Page 52 of Stolen Kiss

“Have you talked to Keith?”

“I tried to talk to him when I went for a surf and he closed up on me. There was a scene at Sunday lunch at the Shaw’s place a while back but again he seems like he doesn’t want to get involved saying he was just the messenger.”

“What are you going to do now?” Jason’s brother asked.

“I don’t know. To be honest, if Heidi isn’t all in. I’ll do your friend’s wedding then I’ll recruit you a new chef and go abroad. It was hard enough the first time she called it quits, I won’t stay on this postage stamp of an island if she doesn’t want to marry me.”

“But she didn’t want to call it quits, Jason. She wanted you. But I gotta say, you’ve only been seeing her a couple of months,” Archer said.

“I’ve had an entire summer with her. Now she and I are eleven years older. I’m not fucking about if she isn’t all in. I want a wife and a family and I want it with her.”

“Wow, you must have really loved her,” Erica said.

“I still do,” he clipped.

Erica switched sides and joined him on the chair next to him, taking his hand in hers. “You’ll get this straightened out. I promise. If I can help will you please tell me? I’ll go and see her if you want.”

“Thank you, I’m hoping I can get it all figured out. But if I need the cavalry, you’ll be my first call.”

Jason loved his sister-in-law. Was over the moon his brother had found a good woman. He wanted the same.

Erica squeezed his hand and went back to join Archer on the sofa, snuggling back under the blanket, offering half to Archer. He shook his head like it wasn’t manly to have a blanket over his legs. Erica laughed and rested her head on his arm.

Jason left them to it and walked to his cottage to get his jacket. When he walked past Archer and Erica’s place they were both under the blanket wrapped in each other’s arms with their eyes closed.

He wanted that, and he wanted it badly with Heidi.

Jason had a few stops to make in town. Maggie advised she didn’t have the right button to sew onto his shirt. He got a stern talking to like he was back in school. Jason was careless with his clothes as a kid and a teenager, going through shoes and trousers like they were freely available. He’d learned the hard way, nothing was freely available on Copper Island apart from fresh air. Anything they wanted they had to ship in or fly in and it all cost money.

His father was away on the rigs when his grandfather refused to buy him any more trousers. Jason trudged to Maggie for help and she taught him how to sew and mend clothing.

He knew how to fix his shirt but he needed a button. After rifling through Maggie’s button tin which was an old shortbread tin, he signed dramatically and resigned himself to a trip to McKenzie’s Hardware Store.

Jason walked along the path leading from the estate that ended at the quayside that was rarely used. Only the odd tugboat chugged along that part of the small dock and Stan Meyers when he was fishing.

Which was most days.

Stan’s hat could be seen for miles, a bright red bucket hat that was shoved down on his head making him look twenty years older than he was. Jason approached him from behind admiring the view.

“Do you ever catch anything?” Jason asked him when he looked up from his deckchair.

“No. It would probably help if I had some bait on the hook.”

“So, you’re not actually fishing with a rod, chair, tackle box and the obligatory hat.”

“Correct,” Stan said and chuckled.

Jason gave it some thought and decided not to push why. He’d managed thirty-three years of not knowing anyone’s business he wouldn’t start now.

“How’s the preparations going?” Jason asked, not caring for the answer. He had his shit together, it was up to everyone else to get theirs together.

“Too smoothly. I don’t like it.”

“Do things tend to go wrong?” Jason asked, peering down at him, now concerned.

“Always. I’m waiting for it to happen. Can’t anticipate all eventualities but I’m prepared for nothing to arrive and that includes the bride.”

“I like your optimism,” Jason said chuckling.

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