Page 116 of Electric Kiss

Erica lifted her oversized sun hat and rested it on her stomach. She then donned her fantastic Jackie O sunglasses. She lowered them to the end of her nose for effect as Stan approached. He crouched down at the side of her lounger where Freya and the rest of the girls were looking their way. Freya was too far away to hear the words as Erica nodded, exaggerated by her big floppy hair in a bun on the top of her head.

Stan then handed her three spanners, stood and then looked down the row at us.

“One more day, Freya, and then we can get back to regular weddings,” he said and rolled his eyes.

“It’s like you’ve hated organising my wedding, Stan,” Freya said, toying with him.

He didn’t hide his smirk when he added, “I wish Erica handled all issues. I’ve had to make too many executive decisions about issues, and it brings me out in hives. My wife has trained me it’s not the done thing to make unilateral decisions, or any decisions for that matter,” he grumbled.

“What are the issues?” Freya said with deep concern.

“Nothing you need to worry about, it’s all in hand, just needed approval from Mrs Turner here,” Stan said, back to being jovial.

“Okay,” Freya answered, narrowing her eyes.

Stan stuffed his hands in his pockets, turned on his heel and strolled away, whistling.

“What were the issues?” Freya asked the back of Erica’s head.

Erica turned on her lounger, placed her feet on the floor and flung her hat to the end of the lounger. Now she was facing Freya and all the other girls, who were unnaturally quiet.

“Darling, there are no issues, not to me. Stan had a few hiccoughs, knew how to solve them, but needed some advice. It isn’t something the boys could handle.”

“But you’ve done so much already,” Freya said. “Shouldn’t I help a little bit?”

“As you haven’t worked in Hollywood or any acting arena, I’m not sure you get the depths of utter cattiness there can be, and that’s not a gender thing either. I never had a friend I could trust. I had no faith in men either when I got to Copper Island. I met a fantastic man, immediately agreed to marry him and then had two kids with him. Along the way, I made friends. Real friends, friends I could trust and some of them are now my sisters.”

She looked at Freya, then Heidi, and then Daisy.

“Gwen, if you’ve never had a girl posse before and want one, you can’t do any better than these women.”

Gwen was propped up on her elbows with her sunglasses resting on her head, gradually falling in love with Erica Turner, like they all had. Gwen nodded and kept listening.

“So, my darling Freya, if I can give you the wedding of your dreams, I’m going to do that. If I’m going to ease some of my guilt for getting pregnant again with Gabrielle, so soon after Isobel, and making you wait to walk down the aisle, I’m going to do that too.”

“But you’ve already got me my dream Vera Wang wedding gown,” Freya pressed her point.

“I did, and I’ve done a lot more from your folder, too.”

When Freya had showed Erica and the girls her budget folder if her dad was paying and then her no holds barred folder if the Turners were paying, she’d never seen them again. In truth she didn’t know which folder Erica was using. The problem with the folder if the Turners were paying, she’d made it thinking they were stinking rich, not understanding Luke had savings from the rigs but not enough for her blow-the-budget wedding plans.

Luke had told her she could have whatever she wanted, but Freya didn’t change the folder because it was her dream wedding. Luke had also told Freya as it was really the bride’s day and he got the best gift of the day, a wife, he didn’t much care what she wanted and would never say no to anything, so Freya might as well get what she wanted. Freya’s sole desire was to be Luke’s wife, and the rest stemmed from her appreciation of pretty things.

“All right, Erica. But you got to know, I love you too and not just because you’re a massive Hollywood mega star who can get any of the Hemsworths on the phone.”

The girls giggled at Freya’s reply.

“Going to be straight with you all,” Erica announced. “If I never leave this island again and stay pregnant for the next five years, I’ll be the happiest woman alive. I hadn’t realised what a homebody I am until I came here to get away from my awful ex-husband.”

“Yay for us,” Daisy said and raised her arms in the air in celebration.

No one got to comment any further because an alarm sounded on Freya’s phone. The same alarm on Erica, Heidi and Daisy’s phone. Daisy was grinning at Erica’s announcement but it slid off the moment the alarm sounded.

“No,” Erica bit out.

“She did not,” Heidi said.

“I’m going to kill her,” Daisy clipped at the balustrade, staring straight to Turner Hall.

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