Page 58 of Reckless Kiss

“Have you met the wedding manager yet?” Jason asked.

“No, not yet. To be honest, I’ve only met the gardener who I didn’t know. Bailey and Maggie are keeping information on a need-to-know basis.”

“Isn’t that a bit odd?” Luke asked.

“He probably lives in town and only comes up here when there’s a wedding.”

“When’s the next one?” Daisy asked.

“I asked Aunt Cynthia last night, and she said to check with Bailey. I’ll do that tomorrow. Anyway, how are you all?”

They all nodded and gave their updates. Archer’s mind was firmly with the wedding manager and where he had his office. So many things to sort out he didn’t know where to start. When he ended the call with his siblings, he tossed the phone on the couch and went back to bed with Erica.

Everything could wait until the followingday.

Chapter 29

Erica

After another gruelling week of cardiovascular workouts and breathing exercises, Erica saw improvement. Archer came each morning and mostly kept his hands to himself. She raced over the logs and climbed the tree Archer had picked out for endurance. Bit by bit, he’d built an organic obstacle course. In the afternoons, she practised yoga. Her physique for the movie was lean and not bulky. When Saturday morning arrived, she woke early to prepare for their trip to the flower fields on the other side of the small island. Erica had read the island used to have dozens of flower farms but now only had a handful. They were heading to the Narcissi Flower Farm. Lounging on the couches outside, she picked up the novel Yanny had sent her, along with the rest of the mail he thought she should see. While she was thinking about Yanny, her phone rang. There was no number, but then very few people knew her private number. Specifically, the number they were dialling was Erica Taylor, the Oscar-winning actress.

“Hello,” she said, putting it on speakerphone while she continued reading.

“Is this Erica?”

She stayed quiet, not confirming or denying, allowing for an uncomfortable silence until the caller made a decision. They either hung up or introduced themselves.

“My name is Jason Turner. I believe you are going to marry my brother.”

Erica snatched up the phone and switched off the speakerphone.

“This is Erica,” she replied.

“The same Erica who is going to marry Archer?”

“Yes.”

“Can we switch to video call?”

“No, why would you want to do that? It’s early.”

“I don’t give a shit about the time difference, sweetheart. I want to see the face of the woman who bizarrely has agreed to get hitched to the Turner family.”

“Just Archer,” Erica replied.

“If you think you’re just marrying Archer, then he hasn’t introduced you to our aunt like he said he had.”

A chill down Erica’s spine made her shudder. He’d confirmed her suspicions, and she didn’t feel good about it.

“I’ve met your aunt. She’s lovely,” Erica said.

She wanted to play the fool for a little while. Years of journalists attempting to trick her into saying stuff she didn’t mean had her attention set to wary.

Jason let out a howling laugh in response to her comment. She smiled back even though he couldn’t see it. She was tempted to switch her video camera on, but her wariness remained on high alert.

“So he has introduced you. It looks like I might like mynew sister-in-law. Tell me, Erica, are you Erica Taylor or Erica Potter?”

Now grateful she hadn’t opted for a video call, she brought the phone away from her ear and pressed the speaker button. Placing the device carefully on the tabletop like it was a bomb ready to go off, she remained mute.

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