Lowering her notebook, Kiela looked at her spider plant friend. She could’ve sworn his leaves were tinted greener, the plant equivalent of a blush. “Caz?”
“You should visit Larran.”
Kiela grinned at him. “Is there something you want to tell me?”
From the other room, she heard, “Meep!”
Still grinning, she tucked the spell into a pocket and headed out, but she resolved to continue that very interesting conversation later—after the fountain and after Larran.
Kiela lucked out: there was no one by the fountain.
She checked in every direction, studying the windows of the houses for any hint of movement. She could hear voices from the direction of the bakery, as well as shouts, seagull caws, the clang of metal, and the thunk of wood from the direction of the dock, but the only one watching her was a ginger cat with dirty white wings who had squeezed himself into a window box, displacing whatever flowers used to grow there. A lone daisy bloomed limply by his hindquarters, occasionally hit when he swished his tail.
“Don’t tell,” she said to the cat.
With another glance down the empty street, she stepped into the basin of the fountain. Kneeling by the spout, she inserted the ball of ingredients (both Caz and the cactus had helped her harvest them from the garden and the pond—this particular remedy required aquatic freshwater plants) beside the statue of the mermaid. Carefully, she said the words, pronouncing each syllable as she and Caz had determined.
She climbed out of the basin and wondered if—
Voices came closer.
Kiela scooted down a side street. She’d check back later. Perhaps even tomorrow. It would be better not to have any suspicion thrown on her at all. If she was nowhere near town when the spell took effect, that would be best. She began walking toward the beach and Larran’s house. She didn’t look back. Either the spell worked and she had a new remedy for her customers, or it hadn’t and no harm done. It was worth it to try, especially since she had such a perfect opportunity.Luck is with me today.
She hoped that luck lasted. As she walked, she considered what she was going to say to Larran. Obvious start to the conversation was to ask about Sian. It was a reasonable excuse for a visit, regardless of whether Radane was there or not. If Radane was present . . . well, it would be a short visit.
She wondered where the rescued woman was sleeping. Larran had only one bed. There was no guest room or even a daybed like she had in her cottage. Exactly how kind was he?
Kiela had read tales of people who fell in love with either their hero or their healer.Larran was both.If Radane was grateful . . . If she realized how much he’d risked . . . If she saw how kind he was, how sweetly awkward, how . . .Gah, what does it say about me that I’m clearly jealous of a woman who nearly died?Kiela wouldn’t blame Radane if she fell for Larran.All he did was fix my chimney, and I can’t stop thinking about him.
No, it wasn’t the chimney that had drawn her. It was the apology afterward. Yes, that was the moment that she began to have feelings for him. His clumsy apology.
If Radane was sharing his bed . . .I’ll be fine.She hadn’t needed romance in her life before, and she didn’t need it now. It was a new idea, spurred by being in a new place and trying new things, but that didn’t make it a necessity. Kiela thought of her happily married parents and how irritating it used to be when they’d pressure her about her love life. She didn’t have what they had—a union, a partnership. Not everyone did. Some people were solitary, and she’d done just fine on her own. She’d been content.
And I can be content here, with Larran as a very nice neighbor.
On his porch, she raised her hand to knock on the door, and it swung open. His smile lit up his face, and for an instant, she forgot it was smart to breathe.
With a laugh, Larran stepped out onto the porch, wrapped his arms around her, and swung her in a circle, lifting her off the ground. In that instant, she was surrounded entirely by him, and she was only aware of the breath in his chest, the strength in his arms, the warmth in his skin, and the smell of the sea.
“You saved my Sian,” he said.
Gently lowering her, he released her, and she had to catch herself to keep from staggering. He didn’t seem to notice. He took her hand and pulled her across the beach and down the jetty. Kiela had to concentrate to keep from slipping on the way, and both of them were laughing by the time they reached the end, where the merhorses were playing.
Larran put his fingers to his lips and whistled, three short and one long.
Sian broke from the herd and leapt through the waves. She looked magnificent with the sunlight on her golden scales. She tossed her mane as she reached the rocks. Rising up onto her front hooves, Sian snuffled at Kiela’s hands and then her pockets.
“No tomatoes today,” Kiela said. “I’m sorry.”
“She’s herself because of you,” Larran said. “I don’t know how to repay you. Again. Sian was the foal, the one you sang to. You’ve saved her twice.”
Kiela shook her head and didn’t feel like laughing anymore. “You don’t need to repay me. That’s not why . . .” She took a breath. “You would’ve done the same. Both times. If you could have.”
He took her hands in his. She liked the way his hands enveloped hers, swallowing them completely. “Yes, but you—”
“Larran! Kiela!”From the shore, Tobin waved both his arms over his head. He was puffing as if he’d run from the bakery to the beach. “You have to come see!”
Stepping back, Larran released her. “What’s wrong? Is someone hurt?”
