Page 9 of Harbor Lights
Shiv smiled for the first time since she’d arrived. “Sounds perfect.”
FOUR
Shiv watchedfrom the doorway as the doctor cleaned up after her treatment. Her arm ached and she was still lightheaded. No real surprise; she’d barely eaten all day.
A smell was coming from another part of the house, driving her to distraction. Doc must’ve heard her stomach rumbling when she was up close. Shiv cursed herself for being so unprepared. She was usually disciplined in her eating habits, but arriving on the island and discovering the state of the cabin had thrown her out.
She took her mind off hunger and pain by observing the doctor as she worked. She’d been surprised to see such a masculine-presenting woman in the rural doctor’s office. Behind her wire-rimmed glasses, Doc had shrewd blue-green eyes, surrounded by lines that suggested she laughed a lot. Her wavy hair, a mix of golden brown and silver, was smartly styled on top and cut short around the back and sides. She was kind of cute in an old school dapper butch sort of way. Although she’d clearly been caught off duty on a Sunday evening, she was dressed in smart jeans, expensive-looking brown leather boots and a white linen shirt. Before she’d treated Shiv, she’d taken off a sweater Shiv had no doubt was pure cashmere.
“Did I ruin your plans for the evening?”
Doc turned from her task. “What? No, I was just getting back from a walk on the beach.”
Those were pretty smart clothes for walking on the beach in Shiv’s opinion, but she looked down at her old, worn sweatpants and bloodstained tank and decided she wasn’t a good judge of appropriate clothing.
She looked around the office as Doc cleaned. Its condition did not reflect its owner’s sartorial standards. The room must have once been quite grand. It was wood paneled, but the varnish was peeling and what looked like a water stain sat high in the corner of the ceiling. In front of the window was a vast leather-topped desk, mostly covered with medical journals, notebooks and loose papers.
“Here, take these.” Doc appeared in front of her with a paper cup and two white tablets. “I should’ve given them to you earlier. I’m not very organized today. I just got back from a trip...” She kind of trailed off, as though she didn’t think that was much of an excuse.
“Thanks. It’s not been my finest day either.” Shiv washed them down, screwed up the cup and tossed it effortlessly across the room into the trash can in the corner.
“Wow. You could give me some lessons in accuracy.” Doc indicated the screwed-up papers adorning the floor around the trash can.
“It doesn’t hurt to have a good aim in my game.” Damn. She hadn’t meant to say anything about her life, but with Doc she’d let her guard down. She blamed the blood loss.
“As an electrician?” Doc raised a full eyebrow. She clearly didn’t miss a thing.
“Yeah, well I have hobbies, too.”
“What sort of hobbies?”
Doc stood closer than she was comfortable with, so Shiv pushed off the doorframe and stepped back. “So, how do I order this water taxi, then?”
Doc checked her watch. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. You’ll need to walk back up to the cabin in the dark, and you’ve lost a fair amount of blood.” She indicated the towel Shiv had bundled into a bag, despite having no idea where she was going to do her laundry.
“I’ve got my headlamp, and I’ll take my chances, thanks.” Feeling cornered, she backed away.
Doc held up her hands. “I’m not trying to force you to do anything. It’s a suggestion.” She walked to the window and flicked the curtain. “It’s foggy out. You’ll be asking Christy to take the boat out in that. Then if anything happens to you on your way home, it’ll be Joey and Tierney, and the island rescue team, out looking for you on the cliffs. It’s not just your well-being to consider.”
Shiv chewed her thumbnail. It felt like she was being played, but she also didn’t like the idea that the safety of other people was a consideration in her decision-making. That was what had brought her here in the first place.
“Is there a hotel or guesthouse nearby, then?” It wasn’t clear what her options were.
“The Harbor Bar has a few rooms they rent out in season. I’m not sure if they’ll be available now.” The doctor stepped closer again. “But look, I have a whole wing of the house that’s unused. My cleaner keeps it clean and aired, so it should be habitable.”
Shiv frowned. “Is it usual for a GP to offer accommodation to patients? Where I come from, it isn’t.”
Doc folded her arms. “Well, no, it’s unusual. But these are unusual times, and you look like you could do with some help.”
Shiv’s anger rose at the implication she was vulnerable. “I don’t need anything from anyone. I’ll go down to the bar and ask.”
She turned away, but Doc put a gentle hand on her good arm. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that. How about... I’d like to offer you accommodation, and you can pay me back?”
Shiv hesitated. Where was she going, really? She was thirsty, half starved, weak from blood loss, and had a ruined house on a clifftop to return to. She didn’t often feel helpless, but at this moment she would love to be the type of person who could just take a generous offer and make the most of it. Her funds were low until her granddad paid her for the work, but she had to pay her way.
“I already owe you for this.” She waved at the dressing on her arm. “How much would you charge for a night’s accommodation?”
“I was thinking more that you could pay me back in other ways.” Doc pointed toward the front door. “The lights out front have stopped working, and it’ll be dangerous for my patients now the evenings are getting darker. Could you fix them?”
