Page 2 of Electric Kiss

Archer sat down to put his trainers on and grinned. He nodded towards the door. “Erica is getting her ready. I’ve got her bag of stuff here,” he said, kicking the oversized bag at his feet by the sofa.

Daisy bent and gave him a hug and cupped his head to kiss it. Then she settled into the nearest armchair, sipping her coffee. She thought it would be a quick handover and regretted not wearing her long woolly cardigan. How Archer could cope with just a t-shirt was crazy. It was a chilly morning.

Smiling widely, she glanced at Archer when he’d finished tying his laces and sat back on the sofa. Heslouched and looked in her direction. Her brother looked tired, but happy.

“You’re a Dad,” she said.

“It’s amazing. I can’t wait for us all to have kids.”

“It will be a while yet for me. I haven’t even seen anyone interesting on the island all summer.”

“That’s because you haven’t left your office all summer.”

Daisy winced at his words because he was not wrong. There was a lot of work to be done and now that she was fully qualified and had a few months’ experience with Warren Clark as her mentor, she was raring to go. She’d picked accounting practices up easily, much to the amusement of Warren, to the point she was giving him help with his client issues.

“Maybe when the tourists leave, I’ll be able to see who lives on the island full time. I don’t want to date someone who isn’t staying. This is my home now.”

Archer gave her a soft smile. “I’m glad you feel that way. I was worried you might not come back and work on Edward Hall accounts remotely.”

Daisy drained her coffee mug and placed it back on the table. “Nope. We made a deal, all four of us or none of us.”

Archer nodded and closed his eyes as he leaned his head back.

“I am so looking forward to looking after Isobel for the day. She sleeps a lot, right?”

Daisy, until now, had only spent an hour here and there with her niece, but today she had most of the day with her.

“Yeah, pretty much. She’s getting stronger every day and likes to grab at things, so you might want to take out your dangling earings.”

Daisy’s hands flew to her ears, and she pulled out the loops with blue beads threaded through, and put them inher skirt pocket. She had a few curious glances from her work colleagues when she was being mentored at the accountant’s firm. Daisy preferred colours and layers. Things that swished and moved. She was born in the wrong decade and could easily fit into the 1970s.

The back door opened, and Daisy and Archer sighed. She suspected for different reasons.

“Oh, here she is. Aunt Daisy is here to spread her sunshine all over you,” Erica cooed as she brought Isobel out into the shaded area of the patio.

Erica glowed with health in her plum, long-sleeved maxi dress and white plimsols.

Daisy sprang up, her bracelets jangled as she made her way over to them, grinning at Archer, who continually made fun of her copious amounts of bracelets that made so much noise everyone could hear her coming.

“Isobel likes the noise they make,” Daisy said to Archer and poked her tongue out.

“I’ll take these down,” Archer said.

He stood and lifted the carry cot and bag of tricks.

“Great, the back door is open. We’re camping out in the living room,” Daisy called out to his back.

Archer lifted a hand in acknowledgement and trudged down the path like a pack horse.

Erica cradled Isobel in her arms, wrapping her in a blanket like the tiny princess she was. Her dark eyes stared up at her mother, watching every expression. She was such a serious and curious baby. The pink blanket kept her snug. Daisy dipped down and kissed Isobel on the cheek, inhaling her baby smells like an addiction.

Erica was fragrant with jasmine, making Daisy feel heady and yearning for another trip to Morocco.

“I’m so grateful you’re doing this today,” Erica said.

The tip of Isobel’s nose was so small, so adorable. That precious pout of hers, not quite a frown, but more a scowl.

Daisy took Isobel and kissed her tiny nose. “It’s not a hardship, Erica. I love looking after Isobel. You two deserve a day off and relax. Do you have any plans?”

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