,” he answered and chuckled, tugging her up the steep path. “Don’t slow your pace now, or you’ll never get up this path. It’s fine coming down but a killer to walk back up.”

“That’s definitely an incentive to become a strongswimmer. I can’t wait to swim with seals,” she said, puffing as she trudged up the path.

“And I thought the incentive to become a strong swimmer was to spend time with me,” he answered, giving her a wink when he looked over his shoulder.

“Well, there is that. And my job depends on becoming a better swimmer.”

“You wound me,” Archer said, clutching his heart.

They both laughed as they carried on up the path, passing comments back and forth. When they reached the flat grass lawn, Archer placed the picnic basket on the ground and pulled Erica into his arms.

“Can I kiss you?”

“You never have to ask permission, Archer. I thought I’d told you how much I like you.”

“I know, but that was before our bargain. Before we confirmed that we’re going to act like a couple who have fallen hard and quickly in love from tomorrow.”

“Just kiss me, Archer,” Erica said, sliding her arm around his waist and tilting her chin up.

He covered her mouth with his, seeking entry with the very tip of his tongue and then long, languid swipes. Archer pulled out of her embrace just as quickly and kissed her forehead.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, honey,” Archer said, touching her cheek with his thumb.

“You will. I’ll be the one in the pool.”

Chapter 22

Archer

When he was a child and a teenager, the west wing of Turner Hall was off-limits. As each elder passed away, the next in line would take up the branch of rooms. If and when he inherited Copper Island, he didn’t know if he wanted to keep the tradition.

It was the same for the whole family when his grandfather was alive. The ground floor and lower sections of the building were find to wander, but no one was allowed in the private space.

The rule became iron clad when his grandfather died, outliving his father and making his aunt beneficiary. Archer’s dad intended to reverse all the old-fashioned rules surrounding Turner Hall.

There were many arguments between his dad and his sister, Aunt Cynthia. She wanted Turner Hall to be completely private and closed off. In contrast, Archer’s dad wanted to open the doors and let everyone in.

He believed the house should be lived in and occupied.

Wandering along the corridor on the first floor, Archer absorbed in the décor, all immaculately kept in the era of the 1930s. There were a few modern additions, fire alarms, water spouts from the ceiling, and other safety measures. If the place did catch fire, it would be dowsed with water quickly. His aunt didn’t want to share, but she ensured what she did have was taken care of. Sometimes, Archer thought his aunt cared more about what future generations thought of her than the current family members.

“There you are. Have you settled into your rooms?”

Archer turned towards the voice, knowing it was his aunt.

“Mostly. I think I’ve thrown away more stuff than I’ve kept.”

“Nothing valuable, I hope?”

“Not at all, just memories of happier times,” he said, berating himself for the bitterness in his voice.

There wasn’t a day when he didn’t miss his dad, and that morning, he’d spent hours sifting through photos of him, his parents, and his siblings. They were all taken on Copper Island. As a child, his parents saw no point in leaving the island as there was everything they needed. Part of that experience, Archer thought, drove his need to explore the world. The other part of exploring the world and not returning to the island during their time off, was the painful reminders of their mother abandoning them and his father never filling the study with his deep laughter again.

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