Page 8 of Rainshadow

“Yes. Flora.” He said the name like he liked the taste of it in his mouth. His voice was low and patrician.

She finally really looked at him, taking him in. His hair was warm, honey blond and curled messily, his face was distinct, full, with almost feminine lips, high cheekbones, and large, lively eyes. They seemed to light up when he looked at her.

“What brings you to us, Flora, on this dark night? You’re quite a surprise, but a welcome one. I’ve been wanting to meet the neighbors. Though you look rather damp.”

“I wanted to talk to Sylvia about a job.”

Sylvia shut her eyes and seemed to physically recoil from the words.

“A job?” Ethan looked at Sylvia. “She wasn’t the right fit, darling?” As Ethan asked the question, he drew closer to Sylvia, and Flora could see that Sylvia was quite a few years older than him.

“No,” Sylvia said, her voice a coiled snake. “She’s not the right fit.”

“You should give me a real chance,” Flora interjected. “I’m great with horses, and I really love it here!”

“You’ve spent time here before?” Ethan asked.

Flora nodded. “I worked here for a long time, on the lavender farm, and with the horses.”

“You’re good with horses?” Ethan asked, his distracting lips, full and boyish, turning up at the corner.

“Not as good as Sylvia,” Flora said, nodding to the other woman. “She’s an incredible horsewoman.”

But Sylvia only scowled at her, and Flora couldn’t help but notice the deep groove between her dark, arched eyebrows. She looked at least a decade older than her partner.

“But Sylvia didn’t think it was a good match.” Ethan looked at Sylvia.

“She’s too young,” Sylvia said, and her voice was throaty and thick. “My horses are not toys for some amateur to play with.”

Ethan looked at her cooly. “So you will keep working from dawn until dinnertime? We can’t have that, Sylvia, you promised me you would not work so hard. You said things would be different here.”

“I’ll find someone,” Sylvia said through gritted teeth.

“Not on the island,” Flora said, looking at Sylvia now. “I have as much experience with horses as anyone you’ll find.”

“It must have been very difficult for you to come here tonight. It required a great deal of tenacity.”

“Or stupidity,” Sylvia grumbled.

“Darling,” Ethan said, chuckling a little. “Why would you be unkind to someone who has come to help you?”

“No,” Flora said. “I didn’t mean to put you on the spot. I just had to plead my case, just once.”

Ethan drew close to her and put one strong hand on her shoulder. “You can come back tomorrow,” he said. “If Sylvia can’t use you, I’ll leave you instructions. Come in the afternoon, around sunset?—”

“No,” Sylvia said, suddenly animated. She stood up and pushed her way between Ethan and Flora, forcing Ethan to take a step back. “She will be my employee, not yours. Come in the morning tomorrow. I’ll find something for you to do.”

Flora suspected that Sylvia just didn’t want her, a younger woman, working for her husband. Simple jealousy. She didn’t care. Her whole body felt lighter, like she might float right off of the floor to the ceiling. She had never expected this surprisevisit to be anything but a humiliating disaster. Still, she had felt compelled, like she had to walk, had to ask. It had paid off spectacularly.

She had a job.

A job at Rainshadow.

5

Flora woke before her alarm went off, so excited to go back to Rainshadow. It was a cool, cloudy day, warmer than most, and as she began to walk, coffee thermos in hand, she worked up a slight sweat. As she ambled up the familiar path to the farm, breathing fresh air, imagining a day spent with the horses, among the lavender blooms, the slightest of smiles curled the corner of her mouth.

Maybe, she thought, everything would be different.

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