Romance Rules for Werewolves (Charming Cove, #3)(27)

Interest flashed in her eyes. “Enchanted, you say? I’d always thought it was a ghost or a curse to make it uninhabitable, but that’s very interesting.”

“Have you been inside?”

“A few times, long ago.” She smiled. “But no, I don’t know the last people to live there. It’s been a very long time since it was inhabited. Seventy years or more.”

Darn. I’d been hoping for more information.

“There’s a chance my mother knew, though. Perhaps I could look in her old papers and see if she had anything that could help you. She collected bits of local lore.”

“Oh, that would be amazing. Thank you.”

She waved a hand. “Don’t think anything of it, dear. I’m happy to help.”

My chest warmed. I liked having her call me dear. I wasn’t sure why I felt such a connection with this woman. Maybe my soul was just so starved for familial affection that I was seeing something that wasn’t there. My own grandmother and parents had been so distant that I was looking for it anywhere I could find it.

I hadn’t felt the same with Cecelia, however, even though I’d liked her very much. With a flash of embarrassment, I realized I’d been silent a little too long. I took a bite of a biscuit to give me a chance to compose myself.

“Great biscuits,” I said. “Thank you.”

“Any time, truly. I’ll look for those papers and deliver them to you if I find anything, all right?”

“Oh, I hate for you to go to the trouble.” I thought of how uneven the hillside was between our houses. “I’ll stop by tomorrow to see if you’ve found anything, if that works for you.”

“Perfect. I look forward to it.” She smiled again. “Perhaps tomorrow, I’ll be delivering good news.”

I hoped so, because I had no other leads at all.





Chapter

Twelve





Isobel



I was pretty high on life as I headed into town for girls’ night. My tea and biscuits with Judith had been a balm to my soul for reasons I didn’t want to explore too deeply. Going down that path meant facing the demons of my past, and I wasn’t interested in that right now. Maybe never.

Instead of driving, I decided to call a cab. For me, girls’ night meant a few glasses of wine. I had a feeling it meant the same for the other women since we were meeting at a place called Potions & Pinot, and I certainly shouldn’t be behind the wheel in that situation.

At the sisters’ clothing shop, I’d bought a dress in a silky fabric that was shot through with tiny sparkles. It was shorter and cut lower than the things that Tommy had liked me to wear, but that could be said of most dresses. Which meant I loved it, of course. I’d even picked out a pair of strappy, heeled sandals, which I’d been unable to resist. I wouldn’t be walking far in those shoes, but that wasn’t the point of them.

Poa was nowhere to be found as I left the boathouse, but I did see Rafe. He was walking out of the sea, shirtless and dripping water like some kind of ocean god. I halted dead in my tracks, unable to stop myself from staring. His body was insane, even more beautiful than I remembered from the first night I’d met him. Maybe because I wasn’t afraid for my life now, I could get a proper look at him.

And wow.

He had the kind of body built by years of hard work, tall and broad, with clearly defined muscle that made my palms tingle at the idea of touching him. He was just…perfect.

And now I was totally objectifying him.

Embarrassment shot through me, and I winced, feeling heat bloom in my cheeks. That was inappropriate. He was a person, not a pin-up model in some magazine from the eighties. I shouldn’t be ogling him.

He’d also stopped when he spotted me, and as I met his gaze, I saw something in his eyes that made me blush even hotter. There was no denying what I saw in his stare—attraction. Like, a lot of it.

We stood ten meters apart, but I could feel the connection between us like we were joined by a live wire.

“Um, I’m going out.” I hiked a thumb toward the driveway, where I could hear the cab approaching.

“All right.” He swallowed hard, and I could see his Adam’s apple bob.

It took more effort than it should have to tear myself away and walk toward the cab. But if I put a little extra sway in my hips, who could blame me? His gaze burned into me, and I was vain enough to want to present a good front—or back, as the case was. I didn’t need to be in pursuit of a relationship to do that.

The driver was a woman in her mid-fifties with brilliant red hair and dainty features. I thought she might be some kind of pixie, but I didn’t ask since it was sometimes considered rude.

“Aren’t you all dolled up,” she said, looking back at me in the mirror. “Looking lovely. Got a hot date?”

I grinned. “Girls’ night.”

“Even better. Does that mean I’m taking you to Potions & Pinot?”

“Indeed it does. Is it popular for girls’ nights?”

“They keep the place in business, though I prefer the cocktails myself. They make a mean Manhattan.”

“I’ll have to try one.”

“Tell them Anita sent you. They’ll make you a proper one.”

“I will.” I settled back into the seat as she pulled onto the main road into town. “Have you driven a cab around here a long time?”