Page 2 of Stolen Kiss

Erica ignored the scowls they made at Daisy’s comment and ploughed on.

“Don’t you want to go?” Erica asked Jason.

“I’m happy up here at the estate,” Jason replied with, he hoped a disinterested gaze at his cards. He was trying for a poker face for more reasons than his cards.

“He’s avoiding someone,” Archer loudly whispered.

“I think you’ll find she’s been the one avoiding me. For ten years,” Jason said, knowing exactly who they were talking about.

“Eleven technically,” Luke said and then hid behind his cards when he caught sight of Jason’s face, no longer poker-like.

“Does it matter?” Jason barked to Luke.

“For the sake of the cakes on my bed, I’m not saying any more,” Luke said.

“You can’t leave me hanging,” Erica said, her cards abandoned to her left, away from Archer.

“One summer after he’d finished culinary school and before he was joining his brother and father in the rigs, my big brother fell in love with a girl called Heidi. Then the day after he arrived in Scotland to fly out to the North Sea rig, he received a messageto say she never wanted to see him again and he wasn’t welcome at her door,” Daisy said.

Erica hugged her fists to her chest, her eyebrows knitting, and she looked at Jason. “Oh Jason, that’s so sad. Did you contact her?”

“Nope,” Jason said, really interested in his shit hand of cards.

“The message came from Heidi’s brother, Keith,” Archer said.

“Keith was Jason’s best friend,” Daisy informed Erica.

“Do we have to hash this up?” Jason said.

“Erica needs bringing up to speed. She needs to know what she’s playing for,” Daisy said, clearly not caring about losing her cake supply.

“I’m not going,” Jason said, knowing full well he’d lose at cards. He always lost at cards against his siblings. Looking at his hand, anyone would lose.

“You know the rules, brother,” Archer said.

“Let’s play,” Daisy said.

“Hang on, how do you know Heidi will be there?” Erica asked.

“She’ll be there,” they all answered together.

“This is going to be so much fun,” Erica said, picking up her cards. “I have a good feeling for a joyful reunion.”

Jason loved his sister-in-law, but her perpetual optimism pissed him off. He knew Heidi would be there because she’d always rowed in the gigs. No doubt about it, Heidi would row in the last race with the semi-professionals. While he thought it unlikely, he hoped she’d skip the amateur race, or be on call.

After three games, Jason slammed his cards down and pushed them into the middle. “Stupid fucking game,” he muttered. He’d lost, badly.

“What time does is start tomorrow?” Erica asked, grinning with glee. She’s won all three games.

“Midday and finishes about five,” Archer said.

“I’m going up to my cottage. I’m getting wrinkly,” Daisy said.

“Dinner at ours?” Erica said to the group.

They agreed on a time and swam to the shore and trudged up the bank to the pile of towels and flip-flops. They dispersed to their cottages to get ready. Jason hung back and looked at Edward Hall in darkness and then across to Turner Hall. He could see his aunt’s light on in her rooms and wondered if she ever felt lonely in that big house.

Shaking his head of thoughts of how she cheated them into taking over the wedding business that wasn’t actually a business, he headed for Victoria Lodge, the cottage he’d picked. Well, he hadn’t actually picked. Daisy had decided that they should live in age order and as Archer was the oldest and already moved in at Emma Lodge, he took the next one. Luke moved into Sabrina Lodge and Daisy took Frances Lodge. The fifth lodge in the row was called Pearl Lodge, and they decided they’d keep that for visiting friends.

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