Stolen Kiss (The Turners of Copper Island #2)

Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

Jason

“ T his is more morbid than when we buried him,” Archer said.

“That’s because we’re sober,” Luke muttered at the end of the row.

Archer stood holding Erica’s hand, next to Jason, Luke and Daisy. They looked at the gravestone of their father, Frederick Turner. He’d died on that day seven years ago.

“Open the rum,” Archer said.

Jason had brought one of the bottles he’d been using to make rum and raisin ice cream and it was sitting at his feet. He bent down and swiped it up, then pulled out the corked stopper. He took a swig and passed it to Erica who shook her head. “Can’t drink anything dark, gives me a wicked hangover.”

Erica passed it to Archer who took a sip and then it went down the line to Luke and then Daisy. Daisy hung onto it by the neck and pointed to the grave next to their father. Archibald Turner. Their grandfather and who Archer was named after.

“He was a mean old bastard,” she said.

“Different era. I don’t remember him ever being nice,” Luke said.

“They spent so much time in that study plotting the island’s future,” Daisy said. “Worse than gossiping women.”

They were all dressed in black with three ironed shirts for the men, ironed by Maggie and all of them had shiny shoes. Even Erica and Daisy. They stood alone toasting their father.

“I’m not surprised dad wanted to get the hell out of it,” Archer said. “It’s boring as fuck running this island.”

“At least the wedding business will be more exciting than sitting on council meetings,” Daisy said.

“I am not looking forward to that responsibility,” Archer said.

“You’ll be waiting a long time. Enjoy it while you can, I bet Aunt Cynthia will outlive us all,” Daisy said chuckling.

“I don’t doubt that,” Archer mumbled.

“I miss dad,” Daisy said quietly.

“Yeah me too. Let’s toast him,” Jason said.

“To Dad,” Daisy said and took a swig.

Luke did the same and then Jason and Archer, even Erica took a mini sip and handed it straight back to Jason with a wince.

“You love rum and raisin ice cream but you can’t tolerate neat rum?” Jason asked.

“Seems that way,” she answered breathing out heavily like she was breathing fire.

Jason laughed and gave her a nudge. “We’ll convert you. When we’re here next year, you’ll be swigging like the rest of us.”

She gave him a megawatt smile that stunned him for a few seconds and then she took Archer’s hand.

“Can I get a tour? Do you know all these graves?”

“All but two. They have nothing written on them. No one will tell us who is buried there and Aunt Cynthia says she has no idea. I don’t believe her because they were put there in my lifetime and nothing happens on this estate without her approval,” Archer said.

“Oh, sounds like a mystery to be solved,” Erica replied.

“There are hundreds of mysteries to be solved on this island. I spent most of my childhood seeking them out,” Luke said.

“With Freya,” Archer added. “Your platonic friend.”

“Guys can be just friends with girls,” Luke said defensively.

“Sure they can,” Jason said.

“They can’t,” Erica and Daisy said at the same time.

“I’m out of here,” Luke said giving the line a glare. “Ready Daisy? Ralph will take us back to the airport.”

Daisy and Luke were only there for a couple of hours to mark the passing of their father and then they were heading back to college. They said their goodbyes passed around hugs and were walking away.

Jason needed to go back to the kitchen to plan what food he needed to buy in for the wedding. He left Archer and Erica to wander around the private graveyard that only had Turner family members buried there. He felt a shudder run down his spine when he realised one day he would be six feet under. He hoped it was many years from now.

A few hours later, he closed his laptop just as his phone rang. It was growing dark outside. Freya’s name showed up and he gave it the side eye.

“Everything okay?” he said as a hello.

“Can you come into town? To Heidi’s house?”

Freya sounded fraught. When Heidi was knocked unconscious Freya wasn’t worried and now she sounded frightened.

“Of course, what’s going on?” he said, already on the move.

“She’s had a really shitty day and I think she needs you.”

“She say that?”

“Not explicitly but nothing I can say will calm her.”

“Okay, I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

Jason hung up the phone and grabbed his jacket off the back of the chair in his living room. He was due to have dinner with Archer and Erica and was dressed to pop round.

He locked up and walked to their place which while it was next door still took a few minutes to walk along the well-worn path between the cottages.

“Hey, dinner’s nearly ready,” Erica said from the sofa under the canopy.

“I’m going to have to skip it. Something’s up with Heidi. Freya just called and asked me to go and see her.”

“I hope she’s okay. Let us know will you?” Archer said coming out from the back door. “Do you want us to save you some dinner?”

“I’m not sure how long I’ll be. I can grab a sandwich when I get back if it’s late.”

He waved and then walked down into town. He reached Heidi’s road and then was at her door. Freya was looking out the window and saw him coming and opened the door ready.

“She’s upstairs, in bed. I’ll let her tell you what happened today, but she’s inconsolable. If you leave her, call me and I’ll come round.”

“I won’t leave her unless she asks me to,” Jason replied, matching Freya’s voice level, not quite a whisper.

“Make sure you call me. She should not be left alone tonight.”

“Are you going to tell me what’s happened? Is it her mum?”

“All her family are fine. Just go up.”

Jason watched as Freya piled a stack of yellow exercise books into a basket and lugged it to the front door. She quietly opened it and closed it behind her. Jason instinctively bolted the door and then looked up the stairs. He kicked off his shoes and shrugged off his jacket. On light feet he ascended the stairs and pushed the door that was ajar open into her bedroom. On the bed in the middle was Heidi quietly sobbing. He put a knee to the bed and then scooped her up. He lay back down and brought her into a cuddle, bringing the duvet up and over them. She looked at him with watery eyes and burst into tears. He rubbed her back while she let out her sadness, rocking her until her trembling subsided.

It was an hour later when she cried herself to sleep. He didn’t know what had upset her, but he wasn’t leaving until she woke and explained. Settling in, he switched off her bedside lamp and for the second time slept next to Heidi scared shitless that she was not okay.

Early the next morning, he woke with them in the same position, Heidi sound asleep. Something must have woken both of them because she stirred a minute later. Her eyes looked up to him and they were red rimmed with her nose puffy from crying.

“Jason,” she whispered and pulled her arm tighter around his waist.

“Yeah, sweetheart. I’m here. How are you feeling?”

“I lost a baby last night.”

He froze. Was she pregnant?

“What happened?”

“Mrs Bloater went into labour nearly three months early and she was stillborn.”

Heidi’s words were a whisper, but he heard her. He pulled her tighter against him and kissed the top of her head.

“I’m sorry.”

“I’ve never lost one before.”

“I’m so fucking sorry, Heidi. I’ll go to the funeral with you,” he said.

Fresh tears poured down Heidi’s face, and she snuggled closer to his body, sniffling.

“I need a white button,” she said.

“What?”

“A white button.”

Jason looked down to his shirt he wore to his father’s grave and yanked one off his shirt leaving a gap half away down his chest.

“Will that one do?”

Heidi nodded, clambered over him and ran down her stairs. Moments later she came back up carrying a large glass jar that looked like it had pasta sauce in it at some stage.

She took the button from his hand and dropped it into the jar. Jason took in all the blue and pink buttons and only saw one white one she’d just dropped in. He understood that this was her baby jar.

He took the jar from her hands and put it on the floor next to the bed.

“Come here,” he said, tugging on her hand.

She came willingly and clambered back over his thighs and stretched the length of him resting her head on his shoulder.

“Thank you for staying with me.”

“Always. You need me, I’ll come running, sweetheart.”