Page 12 of Harbor Lights (Inishderry Island Romances #3)

EIGHT

Shiv flicked the light switch on and off one last time and smiled as she left the cabin.

Having electricity was going to help her feel more settled, and she couldn’t wait to get her laptop online.

She needed a trip to the town to get set up with WiFi, then she’d be satisfied.

She looked again at the messages on her phone as she wandered down the hill toward the village.

Hey there. I just wanted to say thanks again for what you did. My patients won’t stop talking about it and Maura’s over the moon.

Forgot to ask you if you know about the walk down to the little beach beneath the cliffs. It’s beautiful on a good day. Ask Tierney if you see her. See you tomorrow x

Shiv didn’t know what to make of the kiss at the end. The people in her life didn’t send messages with kisses, and they usually sent them from burner phones. Did it mean anything or not?

Shiv knew she tended to be a little intense, but last night had felt intimate in a way that puzzled her. In her experience, intimacy mostly meant living in close proximity, often under stressful conditions. And when it was right, burning off emotion or too much energy with casual sex.

But talking with Doc—no, Con—had felt safe and desirable. She had shared some information about herself without feeling it would be dangerous to do so. In fact, she’d have willingly shared more if there had been time. Con felt like the sort of person she could sit up all night talking to.

Shiv shook her head. What sort of fanciful thoughts were these? Now she had electricity at the cabin, she could get her laptop back online and return to her mission to bring down as many far-right extremists as she could. That’s what late nights were for. Not sitting chatting by a warm fire.

The beep of a car horn distracted her from her thoughts. A white van was driving up from the harbor. The same van that had delivered her packages earlier in the week.

She trawled her mind for the name Con had used. She certainly hadn’t been listening when her cousin introduced himself.

“Hey, Christy.”

He smiled through the open window, so she’d got that right at least. “Hey, Siobhán, where are you off to? The Waterside?”

She glanced at the nearby gate to the hotel. “Maybe later.” She fought her instinct to reveal as little information as possible. It didn’t matter; it was all trivia.

“I’m going to talk to Joey about some work they need doing.”

“Ah, yeah, at their dad’s old place? Talk about a transformation.”

Shiv had no idea what he was talking about, but she nodded and turned to continue down the lane.

“I’ll drop you down there. It’s not much further than my place and it’s an excuse to see how the renovations are going.”

Shiv considered refusing. She’d been looking forward to the walk. And the peace. But she was trying to be more friendly to the islanders, wasn’t she?

“Thanks.” She scooted around the van and got into the passenger seat.

“So, is that the work for Uncle Des finished then?” Christy clearly was going to make the most of the opportunity of having her captive.

“The work he paid me to do originally, yes. But we’ve agreed if he buys the materials, I’ll do some more work to make the place habitable in return for staying there.”

Christy laughed. “So, free labor, yeah?”

“He hasn’t manipulated me into it. I know what I’m doing.” The words flew out.

“Whoa, cuz.” Christy held up his free hand. “I wasn’t suggesting you didn’t. It’s just very Uncle Des behavior. Dad always says he’s got short arms and deep pockets.”

Shiv let her shoulders drop. Why did she care what people thought anyway?

They carried on in awkward silence for a few minutes until Shiv gave in. “Where do you live?”

He smiled across at her. He was a cute guy. His mop of red curls stuck out from under a beanie, and there was a sparkle in his blue eyes. “Just up here. I’ll show you.”

Shiv sat back and relaxed for a couple of minutes.

“Next house here, on the left.” Christy indicated a small, neatly painted bungalow.

Shiv looked to the right where the fields swept down to the shore. “Nice view.”

“Yeah, I love it. Will you come round for dinner soon?” His hopeful smile made it difficult for Shiv to refuse.

“That’d be cool, yeah.”

“So, you’re planning to hang around?”

Why is everyone so interested in my business? “I haven’t decided.”

“Okay, it’s just that you said you were staying in the cabin longer, and I thought that meant you wanted to remain on the island.”

“For a while, I guess. Over winter.” Why did he care?

“That’s grand. We all knew that Uncle Des had a daughter who ran away, but we never knew about you. It’ll be cool to get to know you.”

“Why? You didn’t know I existed, and it made no difference to your life.” She didn’t mean to be so confrontational. It just slipped out.

“Uh, you’re our cousin. Family matters.”

“It didn’t matter to Desmond when he threw my mom out and never replied to any of her letters for more than thirty years.”

“Well, we’re not Uncle Des. Aoife and I—and Tierney—want to make up for all that lost time. Is that so bad?”

Shiv took in a long breath. “No, it’s good, I guess. But I’ve never had any family except my mom, so you’ll have to give me time to get used to it.”

“Sure.” Christy pulled up as the road ran out into a rough field. Nearby, a small white cottage sat by a stony beach. “But we’re here for you whenever you need us.”

Shiv was relieved to escape the unexpectedly emotional conversation. She got out and took in Joey’s cottage. What an idyllic location.

Close by was a second cottage, even smaller than the first. Joey emerged, clad in paint-splattered white overalls.

“Hey, Shiv, thanks for coming.” They approached and folded her in a hug she couldn’t have escaped from if she tried.

She instinctively stiffened, but Joey didn’t let up and she gradually relaxed into it.

It was kind of reassuring. She couldn’t remember the last time anyone other than her mom had hugged her.

“Hi,” she said as she finally extracted herself.

“Shiiiiiv!” Little Denny came running from a red wooden boat that sat in the garden. He barreled into her, and she squatted down to speak to him.

“Hey, Denny, is that your boat?”

“Captain Denny.” He took her hand and dragged her across to the boat.

“Sorry,” Joey called. “You’ve made an impression.”

Shiv inspected the beautifully crafted boat as Denny pointed out the wheel and named all the parts of the boat. She was a little taken aback by his attention, but he was so cute she couldn’t help but engage with him.

“Denny, who have you taken captive now?”

She looked up at the melodious sound and did a double take at the gorgeous woman standing in front of her.

Tall, her closely cropped red hair only added to the beauty of her elegant face.

She looked too glamorous to be standing on a beach in the middle of nowhere.

Even dressed in a paint-splattered sweatshirt and ripped jeans.

“Uh, hi, I’m Shiv. Siobhán.” Somehow this woman deserved her full name. She rubbed her hand on her pants and held it out.

The woman shook her hand with a firm grip. “Ah, the electrician. Thanks for coming over. I’m Marianne, your new best friend’s mum.”

Denny ran to her, and she picked him up and covered him in kisses.

Strong hands landed on Shiv’s shoulders. “Shiv is much more than just an electrician. She’s Tierney’s cousin.” Joey’s tone was gentler when they spoke to Marianne.

“And my cousin.” Christy wandered over. “How’s the cottage going?”

Joey stepped aside. “Come and see while I show Shiv the jobs that need doing.” They led the way to the smaller of the two cottages and ducked as they entered.

Shiv didn’t have to duck, and she entered a room lit by spotlights hanging from every shelf.

“It’s not the brightest house, so we really need good lighting in here. It was my dad’s place, but he’s in residential care now, so I’m trying to do it up, so my brothers can stay when they visit.”

It was a traditional cottage, similar to the cabin on the cliffs, but the fireplace had been replaced with a big wood-burning stove and the walls looked freshly painted in whites and grays.

“We’ve got a load more work to do, but the lighting is a priority. The kitchen needs wiring up, too.”

They led Shiv into a side room where an electric stove was half unpacked from a box.

“Are these jobs you could do?”

“Yeah, sure. Are you in a rush to get it done?”

Marianne joined them in the kitchen. “Soon would be good. Joey’s been working on the house in their spare moments for over a year, and we really want to get it finished.”

“My brother and his wife are visiting over Christmas, so it would be good to get it done before winter sets in.”

Shiv nodded. “If you get the materials ordered, I’ll do it in the next few weeks.”

“Excellent, thank you.” Marianne gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

She staggered out of the close confines of the kitchen, and Marianne’s presence, to find Christy. He was checking his cellphone. “Oh, I gotta go. There’s a problem with the crane on the ferry. Aoife wants me to take a look.”

Shiv followed him. “I’m done here, can I get a lift back with you?” She could talk to Tierney about the beach Con had mentioned.

“We’ll give you a call when the lights and stuff arrive.” Joey followed them to the truck. “Denny, come and say goodbye.”

Denny raced over on his little legs. “Bye Cwisty, bye Shiv.”

“See you soon, Denny.”

“Shiv come on Queen Maedbh an’ catch yobsters?” He looked up at Joey.

“Sure, if she wants to. You’re welcome along any time.” Joey raised an eyebrow.

“Thanks. I’d love to.”

Surprisingly she meant it. A trip out with her new little friend sounded fun.

Christy dropped her at the hotel car park, and she entered, pleased to find Tierney sitting in the lobby reading a book.

“Hi, cuz.”

She ignored the now familiar term. “Hey. I wanted to ask you about a path Con told me about.”

Tierney looked confused for a moment. “Oh, Doc?”