Page 14 of Stolen Kiss

“I hear you met up with the Turner boy.”

All eyes swung to Freya’s grandmother who was sipping her third glass of red wine.

“News travels fast,” Keith replied, his deep frown returning.

“It’s an island, son, news like that travels faster than anything else here,” his grandmother said with a smirk. “Did you two work out your problems?”

“We don’t have any problems.”

“Then why did you stop being friends?” Heidi asked.

Heidi had been asking her brother the question for eleven years and eleven years her brother had walked away from the question. Most of the time it was over Sunday lunch and the usual move next was the scraping of his chair. This time he stayed where he was.

“It was a long time ago. I barely remember.”

“One minute Heidi is the happiest she’d ever been, and you were thick as thieves with Jason Turner and then when he went to work on the rigs, that was it,” Freya’s grandmother pushed.

“We had different futures. Better to cut it off there,” Keith said.

It was the most he’d ever said on the subject. The problem was if Keith had volunteered that information she knew eyes would swing her way along with the question. Her family and Freya’s family rarely crossed examine Heidi, but she felt all gazes on her.

Keith was on a roll. “It doesn’t matter anyway, he’s not here for very long. Get the business set up, hire good chefs and then he’s back to the mainland or overseas.”

“He said that?” Heidi asked.

“Not in so many words, but he never stays long.”

Heidi pushed her chair back so she could stand. It was time to gather up the parts of the game, put them in the box and get the hell out of the house before she started crying. She’d triedher best to not cry over Jason Turner but she could feel the burn in her throat and her nostrils sting with impending tears.

“You want to head back?” Freya asked gently.

“Yeah, why not. I see a nap in my future,” Heidi said.

“What about the gig racing? We haven’t discussed that yet,” Heidi’s mum said.

Heidi sat back down, grateful for the change of subject and hugged the Cluedo box.

“It’s Saturday at three o’clock,” Heidi said.

“And is it still girls versus boys?” her dad asked.

“Yep, but there is only one girl’s boat and three boys boats. So we have our work cut out.”

“Keith, are you in one of them?” her dad asked.

“You bet I am. Someone has to knock the smug smile off my sister’s face. I have spent an entire year with her rubbing it in she won last year.”

“Keith,” their dad warned. “No underhand tactics.”

“Not a chance this time. I want to win fair and square.”

“Is Jason Turner going to be on a boat?” Heidi’s mum asked.

Heidi whipped her head around to look at her mum. “I doubt it, we have six per boat already. We don’t need anyone else.”

“He’s come back big and strong,” their mother said. “Don’t dismiss him if you want to win,” she said to Keith.

“Mum, whose side are you on?”

---