Page 57 of Lipstick Kiss

Chapter Eighteen

Luke

Luke sat on a large tea chest, kicking his legs as he ate his breakfast bagel. Next to him Erica ate an apple.

“You’re making me feel unhealthy,” Luke muttered, side-eyeing Erica’s choice of breakfast.

“I’m thirty months pregnant. Everything gives me heartburn. Someone said to try apples. So I’m reluctantly eating an odd-shaped apple from Freya’s parent’s apple tree.”

“Thirty months? Wow that’s longer than an elephant. I’d forgotten they had an apple tree. Me and Freya used to steal all the apples and take them down to the coves where we would hunt for treasure. Anyway, you’re not anywhere near your due date.”

“I feel like I am. Another month or so, and then I get to cuddle him or her.”

“I’ll be an uncle. How scary is that!”

“You’ll be a fabulous uncle. Balance out Jason’s gruffness and Archer’s seriousness. Daisy will spoil the little one and bring her sunshine to the table.”

“Are you nervous?”

“No, strangely calm, like I was always meant to be here and meet Archer. Build a family with him and all of you lot.”

“And building up all this, too,” Luke said, pointing to the warehouse behind them.

“I know. I’m more nervous about how that will work than bringing a human into the world. I’m an outsider basically telling the residents of Copper Island they need to share their belongings.”

“You’re thinking of the island, sustainability, carbon footprint. I bet this place will be busy every day.”

“Are you going to tell me who you have to help out today?”

“Here they come now,” Luke said, pointing to the end of the quay.

Freya, Heidi and six kids were strolling down the concrete path. One kid was on the other side of Freya, and the other five kids were on the other side of Heidi.

“Kids?”

“Yeah. Don’t worry. I have their parent’s permission, along with the head teacher’s agreement. They’re going to do detention here every Saturday until the end of term.”

“Isn’t that Ralph’s kid, Kenny?”

“Yep. I found those kids kicking the shit out of him a couple of months ago. Then I found out they were bullying him out of his pocket money because they assumed he had money because Ralph was up at Turner Hall.”

“Christ, if only they knew the reality,” Erica said, tossing the apple core into a makeshift bin. “Well, I dislike bullies asmuch as I dislike the casting couch, so let’s get them to work.”

Luke hopped off the chest and strode towards Freya, hugged her and kissed her cheek.

“Ew, gross, man,” the ring leader of the bullies said.

“Button it, kiddo. We spoke about this on the way here. The better you behave, the quicker this will be over. You annoy me, then the pain lasts longer,” Freya said, still in Luke’s arms.

“I think I might quite like you,” Luke said.

“What? You already quite like me, Luke Turner.”

“Oh yeah, keep forgetting. Right, this way.”

Luke led the boys while Heidi and Freya splintered off to find Erica. Kenny fell into step next to him as they entered the warehouse.

“Why do I have to be here too? I’m quite happy at school with detention,” he mumbled.

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