Stolen Kiss (The Turners of Copper Island #2)

Chapter 27

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Jason

J ason pulled the buggy up outside Diamond’s Jewellers and turned off the engine. Archer was in the passenger seat. It wasn’t their turn to pay respects, but they still wore black to mark the occasion. Bailey had dug out their overcoats making sure the moths hadn’t got to them.

“What time are you meeting Keith?” Archer asked while we waited for Mr McKenzie and Mrs Diamond to arrive.

“Straight after we’re done here, not set time. He doesn’t have any customers this time of year so spends his time doing nothing.”

“I wonder if we can find him a role in the business in the off season.”

“Might be a good idea, we’ll have to get thinking something that he will feel comfortable doing. I can’t imagine he will want to come up to the estate.”

“Maybe something to do with the water.”

Before they could continue debating how they could fit Keith into the Turner wedding business, they heard laughter behind them. Jason turned to see Mrs Diamond and Mr McKenzie walking with their arms linked down the path. Mrs Diamond had a bunch of winter flowers tied with string and Mr McKenzie was holding a bottle of something.

They took the middle bench and sat down.

“It’s good of you to do this for us,” Mrs Diamond said.

“Anytime you want to come up, you call me and I’ll arrange it,” Jason said. “Are you all set?”

“Yes,” Mr McKenzie said. “I’ve brought a bottle, I hope you boys don’t mind.”

“Not at all, we brought rum when we went,” Archer said.

Mrs Diamond laughed and then Jason pulled away and took them up to their dad’s grave. Mrs Diamond laid flowers and then Mr McKenzie unscrewed the top and took a swig. He passed it to Mrs Diamond, and she did the same. It reminded Jason of him and Heidi on the quayside a couple of months ago.

The two of them stood in front of the grave and Mrs Diamond started to weep. Mr McKenzie pulled her into a side hug and gave her a hanky.

Jason and Archer had been standing away from them in case they wanted to say private words, but strolled nearer when they saw their aunt Cynthia moving through the trees on the other side of the graveyard. Cynthia seemed not to notice them because when she came nearer she stopped with a jolt. Archer and Jason moved nearer when Mrs Diamond looked their way.

“Stay as long as you want and we will be here with you,” Archer said.

“It’s probably best we go now,” Mr McKenzie said looking at Cynthia Turner who hadn’t moved.

“Jason, I’ll take them back if you want to head to Keith.”

“Thanks, dude. I’ll see you later on.”

Jason jogged away from Cynthia and from Jason, Mr McKenzie and Mrs Diamond. He could see their cottages in the distance and he smiled.

It was nearing the end of November and everything was settling. Heidi stayed up at the cottage with Jason unless she had a mum who would be giving birth soon. Then she stayed at her place and Jason with her. Slowly his cottage had additions. The first was a grey blanket over the back of the sofa in the living room. Then tall candle sticks made from chunks of wood. Later came the candles. Each time she arrived another addition came with her. His favourite was her toiletries in his bathroom and a spare pair of scrubs in his chest of drawers.

“Just in case,” she’d said.

She could move her entire house in, he didn’t care so long as she was with him. Jason told her every day he loved her and her reply was non-verbal. Sometimes he was late for work and sometimes she was. Heidi showed Jason she loved him and Jason told Heidi he loved her.

Daisy had talked with Erica’s accountants and the renovations were well underway. The foreman Stan Myers had hired was a drill sergeant. No one had a cup of tea unless he agreed it first. Aunt Cynthia would be proud if she had come out of her suite of rooms to be nosey.

“You love my sister?” Keith asked.

They were sitting astride their boards. It had become their Sunday morning ritual to catch some waves before they headed back to the Shaw house to lunch.

“Yes,” Jason said with absolute certainty.

“Can I tell you what went down back then?”

“I’m all ears,” Jason said looking straight ahead. Keith and Jason were similar, it was probably why they were friends for so long and didn’t piss each other off.

“This beach?” Keith said.

“Yeah.”

“Everything you can see from the sand and back three hundred feet. This whole lagoon, in fact this peninsular?”

“Yeah.”

“I own it.”

Jason’s head swung to look at Keith to see if he was kidding.

“No shit?”

“No shit,” he replied quietly.

“And all you have on here is a shack.”

“I feel too guilty,” he said trailing his fingers through the water.

“Why?”

“It was coming to the end of the summer and Cynthia Turner stood next to me at the end of the quay for the final gig race. You were ten feet away cheering on Heidi.”

“I never saw her.”

“There was a reason for that. She told me it was a shame that you and Heidi got on so well. I took the bait and asked why. That was when she told me you were engaged to be married on New Year’s Eve. Some Countess on the mainland. It seemed legit. You were a Turner after all. Why the fuck wouldn’t you marry a countess? I didn’t see this as a problem, you and Heidi were just friends. She was my older sister. And there is an unwritten rule about best friend’s sisters. You getting married seemed shocking as you never let on but you were also set to leave for the rigs so I figured your wife would hole up at the estate like your mother did.”

“You had no idea I was besotted with Heidi?”

“No a clue.”

A lull fell between them. Jason thought back to the last weekend he’d spent with Heidi. It was getting cooler so there wasn’t as much time to lie in the soft sand and make love. But they did it for as long as they could and then bundled up under blankets.

“I asked your aunt why she was talking to me about your intended wife. And she said so I could let Heidi know gently after you’d left. It would be better coming from me, rather than Heidi finding out the hard way when you brought your wife back in the new year. Then is dawned on me you’d been with Heidi the whole summer. She was so happy and I thought it was because she’d studied her arse off and was letting loose before she started her job.”

“Fuck,” Jason hissed.

“I hated you so much. Hated you so much I couldn’t even look at you.”

“I wondered why you said you couldn’t meet up for one last drink before I headed off. You’d said that there was a meal at the house for family and you had to be there instead. I knew you were lying because Heidi was with me that evening and we were going to tell you.”

“Fuck. The timing was all wrong.”

“Seemed the timing was perfect for Aunt Cynthia.”

“I waited until you left with your brother and father and then sat her down and told her. Then I sent you the text that she never wanted to see you again. I thought I was acting to protect her. Seems like I was protecting the Turner legacy. But it wasn’t until early December when your grandfather came to see me, that it all fell into place. We had a chat at The Anchor and he passed me an envelope. It was the deeds to this peninsular. He said there was nothing he could do with the land and he knew I surfed a lot, so he gave it to me as I was your best friend. He wanted it to go to someone he could trust. I didn’t think the Turners gave up any land. I thought every inch was leased. Albeit, each plot was leased for a hundred-and-fifty-years but at the same it was odd. I wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. I didn’t want to leave the island, but I didn’t want to work in an office or out at sea. I loved the water, so I thought I could build a house and run a surf shop and a snorkelling tourist spot.”

“I don’t see a house,” Jason said, scanning the horizon.

“No. Come the new year and there was no wife, marriage or even you, I had a bad feeling. I’d cut all ties with you so it wasn’t as if I could ask you what the fuck was going on. I couldn’t ask Heidi, Freya was tight with Luke but I didn’t think it was fair to put any pressure on her.”

“What did you do?”

“I marched up to Turner Hall, demanded Bailey let me in and I cornered your aunt. Do you know what she said?”

“What?”

“The Countess had changed her mind and had married a European prince instead.”

“I knew then it was a crock of shit but the damage was done. I ran my business enough to cover my bills. They’re not many because I still live with my parents and they refuse rent. But the guilt ate away at me and I couldn’t figure out the lie. My anger blinded me. It wasn’t until I saw your face when I asked who you were marrying that I realised you had no idea she was fixing you up.”

“I had no clue she was doing any of this and we still don’t know why. She seems obsessed that we all marry to continue the line. Archer got lucky, Luke can’t wait to get married, Daisy says she’s never getting married and I want to spend the rest of my days with Heidi and I don’t care if we don’t get married.”

“Dad will. He won’t want his daughter living in sin, no matter what the year says on the calendar.”

Jason chuckled. “I agree with him but I can’t make her want to be a Turner and everything that goes with it.”

“It’s a lot to ask. I wonder if this is how outsiders feel when they agree to join the Royal Family.”

“I’m not sure I want to be a Turner and I have no choice,” Jason said.

“Is Erica as lovely as everyone is saying?” Keith asked changing subject.

“She’s fantastic. I don’t know why you won’t come up to the cottages and meet her.”

“I don’t trust myself up there. If I saw your aunt I don’t think I’d be able to keep my hands off her throat.”

“There’s a line, mate. Seriously come up for Christmas drinks. We’re doing it early because we have a big wedding to get ready for. It’s in a couple of weeks.”

“I’ll think about it.”

Jason nodded and looked over his shoulder. The water was too calm to do any surfing, so he stretched forward until he was prone on the board and started paddling to shore. Keith followed him and for the first time in many years, Jason was finding some peace. He had his friend back. Heidi was in his bed and his siblings were enjoying life.

“You should build a house, Keith. Make this peninsular your home, set some roots here. There’s no point letting it go to waste. How are you going to get a woman living at the bottom of your parent’s garden?”

They were trudging up the loose sand to the mini car park.

“Until now, I never thought I deserved to be happy after taking yours and Heidi’s away.”

“Well we can put that to rest. Neither of us died and we’re back together. Build your house and she will come.”

“Fuck off,” Keith said laughing.

It was the first time he’d hear his mate laugh since they’d started speaking again and it felt good.