Page 26 of Harbor Lights

“No, not really. I helped out a little, and after Majella left…” Her lips tightened. “I paid one of the locals to keep the grass cut. But it got mossy and full of weeds, so now I just get him in to hack it back every few months.”

Shiv stepped onto the grass and picked at it with the toe of her work boot. “What’s your vision?”

“What?” Her mind went blank.

When Shiv held out a hand, Con took it in surprise. Shiv gently led her across the lawn and up crumbling steps to an old stone bench, half hidden by the undergrowth. She’d almost forgotten it was there, but it had been one of her favorite places to sit as a child.

She unwillingly let go of Shiv’s hand, turned to sit, ignoring the ominous wobble of the stone, and looked out over the top of the house and the wild garden, to the view across the sound to Inishderry, and to its right the sliver of Inishkyle, its silver beach shining in the low sun. “I’d forgotten about this view.”

“It’s kinda hard to get up here at the moment. Is it something you want to keep?”

She was aware Shiv was watching her and not the view. “I think it is. It’s not the sunniest place in the garden, but sometimes it’s nice to rise above it all.”

Shiv sat so close, their thighs touched. “Do you mind if I make a suggestion?”

“Of course.” She waved a hand to hide her fluster at Shiv’s closeness. “I’m not very creative when it comes to seeing the potential in things.”

“Keep this small lawn up here. I’ll rake the grass and get the moss out and reseed it. The rest”—she waved at the mess below them—“I’d say remove the grass and turn it into a wildflower meadow. It’ll take a while to get going, but it’ll attract the wildlife. I’ll find someone local who knows what they’re doing to keep on top of the maintenance long term.”

Constance’s heart sank. Who was she kidding? Shiv had never made any suggestion she was here to settle. It should hardly come as a shock. But the last couple of weeks had been such a breath of fresh air in her life. She didn’t want to go back to before...

She abruptly stood. “That sounds perfect. Shall I show you the internal work?” She hurried back down the garden, leaving Shiv still sitting on the bench.

She’d caught up by the time Con got to the house and they entered together.

“Are you okay with all of this?”

It was freaking her out that Shiv might guess what she was thinking. “Of course. This work needs doing so badly. You’re really helping me out.”

Shiv followed her into her consult room.

“So, this would need doing out of surgery hours, but it needs a coat of paint.”

Shiv looked around. “How about some new drapes, too?”

The ones she had now were sun bleached and threadbare. She’d grown blind to how bad things had got, but Shiv was right.

“Okay, if you’re happy to choose something suitable.”

Shiv had turned to the wall with her father’s old writing bureau. Above it was the glass shelf she used for her pieces of sea glass.

“Hey, I nearly forgot.” Shiv rummaged in the pocket of her cargo pants and pulled out something blue. “I found this on the beach yesterday. I saw your collection…”—she nodded toward the shelf—“and I wondered if you’d want it.”

Her pale cheeks colored slightly as Con processed what she was saying. “It doesn’t matter, if you don’t want it.” She started to put it back in her pocket.

Con shook herself. Shiv’s observant gesture had taken her by surprise. If she was honest, it was such a solitary pastime she’d rarely spoken about it to anyone.

“That’s so thoughtful of you, Shiv. Thank you so much.” She took the object and pulled on her glasses to look closer. “Oh, it’s beautiful.”

The glass was blue, but in shades that went from light to dark to lighter again. And it was shaped like a heart.

“Thank you.” She resisted the urge to throw her arms around Shiv, which was probably for the best since she looked as though she was about to bolt. She rearranged the other pieces and placed it on the shelf in pride of place.

“Has it been a hobby for long?” Shiv asked.

“For the past few years. After I gave up rowing, I found I wasn’t getting enough exercise, so I started going for daily walks along the local beach. It’s a beautiful, long beach, but finding my first piece of sea glass made it a little more exciting. I’m kind of hooked now.”

“I get it.” Shiv nodded. “Spotting that piece, and then seeing its beauty, was pretty cool.”

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