Hummingbird Cove

by Giselle Fox

  “I’ll take some if you’re offering,” Daisy said. “My water smells like eggs. Is that normal?” She frowned down into her cup.

  “It’s the sulfur in the well.”

  “Does your water smell like that?”

  “No. I had a system put in.”

  Daisy smiled. “Of course, you did.”

  Keira smiled too. “Well, I’m going up to get dressed. And then start breakfast.”

  “And I’ll start a second pot. Come on over, Daisy. There’s plenty of breakfast and sulfur-free coffee on this side of the cove.”

  “Alright, but I want to pitch in. I have bacon and eggs, a very ripe avocado, and some fresh bread if you’re interested.”

  Keira smiled. “Excellent. Bring it over.”

  Daisy jumped up and walked back along the dock. “See you in a few.”

  “If she’d stared at your nipples any harder, they would have inverted,” Jane whispered to Keira as they walked up the steps to the house.

  “She was not staring at my nipples.”

  Jane yanked her towel off her shoulders and then casually looked back. “And now she’s staring at your ass again.”

  Keira didn’t dare look despite wanting to see it for herself. “For real? Actually?”

  “Mm, hmm. Laser beams on your bootie, as we speak.”

  That made Keira smile.

  ~~~

  “So,” Jane said, looking over at Daisy, “what will you get up to for the rest of the day?”

  “I don’t know, maybe explore a little. Walk, maybe. I’m sure I’ll find something to do,” Daisy replied. She glanced at Keira.

  “Walk? Where?” Jane asked.

  “I don’t know, I was thinking in the forest. Is that not a good idea?”

  “Jane’s not much of a nature lover,” Keira said and then laughed.

  “No, but if it meant a holiday, I’d consider spending a month in a cave,” Jane said as she munched the last of her toast. “What else? Got any hobbies, anything other than reading to keep you occupied?”

  “I um…” Daisy used the tip of her fork to push the last smears of guacamole into a star-shaped pattern on her plate. “I like to write, sometimes.”

  Jane sat up and smiled. “What sort of writing?”

  “Thoughts. Poems. Sometimes short stories. Nothing special, really.”

  “How interesting,” Jane said. “Don’t you think that’s interesting, Keira?”

  Keira had been watching from her side of the table. “Yes, very.”

  “Has anyone ever read your work?” Jane asked.

  Daisy felt shy about the attention she was getting for something that was so personal. “Um, no. Not sure they ever will, to be honest. I just do it because I enjoy it.”

  They all looked at each other, smiling until there was a soft thump under the table and Keira finally said something. “Keep doing it if you love it. Other people’s opinions aren’t necessary.”

  “So, Daisy’s going to write. What are you going to do for the rest of the week, Keira?” Jane asked.

  Keira slowly turned her attention back to Jane and gave her a long, inscrutable stare. Jane lifted her eyebrows in return, hiding her smile behind her coffee mug. Daisy watched the exchange, trying her best not to laugh at the two friends.

  “I’ve got some work to do,” Keira said.

  “You sure do,” Jane remarked.

  Keira narrowed her eyes again.

  “What are you working on?” Daisy asked, before taking another sip of coffee. This was getting fun.

  “Um…” Keira said as she raked her hand through her hair. “Research for a… uh… white paper.”

  “A white paper,” Daisy said. “What is that, exactly?”

  “In this case, an analysis of a group of funds.”

  “Sounds… interesting.”

  “It isn’t, really.”

  “Mmm, no,” Jane said. “And when is this... white paper due?”

  “When I finish it,” Keira replied and stood up. She looked back and forth between them. “Are we all good for coffee or should I put on another pot?”

  “I’ve had enough, thanks,” Daisy said.

  “Me too,” Jane replied. When Keira had gone, they both smiled at each other.

  ~~~

  “That was a whirlwind trip.”

  “You know I’d love to stay and watch this little situation unfold,” Jane said, waving her finger, “but I’m off to Boston. Might as well strike while the keyboard is hot.”

  “This is that new writer?”

  “Mm, yes. He has spirit. Nowhere near as much as you, but… you want to retire, so.” She grinned back at her.

  “Don’t write me off just yet,” Keira mumbled.

  Jane gave her a smile. “Hmmm, had I known a little competition would fire you up, I’d have brought him along with me.”

  Keira heard the old rusty springs on the screen door of the cabin. Daisy stepped out onto the deck. “Are you leaving?”

  “As soon as the water taxi arrives,” Jane called up.

  “It was really nice to meet you.”

  “It was a pleasure to meet you,” Jane said with a grin. “I can go back to New York knowing Keira is in good hands.”

  “For goodness sake, Jane,” Keira whispered.

  But Daisy laughed. “I’ll take good care of her, don’t you worry. We’re going to the town hall meeting later on.”

  Keira whirled around. “We are?”

  Daisy’s smile dropped. “Only if you want to. I mean… I guess I could walk through the forest alone.”

  Jane smacked Keira’s arm. “Tell her you’re going with her right now.”

  “No. We’ll go together,” Keira called back. “We’ll take the ATV.”

  Daisy’s smile returned. “Fun! I’ve never been on an ATV.”

  “Nice recovery,” Jane whispered. “Riding a dark forest trail with a warm woman wrapped around you, holding on tight. That should get your motor running again.”

  Keira had to agree, it did sound pretty good. She looked up at Daisy again. “We could go a little early. I’ll show you around town. It’ll be a fast tour. There’s not that much to see.”

  “Well done, K,” Jane said approvingly. Daisy was still smiling down at them, and then she looked up. “I think I hear the taxi.”

  She was right. Keira heard the familiar hum of Ryan’s engine on the other side of the point.

  “Here’s your homework for the day,” Jane said so that only she could hear.

  “What?”

  “Take her out for a boat ride. Show her the island.”

  Keira smiled. “Okay, I will.”

  Jane gave her a hug. “Love you. Call you soon. Remember, have fun.”

  “Good luck in Boston.”

  Jane gave her an extra squeeze. “The best luck I ever had was you. Thanks for having me on such short notice.”

  “You know you’re welcome here, anytime. The otters will miss you.”

  Ryan’s boat was idling in toward the dock. Jane groaned. “More seasickness, then airsickness on the seaplane.”

  Keira looked up into the mostly cloudless sky. “It’s not windy. Should be a better trip than yesterday.” She lifted Jane’s suitcase down into the boat.

  “See you in a few days, Keira,” Ryan said before he pushed off.

  Keira gave Jane another wave before the boat rounded the point and disappeared. She stood and breathed the air for a few moments and then bent and slid her hand through the water. She hadn’t heard the screen door bang on Daisy’s cabin yet and figured she was probably still standing out on her deck watching. “Here goes,” she whispered. She stood and turned. Sure enough, Daisy was still up there, smiling down at her. “So, uh, I was thinking of taking the boat out for a spin. Would you like to come?”

  CHAPTER TEN

  Daisy zipped the collar of her jacket up as high as it would go and faced the wind. Keira was speeding around the point of the cove and out toward the channel. She stood w
ith one knee bent against the captain’s chair, steering the boat through the chop with practiced finesse.

  “The sea lions usually hang out over here,” she said against the wind.

  Daisy sat up and looked out over the water. Green islands surrounded them, blending into a single mass until they were close enough to see the breaks. Keira pointed out to her right, to a plume of water spouting from a passing pod of orcas. “They come through here now because of the ferry on Cortes.”

  That’s what happened when big boats filled with cars and people moved through wild spaces. “The ferry must make it a lot easier for the people living here, though, right?”

  “Oh, absolutely.” Keira steered them closer to the island again and then slowed the engine. Along the rocky bank lay a group of chubby sea lions lounging on the rocks. A few of them looked up, bored, and unbothered. Daisy held her nose. “Is that… them?”

  “Yeah, they’re cute but stinky.”

  They idled along in front of the rocks for a little while longer before Keira steered them out into the channel again. “Want to see the other side?”

  “Sure,” Daisy replied. It was chilly out of the sun, but they soon passed through the shady part and back into the sun. The island wasn’t very big. Worn out houses and mobile homes speckled the waterfront all the way along to the old marina. The Marina’s sign was weatherbeaten. The old gray pilings were encrusted with barnacles and seaweed. Daisy picked Kirby’s boat out of the line. Even in the sunlight, the town frontage looked in need of capital and repairs.

  Keira was silent. Daisy read from her expression that she was thinking the same thing. “Would you buy here again?” she asked.

  “Me?” Keira shrugged. “Sure, but I’m not really the one to ask.”

  “Why not?”

  “Well… I don’t have to rely on what’s here. I’m not trying to make a living or raise a family. I’m not in a position where I need a doctor or a hospital. I don’t have to sell in order to relocate somewhere better for my family.”

  “Why did you buy here?”

  Keira stood up. “Look at where we are. I had an opportunity to own one of the last remaining pieces of untouched oceanfront.”

  “You’re lucky.”

  “Oh, I know I am.”

  “Will you ever sell?”

  “When I’m done here,” Keira said and smiled at her. “Why? Are you considering buying Kirby’s place again?”

  Daisy laughed. “Um, no. Your place maybe—if I could afford it and it was for sale—but Kirby’s…” She shook her head.

  “Yeah, probably smart,” Keira replied.

  “Do you ever have to deal with him?”

  “I have had to. We mostly just stay away from each other.”

  “I assume he’ll be at the meeting tonight.”

  “I’m sure he will.”

  “Has he ever offered you his land?”

  “Oh, yeah,” Keira laughed. “And when I didn’t like his price, he threatened to do all sorts of things-”

  Daisy frowned. “Like what?”

  “Make noise, paint his place ugly colors, strip the trees from his frontage to make it an eyesore. All sorts of weird stuff. I told him to go ahead, that it would hurt him more than it would ever bother me.”

  “That must have made him mad.”

  “Not as mad as…” Keira stopped suddenly. “Anyway. He’ll be there tonight. Since he’s probably still hoping to sell you his cabin, I’m sure he’ll behave.”

  Daisy wasn’t so sure about that. Her quick take on Kirby was that he wasn’t loaded with common sense.

  Keira smiled back at her. “What are your plans for the afternoon?”

  “Me? I’m very busy this afternoon,” Daisy said with a laugh. “I plan to finish that book you loaned me since I’m really enjoying it. Then, maybe after that, I’ll feel inspired to write something. It’s been too long.”

  “That sounds nice. I should work, too.” Keira slid her hand through her hair and exhaled. “Would you maybe… like to come over to my place and read?”

  “In your library?”

  Keira nodded. “The light is a little nicer than at the cabin. I could build a fire. I have all sorts of tea and coffee-”

  Daisy felt a little flame inside her chest begin to glow with happiness. “Yes, I would love that.”

  A short while later, they were both standing inside the big barn doors of the library. Daisy held her laptop, her journal, and the book that Keira had loaned her in a small stack at her hip. “I guess I’ll sit down here.” She stepped into the sunken area with her mug of tea. Sunlight was filtering through a clump of white clouds. The cushions were already warm. She sat comfortably and put her feet up. “Mmm, this is so nice. Do you ever work down here?”

  Keira smiled. “No, but it’s a good spot to read and take a nap.”

  She was right about that. Daisy pulled her computer onto her lap and opened the lid. Keira stuffed her hands into the pockets of her jeans and went and sat behind her desk.

  “Do you mind a little music while you work?” Keira asked a few minutes later.

  “I like it however you like it,” Daisy replied.

  Light, ambient notes began to drift through an invisible sound system somewhere above them. Daisy leaned back against the cushions and felt herself relax. “Mmm. I can see how one could fall asleep down here.”

  “Yeah, it’s a little too comfortable sometimes,” Keira said with a chuckle.

  Daisy looked back at her. Keira was sitting in her chair with her elbows on the desk, watching her. “Maybe I’ll read a little first. Get inspired.” She gave her a smile and then picked up Keira’s novel and flipped it open to where she’d last left off. She read quietly with her mug against her chest.

  ~~~

  What am I doing? Keira thought to herself as she watched Daisy get settled with the first book she’d ever written. What is she doing?

  You’re attracted to her, and she knows it, came the answer from somewhere inside her head, a part of her more inclined to take good luck for what it was and run with it. It had been a long time since she’d been close to anyone, felt hands on her skin. It wasn’t every day that a beautiful, interested woman with nothing better to do than read in her library showed up. Why shouldn’t she jump on it? Jane was right; a little carpe diem could do her good.

  Daisy’s lips had settled into a small private smile. Her teacup suspended between her chin and the page she was reading; a page that would, at any minute, lead to the sex scene Keira had written a lifetime ago; an almost virtual recap of the first night she’d spent with Andi. A night that had changed her life.

  Was Jane even here? Am I imagining all of this, right now? Keira wondered, fearing she’d gone mad somewhere between her last sentient thought and falling asleep at her desk the day before. Maybe she was dreaming. That would explain a lot.

  What’s the capital of Canada?

  Ottawa.

  Too easy. What’s the capital of Uzbekistan?

  Tashkent.

  Square root of 5624?

  How the fuck should I know? “Definitely not sleeping,” she said out loud.

  Daisy looked up and gave her an amused smile.

  “More tea?” Keira offered, gesturing to the pot by the window.

  “Don’t worry about me, I can help myself,” Daisy replied. “Is it too distracting, me being here?”

  You have no idea, Keira thought. “No, not at all.”

  Daisy smiled at her again, her blue-green eyes lingering past the point of a casual back and forth between friends. No, she was giving her one of those looks that women did when they had other things on their minds.

  It had been a while since Keira had sat across from a such a look. It prickled parts of her, caused others to flutter, then it kick-started something that hadn’t run properly in a long, long time. Visions, scents, feelings, sensations, descriptions all began to burble and pop like a simmering pot. Her fingers felt it first, like a rusty old tap getting t
urned on for the first time in years. Words. Lots of them.

  She laid her fingers on the keyboard and let them run loose, not caring, not analyzing, not stopping. It felt good to type again, to wade into the stream, watch the words tumble in front of her, spill into eddies, and then rush against her outstretched fingers. She felt it travel up the tips, soak into her palms, bathe her wrists and forearms, and then shoot like a geyser up the back of her neck.

  It was visceral, overwhelming in that small, frightening way that nature could be when it ran amok with no restraint. She followed her cursor across the screen, watched it shoot to the end of one line and then start again at the beginning of another. Flow like that hadn’t happened in ages. She felt plugged-in, exuberant while trying to remain focused. It was like surfing, she remembered. Like pulling up onto a wave and riding the curl for as long as it would carry her.

  A while later, when Daisy got up to refill her mug, she typed the last word and the final period. She hit save, knowing without re-reading, that it was something she could work with. Never mind Callie. Never mind any Kay Ember theme, she thought. This was about a woman, told from the eyes of another woman, and that made her smile.

  “How are you liking the book,” she asked. She shifted her chair until she had a clear view of Daisy standing by the window with the sun setting the reddish brown ends of her hair on fire. The nape of her neck was exposed on the left side where she’d swept it all over her right shoulder. Keira angled her head to the right so she could imagine Daisy reclined.

  “I love it,” Daisy replied. She smiled back at her, holding her mug in one hand. “Shall I pour you more tea?”

  “Yes, please,” Keira said. She watched her cross the expanse between them, moving without hurry or self-consciousness. Her eyes never wavered from the lock they had on her own, even as she picked up the mug from the edge of the desk. Then, with an amused arch of her brow, Daisy turned and walked back to the table where the teapot stood.

  Keira watched her hips sway in that gentle, feminine way that hips could. After refilling the mug with steaming, amber liquid, she turned and gave her a playful look. She knew what was going on and seemed pleased by it.