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Iris: Sleep well. Wink. **heavy breathing noises.**
Kane: Jerk.
This time, when he settled back into the cushions and closed his eyes, an easy smile hovered on his lips.
Chapter 13
For Rent.
Iris stopped in her tracks, her pulse picking up as she studied the sign hanging in the glass window of a door painted a bright purple color, almost the exact shade of her boots. She wasn’t sure if it was the door's color or the sign that stopped her, but now it seemed almost serendipitous as she turned and scanned the corner location on a bustling street near the harbor. One narrow window showed a sliver of a larger room, and the lack of more windows was a plus, at least for Iris’s business. She’d found that her clientele preferred discretion during their readings, and nobody enjoyed having pedestrians peek in on their most vulnerable moments.
Pursing her lips, Iris stepped back and studied the two-story building. The first floor seemed to consist of two shops, the other being a bookstore. She guessed the second floor had apartments, based on the cat sitting in one of the windows next to a few potted plants. Testing her emotions, Iris discovered that the location felt…good.
It felt right.
Before she could talk herself out of taking the leap, Iris pulled out her phone and dialed the number listed on the sign outside.
“Hello, yes, I just noticed the sign on the shop door? I’m interested in learning more about the property.” Iris paused when the door of the bookshop next door opened, and a woman popped her head out. In her late sixties with a crop of shaggy white hair and beaming blue eyes, she held the phone to her ear as she scanned the street until her eyes landed on Iris.
“Are you calling about the shop?” the woman asked.
“That’s me,” Iris said with a smile. She disconnected and walked closer to the woman.
“My name is Beatrice. I own the building, making it easy to give a tour if needed. Let me just lock up, and I’ll be showing you the place then,” Beatrice said. She was gone before Iris could say anything else. She’d just wanted to know the shop's price, and now it seemed she was stuck with a tour. It couldn’t hurt, she supposed, to just take a peek inside and test how she felt about starting up another shop.
It had been a few days since Gracie had dropped the bombshell on her about having family here. In that time, Gracie had made good on her word. She’d shown up every day, obnoxiously towing Iris around the village and introducing her to everyone. It turned out that Gracie hadn’t been lying. There were many free-spirited and magickal women in this town so, instead of feeling like she had to hide who she was, Iris was placed in the odd position of quickly gaining a small army of women determined to protect her reputation. It seemed the battle cry had gone up once Gracie had learned who Iris was and what she was dealing with back home, and now various revenge plots were being hatched. At this point, Iris almost felt bad for Warren. She suspected his life would not go very smoothly for that much longer.
She was also struggling with wrapping her head around the concept of family. It had just been her and her mother for so long that having what kind of felt like a group of sisters was…daunting. She’d met Gracie, Kira, and Fi. Supposedly, Niamh and Mac, her actual cousin, were meant to be heading to Grace’s Cove soon. But the other three women, who chattered incessantly, talking over each other and nosing in each other’s business, were more than enough for Iris to contend with. It felt a bit like being descended upon by a group of cheerful fairies, each buzzing about and confident in their own power. She hoped that one day she’d feel more comfortable with them but, for now, Iris had done her best to engage, but with caution. She needed to keep her walls up right now, as that was the only thing protecting her from more hurt.
She did stupid things when her walls came down, like kiss Kane. Iris absentmindedly rubbed her lips while she waited for Beatrice to grab a key and lock up the bookstore. She’d replayed the kiss more times than she should have for someone who had insisted they remain friends. Intellectually, she knew that being friends was the smart choice.
Emotionally? She wanted to give in to lust and pounce on the man. He would be fun, she’d realized. Just a ton of fun to roll around with in bed and then watch old movies together over pizza. It was the simple things that made for an ideal relationship, and she’d never really had that connection with Warren. But now, as she bantered back and forth with Kane over this script he was writing, she found herself looking forward to his messages each day.
In a friendly way, of course.
She also kind of wanted to know what happened next in his story. It was right up her alley, what with the rock stars, family betrayal, and a juicy good love story mixed in. She liked to decompress with those kinds of books after a long day of managing people’s emotions.
“Here we are. Sorry about that. I thought I’d hung them back up after the last person toured it,” Beatrice said. She brandished a key gleefully in front of her.
“Have you had a lot of interest in the property?” Iris asked, worry flashing through her. Which wasn’t a good sign. Because she was just looking, she lectured herself as she held the door open for Beatrice after the woman had unlocked it.
“Oh, several have come through. I just put up the sign yesterday. I didn’t catch your name, dear?” Beatrice asked. She tugged lightly at the curtain on the window, pulling it back to let more light spill into the space.
“Iris. It’s nice to meet you,” Iris said, devouring the shop. It was just…well, it was perfect. The track lighting in the ceiling offered enough light that it wouldn’t feel gloomy inside with the curtain pulled closed over the window, and the honey-colored wood floors gleamed. It was a simple open room, with a long counter on the back wall situated in front of a row of cupboards. There were two doors on the back wall, one which led to a small bathroom and another to a tiny kitchenette and storage area. Two of the long walls were a lovely red brick, and the main wall separating the shop from the stairwell that ran upstairs was painted a soft mossy green.
Immediately, Iris pictured throwing down some colorful rugs and adding a few comfortable chairs to create a welcoming space for people. Perhaps some art from Aislinn’s gallery on the wall to add some ambience to the room. She didn’t need much to do her work, but it was more about creating a client experience that met their expectations. She liked to provide a professional atmosphere with just enough woo-woo so people also got the excitement of visiting a psychic. It was kind of like mixing a doctor’s waiting room with a theme park.
“The apartment upstairs is available as well and can be included in the package for rent.”
“Is that right?” Iris turned to Beatrice. “Is it available to look at?”
“It is. The last tenant lived above and ran her shop. It’s an easy commute to work. I live in the other apartment with my cat, Bubbles. I’d prefer a neighbor that isn’t too noisy, though I’ve been known to party it up on occasion myself.” Beatrice winked at her, and Iris laughed. She followed the woman from the front door, waiting while she locked the shop door, and then pushed through the doorway that led to a set of stairs that ran directly up to a landing with a door on either side. Sliding the key in the lock, Beatrice pushed the door open.
“I just had it cleaned, so it should be ready to move in. The last tenant was very clean and didn’t make many changes to the flat. Though you’re fine to change the paint color if needed.” Beatrice stepped back and waited as Iris stepped inside. The layout was much the same as the shop below, except the apartment was divided into a living area with a kitchen and a separate bedroom with a serviceable en suite bathroom. But the windows at the front of the living area drew Iris. They stretched up to the high ceilings, creating an illusion of more space, and offered a stunning view of the water and the bustling village street below. Immediately charmed, Iris was already picturing how she would make the space home.
And just what did that say about her decision to stay?
“There’s also a small balcony out of this door here if you like to sit outside.” Beatrice pointed at a door by the kitchen.
