“Put on the life jacket,” I said, nodding to where it sat next to her.
“You put yours on, too.” She donned hers, and I did the same, liking that she’d insisted. I didn’t have a memory of a time when someone had cared about me, and it was strange. But nice.
The waves were picking up as I sped back to shore, pushing the engine to its limit. There was just enough wind that I could assist the motor with the foresail, and we made excellent time. All the same, rain began to fall as we neared the harbor, and the heavy droplets soaked us in seconds.
“You can go in the cabin!” I shouted over the roar of the deluge.
“I’m fine!” She huddled away from the rain.
She wasn’t fine, obviously. But it was more likely that she didn’t want to attempt climbing down into the cabin with her bad ankle. I wished I could help her, but the storm was really on our tail now, with the wind whipping hard enough that I had to lower the foresail immediately. It would take all my focus to get us back to the harbor safely.
Isobel hung onto the side of the boat as the waves buffeted the hull. As soon as we reached the protected waters behind the jetty, relief rushed through me.
We were safe.
Assuming we didn’t get struck by lighting. The storm was still a couple miles off, however, and we made it back to my slip in one piece.
“Stay there,” I said as I pulled alongside the dock and hopped off to take care of the lines. “I’ll get you when we’re tied off.”
“I’m fine. I can walk.” She rose, then winced.
“You can’t, so sit down.” My voice cracked with command, and she did as I said.
I had the boat tied off in seconds, then returned to the cockpit to lift her. She wrapped her arms around my neck, and I cradled her against my chest as I stepped onto the dock.
“Don’t you want to put the cushions back in the cabin?” she asked, massive raindrops splattering on her face.
I laughed at the idea of worrying about cushions right now. “No. We’re going.”
She smiled up at me, and even in the deluge that drenched her, she was still somehow the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen.
I ran toward the car, then set her down on the seat as gently as I could before shutting the door and hurrying to my side. Once I’d closed us into the car, the lack of rain and wind was profound.
Isobel heaved out a breath, then began to shiver. Shit, was she going into shock? “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, just cold.”
I turned on the heater, letting it blast over us. “How’s your ankle?”
“Hurts, but I’ll live.”
“We’re only ten minutes from the boathouse, and I can call a healer to meet us there.”
“It’s just a bit sprained. No need for a healer. All I really want is a hot bath.”
“Humor me.” I sent a quick text to the Katia, the healer I’d met when I’d first moved to town, then started the drive toward home.
The weather worsened, and rain lashed the windscreen as I slowed to a crawl through town, afraid that someone might dart in front of the car on their way to shelter. By the time I pulled up to the boathouse, Isobel’s teeth were chattering. I parked as close to the door as I could, then helped her out, sweeping her into my arms before rushing her into the warm boathouse.
She laughed as I slammed the door behind us. “This is all a bit dramatic, isn’t it?”
“Hardly. You’re white as a sheet.”
“Goes with my Victorian murder ghost persona.”
“It was lunatic Victorian ghost, actually.” I’d never forget the ridiculous thing I’d called her when I’d first seen her. “And yes, it does suit that. But I’m going to take you upstairs now.”
“Good. I could use a cup of tea and a bath.”
“Coming right up.” I took the stairs two at a time, then deposited her gently on the floral couch in the living room. For all the work we’d done up at Lavender House, she hadn’t touched a single thing in the flat. Every surface was still covered in knickknacks, so many that it made my skin crawl.
Isobel must have caught me looking at them because she said, “Poa won’t let me remove them. She loves the attention of all those little eyes. They’re creepy, though.” She gave a little shudder.
I looked at the figurines on every table and had to agree with Isobel—it was very eerie the way they stared. “I’ll check on the healer’s progress while I brew the tea. Don’t move.”
“I’m fine. I don’t need a healer.” She sounded exasperated, but she didn’t move.
I pulled my phone from my pocket as I walked to the kitchen and put the kettle on. Katia had responded that she’d be by in twenty, and we were nearly to that mark. I typed out a quick response telling her to let herself in and come up to the flat, then turned my attention to making tea. By the time I carried the cups to the living room, Katia was knocking on the door at the top of the stairs.
“Come in,” Isobel called.
Katia, who was somewhere in her mid-forties and ran the health clinic in town, was wrapped up in a hooded floor-length raincoat. She pushed the hood back from her hair and smiled, but there were shadows under her eyes that made her look tired. “What’s the emergency?”
“Not an emergency,” Isobel said. “I twisted my ankle, and Rafe freaked out.”
“Well, let me check it.” Katia walked closer, then knelt on the floor by Isobel’s ankle, which she had propped on the couch next to her. She’d taken off her boot, and her socks had kittens printed all over them. It was almost ridiculously cute. Katia held her hand over Isobel’s ankle. “May I?”
“Sure, thanks.”
Katia touched her ankle, and a moment later, Isobel cried, “You can’t heal me. You’re exhausted. I can feel it in your magic.”
Katia gave her a weary smile. “We had quite a day at the clinic. Lots of healing to do.”
“You should have told Rafe. This is nothing. You’ll pass out if you try to use any more magic.”
“He made it sound like an emergency.” Katia looked at me. “It’s not, by the way. A very mild sprain that should be better in a few days.”
Relief rushed through me, but I didn’t regret my actions. I did feel bad about Katia coming all the way out here, though, especially when she was tired. “Can I give you a ride back?”
“I’m fine, I brought my car.” She rose and turned her attention to Isobel. “I’ve heard about Lavender House. It’s all over town that you’re trying to fix it up on a deadline. If you can’t put weight on your ankle, come into the clinic tomorrow. A good night’s rest will have me ready to heal you in a jiffy.”
“Thank you.” Isobel smiled up at her.
I walked Katia to the door and down to the main floor, paying her exorbitant house-call fee.
“I can tell you like that one.” Katia winked, then turned and left.
Like that one? Katia didn’t even know me. How could she tell anything?
I shut the door behind her and returned upstairs. Isobel was attempting to rise from the sofa, and I hurried toward her. “Hang on, I’ll help you.”
“I’m fine.” She tried putting weight on her bad ankle and winced. “Okay, maybe a little help.”
“Where do you want to go?”