by Jana DeLeon
Dane shook his head. “I’ve only seen cats. I don’t know of one named Cornelius, but it could be a nickname she has for one of them.”
“I’m almost afraid to ask, but how many?”
“Ten right now.”
Zoe turned to look into the living room. “Where are they, anyway?”
“The laundry room,” Dane said. “Sapphire usually feeds them first thing in the morning and again at night, so I doled out their usual feast. They’ll be scattered around here sleeping the rest of the day.”
“And prowling all night. I got a surprise last night when I attempted a bathroom run in the dark. Apparently one of them was hiding on the toilet.” She left out the part about almost sitting on the cat, and no way was she telling him about her rear bumper injury. It was bad enough she was standing there in wrinkled clothes and zero makeup. She wasn’t even wearing a good push-up bra.
“The cat wasn’t hiding there,” Dane said. “It was probably using the restroom.”
She blinked. “And by using you mean…”
“All the cats are toilet-trained. Gave me a start the first time I walked in on one, but it’s amazing really. Not to mention a big savings on litter, smell, dust, and the time it takes to deal with all that.”
“She potty trained the cats. You’re not kidding me?”
He shook his head. “They even flush.”
“Wow. Well, I’m going to leave a flashlight on the nightstand from now on. I really don’t want to start a fight with a cat over the use of the bathroom.”
“Probably a good plan. So how long are you staying?”
The question was innocent enough, but something about his tone made Zoe wary. It sounded a little too personal. The question was, did he want her to stay or was he hoping she’d clear out quickly?
“I’m not sure,” she said. “I have to talk to the doctor this morning and get an idea of what Sapphire’s recovery time might be. I don’t want to contact my parents unless things get worse.”
“Is anything wrong?”
“No. They’re on vacation. Australia. They’ve been dying to go forever, and I don’t want them to cut their plans short unless there’s no other choice. Depending on how quickly Sapphire’s recovery is expected to be, it might be necessary to arrange some in-home care until she’s back to a hundred percent.”
“And that’s not something you can handle,” he said, his tone disapproving.
“I have a job in another state and a promotion that I’m this close to getting and that three other people are vying for. The longer I’m away, the easier it is to promote someone else.”
“I understand,” he said, but his tone implied he didn’t understand at all. “As you’ve probably noticed, the kitchen is not really usable. I moved the refrigerator into the laundry room, so you still have plenty of cold storage. Sapphire has been cooking on the grill on the patio. It has a hot plate for a skillet or pot. I know it’s not ideal, but the appliances aren’t going to arrive for another day or two.”
“I can make do. I’m not a big cook anyway. Well, I better get changed. I want to be at the hospital when Sapphire’s doctor makes his rounds.”
She headed back upstairs, and that’s when she remembered that her luggage was still in the trunk of her rental. The keys were in her bedroom, but if she went back downstairs for the suitcase, Dane would insist on carrying it up for her. And that wouldn’t work at all. Standing across the kitchen from him had been hard enough. No way did she want to share the enclosed space of the bedroom with him. Even for only a few seconds.
She’d thought college and her job and moving across the country had cured her of her attraction to him. She was wrong.
Dane watched as Zoe drove away, all the old feelings he’d stuffed down deep in his gut now stirring around and giving him an ache. Unfortunately, the ache wasn’t located in his stomach. He’d figured the hospital would contact Zoe’s parents. After all, they lived reasonably close and visited regularly. He hadn’t known they were continents away.
When he’d pulled up that morning and seen a car he didn’t recognize parked out front, the thought had flashed through his mind that it might be Zoe, but he’d dismissed it in favor of the far more likely concept that her parents had simply bought a new car he hadn’t seen yet. When she’d stepped into the kitchen, he felt as if someone had sucker punched him.
Even with wrinkled clothes, no makeup, and her long brown hair pulled back into a ponytail, she was still the most beautiful woman he’d ever known. Zoe thought she had to go above and beyond to get a prime television spot, but Dane figured if the producers couldn’t see what he did, then they were too stupid to deserve her. Despite her obvious worry about missing too much work, Dane had every reason to believe that if Zoe wanted that spot, it was hers to turn down.
Although he’d been momentarily taken aback by her presence, the old frustrations—his comfortable defense mechanism—had kicked in and he’d grown more disappointed in the conversation as it continued rather than surprised by it. No matter, though. He was used to disappointing and frustrating interactions with Zoe. In some ways, it was comforting to know he still had that wall between them to step behind when he didn’t want to deal.
He picked up a piece of floor tile and measured it. The easy answer would be to delay the work until Sapphire returned from the hospital, but he didn’t really want to do that. For one, Sapphire loved to bake and was depending on him to give her the kitchen of her dreams. And even if he could come up with a good excuse for halting construction, she’d see right through it. The last thing he wanted was to get in a discussion with Sapphire about his past with Zoe.
He cut the tile and carried it into the kitchen to check the fit on the floor along the cabinets, then grabbed his trowel and set the tile into place. When he was done, he rose and stared at the floor where he’d found Sapphire and frowned.
The worst part about the conversation he’d had with Zoe was the questions she’d asked about her aunt’s fall. Dane didn’t know anything about Sapphire’s living habits, especially her nighttime ones concerning dress, but Zoe did. Her insistence that her aunt wouldn’t have gone downstairs before changing was troubling. If Sapphire had indeed broken a lifetime of habit to go downstairs in the middle of the night, then it must have been for a reason.
But what?
He stepped over to the bottom of the stairs and looked up, frowning. The cats probably prowled around at night, but Sapphire was used to that. A little racket among her four-legged friends wasn’t likely to get her out of bed in the middle of the night, and even if it did, why weren’t the lights on? He’d forgotten to mention that to Zoe when he’d described how he found Sapphire, and now that he remembered, it bothered him. There was no storm that night and Dane hadn’t seen a flashlight anywhere. Certainly Sapphire knew her own house, but even someone who’d climbed those stairs a million times would be foolish to take on the narrow, winding climb in the dark.
He thought about the position of her body on the floor and tried to remember where her hands were. Then he crouched down and looked into the living room. He rose again and headed for the couch, tilting it from the back all the way over onto the floor. There were two things underneath—a penlight and a can of Mace.
He put the couch back into place and sat down on it, clutching the two items in his hand. Zoe was right. Something had scared Sapphire enough to send her downstairs in the dark with Mace. But what? Or who? And was Sapphire the target, or was there something inside the lighthouse besides the owner that the intruder was interested in?
And if he didn’t find it, was he coming back?
He rose from the couch, placing the penlight and Mace on the coffee table. As soon as Zoe got back, he’d show her the items. A sheriff’s deputy had already been out once to review the scene, but given this new evidence, Zoe might want to ask them to make another visit. In the meantime, he was going to check all the windows in the lighthouse to make sure they were secure, then he was going to change all the locks.
No one was going to mess with Sapphire or Zoe in their own home.
Chapter Three
Zoe pulled into the hospital parking lot at five minutes till ten. She’d rummaged around in her room and found an old T-shirt that wasn’t horribly wrinkled, then she’d taken a long shower in the new bathroom and put on her jeans from the day before and the old T-shirt and managed to get out of the lighthouse while Dane was out back cutting floor tile. A lost luggage experience had taught her to carry a spare pair of undies in her backpack, so things weren’t as bad as they could have been.
The weather report was already calling for another rainy night, but hopefully the storm would hold off until Dane left for the day. Then Zoe could get her suitcase up to the bedroom without help. She knew she was being absolutely silly about the entire thing. Even if things went well with her aunt, she’d probably be in town for at least three days or more. She couldn’t spend all of her time at the hospital, because they wouldn’t allow it and Sapphire needed her rest. That left her with the options of staying closed up in the lighthouse with Dane or heading into town for a dose of local crazy. Neither option had her heels clicking, but she’d figure it out later.
Now she needed to talk to the doctor about Sapphire.
The nurse at the front desk was a dour older woman who could have taken lessons from the cheerful Mary Jo. She asked Zoe who she was, then requested ID and gave her the side-eye when she saw it was issued by the state of California. Finally, she jotted the license number down on a pad of paper and waved Zoe back. She figured the battle-ax was calling the sheriff’s department for a background check as soon as she left the reception area.
Sapphire was awake when Zoe entered the room and sitting upright in front of a tray that was probably supposed to be breakfast but looked like gray stuff in varying textures. Sapphire looked as thrilled by the contents of the tray as Zoe did, but she beamed when she saw Zoe enter the room.
“I’m surprised to see you this early,” Sapphire said. “You were never a morning person.”
Zoe wasn’t certain that being awake and fully clothed at 10:00 a.m. constituted being a morning person, but her aunt considered anyone who slept past 8:00 a.m. a slacker. If Zoe had her way, she would have slept every day until ten and stayed up until midnight. It’s why she was gunning for the evening weather slot.
Zoe walked over and kissed her aunt on the forehead. “I wanted to be here when your doctor came by. What’s this?” She gestured to the tray.
Sapphire wrinkled her nose. “Jury’s still out on that one. They claim it’s eggs and hash browns, but it doesn’t look like any eggs and hash browns I’ve ever seen. On the plus side, if they don’t plan on serving anything better they’ll have to let me out before I starve.”
Zoe smiled. It was typical of her aunt to find the silver lining in everything, even if it meant making a joke about it. The hospital had a policy against outside food but that was easy enough to get around.
“Unless they have you on a restrictive diet,” Zoe said, “I’m sure I can arrange for some contraband meals.”
“That’s what I’ve always loved about you—your willingness to break the rules when they’re stupid. How are you this morning? Did the storm knock out the power?”
“It did, but I was so tired I just crawled into bed. It was back on this morning.”
“And the cats?”
“They were all hiding last night but Dane fed them this morning in the utility room. He said that was your usual routine.”
Sapphire nodded. “He’s a good boy. Talented, too.”
“I haven’t had a chance to see all the remodeling, but the bathroom in my room is beautiful, and the kitchen looks like it’s going to be gorgeous. You must have been channeling me when you picked everything.”
“Oh, I didn’t pick it. Dane did. I just approve it and write checks. More work off my plate. He’s really got an eye for that sort of thing. That’s why I hired him.”
“Yeah, about that…how come you didn’t tell me he was the contractor you hired? And no fibbing. You hesitated last night when I asked you who found you. Now I know why.”
Sapphire sighed. “I was afraid if I told you Dane would be there that you’d stay at the motel and I didn’t want that. I know it’s selfish, but the lighthouse needs family staying there. Dane is a nice young man, but he’s not family.”
Zoe knew Sapphire had strange ideas about the mystical power of the lighthouse. She told everyone who would listen about the strong positive energy she’d felt the instant she’d stepped inside the structure as a little girl. She’d known then that one day, it would be her place. She claimed it called to her when she was away.
Zoe wasn’t one to buy into fanciful ideas like the kind Sapphire lived by, but she would admit that the lighthouse had a soothing effect on her. Something about it just felt right, but Zoe assumed that was because of the happy childhood memories she had that featured the lighthouse and Sapphire. Not because the lighthouse held some sort of power that couldn’t be seen.
As Zoe contemplated what to say, a doctor with silver hair and tired eyes walked in and smiled at Sapphire.
“Ms. Parker,” he said. “It’s good to see you up and alert. How are you feeling this morning? Did you sleep all right?”
“Once I knew my niece was here,” Sapphire said, “I slept like a baby. And I feel great. A little banged up, of course, but no more than a tumble down the walkway to the beach would get me.”
“Well, maybe you should forgo walks down to the beach for a bit,” the doctor said. He turned to extend his hand to Zoe. “I’m Dr. Prescott. You must be Ms. Parker’s niece.”
“Yes. I’m Zoe.” She shook his hand. “How is she doing? Do you have more tests to run?”
“I want to take another scan of her head this afternoon. You can’t be too careful with head injuries, but otherwise, she’s in good shape considering. I imagine she’ll be sore for quite some time, but it’s a miracle she didn’t break anything.”
Sapphire frowned. “This afternoon? Why can’t you scan it now? I want out of this joint.”
“I’m afraid I can’t release you just yet,” Dr. Prescott said. “I want that swelling to go down before we talk about that. I suggest you get comfortable and watch television or read books. It’s going to be a couple more days before I even consider giving you a clean bill of health.”
“A couple more days?” Sapphire’s voice went up several notches and Zoe placed a hand on her aunt’s shoulder, trying to prevent her from going off on the good doctor. Normally, her aunt was one of those peace-loving hippie sorts, but if she was set on something and you got in her way, a whole different person emerged.
“Dr. Prescott is right,” Zoe said. “He needs to make sure your brain is okay. It’s not exactly a five-minute drive from the lighthouse to the hospital.”
Sapphire sighed. “I wouldn’t want to cause any more drama than I already have. I guess I can stick around here a bit longer.”
Her aunt glanced at the tray of gray food, then back at Zoe. The message was clear. Sapphire would stay put as long as Zoe smuggled her in some real food.
“Is there anything she should avoid?” Zoe asked. “I was thinking of picking up her favorite cookies at the Witch’s Brew Coffee Shop this afternoon.”
“She has no dietary restrictions,” the doctor said. “Her favorite cookies sound like just what the doctor ordered, and the baked goods at Witch’s Brew would tempt even the strictest of dieter. Just don’t let the charge nurse catch you with them. She’s a real stickler for the rules.” He patted Sapphire on the arm. “You’re in good hands. I’ll see you after the scan.”
Sapphire waited until the doctor left the room, then looked at Zoe. “There’s a large container of crab dip in the refrigerator. I made it right before I went to bed the night of the fall. If you could put some of that in a container with some crackers and bring it to me with the cookies, I’d be the happiest woman on earth.”
“Ar
en’t you worried about the nurse? I saw her on my way in. She looks like her previous employment was with the gestapo.”
Sapphire waved a hand in dismissal. “Even the gestapo wouldn’t dare get between me and a decent meal.”
Zoe smiled. “Okay then, but you can’t live on crab dip alone. What else do you want?”
“Oh, anything else is fine. My kitchen is all torn up but you were never one to cook anyway. Just pick me up stuff from the locals. With it being Cranberry Festival month, everyone will have out their best wares. It’s a fine time for eating out in Everlasting.”
Zoe held in a groan. She’d completely forgotten about the festival. It was an annual event that brought a flood of tourists to the small town and a bunch more local kooks out of the woodwork. Most people, her somewhat reclusive aunt included, seemed to love the festival. But Zoe viewed it as a time with crowded stores with rude patrons, people walking in the streets rather than on the sidewalks, and never being able to find a parking space near downtown.
Still, she could endure a couple of days of the aggravation for Sapphire. There were all kinds of things Zoe would endure for her aunt that she would never tolerate only for herself. And at least it looked like once her aunt was released from the hospital, she wouldn’t need live-in care.
“Okay,” Zoe said. “I will get you something hot for lunch and something cold for dinner. Otherwise, I’ll spend more time traversing downtown than I do sitting here with you. For breakfast, do you want scones? Muffins? I can bring protein shakes, too.”
“Anything is better than that. I’d rather eat this gown. Speaking of which, a change of real clothes wouldn’t be so bad. And will you also bring me my Kindle from the nightstand in my bedroom? I don’t expect you to sit here all day, and I don’t sleep half the night.”
“I came here to take care of you.”
“Taking care of my cats and my home is taking care of me. Besides, you’re making sure I don’t starve. I’m not saying I don’t want your company, but I’m not selfish enough to coop you up in a hospital all day on an uncomfortable chair, listening to the ramblings or snoring of an old woman.”
