“I thought so. Margot mentioned someone had moved in with that moody werewolf.”
I nodded. “He’s definitely moody. I’m Isobel. This is Poa.” I pointed back to Lavender House. “We’re trying to fix that place up, and I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions.”
“Certainly, dear. I’m Judith. Would you like some tea?”
“That sounds amazing.”
“Excellent. Come in.”
I hesitated in the doorway. “I’m pretty dirty.”
She waved a hand dismissively. “Let me take care of that.”
I watched as she squinted her eyes and muttered an incantation, her magic swelling on the air. It was faint, but a moment later, I was clean enough to come into her house. I’d still need a shower, but I was much better.
She gave me a pleased smile. “I’m not particularly skilled with my magic—never been much of a witch, as hard as I’ve tried—but I’ve really worked on that cleaning spell.”
“Well, it worked great.” I grinned at her. “Thanks.”
“Now come in.” She gathered up the blooms she’d collected, and I followed her into the little cottage, immediately swept away by how beautiful the place was. It was cozy and welcoming, with pastel landscapes on the walls and comfortable-looking furniture. She gestured to the kitchen table, which sat in front of a large window overlooking the sea. “Have a seat. I’ll put the kettle on.”
I did as she said, watching as she put the flowers in a vase and then filled the kettle. There was something so comforting about being near her. I’d say familiar, but I was sure I didn’t recognize her. She had a faint magical signature, and I wondered if she was a witch like me. If she was, she didn’t have much power. Or she hid it well.
“Have you lived here long?” I asked.
“On and off my whole life.” She smiled as she picked up a tin. “Chocolate biscuits?”
“Yes, please.”
Judith laid out a tray of biscuits and tea, then carried it to the table. After she’d set my cup in front of me, she poured a saucer for Poa and added a generous splash of milk before putting it on the floor in front of her.
Poa looked up at me. See? She knows how to treat a cat.
“She says thank you,” I told Judith.
Poa got to work on her milky tea, and I waited for Judith to finish pouring her own cup. It felt rude to rush her, no matter how excited I was to possibly get answers.
Judith passed the plate of biscuits to me and said, “Now, tell me how I can help you.”
“The house is enchanted to have a personality,” I said. “Almost like it’s alive. I was wondering if you knew anything about the previous inhabitants.”
Interest flashed in her eyes. “Enchanted, you say? I’d always thought it was a ghost or a curse to make it uninhabitable, but that’s very interesting.”
“Have you been inside?”
“A few times, long ago.” She smiled. “But no, I don’t know the last people to live there. It’s been a very long time since it was inhabited. Seventy years or more.”
Darn. I’d been hoping for more information.
“There’s a chance my mother knew, though. Perhaps I could look in her old papers and see if she had anything that could help you. She collected bits of local lore.”
“Oh, that would be amazing. Thank you.”
She waved a hand. “Don’t think anything of it, dear. I’m happy to help.”
My chest warmed. I liked having her call me dear. I wasn’t sure why I felt such a connection with this woman. Maybe my soul was just so starved for familial affection that I was seeing something that wasn’t there. My own grandmother and parents had been so distant that I was looking for it anywhere I could find it.
I hadn’t felt the same with Cecelia, however, even though I’d liked her very much. With a flash of embarrassment, I realized I’d been silent a little too long. I took a bite of a biscuit to give me a chance to compose myself.
“Great biscuits,” I said. “Thank you.”
“Any time, truly. I’ll look for those papers and deliver them to you if I find anything, all right?”
“Oh, I hate for you to go to the trouble.” I thought of how uneven the hillside was between our houses. “I’ll stop by tomorrow to see if you’ve found anything, if that works for you.”
“Perfect. I look forward to it.” She smiled again. “Perhaps tomorrow, I’ll be delivering good news.”
I hoped so, because I had no other leads at all.
Chapter
Twelve
Isobel
I was pretty high on life as I headed into town for girls’ night. My tea and biscuits with Judith had been a balm to my soul for reasons I didn’t want to explore too deeply. Going down that path meant facing the demons of my past, and I wasn’t interested in that right now. Maybe never.
Instead of driving, I decided to call a cab. For me, girls’ night meant a few glasses of wine. I had a feeling it meant the same for the other women since we were meeting at a place called Potions & Pinot, and I certainly shouldn’t be behind the wheel in that situation.
At the sisters’ clothing shop, I’d bought a dress in a silky fabric that was shot through with tiny sparkles. It was shorter and cut lower than the things that Tommy had liked me to wear, but that could be said of most dresses. Which meant I loved it, of course. I’d even picked out a pair of strappy, heeled sandals, which I’d been unable to resist. I wouldn’t be walking far in those shoes, but that wasn’t the point of them.
Poa was nowhere to be found as I left the boathouse, but I did see Rafe. He was walking out of the sea, shirtless and dripping water like some kind of ocean god. I halted dead in my tracks, unable to stop myself from staring. His body was insane, even more beautiful than I remembered from the first night I’d met him. Maybe because I wasn’t afraid for my life now, I could get a proper look at him.
And wow.
He had the kind of body built by years of hard work, tall and broad, with clearly defined muscle that made my palms tingle at the idea of touching him. He was just…perfect.
And now I was totally objectifying him.
Embarrassment shot through me, and I winced, feeling heat bloom in my cheeks. That was inappropriate. He was a person, not a pin-up model in some magazine from the eighties. I shouldn’t be ogling him.
He’d also stopped when he spotted me, and as I met his gaze, I saw something in his eyes that made me blush even hotter. There was no denying what I saw in his stare—attraction. Like, a lot of it.
We stood ten meters apart, but I could feel the connection between us like we were joined by a live wire.
“Um, I’m going out.” I hiked a thumb toward the driveway, where I could hear the cab approaching.
“All right.” He swallowed hard, and I could see his Adam’s apple bob.