tsking noises as she brought the kettle and a basket of scones to the table. Fi glared at Fiona, for whom she was named, who hovered over the rocking chair. Grace had been the only one truly blessed with the ability to see Fiona once she’d passed on, but once in a while she’d made herself available to Fi as well. This appeared to be one of those times.
“Sure and my heart almost exploded out of me chest,” Fi said, pointing a finger at the ghost. “You can’t sneak up on a body like that.”
“I wasn’t sneaking. You sat on me,” Fiona said.
“’Tis true. She was sitting there. You were in too much of a fuss to notice.”
“How do you live with this woman?” Fi asked, crossing the room to sit at the table. Plopping her elbows on the table, she cradled her chin in her hand, staring balefully at the ghost across the cabin.
“She respects my space. For the most part. Plus, it’s nice to have company out here. Dylan’s gone much of the day or traveling, and I’m busy filling orders. She’s an excellent resource when I struggle with some of my home remedies.”
“How is Dylan?”
“He’s lovely and a blessing and light to my life. Enough about him. Tell me about Liam.”
“It’s nothing.”
“It’s obviously something.”
“No, I’m just making a big deal over nothing.”
“Tell me.”
“Forget it. Let’s talk about your hen party.”
“I will when you tell me about Liam.”
“I’m being ridiculous. It was nothing. Just a night in passing years ago.”
“You had a night together?” Grace set aside the cream she had been mixing and plunked herself down at the table across from Fi. “You most certainly did not tell me about this. I would have remembered. Liam is… well, let’s just say if I didn’t have Dylan, he’d be right up there on my list.”
“Gracie!”
“It’s true. He’s a very handsome man,” Fiona agreed. “I’d have given it a go in my time if my heart wasn’t spoken for.”
Fi buried her face in her palms. “Sure, that’s a lovely image I just don’t need right now,” she griped.
“Women have needs. And those needs should be fulfilled by men like Liam. At least once in their lives,” Fiona said, furthering Fi’s chagrin.
“Great. Just great. My ghost of a relative has the hots for a man who pleasured me. Can this day get any weirder?”
“Ohhhhh, he pleasured you? I need details. Immediately. In full glory, at that.” Grace’s face lit up and Fi laughed.
“You are both weird, you know that?”
“We’re all weird. We can hear people’s thoughts, see ghosts, read auras, and perform magick. What in any way, shape, or form made you think we would be normal? That includes you, Fi, though I know you do your damnedest to ignore your goddess-given gifts. Gifts that came from my blood, if I must remind you.”
“I don’t ignore them. I just don’t need them to live.”
“Ignoring your power is not living.”
“Listening in on people’s thoughts isn’t a fun life to live either. You have any idea how much shite you have to hear that you don’t want to? It’s a safety measure more than anything.”
Grace reached across the table and squeezed Fi’s hand.
“I know. I don’t envy you that trait. At least not all the time. I can think of times it would come in right handy, though.”
“Sure, it can. But I really have worked to shield it. If I don’t, I’d never be surprised in me life. Oh! Speaking of surprises – and today has been quite the day for them – my parents gifted me a house. A house on the boulevard by the water. Me own house. Can you even believe it? They must be getting dotty with old age. Who gives someone such a gift?” Fi wondered aloud, then spilled her tea when Grace jumped up screaming.
“You’re moving back! That’s fantastic news!”
“Oh, calm down. I didn’t say I was moving back. It’s a place to store me things, is all. Now who’s making the fuss? Calm down, woman,” Fi said, grabbing a dish towel to mop up her tea.
“Still, it will make it more permanent. You’ll come back more if you have something to tend to here. Oh, but I’ve missed you, Fi. I know you have a fierce wanderlust in you, I understand that. But I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you too,” Fi said, “but I’m not settling down here. I’ll be renting out the unit below and giving the money to my parents. I can’t just accept