Page 42 of The Seven Miracles of Beatrix Holland
Beatrice watched her approach, surprised by how pleased she was to see her. “Hey, there.”
Reno stopped at the foot of the gangplank. “I was over at the marina store. Heard a mainlander was looking at Hector’s boat. Wondered if it was you.”
She clutched the railing. “I think I bought a boat. Oh, shit.”
“May I come aboard?”
“Yes! Of course.”
Reno boarded easily, not even watching her feet. “You talk him down?”
Down? The boat had been so cheap, she hadn’t even thought of it. “Well, no wonder he seemed so chipper.”
“Now what?”
Beatrice held up her phone. “I’ve already got a guy coming over to haul away the old mattress.” While waiting for the banks to do their things, she’d already called the one furniture store that sold beds. It had taken five minutes to tell the owner she wanted a queen mattress, firm, no springs. She’d been prepared to offer a hefty bonus for immediate delivery, but the woman had offered to deliver it herself that afternoon. “This town is a force of nature. Come in, please?”
Following her across the deck, Reno said, “When you live on an island, you take care of each other.”
“That must be nice.”
She pressed her thumb against a small nick in the wood next to the front door. “I can fix this if you want.”
“Can you?” Beatrice was surprised by the offer—the woman was so quiet, she’d all but convinced herself Reno disliked her. Then she remembered the gorgeous wooden kayak Reno had been building in Minna’s hideout. “Um. Do you build bookcases?”
Another nod.
“Are you hirable?”
Reno closed her eyes, squinching them up as if she was in pain.
Oops. Had she said something wrong? Or was Reno sick? “Are you okay?”
Reno rubbed her chest. “Yeah.” She coughed. “Fine. And yes. Hirable. But…”
She waited a moment, and when Reno didn’t finish the sentence, she said, “But what?”
Her gaze stayed down. “You would want to hire me?”
“Is there a reason I shouldn’t?”
Reno shook her head.
Strangely relieved, Beatrice said, “Good. You’re hired. Let me show you.”
She pointed, and Reno made notes. Then Reno peered around the cabin and bedroom, determining the best place for the bookcases. Quietly, she took measurements using the tape she pulled out of her pocket and jotted numbers down on a small notepad that came out of another pocket. She was methodical and silent. Beatrice didn’t get the impression Reno didn’twantto talk—instead, it felt more like she didn’t need to speak as much as other people.
Beatrice pushed down a jangled clang of nerves. “I’ve got to go buy some things. Sheets, a kettle, some towels. Can you tell me where I should go?”
“Housewares store on Main, three doors down from Keelia’s bookstore.”
Had she really just bought a houseboat? She looked at her phone for the time—she’d only just missed the plane she would have been on to go home. Soon her father would be looking for her to arrive home. He didn’t even know she’d met Cordelia and Minna. And his ex-wife. All their talk of magic—had they put some kind of psychological spell on her?
What the hell was she doing here?
And how was she supposed to talk to her father about all of it?
Reno stopped making measurements and fiddled with a sticky galley drawer. Then she jiggled the handle of the small sink. “What?”
