The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (037) The Archers Arrival

 

Two days later Katie Harrison took her daughter up to Lucia's in St Pierre, she was so pleased that Nikki was showing an interest in the opposite sex that she wanted to make sure she made the most of herself, hair, brows, and nails.

The problem was that Nikki, was not that kind of girl, and she was very resistant to being dolled up, and the whole of the journey was taken up discussing what she would tolerate, in the end they compromised on hair and a Manicure.

 

It was much more relaxed and jovial on the return journey, and they were almost home when their conversation was broken by the telephone ringing, and Katie cursed at the interruption before answering it.

“Hello?” she said flatly.

“Hello Katie,” Molly said.

“Hello Molly” she said in a much lighter frame of mind, and chuckled then she continued.

“You’re on hands free, what can we do for you?”

“George said Sam Archer is coming to stay with you” she said.

“Yes, that’s right, and his brother” Nikki replied.

“Excellent, I’d really like to see him again, to thank him for his wonderful work, we’re having an informal lunch on New Year’s Day, you’re all invited, and when I say lunch, I mean a buffet” she paused briefly “so if it fits in with your plans, we’d love to see you all.” 

“Ok we’ll let you know” Katie said, “Talk later, bye.”

 

It was a couple of hours later when Katie returned the call.

“Hi Molly, we would love to come, should we bring anything?”

“Only yourselves,” she replied, “come about one, bye.”

 

Sam and Harry Archer left their flat in Sharpington early on Thursday morning.

“Why do I have to come?” Harry whined.

“Because if you don’t, you’ll just spend the weekend watching the “Sound of Music” or “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” or something equally boring.”

“I like old movies” he said defensively.

Sam was ten years younger than his thirty-six-year-old brother, but he was the boss, Harry was very placid and easy-going and was happy for Sam, to call the shots.

They had been in business together since Sam left university and they were a perfect team at Archer’s Ornamental.

They specialized in handmade snow globes but also made decorative lights from recycled wine bottles, many of them were bespoke but they also mass-produced items for the tourist season, and Christmas decorations for Emmaline’s Christmas Emporium in Sharpington.

Sam was the creative one of the pair and did all the carving, modelling, and painting.

Harry was the practical one who did all the technical stuff, 3D Printing, acrylic injection moulding, and impact moulding.

He also managed their small staff of 6 people who assembled finished and packed the completed articles.

Their sister’s Clarissa and Pandora, who did the ordering, invoicing, and accounts remotely 4 days a week, from their parent’s home in Pepperstock Green, where they were also part time carers for their invalid mother, while both of them did one day a week at the factory.

They lost their father Henry during the pandemic and their mother Dorcas was still suffering the effects of long-covid, having been a hairs breath away from dying herself.

Sam and Harry had spent an extended Christmas in Pepperstock Green and did alternate weekends with their mum to give their sisters some respite, so they were a close family.

 

They threw their overnight bags in the boot and set off to Pipershaven, with Harry behind the wheel.

It was a glorious December day, cold and crisp, bright blue sky, and dead calm sea, and once the ferry was out in open water Sam and Harry stood by the rail and got their first proper look at the Pepperstock Bay Islands.

If anyone had seen them standing there, they would have immediately assumed they were brothers.

Sam was the baby of the Archer family, around six-foot, slim build, blue eyes, and shoulder length straw coloured hair.

Harry was an inch or two shorter with a more athletic build and shorter darker blonde hair.

 

At about the same time on Beacon Farm Nikki’s head was full of self-doubt, because not only had they never met, but they had also not shared pictures of themselves.

Her doubts were two-fold, firstly would he be as nice in the flesh as he was in their communications, and second would he be disappointed with her.

 

They drove off the ferry and Sam was getting overly excited.

“This isn’t like you” Harry said.

“What do you mean?”

“It’s a bit impulsive” he pointed out.

“I know” Sam agreed “It just seems right.”

They drove out of the docks and through St Pierre past the Bellevue Hospital, and the Beaumont Hotel, and Halfway Lane, and then turned right onto Beacon Farm Road.

When they entered the yard, they instantly spotted an attractive sandy haired woman beside the kitchen door.

“Is that her?” Harry asked.

“I’m hoping it’s her mum” he replied.

 

“Nikki! they’re here” Katie called through the kitchen door.

“Oh God, here we go” Nikki said to herself.

“Well, what’s the verdict?” she asked.

“Gorgeous” Katie replied.

“Which one?” she asked nervously.

“Both of them”

“Thank you, God,” Nikki said, and her mum laughed.

“I know, I’m so shallow” she retorted and pulled a face.

She sneaked a look between the curtain and the window frame and saw two blonde men walk towards the farmhouse one confident with shoulder length straw coloured hair the other more hesitant, his eyes fixed on the ground, she assumed the latter to be his brother Harry so the other must be Sam.

“Hello Mrs. Harrison” he said.

“Call me Katie” she replied.

“And you must be ….”

“Sam” Nikki said as she appeared from the kitchen and smiled.