Stolen Kiss (The Turners of Copper Island #2)

Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

Heidi

S he had heard the following day what had happened outside The Anchor pub. Heidi was at a birth on the other side of town all night and was oblivious to the fracases between her brother and the man she had slept with.

The only way she could process what she’d been told was to compartmentalise the two men.

It was third hand information, so she didn’t know what was and what was embellished.

It was her day off and she was sitting in her kitchen on the countertop deciding what she should do with her day. Her need was to go and see Jason but she should go and see Keith first. If he would let her in to his home.

She didn’t know if Keith would but she’d deal with that later. If she believed what she was told it was a big mess. Heidi idly wondered if she should get a job at one of the big hospitals on the mainland to escape the hurt and pain everyone was going through.

She poured herself another coffee from the pot and slumped back sipping and thinking. Then a soft knock sounded on her front door.

Freya was on the mainland, in London for a long weekend so she knew it wasn’t her. Shuffling off the countertop, she took her coffee and answered the door in her PJs, not caring one bit.

Except when she opened the door to an immaculately put together woman with a megawatt smile she regretted her clothing choice to answer the door.

“Can I come in?” Erica asked holding up a basket with a cloth covering.

“Erica Taylor,” Heidi whispered.

“It’s Erica Turner now,” she answered in a happy sing-song voice.

On auto-pilot, Heidi stepped back, holding her mug aloft and let a Hollywood mega star into her tiny home.

“This place is gorgeous,” Erica said shrugging off her coat. “Is there any more of that?”

Erica was pointing at her mug and Heidi mutely pointed to the kitchen while she shut the front door. Looking down at her clothing and then up the stairs, Heidi wondered if she could make it up there, shower, change and come back down before Erica finished pouring her coffee.

“I’m sorry to come unannounced but I don’t have your number,” Erica said coming out of Heidi’s kitchen. “Archer mentioned that your best girlfriend in on a mini-holiday and I thought you might want a girl to talk to.”

“That’s very kind but I’m sure you’re really busy,” Erica said finding her voice.

“After what I heard last night, nothing it more important than you and Jason. Archer’s with Jason so I told them I would come to you. I brought stuff,” she said nodding to the basket.

“I should get dressed,” Heidi said in a quiet voice not quite understanding why there was a movie star in her front room and why she cared enough to make sure Heidi was okay.

“Don’t bother on my account. I’ve brought sweats with me so we can veg out for the day. Jason’s making dinner for us up at our place so we need to be up there for seven. Until then the day is ours. I have face masks, creams, nail varnish, and cake.”

“Erica,” Heidi said.

“Yeah?”

Erica was unloading all the goodies on the coffee table in front of the long sofa. She located the remote control and switched the TV on and muted the sound.

“This is mad.”

Erica come over to where Heidi was standing and clasped her free hand.

“Listen to me, honey. I don’t have a single female friend that I trust. I want to be your friend, I want to make friends with the woman Jason values more than anything else aside from his siblings. Let me be your friend even if it’s just until Freya comes back.”

The earnest gaze she gave Heidi twisted her heart. This woman didn’t have any female friends? “I’ll be your friend, even after Freya comes back. She’ll be your friend too,” Heidi said and squeezed Erica’s hand back.

“Good, let’s get these masks on and watch daytime TV. It’s something I rarely get to do.”

“I’ll put another pot of coffee on,” Heidi said.

Heidi wanted to grill Erica on what she’d heard at the pub the previous night but she preferred to hear it from Jason. She’d waited eleven years for an explanation, another eleven hours wouldn’t make much difference.