Chapter 38
Erica
After ten days of living back in London, Erica still missed the island and the handsome man she left behind. He’d peppered her with random questions about the wedding she didn’t care about. She’d talked Yanny’s ear off every evening about what she should do. As each day passed by, she realised marrying Archer would be a mistake for both of them. Finally, on the penultimate day, Erica went to pick up her wedding dress. She was still intent on talking to Archer when she returned to the island to tell him it was a bad idea.
Settling at a table outside a restaurant on the patio area, Erica took out her paperback and waited for her lunch to arrive. Her dress was hanging up somewhere inside. The hostess took it from her like it was fine china and promised to take good care of it. The patio area had five feet high shrubs giving a subtle note to passers-by that attention was not welcome.
“Is this seat taken?” A man’s voice said, interrupting her reading .
Erica looked up at the good-looking man standing on the opposite side of the small square table she was sitting at. His short spikey blond hair reminded her of a surfer with its natural bleach blond tips and his tanned face.
“I’m engaged,” Erica replied, holding up her hand with the antique pearl ring on her third finger.
“I know. To my brother. Is this seat available?” he asked again.
“Yes,” Erica said, carefully tracking his movements as he gracefully sat, unbuttoning his suit jacket and smoothing his tie down his broad chest.
“I’m guessing you’re Jason.”
“Why?”
Jason sat back with a smirk. The only evidence she could see he could be unruly was his hair. Dirty blond and sticking up like it wouldn’t behave.
“You were the only blond in the childhood photos.”
Nodding, Jason made himself comfortable at the table in the corner of the restaurant. “Yes, I’m Jason. Can I have lunch with you? I promise this is a friendly get-together.”
“So friendly, you gate crashed. How did you find me?”
Feeling more relaxed now, that he had stated he wasn’t there to hand out bad news or behave like a male version of his aunt, Erica dropped her book into her bag.
“The gutter press. They snapped you coming in and uploaded it onto their website.”
“And you, by chance, were looking.”
Jason grinned, leaning forward with his arms resting on his thighs under the table. “I came back to London a few weeks ago. I wanted to know if you were still here when Archer said you did a Houdini act on him. Google alerts are fantastic. However, you’ve been holed up in your house. Beautiful place you have in Kensington, by the way. Very secure.”
A server handed Jason a menu and left them alone.
“Your brother ignored me for a week, wouldn’t speak to or look at me. He knew I had movie commitments, so it was hardly a disappearing act.”
“You told him you’d be gone for five days, then in your note, you said you’d be away for two weeks.”
“And he said he wouldn’t run out on me.”
Jason took a breath in and then exhaled through his nose. Sitting back and giving Erica his undivided attention, after making his choice from the menu, he stared her out.
He lost.
“My brother is methodical, doing things in order rather than multitasking. He couldn’t talk to you until he had talked to our aunt. Aunt Cynthia gave him the run-around claiming to be ill when she wasn’t. He gate crashed her morning tea and got his answers. Then he called us for advice. Finally, he came to your cottage to discuss everything, yet you’d gone.”
Erica chewed on those words, knowing they would be true. It wasn’t like she’d ignored Archer over the last ten days, but she had only answered questions he’d asked. There was no deviation, no small talk or sexy talk. Erica hadn’t dialled his number because she couldn’t bear to hear his voice. All she had in her head was his final words, forget it , on repeat.
“The risotto is lovely here, and so is the steak,” Erica said.
“You come here a lot?” Jason asked, picking up the menu.
Erica was grateful Jason didn’t push his point any further. She understood he was looking out for his big brother. She’d do the same if she had siblings. The conversation had grown too serious, and she was getting stressed.
“It’s one of my favourite places to eat,” Erica said.
“Mine too.”
“Are you a foodie?”
“I’m a chef. When I’m in London, I come here to eat and speak with the kitchen brigade.”
“Oh hell, don’t tell them that. It’ll freak Pedro out.”
“You know the head chef here?” Jason asked.
“Yeah, we go way back when he worked in another restaurant, and I was a struggling actress in the theatres. I’d pop into his place and eat late at night after the place closed, and all the staff would eat together. They were simpler times.”
“Archer is freaking out,” Jason said.
The change in subject jolted her from good memories. She thought talking about food would dissuade Jason from piling on the pressure.
“Why?”
“He’s planning a wedding with no idea if the bride is coming back.”
“I said I was coming back. I’ve answered every wedding question he’s asked.”
“Yeah, but they weren’t with much feeling, just simple yeses or nos.”
“What more does he want? It’s a wedding for show, to get you all the business so you can settle together. It doesn’t matter much if the flowers are yellow or white.”
“You have added two names to the wedding party, and you’re one of them.”
“Yanny would kill me if I didn’t invite him.”
“What about the rest of your family?”
“I don’t really see them. We’re not close, and I’m an only child. Plus I’m not dragging anyone else into the lie that doesn’t already know. By the time we separate, I hope my parents won’t find out, and they can pretend to disapprove of their daughter with one divorce.”
“I’m sorry you feel that way. Are you having second thoughts?”
“Completely. I don’t think this is a good idea. But I made an agreement, and for the sake of all of you, I’m still returning to the island in a couple of days. I’ll talk to Archer then, tell him my fears, and if he still wants to get married, I will walk down the aisle and smile for the cameras. Lord knows I’ve done that a thousand times on the red carpet.”
“Erica,” Jason said, stretching his hand out and clasping hers. “You’re making me sad. I think Archer cares for you a great deal. He is busting his ass to get everything ready for when you come back.”
“That’s the problem. Why is Archer doing that when he said I was faking how I felt? I don’t sleep with just anyone. I’ve never felt more like a whore when he told me I was acting. I shared stuff with him I’ve never confessed to anyone.”
The waiter came out with their food, and Jason pulled his hand away to make room for his food. Then, Jason leaned forward and dropped his voice when they were left alone again.
“There’s no reason why you two can’t get married for real.”
Erica mirrored his position, holding her hair back out of the way of the food.
“The ink is still wet on my divorce papers. My ex-husband cheated on me with a much younger woman. My ego and heart are still bruised, Jason. Getting married to a good man like Archer and believing we have a shot? That would be foolish because I don’t trust my judgement or feelings.”
“Then let me judge. Archer has sent an SOS for us all to return to help. Daisy has been there for a week and a bit. Luke is on a flight home, and I’ll be coming back in a couple of days.”
“Do you need a lift?”
“I can book my own flight.”
“There’s space on my flight. I’m taking across a heap of stuff for a charity organisation on the island, but all that is going in the hold. There are spare seats. It would be ridiculous for you to book another flight. Yanny is coming too, but that still leaves two more seats. Are you staying in London?”
“I have a hotel room.”
“Let me know where you’re staying, my driver will pick you up the day after tomorrow, and he can drive us down. You can spend the time catching me up about your family history and why you think Archer and I make a good match.”
“I’m up for the challenge,” Jason said.
“Good. Let’s eat.”
*0*
When Erica arrived back at her home, there were a couple of photographers waiting for her. Unfortunately, one got too close, and she held up her hand—the one with her engagement ring on.
“Who was your lunch date, Erica? Is he the man you’re engaged to? Is Jason Turner your fiancé?”
Erica was still amazed at how quickly information was sought or bought. Making no comment, she entered her property, leaving them on the pavement, behind locked gates. Yanny was her first call.
“Two things,” she said. “One, we have an extra person travelling with us to Copper Island, and second, the paps think I’m marrying Jason Turner.”
“Was he the guy you had lunch with? It wasn’t on your schedule,” Yanny said.
“He’s Archer’s brother and the person we’re giving a lift to Copper Island. How did the press get wind of it?”
“My sources say one of the other patrons took your picture when the, and I quote, strikingly handsome man joined Miss Taylor for lunch. Has she finally got over Gregg Potter and under Jason Turner ?”
“How did they know his name, the reservation was under my name?”
“I don’t know, but I’d guess someone bribed the staff if he paid the bill.”
“Yes, he did. Dammit, someone took a note of his name on the credit card.”
“You know the drill by now.”
“It still shocks me.”
“And that’s why I love you. You still have the naivety. Hollywood hasn’t made you bitter.”
“Marriage has, though.”
“Are you still going to break it off?”
“Jason reckons we’re a good match, me and Archer.”
“Well, you do really like him.”
“For the right reasons?”
“Who cares if he makes you happy.”