Page 1 of The Orc’s Sweetheart (Creatures & Cottages)
Chapter 1
Tilly
I plonk my butt down on my suitcase, hoping the extra weight will help squish my clothes together enough to get the stiff zipper all the way around. After a few tugs, I give up my current strategy and shift onto my knees on top of my personal Everest, tucking pieces of clothing in as the teeth of the zipper stubbornly fall into line. Sweat trickles down the nape of my neck, and I let out a rather indelicate grunt as my muscles strain to wrestle my suitcase into submission. The gust of relief that escapes me as I tug the zipper around the final bend acts as a summons to my cousin just as I fall off and land in a heap behind the conquered beast .
“You doing okay there, Tilly?” Audrey leans against the doorjamb and tilts her head at me and the very unflattering slump I’m in as I get my breathing under control. The quirk at the corner of her mouth gives away how entertained she is by my self-inflicted wrestling match. “You know it’s okay to ask for help sometimes, right? I don’t mind sitting on a bag so you can zip it.”
“Well, I definitely have the advantage between the two of us,” I say, indicating my generous hips before smoothing back the flyaways clinging to my damp forehead. “Thanks, though. This was the final one. Just got to lug this thing to the car and then you’ll have the apartment all to yourself again.”
Audrey is sweet for offering, but I already feel guilty for having her take the morning off to drive me. Besides, it’s not her fault I decided to pack everything I own—and then some—and I hate inconveniencing someone else with my choices.
“I’m helping you with carrying that gigantic thing, whether you like it or not. I know you’re more than capable of getting your own shit done, but I’m not letting you throw out your back right before you start a new job.” Audrey arches a very imperious brow at me, reminiscent of the no-arguments looks our mothers would bestow on us growing up.
I take a deep breath and nod in acquiescence. “That would be kind of embarrassing, wouldn’t it? Imagine me rocking up at the clinic on the first day of work, trying to treat patients through my own grimaces of pain.”
“And knowing you, you’ll probably twist an ankle or get a paper cut on a blade of grass from just walking there. Sometimes I wonder how someone so capable and intelligent can be so clumsy.” Audrey’s brows draw together and she shakes her head. Moving to the stripped bed next to me, she perches on the edge and mutters under her breath, “I swear you get yourself hurt on the stupidest shit sometimes.” The way she eyes the doorframe makes me think she’s recalling the numerous bruises I’ve sported from accidentally bumping into it on my way out of the room.
“A very endearing quality of mine, isn’t it?” I ask sweetly, batting my eyelashes at my roommate of the last two years.
Ignoring my comment, Audrey takes one of my hands. “I just want you to be brave and ask for help when you need it, especially when settling in. I want you to practice what you preach when you get to Starry Hill. You’re always telling your patients to speak up if something bothers them so you can help them get better.” Audrey points her index finger into the air as her face lights up with an idea. “Plus, it’ll be a great way to make friends too.”
I scoff at that thought. “I honestly don’t think patients want to hear about my personal life and my penchant for tripping over nothing more than air. That’s hardly a way to instill trust.”
Audrey scrunches her nose and slowly lowers her hand again. “Maybe leave that part out. You’re always so professional when it comes to your medical knowledge and treating patients. But if you’re, say, walking down the street or meeting a neighbor, ask them for not exactly help, let’s call it… assistance. I know you have like a million projects you’re going to attempt around the house. Maybe you can invoke that need for assistance if it’s something that might require more than two hands. ”
“No stranger danger exists in this lovely world you’ve just created, does it?” This time, I’m the one arching my brow at her, though it’s not as effective as hers. Somehow the stern-looking genetics skipped me, and I’m rather known for my calm—a quality I’ve certainly benefited from in my profession.
Audrey waves the comment away. “You’re going to be on a tiny island where everyone knows everyone. So I’d say yeah, no stranger danger there, since you’re going to be the only stranger for the foreseeable future.”
My shoulders slump. “Ugh, I guess you’re right. But there’s another flaw in your plan. I won’t really have neighbors either. The cottages around the island are spaced with advanced hearing in mind and are pretty isolated from each other. Besides, I’m twenty-eight. I don’t think I need much handholding.” I give her a one-shouldered shrug and get up, gathering the clothes I plan on changing into after a shower. No way do I want to show up to my new home as a sweaty mess and make an awful first impression.
“Girl, I’m thirty and I can do with a little handholding sometimes. Making friends as an adult is hard as fuck. All I’m saying is I want you to let them see you , Tilly—the wonderful, funny, creative, DIY-loving, and adorably clumsy you—not only Matilda Williams, the new nurse practitioner.”
I pause and give Audrey a small smile, appreciating how much she’s come to love my quirks. She was quick to offer me her spare room when I got accepted into the graduate program at Cape Easton University, and has become my best friend over the last couple of years, making sure I’m always fed when I get sucked into a study bubble, and forcing me out of the apartment when she thinks I need to socialize and let my hair down. I’m going to miss her brand of handholding in Starry Hill.
I sit down next to her on the bare bed and take a look around the empty room. “Thanks, Audrey. I get what you’re saying and I do plan on getting involved in the community. Maybe there’s even a crafting club I can join. But, perhaps my first move shouldn’t be to establish myself as a hapless human requiring assistance all the time.”
Audrey pats my thigh. “Ah, good call. And dating? You’re entering a new pool of potentials.” She waggles her brows.
“Damn, jumping into all the tough questions today. Do you have a quota to fulfill before we say goodbye or something?”
She bumps her shoulder against mine. “Don’t try to dodge the question.”
“I swear you should’ve become a lawyer or something.”
“Maybe in my next life. Now, dating?”
“Definitely not for a while. Talk about reputations I don’t want for myself. Can you imagine being labeled as ‘the horny human’ upon arrival? I’d like for them to get to know me as an NP first before I can even start thinking about dating.”
Audrey nods. “I can get with that logic.” Her eyes soften a fraction as she says, “You know, I’m going to miss the crap out of you.”
I squeeze Audrey’s hand. “I’m going to miss you too. Can I give you your present now? Originally I wanted to just leave it for you to find once I was gone, but I’d rather see your face when you open it. ”
“Ooo, a present! Gimme, gimme, gimme.” Audrey makes grabby hands at me and bounces in her seat.
I put down the clothes and head for the now-empty closet. Taking out the fabric-wrapped gift I’ve been working on since I signed my job contract, I pause to look at my cousin. I’m not super emotional usually, but this is such a momentous day in my life—the ending of one chapter and the start of the next—that I can’t help but get a little teary when I hand Audrey her gift.
She slowly unwraps the pastel blue fabric to reveal the frame. “This is absolutely gorgeous,” Audrey whispers, lightly trailing her fingers across the glass, mapping the pale blue Forget-Me-Nots I had dried and pressed between the two glass panes. She pauses over my favorite picture of us in the center of the flowers, our laughing faces looking so happy and carefree. “Thank you, Tilly. This is beautiful, so special. The thought that’s gone into it and everything. It’s so you . I really appreciate it.” She gives me a soft smile, her eyes watering slightly.
“It’s my pleasure. Hope you don’t forget me anytime soon.”
“Ha! Like that’s possible. Hold on, I got you something too. I was going to just put it with your bags when we got to the harbor, but now might be easier.” Audrey gently places the frame on the bed and heads out the room for a second, coming back with a sizable box.
“Did we both try to avoid the emotional goodbye and just leave secret presents for each other?”
“Seems like it. Here.” Audrey pushes the box into my hands and sits back down with her frame while I open it.
“I love this lavender color. Oh!” I lift the lid to reveal the cutest set of gardening tools. A hand rake, trowel, pruner, gloves, and even a tool-carrying tote with a matching tumbler.
“I figured you’d enjoy the crap out of making the garden all pretty and flowery, so I got you these. Probably messed up my algorithm in the process by searching for these floral designs, but it’s worth it to see that look on your face.” Words fail me as I try to search for a way to thank her for the thoughtful gift, so I reach forward and hug her tight instead.
Audrey hugs me back for a couple of seconds before sitting back and subtly wiping at her eyes. “I think you might need a shower before you leave.”
I chuckle as I dab at the corner of my eyes. “I’m planning on it, don’t worry. Promise me you’ll come visit once I have the place done up.”
Audrey’s head rears back like I said something silly. “Of course I’m coming to visit. What’s your first home project you’re planning? I know you must have a ton lined up, but I’m sure you have at least three to five already prioritized.”
“Damn, you know me well.” I stare out the window toward the speck of ocean visible between the tall buildings as I picture my new home and everything I want to do to really make it feel like mine. “One of the first things is setting up a spot in the garden for morning tea. And obviously plant a bunch of flowers and herbs in the garden. I then want to take all the top cupboard doors off for exposed shelving of my cups and plates. I thrifted the cutest mismatched floral sets and I really hope they survive the journey, double wrapped them in newspaper to be extra safe. I also want to paint the front door and window frames a happy yellow. And curtains! I want to sew some blush-pink curtains, and…”
Audrey waves a hand in front of my face until my eyes come back into focus and I snap into the present. “All great ideas, but how about getting there first and unpacking your bags, then see what will be a priority to get done?”
I pout playfully. “Ugh, fine. Practicalities first.”
“Speaking of practicalities, let’s talk safety. Remind me, who is meeting you where? So I know who to come after if you disappear.”
I run a hand down my ponytail, rolling my eyes at her mother-henning—but also loving her more for it—as I recall all the names and steps. “The island guardian, Beck, will meet me at the harbor and ferry me across. Then Bodin, I think he’s the property manager, will show me to my cottage. Tomorrow, I’ll make my way into the main town and meet the doctor and other clinic staff.”
“Good. Noted.” She taps her temple with a smile before dropping her hand to her lap. “Do you know what species any of them are? I’m so curious.”
“I can guess, but I don’t think it’s particularly polite to ask before I meet them. And even then, I won’t know for sure unless they’re offering or if it’s pertinent to patient information.”
Audrey claps a hand over her mouth and her eyes widen. “Ah, fuck, you’re right. That’s horribly insensitive of me. My office only has humans and I think we have one elf working in our entire building. That’s no excuse, though. I’ll be on my best behavior when I drop you off so I don’t say anything that will be offensive to the guardian. Sorry.”
I take Audrey’s hand and lower it onto her lap. “That’s okay. Many humans are still learning and nonhuman creatures tend to be more gracious with us than we are with them. It’s one of the many reasons I chose to specialize in nonhuman family health.”
Audrey visibly relaxes at that. “Have I told you how proud I am of you? Heading off to an island you’ve never been on to start a whole new life? That you studied so hard to get qualified to help creatures of all kinds? You’re an inspiration and I’m proud to be your cousin and best friend.”
“You know why I had to study.”
“You didn’t have to do anything. The fact that you wanted to after ‘the incident’ speaks volumes of your character and the wonderful creature you are.”
“So you’re saying I’m more than just a klutz?”
“You’re the nicest klutz I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing.”
“Now you’re just being generous. Well, you’re the nicest tax accountant I’ve ever known. One might even say you have a squishy heart under that concrete wall you keep erected around it.”
“Oh, I’ll just have to write that in my diary.” Audrey picks up an invisible pen and paper and pretends to write in the air. Putting on a thick Southern accent, she dictates, “Dear diary. Today, Tilly said I have a heart. It’s the nicest compliment I’ve ever received.”
“Add sassy disposition and sarcastic nature to that heart compliment. That should hold you over until I see you again. ”
“Dear diary, whatever shall I do with all these lovely compliments?”
“You can help me maneuver this giant suitcase out the door and into the car.”
Audrey puts down her imaginary pen and paper and hops onto her feet. “Done. I hope that guardian can match my strength, because there’s no way you’re getting this on or off the boat without help.”
“Audrey, guardians are usually dragons. I’m sure he’ll manage just fine.”
Arching an eyebrow, she shoots me a saucy look. “Is he hot?”
“I don’t—Oh, I see what you did there. Ha ha.”
“Oops. I didn’t even mean it that way. Great work me, though. I hope he is—both ways.”
I shake my head but can’t keep my smile from forming. “Maybe keep the objectifying silent, please. I’d like to make a good first impression.”
Audrey shifts to serious again and places a hand on her chest. “All joking aside, I’ve got your back. Don’t worry. All thoughts will be restricted to my mind—and my panties once I’m home, by myself, away from where I can embarrass you.”
I clutch my heart in return. “Your thoughtfulness is appreciated.”