Chapter 13
Archer
All three cottages were precisely the same as the one he stayed in and hers. He stopped on the path, realising he knew the feel of Erica’s breast in his hand. Soft, supple, perfectly sized, with a large nipple.
He wanted to kiss her so badly. The pull he felt when she sat on his lap, curling in against his body while she found her grounding. The electric shock wouldn’t have hurt, but it would have surprised her. He was used to being shocked, but if Erica had never experienced it before, she would’ve been startled.
Carrying her to the bed was over the top, but she was game. It took all of Archer’s willpower to stop pulling the towel off her body and burying his face between her trim thighs.
Archer knocked on her front door and pushed the door open, walking in. He called out hello, and she shouted she was out in the back garden. Archer watched her through the window for a few moments while she was talking and waving her hands in the air. Her earbuds were firmly in her ears, with the cord trailing down into the back pocket of her jeans. Then his focus was solely on her backside.
“Eyes up here, sunshine,” she said.
Fuck.
Her smile lit up her whole face. Archer wanted that smile just for him, ban her from smiling that way to anyone else.
Ignoring what his dick wanted after seeing her bottom and killer smile, he cleared his throat and went outside to see her.
“The other cottages are the same, but it’s an easy fix. I’ll get them repaired in the next few hours. I need to go into the town to pick up some supplies. Someone has wired up the switches incorrectly.”
“Sounds like someone hasn’t done their job properly. However, I have faith you’ll sort it out. Are you new to the estate?”
“Kind of. Why?”
“Is the town busy with people?”
“Define busy?”
“Crowded, people looking you in the eye, that kind of thing. Stopping to have a chat. Or is it strangers passing on the street getting on with their lives?”
“The former, definitely. The townfolk can smell new blood instantly. Then they’ll charm you into revealing everything about yourself. If you resist, they’ll engage other means.”
“Christ. I’ll stay here.”
“You don’t like people?”
“Not at the moment. I’m a private person and clam up when asked personal stuff. ”
“Best you stay here then. Is there something you need? I can pick it up for you.”
“Nothing in particular. I thought I could wander around the town and browse in the shop windows. But if I’m likely to be stopped, I’ll stay here. Two months is a long time to be cooped up. I want to get some exercise.”
“If it’s exercise you need,” he said with a smirk he couldn’t stop. “Then you can walk around the open land up here on the cliffs. It’s all Turner land. If you walk to the end of the garden, past the gap I took you through before, there’s a well-worn path connecting all five cottages and leading you down the beach below. It’s a private beach for Turner use. The townspeople know they’re not allowed on the beach. Plus, you can only get to it by that path or by boat.”
“Turner use?”
“It’s a broad term, but back in the day, both Turner Hall and Edward Hall were filled with family, staff, and a constant flow of friends coming to stay. Whoever was staying in either hall could use the beach.”
“And no one sneaks up in the dead of night to go down to the beach?”
“No, for two reasons. One, they wouldn’t risk the wrath of my aunt, and two, everyone living on an island knows not to mess about near the sea when it’s dark.”
“Sounds like you talk from experience.”
“Yes, I do, on both counts,” he said, chuckling. “I’ll be back in an hour or so.”
Archer walked away from Erica, thinking about the parts he needed to fix the wiring issues in the cottages. He’d thoroughly checked over the rest of the cottage he stayed in and found no other issues. He hoped that was the same for all five of them. Vowing to check over Erica’s house again, he marched faster to the back of Turner Hall to find Ralph. He found him in his shed, sorting through spanners.
“Hey, Ralph, can I borrow the buggy to go into town?”
“Sure. Did you sort the problem at Erica Taylor’s cottage?”
“You know her name?”
“I think we all know her name,” Ralph replied.
Shrugging, he assumed they ran a tight ship renting out the cottages and running the hotel wedding venue at Edward Hall.
“Someone has wired up the on-off shower switch incorrectly. Do you know how long ago it was done?”
“A few months ago, I think. Your aunt got someone from the mainland to update the bathrooms in all the cottages. She’d got it into her head that bathrooms are the selling point of any holiday cottage.”
Archer followed the logic. There was nothing better than a hot shower with a powerful shower head.
“Have they been paid? We need to get a refund on shoddy work if they have.”
“I don’t know about any of that side of things. I meet them at the quay, take them to wherever they need to go, and then get on with the never-ending job of mowing these lawns.”
“But you have a tractor mower. What more could you want?” Archer said in good humour.
“There are small mercies, not that I thought the Mistress would ever agree to such an extravagance. It turns out her hatred for spending money comes below her hatred for unkempt grounds.”
“Lucky you,” Archer said. “I’ll be about an hour.”
“No problem. If I’m not here, just hang the keys back up on that hook.” He said and pointed to where Archer needed to get the keys for the buggy.
Snatching them up off the hook, he jumped into the buggy and drove into town. Parking at the dockside, he spied Nathaniel at the far end, coming out of the small warehouse. He started the ignition and moved towards where he was rolling a tyre.
“Hey, Nate,” Archer called out.
“Archer?” Nate called back. “Is that you? I heard you were back in town.”
“Sure am. Can I leave the buggy here while I go and get some supplies?”
“Sure. What do you need?”
“Wiring and a few tools to fix a botch job. Is McKenzie’s still open?”
“Yeah. Old man McKenzie is still at the helm. Selling screws individually.”
“I used to love that shop as a kid. He sold everything you could need.”
“Still does, mate. Come into town one night. We can have a drink and catch up.”
“Will do.”
Archer strode away, aiming for the ironmongers. He nodded to people he didn’t know, and then pushed open the door. It was dark but inviting. High shelving units with every possible nut, bolt, or anything you could need for a household. He passed the plastic door numbers on hooks, still swinging where someone had turned the moveable stand. Everything was in the same place as when he was last in the shop. Heading to the back left, Archer stood in front of the trellis-style wall with metal hangers and dozens of different wire types .
“Can I help you find something?” Old man McKenzie said behind Archer.
“Hello, Mr McKenzie. How are you?”
“Archer Turner? I heard you were back up at the estate. What brings you into town?”
“I need to repair some bad wiring. Can you help with this list?”
Archer handed the list to Mr McKenzie. It would be faster than searching through the shelves. Mr McKenzie smiled wide. The wrinkles and well-worn skin brightened at the task.
“Give me five minutes, and I’ll have everything at the till. How’s Miss Turner these days? We don’t see her in town anymore.”
“She is no different from the last time I saw her,” Archer replied.
“I can’t believe it’s seven years since your dad left this earth.”
Mr McKenzie was the same age as his father and went to school with him. They were best friends even when his father went to work on the oil rigs.
“It’s a hard reality. The Hall is completely different without him there. I still think he will walk around the corner wearing a big grin.”
“I miss him too, but it’s good to see you back on the island. Are Jason, Luke, and Daisy coming back too?”
“We’ll see. Not sure at the moment if I’m staying. I’ve given myself three months. If everything isn’t sorted by then, I’ll leave, and the others will find jobs overseas.”
“I will send prayers it works out. The island needs you all back.”
“Thanks, Mr McKenzie.”
The man gave him a nod and set about getting the list of items Archer needed. He was soon walking back to the quayside and into the buggy. Ten minutes later, he was back at Erica’s cottage. She’d left the front door ajar, but he still rapped the door loudly and called out her name.
“I’m in here,” she said.
Archer followed her voice into the living room to find her crouched over her laptop.
“The Wi-Fi here is shocking,” she said, stretching back in the dining room chair she’d brought through. She’d made a table from a stool and a stack of books to put her laptop on.
“Interesting use of the furniture,” he said, pointing to her homemade desk.
“It’s the only spot that picks up the Wi-Fi in the house. The dining room table was too heavy to drag in here. If I sit in an armchair, I fall asleep within ten minutes, and I have work to do. I promised myself I wouldn’t turn on my internet access, but I’m addicted and not ready to go off-grid.”
“How’s your mobile signal?” he asked.
“Amazing, but I can’t do the work I need on the phone.”
“But you could tether your laptop to your phone signal.”
She pointed her pen in his direction. “I could, fantastic idea,” she said.
“I’ll leave you to it while I work upstairs. I need to turn off the electricity, so your work shouldn’t be interrupted if you switch to your phone.
He got to work as soon as Erica confirmed she’d switched over and fixed the wiring. He’d found the incorrect wires had been taped together at several points. Archer stripped it out and replaced the damaged section. When he returned downstairs, Erica had moved outside to the rattan chairs. She was on the phone again, so he didn’t interrupt her, leaving her a note that it was safe to have a shower .
He needed to repeat the work in all the cottages. He should’ve done the work when he first tripped out the shower switch a week ago, but he’d got distracted with the other tasks at Turner Hall. He didn’t imagine so much work would need to be done in the cottages. Surely the other guests would’ve used the shower and reported the problem?