Page 9 of Electric Kiss

“Uh, hi. I wondered if you could give me some advice?”

The caller’s voice was deep and rumbly. She found listening to those few words enough to want to know everything about him. He sounded intense but knew exactly what he wanted.

Daisy cleared her throat and waited a moment before speaking.

“Sure, I’ll help where I can, and if I can’t, I’ll findsomeone who can. What is the problem?” Daisy asked, her voice gentle yet professional.

“My business has been running well for several years, but this last couple of years has seen a massive downturn, and I wondered if I could get out of paying the extra 50% in advance tax.”

“Sure, you can appeal to HMRC, but you need to be careful it’s not a temporary blip because if your business does have an upturn, HMRC will think you’re trying to pull a fast one.”

The man’s voice sighed long and hard. “I doubt that’s going to happen if the last six years are anything to go by. Ever since old man Turner died, this island has gone to ruin.”

Daisy’s heart stilled. She was talking to an islander, and he was referring to her grandfather.

“What kind of business do you run?”

“I’m a boat mechanic. My Dad moved off the island and said I could go with him, but I stayed and took over the family business while he went to the mainland and started fresh. He’s doing well, but there aren’t many boats that need fixing where I live. Fewer boats are coming to the island, meaning fewer boats need fixing. With fewer people coming to visit the island, there are fewer mouths to feed. With fewer mouths to feed, fewer boat trawlers needing fixing as they’re not going out to catch fish.”

“Right, it sounds like a spiral. Can you diversify?”

“Not really. I only know about boats.”

“Well, I hope the new generation can turn things around if the… what did you call him?”

“Old Man Turner. He wasn’t a nice guy, which probably accounts for his not very nice daughter, who hides away and has no interest in the island. It’s like having a CEO of acompany who doesn’t give a shit. The thing is, I love living on this island, but there’ll be a time when I’ll have to move to the mainland too. Maybe my father had it right.”

A silence fell between them. Daisy wondered if he remembered her name at the beginning of the call. Not many did, and she hoped he hadn’t too. There wasn’t much she could say without revealing she knew which island he was talking about or who she was. He filled the silence for them.

“You don’t need to hear about my issues. I’m sure you hear all the sob stories on this line. I’ll let you go. Thanks for the advice. I’ll give it some thought before I call the tax man.”

“Okay, well, we’re here if you need more advice.”

“Thanks.” She could hear the smile in his voice. “Have a great evening. I’m off to get some fish and chips.”

“Sounds like a perfect evening,” she replied.

The call ended, but not before she heard his laugh. It was deep and rumbly, and what she wouldn’t give to feel that rumble wrapped up in his arms.

Daisy was keen to look up the boat mechanics on the island and search out fish and chip shops. She could take a walk into town and wander about.

Looking at the clock on her screen, she had another two hours of hotline calls, and then it would be too late to eat. She’d save her sleuthing for another evening. She wanted to hear his laugh in person.

Even if he hated the Turners.

Chapter Four

Nate

Nate had an hour before he needed to take the boxes to the far end of the quay. It was a side hustle he had, as the only forklift truck on the island belonged to Hill’s Workshop. As Nathaniel Hill, he was the only one to drive it. Not that there was anyone else on the island who was qualified to handle a forklift vehicle.

He was on his back tightening up a nut on the motorcycle wheel one-handed. The ache in his wrist resting on his stomach reminded him he needed to see the doctor the following morning.

His phone rang. It was on the floor next to him, just in case a potential customer needed his expertise. Nate instructed his phone to answer when he saw who it was.

“Hi, Dad. How’s it going?”

The view from the video screen is of a kitchen, slightly out of focus. His dad was standing in front of a silver fridgewith the phone propped up against the coffee jar. Nate knows this because the conversation is always the same.

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