Page 21 of Harbor Lights

“You don’t look like a Constance. It’s quite a long name. People probably find it easier to say Doc.” Shiv held her impaled on her amber gaze.

“I was Con at university, especially in the sports teams. No one has time for multiple syllables in sport.” She smiled at those distant happy memories.

“I like Con,” Shiv said, then broke eye contact. She swilled her coffee down and stood.

“I’d better get going.” She slung her bags over both shoulders and turned. “I need to get some work done on the cabin tomorrow, and I’m going to see Joey about a job. I can come back the next day to finish the door, if that suits you?”

“Oh, Shiv, you don’t need to do that. I should get someone in the village to come up and do some jobs.”

“I’m definitely finishing what I started. And after that, give me a rundown of what needs doing, and I’ll give you a fair price.” She turned with her hand on the door. “I need work. You’ll be doing me a favor.” She winked and Con’s knees almost buckled.

Shiv swung the door open with a smile. “Satisfying, isn’t it?”

“Oh, I’ll be standing here for the rest of the evening swinging it back and forth.” She reached for the handle and their fingers touched briefly, sending tingles up Con’s arm, and beyond.

Shiv hesitated a moment at the door, their eyes locked. Then she blinked. “Better get going. Time and tide, and all that.”

She took the path at a jog, her heavy bags not slowing her down. Con went back into the house and watched from her study window until Shiv emerged onto the road to the quay and trotted down to where the ferry had just docked.

Once Shiv was on board, Con took a long sigh and poured herself an unusually large whiskey. What the hell was going on with her? It was fine to get along with Shiv. She recognized a fellow lost soul when she saw one. But this physical attraction had to stop. It was inappropriate and just wrong. She took her drink to the window and sipped, gaze glued to the ferry as it pulled out and turned to make its way to the dark bulk of Inishderry on the horizon. When her thoughts turned to seeing Shiv again in less than forty-eight hours, she smiled and then berated herself for her foolish thoughts.

EIGHT

Shiv flickedthe light switch on and off one last time and smiled as she left the cabin. Having electricity was going to help her feel more settled, and she couldn’t wait to get her laptop online. She needed a trip to the town to get set up with WiFi, then she’d be satisfied. She looked again at the messages on her phone as she wandered down the hill toward the village.

Hey there. I just wanted to say thanks again for what you did. My patients won’t stop talking about it and Maura’s over the moon.

Forgot to ask you if you know about the walk down to the little beach beneath the cliffs. It’s beautiful on a good day. Ask Tierney if you see her. See you tomorrow x

Shiv didn’t know what to make of the kiss at the end. The people in her life didn’t send messages with kisses, and they usually sent them from burner phones. Did it mean anything or not?

Shiv knew she tended to be a little intense, but last night had felt intimate in a way that puzzled her. In her experience, intimacy mostly meant living in close proximity, often under stressful conditions. And when it was right, burning off emotion or too much energy with casual sex.

But talking with Doc—no, Con—had felt safe and desirable. She had shared some information about herself without feeling it would be dangerous to do so. In fact, she’d have willingly shared more if there had been time. Con felt like the sort of person she could sit up all night talking to.

Shiv shook her head. What sort of fanciful thoughts were these? Now she had electricity at the cabin, she could get her laptop back online and return to her mission to bring down as many far-right extremists as she could. That’s what late nights were for. Not sitting chatting by a warm fire.

The beep of a car horn distracted her from her thoughts. A white van was driving up from the harbor. The same van that had delivered her packages earlier in the week.

She trawled her mind for the name Con had used. She certainly hadn’t been listening when her cousin introduced himself.

“Hey, Christy.”

He smiled through the open window, so she’d got that right at least. “Hey, Siobhán, where are you off to? The Waterside?”

She glanced at the nearby gate to the hotel. “Maybe later.” She fought her instinct to reveal as little information as possible. It didn’t matter; it was all trivia.

“I’m going to talk to Joey about some work they need doing.”

“Ah, yeah, at their dad’s old place? Talk about a transformation.”

Shiv had no idea what he was talking about, but she nodded and turned to continue down the lane.

“I’ll drop you down there. It’s not much further than my place and it’s an excuse to see how the renovations are going.”

Shiv considered refusing. She’d been looking forward to the walk. And the peace. But she was trying to be more friendly to the islanders, wasn’t she?

“Thanks.” She scooted around the van and got into the passenger seat.

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