Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
Daisy
T he redness had completely gone from her feet, but the dull ache of missing Nate remained. She was too embarrassed to go and visit his workshop, which was his home too. Thankfully she hadn’t had another episode.
Daisy walked across the grass lawns. She admired the dew on the grass. It was beautiful to look at but a pain when she wore her suede shoes. Now that October had arrived, she had switched her flats to chunky leather booties for her daily trek to Edward Hall.
Teddy had waited for her at the back door of Archer’s place and bounded out when he saw her walk across the grass. With a little baby in the house, Archer had fitted a dog flap, so he didn’t need to get up for the baby and their dog. She’d fallen into her routine of getting up before the sun, going for a run, coming back for a shower and then dressing for work. Thicker dark-coloured skirts had replaced her boho flowy skirts. By the time she reached Archer’s cottage, the hem was already sodden.
Daisy waited at the opening in the squat wall for Teddy to come running out. Archer stood in the open back door with a cup of coffee wearing PJ bottoms and a long-sleeved t-shirt. His hair was all over the place as Teddy escaped through the open door.
“I’ll be over in an hour to get him for his walk,” Archer said through a yawn.
“All right, you know where to find us,” Daisy said, patting her thigh.
Teddy slowed his run as he approached and greeted her with a lick of her hand. She bent, scratched his head, and smoothed a hand down his spine.
“Why are you in so early? The sun is only getting above the horizon?”
“Lots to do, Archer. I prefer to start early so I can finish at a decent time. I’ve always been a lark.”
“Hmm, I think I’m an owl in that case. See you later,” Archer said, raising his mug and then closing the back door.
Daisy chuckled as she strode through the grass rather than use the flagstone path to her office. It was a much quicker route than the long way around, and she had a stack of work waiting for her. Entering Edward Hall via the kitchens, she walked through the vast space of stainless steel tables and appliances. The breakfast staff was preparing the feast for the movie set staff, who seemed to work all hours of the day and night. A lot of the crew were staying at Edward Hall.
The leading actor was staying elsewhere, she didn’t know where and Erica cosied up in her cottage. The supporting actors scattered, with some staying in Edward Hall and some staying in B&Bs in town .
Many residents had spruced up their spare rooms and rented them out for the duration of the filming. Something Archer had organised through the town council as a way for the residents of Copper Island to earn an income.
With only two pubs, they were full most nights. Every eatery was full too.
She’d learned via her mum, who had got it from her parents, that the suppliers and shops in town were grateful for the custom in what would usually be a quiet month as the tourist season was over. She and her brothers had planned an event every month of the following year, so the residents could make hay when the sun shone all year round and not just in the summer months, albeit summer lasted a lot longer than the mainland because of their location.
“Hey, Sis,” Jason called out as she was halfway across the kitchens.
“Hey, Jason. I haven’t seen you for a few days.”
He looked up from where he was leaning over the workbench, pen in hand, flipping the pages of a notebook.
Jason grinned when he spotted her.
“I’ve been menu planning and finding sources for the products we need. I went to the mainland on an impromptu trip for a couple of days, and I think I have a new supplier that can ship over what we need to keep the crew fed and not eat the same thing most days.”
Daisy was talking and moving at the same time. She couldn’t linger, or the bacon smells would get her.
“Great. I bet they’ll be happy. They’ll leave Copper Island spoilt.”
“That’s the intention. They can tell all their movie mates, and then we’ll get more films being made here.”
“We can only hope,” Daisy called out .
“Your breakfast is on your desk,” he called to her back.
“You’re my favourite brother, Jason,” she hollered, nearly at the internal door to the main part of Edward Hall.
“You say that to all of us,” he said.
She did when she wanted something from them. Which wasn’t often.
Pushing through the swing door, Daisy walked across the marble floor to the front door and let in Teddy. He knew he wasn’t allowed through the kitchens, so Teddy branched off when Daisy took the shortcut.
“Come on, Teddy,” she said, and he bounded in out of the damp morning and was at her side as they walked to her office, and she opened the door. On the middle of her desk was a bowl of warm porridge and a pot of honey to the side. If Jason wasn’t about, one of his deputies made her breakfast and put it in a thermos flask as they weren’t as familiar with her arrival time. It was sweet, and she treasured the welcome at her crack of dawn start. She set the coffee machine going before she shucked off her coat and hung it on the coat stand.
It was time for her to multitask.
She ate her porridge while reading her emails and then got to work to ensure their livelihood was still intact. She had a brief conversation with Warren, who was coming to the island soon, and before she knew it, lunchtime had arrived. It was signalled by dozens of people walking past her office floor-to-ceiling sash window. In the summer and until recently, she could push up the bottom part of the window to let in the cool breeze, but now it acted as a draught. It was a reminder she needed heavy curtains in the room if she didn’t want to freeze to death.
Most of the people were passing from right to left so she could see their faces, then there was a single person going the wrong way, looking up at the building and then over his shoulder. Daisy only saw the back of his head but knew who it was. She then saw two burly men stride after him.
Daisy knew who they were too.
Security.
Why were the security guys doing chasing after Nate?
Curiosity got the better of her, and she swished the catch and pushed up the window. It was so large she could duck and be out on the ledge. It was a two-foot drop to the grass at the rear of the grounds. Daisy looked right to see Nate speed walking and looking up at the building still and the security guys following at a swift pace.
“Nate,” she shouted.
All three men looked her way. Nate sagged his shoulders and threw up his hands. The first thing she noticed was there was no cast on his wrist, and second, he had shoved the sleeves of his fleece up to his elbows.
Didn’t he feel the cold?
He came jogging towards her and glared at the two security guards who followed close behind.
“You know this guy?” Sid, head of security, asked.
“Yeah, he fixes boats in town. He’s fine to be up here.”
“All right. He seemed dodgy when he didn’t know where you worked but said you’d vouch for him.”
“I will,” Daisy said and gave Nate a warning glare, who was warming up his smug smile.
Sid and his partner sauntered off, and Daisy jumped down into the grass and crossed her arms over her chest to keep warm.
“Why are you here?”
“I came to see you,” he said and smiled.
“Why?”
“I missed you,” he said .
“What?”
“Can we go inside? It’s freezing out here.”
“All right,” Daisy said, glancing at his wrist. “You could pull down your sleeves.”
Nate chuckled. He climbed up on the ledge and then dropped into her office. Daisy waited for Nate to move further in, pushed the sash window down, and fixed the latch. She was more bothered about keeping that window locked than she was about her back door.
Nate moved to the other side of the room, where her coffee machine was sitting on the sideboard.
“Can I have a coffee?” he asked.
“Sure, milk is in the fridge underneath. Can you make me one too?”
“How do you take it?”
“Just milk, a splash.”
Nate set about making the coffee, and she took her seat behind her desk and closed her laptop lid to make her monitor screen go dark. It was a bunch of numbers that wouldn’t make sense, but she was in the habit of always hiding her work.
Nate came over to the seat opposite her desk and placed the mugs on the desk. He made himself comfortable with his legs stretched out. His feet ended up under the desk and resting next to her feet.
She eyed him carefully, her expression giving no indication as to what she was thinking. She didn’t give away if she was annoyed or amused or if she was even surprised that he was there.
“Why are you here?” she asked.
He swallowed hard, his eyes darting to the side out of the window he’d come through.
“You never sent me the list,” he said .
She tilted her head slightly, her eyes narrowing in confusion.
“What list?”
“The list of reasons why I can’t kiss you,” he replied.
A small smile tugged at the corner of her lips. “Oh, that list. Well, it’s endless. I thought my surname was enough of a deterrent.”
He looked down at his shoes, his cheeks growing red.
“It wasn’t,” he said quietly. “You seem to think I hate all things Turner.”
“I know you hate all things, Turner. You have for a long time, at least during school, and it seems you blame the Turners for the downturn in business.”
She didn’t want to reveal she knew who he was on the call.
“Every business owner on the island thinks that. I’m not alone in feeling the pinch. This movie seems to have got the town buzzing.”
“So you don’t hate the Turners?”
“No, but I still don’t like what they’ve done to the island.”
“When you say they, I am a Turner,” Daisy said, exasperated.
“Not really. You haven’t played a part in the last six years. You haven’t been here. I didn’t like you at school for different reasons.”
That got her attention.
“What reasons were they?”
“You were so tight with your brothers. The four of you stuck together like glue. No one could infiltrate the bond you had except for Keith and Heidi. Then something imploded there, and then there was Freya and Luke. But no one else got in. You wouldn’t give anyone the time of day like we were not good enough. ”
“But that wasn’t true. We had a lot to deal with.”
“Don’t we all?” he said, reaching for his coffee.
He took a sip and then set it down again. Daisy shifted in her chair, making it squeak. That got an amused smile from Nate.
“I don’t know what to say,” Daisy said, looking straight at Nate.
“What else is on the list? Because it seems you like talking to me, and for some reason, I settle your soul when I kiss you. The downside is that you’re so spaced out you don’t get to enjoy them, so I don’t know if I’m violating you somehow.”
She was floored at what he’d said, so she quickly put his mind at rest. “You’re not violating me, Nate. I don’t know why you settle me, but you do.”
“You settle me too,” he murmured.
Nate took another sip of his coffee, and so did Daisy. She didn’t know where to take the conversation next. Thankfully Nate did.
“Have you had any more episodes?”
“Not since the last one with Rob.”
“That’s good.”
Silence fell between them again, and Daisy’s coffee was nearly finished. She was about to ask Nate a question as he stared out of the window when the door flung open.
Stan Myers stood on the threshold. His hair was out in all directions. His bucket hat was nowhere in sight.
“Daisy,” he said with a sigh, his eyes narrowing in on the back of Nate’s head. “Hi, Nate.”
“Hey Stan,” Nate said, raising his mug but not turning around.
“How did you know it was Stan?”
“He has a unique voice. ”
“Oh,” she said to Nate.
Daisy then looked at Stan and stared into his eyes and then groaned. “No.”
“I haven’t said anything,” Stan whined.
“Still no, Stan. Surely Jason, Archer or Luke can help. I play with calculators. What could you need with me?”
Nate laughed at her comment and sipped from his mug.
Stan dragged out his hand from his coat pocket.
Daisy was raising her hand, palm out to Stan.
“No, Stan, put your hand back in your pocket.”
“Too late,” he said, bringing out the spanner.
Daisy sagged in her chair and fake cried. “It can’t be my turn,” she wailed.
Nate was laughing at her antics.
“Your brothers said if it’s something any of you can sort out, then it’s your turn.”
She sighed, dropped her head into her hands and stifled a groan. She had a lot of work to get done.
“What is the issue?”
“The lead actor has a problem.”
Daisy snapped her head up and gave him her squinted stare.
Nate moved his chair to the side so he could watch the proceedings like it was a tennis match.
“Can’t the director or producer help?”
“It’s not a movie issue.”
“Then what is it?”
“He broke his boat.”
Silence.
Then Daisy’s eyes shot straight to Nate, and he grinned like a Cheshire cat, folding his arms across his chest and leaning back in his chair on the back legs .
“This can’t be a coincidence,” Daisy said low, feeling like she’d been set up.
“It kind of is but kind of isn’t. See, I saw Nate skulking about when I was trying to figure out a way to sort the problem, and then I put two and two together. The actor is living on his boat while filming here, and something is wrong with something. I forget the terminology. I was busy trying to find where we could put him up while he was filming, not thinking we could fix his boat. I went to Hill’s Workshop, and it was all closed up. Now I know why.”
“Did you even try my brothers?” Daisy said with a sigh.
Stan stalked forward, tossed the spanner on the table and then retreated to the threshold.
“No. Can you convince Nate to fix his boat so he can stay on it and the filming won’t be delayed? We want to make a good impression.”
Daisy looked from Nate’s smug grin to Stan’s wide-mouthed eek face and back to Nate. She knew this would cost her and cost her big, but she was all for making Edward Hall a success.
“I’ll give it my best shot, but Nate here hates the Turners, so I don’t know if I can pull it off,” Daisy said.
Nate didn’t correct her, and she looked at Stan. He was shrugging his shoulders like this wasn’t news to him.
“Good luck,” Stan stage whispered and closed the door on them.
“Shit,” Daisy said.
“I cannot wait for this,” Nate said, rubbing his hands.
Daisy sighed heavily. “Name your terms.”
Eight hours later, Daisy was sitting on a cushion, snuggled into a jumper five times too big for her, leaning against the bathtub in her ensuite. She’d called Archer for him to look at her guest bathroom, and he’d fixed the taps in there, but the deal was, Nate could take a bath in her bathroom with her there for company.
He had ten tokens.
She knew this because he made her design them when they were in her office and printed them out. Then he took one pen from the mug she housed them in and made her sign all ten tokens.
Nate safely nestled them in his wallet. Well, nine of them were. She’d set light to the one he’d given her straight away for that evening. Which was right then.
Nate splashed around in the bath, spraying droplets over the page she was reading. Her knees were bent with the book resting against her thighs while she clutched her oversized mug filled with tea.
“Hey, you’ll get my book wet,” she said, not looking around at what he was doing.
It was enough to set her skin aflame to know he was naked, inches away from her. She didn’t need to look at him too. The scent of the strawberry bubble bath wafted around her. Nate spent a long time choosing which scent he was going to have for someone who hadn’t taken a bath for a good amount of years.
“What are you reading?” he asked.
“A memoir from World War II,” Daisy muttered, turning the page.
The deal was him having a bath with her in the room. No mention of chit-chat.
“Is it good?”
“Yeah. Copper Island Library doesn’t have a massive selection, so I grabbed the first book I saw.”
“Don’t you have a massive library at Turner Hall?”
“Aunt Cynthia has a massive library at Turner Hall. They’re not my books, not that I would step foot in that building. Well, not the main part, anyway.”
“Don’t you like her?”
Shit.
She’d revealed too much.
Daisy went with honesty.
“No.”
Taking the hint, Nate shuffled up to where she was at the end of the bathtub. Her head was by the taps, and his arm was touching the side of her head. She leaned against him for two seconds, then realised what she was doing and straightened.
“Will you read some to me?”
“Are you sure? It’s not that exciting at the moment.”
“I like hearing your voice.”
This time Daisy did turn around. His head was above the lip, with peaks of bubbles all around him. He looked youthful with his damp hair and a boyish grin.
Daisy settled back, put her mug on the floor and turned the page. Nate gently put his palm on her forehead and guided her to rest against his arm.
She did as he guided, and never in all her memories had she felt so relaxed. Narrating the story wasn’t as daunting as she thought it would be, and soon the pages were turning, and Nate stayed where he was with her head resting against the warmth of his arm. After an hour and Nate topping up the bath twice, she closed her book.
“I can feel my eyes drooping. I need to stop.”
“Okay. Thank you for reading to me.”
“You seem to be making yourself at home in my tub.”
“It’s a nice tub.”
“Hmm. I’ll leave you to get dry and dressed. I’ll meet you in the kitchen. ”
Daisy didn’t wait for his answer and stood, grabbing her cushion and empty mug. Then she had the dilemma of the book still on the floor. Nate reached forward, showing all his naked back muscles and lifted it to push it into the pouch of her oversized jumper that fell to her knees.
“Thanks,” she said.
“I’m standing up in three seconds. I have no issue with you watching but fair warning.”
Daisy turned on the spot and strode out of the room to the sound of Nate chuckling. Tossing the cushion on her bed, she placed the book on her nightstand she took her mug downstairs. Daisy waited for Nate to come down and join her, and they ate the cheese, meats and bread she’d laid out. He had a beer, and she had a glass of wine.
They acted as if they had known each other all their lives.