Page 76 of Lipstick Kiss

Chapter Twenty-Four

Luke

“And she didn’t deny it?” Archer asked as he humped a tea chest from the main door of the warehouse.

Luke opened the lid and saw the packaging inside. He hauled out the straw-like material and carried it over to the recycling bins. They planned to reuse as much of the contents of the warehouse as possible. The packaging would be used to wrap up customers’ orders.

“No. She just stood there, looking… I don’t know, really. Panicked, pissed off, and a little sad. She is a hard woman to read. She asked me about baby Archer.”

“What did you tell her?” Archer asked, bringing over a stack of cardboard.

“That she needs to ask you, not me. She had no answer for that and changed the subject.”

“If she wants to know about my life, she needs to comeand ask me. She knows where I live,” Archer replied as they walked back to the entrance of the warehouse.

The kids were throwing banter as they worked. Kenny walked up and down with a clipboard and a spray can sticking out of his long shorts. The cloudless sky made the work hot and sweaty.

“True,” Luke conceded, nodding. “I need to get back up to Edward Hall and check in with Jason to see if everything is okay with the wedding today. You got this covered here?”

“Yeah, the kids will be fine with me. Freya’s here, and Erica is gushing over the clothes she’s found. Kenny is great with the other kids for someone who was at their mercy not so long ago.”

“Yeah, remarkable, really. I’m really proud he’s worked through it. I’m hoping the other teenagers have an insight that we aren’t dripping in money and we do the hard graft ourselves. Hopefully, that will help with Turner PR. To be fair, if Cynthia stays at the house from now on, I think it will help salvage some of our reputations which seem to be in tatters at the moment.”

“Do you hear it directly from the townspeople?” Archer asked.

“Not directly, but how we’re treated here is so different from Scotland or on the rigs, hell, even when we went abroad. It’s bizarre that people will talk to me but not really engage. I swear Mrs Sentry half curtseyed when she saw me in the newsagent the other day.”

Archer barked out a laugh at Luke’s description and then patted him on the back.

“It will all turn out okay,” Archer assured him. “I’ll see you later for dinner. Bring Freya.”

“See you later,” Luke said.

Luke jumped in the buggy and headed for Edward Hall.When he got to the kitchens, he glanced at Jason and saw a scowl on his face. Then he saw Stan. They were on either side of the metal table in the far corner. The only thing on the table was a spanner. Jason swiped at it, and the tool skidded across the table and clattered onto the floor, skidding again and hitting the skirting board.

Luke suppressed a laugh and went to referee.

“Why are you antagonising the chef, Stan?” Luke said on approach.

“I’m merely the messenger. The bride isn’t happy.”

“Is it food related?” Jason asked.

Feeling uneasy, he watched Stan pick up the spanner and walk towards Luke.

“It’s not, but now another Turner is here and the C&B manager no less. I can pass the spanner onto you,” Stan said.

Luke looked to Jason, who now wore a smug grin.

“Not food related, not my problem,” Jason said, holding his hands up.

Jason straightened his chef cap and folded his arms like he was in for a treat to watch.

“Is it C&B related?” Luke asked with a sigh, swinging his gaze back to Stan.

Stan was in a navy blazer, blue slacks, a white shirt, and a light blue tie. Luke was impressed. Even though the wedding day running was with the C&B team, Stan came to all the weddings to see them through.

“It’s kind of… might be… sorta….” Stan said, giving Luke a multitude of facial expressions. The upside-down smile was worrying.

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