When Elodie pulled into the cottage’s drive, she parked the car and turned off the engine. She had left lights on inside. It gave the appearance that the house was occupied, as if a family lived there once more. But she knew the only inhabitants were the ghosts of the past. Remnants of a time when she had thought the world was hers for the taking and people would always love her and be there for her.
The truth, however, clung to the cottage like mist and cobwebs. And there was no running from the truth. Ever.
She should know. She had been trying to do it for fifteen years.
Elodie exited her car and slowly made her way to the cottage’s side door just as rain began to pelt her. She caught a glimpse of the cove. They had gone down to the water to swim on many occasions. Memories of weekends lying on the beach and soaking up the sun made her grin. Skye had been an enchanted place for her once. She’d thought its beauty and the magic that brought the Druids together was as close to a utopia as there was.
Her happy memories of the beach floated away like smoke. She unlocked the door and stepped inside. At least the cottage smelled clean. No more dampness or stale air greeted her when she entered.
Elodie dropped her purse onto the sofa that had seen better days. It was dated, but at least the fabric had held up, mainly because of lack of use. The same could be said for the two chairs. The carpet, on the other hand, was awful. It needed to be replaced. It would make the cottage sell quicker. But it all came down to the funds.
One of the reasons for dinner with Edie had been to go over some of the needed repairs. Elodie had wanted to wait until she cleaned the outside, as well as the garage, but she thought her sister had a right to know what they were looking at. Elodie could clean. She also had a few skills in mending simple things, but she couldn’t replace the roof, fix the moldy section of cabinet she found near the kitchen sink, or replace carpet. She and Edie had never spoken about how much would go into the house. Elodie had just assumed that all she needed to do was clean to get it ready to be put up for sale.
“Wishful thinking,” she murmured.
The house had sat untouched for years. A lot of damage could happen in that amount of time. The roof, for example. How long had it been leaking? They needed to address the water damage, which meant she had to inspect the attic. At this rate, she would never get her share of the proceeds to leave. Which brought her back to who was going to pay for the repairs. She didn’t have any money. Could Edie and Trevor cover it? Was it even fair to ask them to do that? What about Elias? Either way, when the cottage sold, they should get back whatever money they put into repairs.
The cottage might have a decent view, but her father’s murder would be disclosed. That would put off some buyers. It would likely mean taking a lower price on the house, as well. And that would result in Elodie’s cut being even smaller.
“What other choice do I have?” she asked the universe. “I didn’t want to come back. I did everything I possibly could to stay away. Yet here I am. I don’t belong on Skye. I don’t think I ever did.”
No one had asked about her magic. Why would they? Of course, Edie would assume that she still had it. What an awkward conversation that would be. Elodie wasn’t sure she could even explain what had happened or when. All she knew was that her magic was gone and had been for years.
She went to the cupboard and looked at the meager offerings she had for dinner. Maybe she shouldn’t have left the pub. Edie—and even the guy, Scott, outside—had said that she should’ve stayed. It had been too much for Elodie, though. The looks, the comments.
The hatred.
Not everyone despised her, but there had been enough loathing in the room to choke her. Which it had done. She wouldn’t have been able to get anything down. Though she really couldn’t blame people for how they felt. She hadn’t exactly been a good neighbor or friend. She had wanted the pain to stop, and she had tried anything and everything to make sure that happened.
Drinking. Drugs. Sex. The trifecta.
When boys her age didn’t wipe away the agony and grief, she’d gone after older men, hoping they might help. But they hadn’t. And she hadn’t cared if they were married or not. If they showed even the least bit of interest—and sometimes if they hadn’t—she had gone after them. The number of families she had destroyed in her bid to stop her pain was humiliating. She’d hate her, too, if she were in their shoes. She’d spent years detesting herself for what she had done, which had only sunk her deeper into misery instead of helping.
Even when she stopped the self-loathing, she carried what she had done with her like a stone chained to her neck. There was never a time she put the incident or her behavior behind her. She revisited it each and every day. Always a reminder of the despicable human she had once been.
“I’m sorry, Mum,” Elodie said. “I know I promised you I’d make a good life for myself, but…I haven’t been able to.”
Her throat clogged again. A part of Elodie wanted to give in to the emotion and see if a good cry might wash away her sins and hurt, but she had cried oceans, and it had done nothing to erase the past.
That wasn’t the only thing she had to contend with. There was also what’d happened in Edinburgh. Her sins were slowly choking the life out of her. When would she stop fucking everything up?
CHAPTER SIX
Scott remained outside long after Elodie had driven off. He was intrigued. And no one ever captivated him. Not like that.
He’d seen it all and done more. He knew just how to smile to capture someone’s attention. He knew exactly what to say to entice—with a little magic, that was.
Yet Elodie hadn’t seemed fazed by it.
Granted, he hadn’t turned on his full charm. She didn’t seem the kind of woman who so easily fell for such things. Life had clearly hardened her. Made her distrustful and wary. Getting close to her would be more difficult than he’d first thought. There was a way in, though. Everyone had something they needed or wanted. He just had to find out what it was.
“Thought you were long gone,” Filip said as he walked up.
Scott shrugged. “I spoke with her.”
“No shit? How did that go?”
“She’s distrustful.”
Filip grunted as he plunged his hands into his coat pockets. “She doesna have any friends here. It willna be long before she’s looking for some.”
“She doesna care about friends.”
“You saw how she reacted in the pub. She cares.”
“No’ in the way you think,” Scott argued. “She expected that. She doesna like it, but she knew it was coming. She rarely leaves the cottage. We need to find out what’s keeping her there.”
“My old schoolmates told me. She’s fixing it up.”
Scott swiveled his head to Filip. “What?”
Filip frowned as he shrugged. “What’s so strange about that? Apparently, she and Edie are looking to sell it.”
“That’s our way in,” Scott said with a grin.
Filip’s brow furrowed deeper. “What is?”
“We’re going to help her.”
“Whoa. What are you talking about?”
“Kevin told me your father used to be some kind of handyman and taught you, too.”