Page 107 of Electric Kiss

“You’re quiet tonight, brother,” Jason commented to his left.

Now that all four siblings were home on Copper Island and their mother had taken the fifth cottage in the row of large houses next to Edward Hall, they had gravitated to each of the houses for different reasons. Archer and Erica’s house was for evening chats and relaxing. They met at Jason and Heidi’s place if they were having dinner together. Luke and Freya’s place became the designated spot for girls’ nights in. Daisy and Nate’s place seemed to be a place where they went for the lad’s nights in, also known as whiskey nights.

At the end of the row stood Imelda’s cottage. That was more like a day nursery as she took care of the grandchildren while they went to work. Tonight the boys were at Nate and Daisy’s place as the girls were doing girl’s stuff for the wedding.

Archer reached for the decanter on the large piece of blond driftwood with a thick glass on top that acted as the coffee table.

Side eyeing Luke, he poured two fingers into his tumbler. As he sat back on the sofa opposite his brother, he caught Luke’s eyes.

“Yeah, you’re usually correcting all the embellishments I make in the stories,” Archer pointed out.

Luke looked at Archer and raised his glass, ridiculously irritated.

“You’re doing a successful job of underselling how many times we nearly lost our lives, so Nate won’t go back to Daisy and cross-examine her about how she got the scar on her left calf,” Luke said in a measured tone like he was delivering a calm threat.

“What?” Nate bellowed as he stood, looking out to the vast lawns like he was searching for his wife.

Jason looked at Luke with an exasperated expression and swivelled to Nate, who had sat back down opposite him across the unlit fire pit that was between their armchairs.

“Luke’s joking. He’s just pissed off he’s had to wait so long to get married,” Archer said.

Luke rolled his eyes at his peace-maker brother but silently thanked him for being the levelheaded one.

“I’m not joking, and that’s not what I’m pissed off about. I’m pissed off that I had to wait a year to marry Freya because you fuckers couldn’t keep your hands off your wives and got them all knocked up. Archer for the second time, and Freya has put an embargo on sex,” Luke said, through clear, succinct, annunciated words.

He added a hand gesture that had his thumb and forefinger touching to make an A-OK sign, but he was anything but A-OK.

“Dude, you need to get laid,” Jason said, trying hard but failing to hide his laughter.

“I fucking would, but Freya has made us abstain for the last week. I’m not allowed to even kiss her for the week leading up to the wedding.

“What’s all the yelling about?” Daisy, Luke’s sister, called out from ten feet away.

She was coming from Luke and Freya’s house. The brothers and Nate were hanging out at Nate and Daisy’s place while waiting for their wives to return from where they’d been. Luke tried all the tricks he knew to get anyone to reveal what they were doing, but everyone kept their mouths shut.

Daisy, Erica, Heidi, and Freya walked side by side towards the back wall and stopped on the dirt path.

The four women’s clothing gave him no clues, dressed in baggy trousers and loose tops, looking fresh and rejuvenated. A far cry from how Luke was feeling.

The women looked at the men with amused expressions.

“Daisy, come here,” Nate said.

He beckoned her over with four fingers pressed together like he was signalling for a truck to back up.

Jason burst out laughing.

Archer snapped his head to Luke. “Luke,” he said in a whiplash voice.

“What?” Luke replied, throwing his hands up in the air, feigning innocence.

“Daisy,” Nate repeated. “Come here.”

This time, his commanding voice left no room for nonsense.

Daisy smirked at the girls. She then broke away from them, walked to the gap in the wall, and walked straight to her husband.

“Yes, Nathanial, what is it I can do for you?” she said, standing in front of him with her hands in her pockets.

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