Page 76 of Witches of Dubious Origin
Jasper was driving, which was great, as it put some space between us. After we—meaning he—had returned the pool to its original state, he’d dried our clothes with a wave of his hand and walked me to my room, my fingers entwined with his the entire way.
The temptation to grab him by the front of his tracksuit and drag him into my room had been great, but Olive was right. Today was important and I didn’t want to let a sex hangover impair my cognitive abilities. Jasper must have felt the same, because he’d cupped my face and kissed my forehead before opening my door and gently pushing me inside with a husky “Sleep well, love.”
Olive navigated in the seat beside Jasper’s while Eloise and I sat in the back. She seemed content to stare out the window, thinking about whatever the undead liked to think about. For me, it would probably be how much I missed eating chocolate cake. I respected her privacy and didn’t ask.
The day was cold and drizzling, and I was dreading the ferry ride to the island. My stomach did not enjoy a choppy sea and I didn’t want to add puking my guts out to the list of reasons Olive thought I was not up to snuff to work at the BODO. Not that I had decided I wanted to work there, but I didn’t want to be disqualified for being weak. A professional woman has her pride after all.
We left Massachusetts behind and entered Rhode Island. It didn’t take us long to get to the shore, and in no time, we were passing over the Newport Bridge. It felt as if we were driving straight up into the sky. Thankfully, I found a loose thread on my sweater and spent the ascent tying it off so my top wouldn’t unravel.
When we reached the peak, Eloise rolled down her window and stuck her head and arm out. She waved enthusiastically at the seagulls soaring in the mist beyond the railing and yelled, “Hello! Hello, my darlings! I’ve missed you!”
“Eloise, get back in the car!” Olive snapped. “You’re likely to lose an arm that way.”
Eloise sighed and shut the window, ceasing the blast of cold, wet air that filled the vehicle.
“Sorry.” Her eyes were large and filled with apology. “I’m just excited to be back.”
“Try to contain it.” Olive turned back to the front.
Eloise studied the back of Olive’s head with a reproving expression and I suspected she didn’t appreciate being bossed around any more than I did.
“How long did you live here?” I asked.
“When I was a child, I spent every summer here,” Eloise said. “It’s where I met Toni. We became instant friends. Too good of friends, perhaps.”
There was a wistful note in her voice.
“Because when you died, she couldn’t let you go?”
She nodded.
It occurred to me that I didn’t know much about Eloise’s life, other than her being born in Pennsylvania and spending time in New York, and I realized I’d been so preoccupied with learning about my own family, I had never asked about hers.
“What was your life like before…er…you came back?” I asked.
Eloise’s smile was sweet and genuine, as if the mere thought of her early years brought her a special kind of joy.
“My parents were college professors,” she said. “We lived in Wilkes-Barre, near King’s College, where they taught. I loved living adjacent to the campus. There’s such fantastic energy in places of learning, don’t you think?”
I thought about my library. Given that a public library card provided users with a free self-directed education as far as they wanted to take it, I knew exactly what she meant about the energy. It was an amazing thing to help people pursue their passions.
“I do.”
“But our summers on the island were magical,” Eloise said. “There’s just something about Hagshill. Well, you must remember it.”
I shook my head. “It was a long time ago. My memories are hazy.”
“It’s a marvelous place. Toni loved it as much as I did. I really can’t wait for you to experience it again, Zoe.”
She turned back to the window and I stared at the side of her face. We were returning to a place from both our pasts. I could only hope that when I arrived, I remembered it as fondly as she did.
• • •
The sky had darkened with deep gray clouds, and the mist thickened until it coated everything, even my eyelashes. I blinked as we left the car in the belly of the ferry and took the narrow metal stairs to the passenger lounge above. I would have been happy to wait in the car and overthink the situation I was about to enter, but apparently that wasn’t allowed.
Olive strode ahead. She stopped to speak with one of the ship’s crew, and the next thing we knew, she was joining the captain on the bridge, because of course she was.
Eloise found a seat at the front by the windows. She looked out on the sea, staring at the horizon as if she could manifest Hagshill. I hoped her return wasn’t a disappointment for her.
