Chapter 43
Chapter Forty-Three
L uke, his brothers, Nate, and Keith were sitting out the back of Archer and Erica’s place. Luke was staying sober while the others sipped on their beers. Keith had joined them earlier that day after being off island for a few weeks. He was Heidi’s brother and Jason’s best friend and no one knew why he’d gone to the mainland. Keith was a homebody and hated getting on a boat, plane, or helicopter to leave the shores of Copper Island.
They were waiting to collect the women after their session at The Anchor pub.
“So, Keith, where have you been?” Jason asked.
“The mainland,” Keith replied.
Keith took a sip from his bottle of beer and smirked at Jason.
“You’re such an arsehole. I don’t know why I call you a best friend,” Jason muttered.
“And you’ve let your women turn you into gossips,” Keith retorted, scanning through the men.
Archer chuckled as Jason glared at Keith.
“All right, I’ll tell you, but you mustn’t make a big deal about it,” Keith said.
“Please don’t tell me you got married too and I’m the last man standing,” Luke said.
“No. Nothing like that. I’ve spent the last few weeks with an architect. We’ve been designing the house together so I can build most of it.”
“Dude, that’s amazing,” Jason said.
“Thanks, Bro. I still feel guilty having the land.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. No one died, I married Heidi and we have a baby. We’re over that and we’ve moved on. I can’t wait to see how it comes along.”
“I’m hoping to get it structurally built before the weather hits and then during the winter I can do the internal bits.”
“You want any help, you let us know,” Jason said, giving him a pointed stare.
“Might need your help, Archer. Could do with learning electric and plumbing,” Keith replied.
“You got it,” Archer said and raised his bottle of beer.
In the thirty seconds of silence that followed, Archer’s phone rang. He swished at the screen and held it to his ear.
“Honey,” he said into the phone.
“Erica,” Luke muttered to the others.
“All right … okay… Christ Erica, can someone hear you? ... good … be there in ten.”
Archer put his phone into his pockets and put the bottle of beer on the coffee table, and then sighed shaking his head.
Laughing he looked at Jason, Keith, Luke and Nate.
“We need to roll out. They’re all smashed. Erica said they’ve made a new friend who has been initiated into the girl posse and they need a ride home. Although, the recent addition just needs walking home as she’s the woman who has rented Freya’s house. Erica said some other stuff you guys do not need to know about, but she did say it’s best if Luke stays away as Freya wants to get married right this second.”
“Why can’t I come? We’ll wake up Reverend Sprite and get right on it,” Luke said, necking back his beer and adding it to the empties on the table.
“That’s what Erica is afraid of. So you stay put and we’ll be back soon,” Archer said.
“Fine. Two days and none of you are going to see me for six weeks. Then I can be all smug and married.”
“Freya still doesn’t know it’s six weeks, right?” Keith asked.
“Nope. Still telling everyone it’s two weeks. I can’t wait to see her face. You got everything sorted your side?” Luke asked Keith.
“Yep. All good to go.”
“I can’t wait. Well, go get them. I wish you luck as they are the happiest drunks I have ever met. The squirmiest too. I hope you have your running shoes on,” Luke said, looking down at Keith’s feet.
He wore deck shoes. As he was addicted to anything to do with the water, it was no wonder.
Jason laughed, put his half full beer on the table and followed Archer out of the back patio area with Nate.
“You coming along?” Jason said to Keith. “They can get pretty rowdy when they’ve been on the martinis, and the recent addition is an unknown. We might need reinforcements.”
“Sure. Looking forward to seeing how you handle my drunk sister. She’s been full on sober for a month, and it’s been a long time since she’s let her hair down.”
“Let’s go. We’ll take two buggies,” Archer said.