The Island Angel Page 4
“Do you do drugs?” Anna asked, nonchalantly.
Jessica shot her a glance. “Sorry?”
“Drugs. Are you an addict?”
“No…” Jessica’s tone was more confused than offended.
“Good. Okay, we’re here.”
The Saab crawled into a farmyard, which was a mixture of grass, mud, cobbles, and concrete and large enough for a dozen vehicles. Dilapidated stables stood at the far end, with the exception of the last unit where the weatherboard cladding had been freshly stained black. Opposite was Anna’s two-storey period farmhouse.
Anna directed Jessica to park next to her rarely used Ford Fiesta. She hated driving in England. The roads were so much narrower than those in the States. And, despite all her trips to the mainland, she was petrified of ending up in one of the deep ditches that ran along most country roads.
“Thanks for doing this,” Jessica said as they approached the house.
“That’s okay. I’m paying forward, I suppose. Not that I really like the expression. People shouldn’t expect anything in return when they help someone.” She paused, wondering what her motivations were. “I’m just hoping for better luck.”
“I think you have to make your own luck,” Jessica muttered.
“I wonder how.”
When Jessica half smiled, Anna noticed the human being behind the desperado. She opened the front door, allowing the stranger into her home.
Chapter Four
ANNA WASN’T SURE how to handle Jessica, so she decided to jump in with both feet as she always did, ignoring any potential embarrassment. “I’ll find you something dry to wear.”
Jessica was frantically searching through her pockets. After she’d pulled out a slip of paper, she looked up to make eye contact. Anna found it hard not to stare. One of Jessica’s irises was a blue-grey, while the other looked as if the Milky Way had been imprinted in layers of greens and blues. “Wow, your eyes are different!”
Jessica’s brow creased for a moment. “Oh. Um, yes. It’s called heterochromia.”
“I’ve seen eyes like yours in cats or dogs, but not people.”
“It’s rare.”
Anna kept staring. Jessica had beautiful eyes. I guess she won’t mug me and steal my broken boiler.
Anna took the phone from its charging station and put it in Jessica’s hand. “You can make your call in the lounge. It’ll be warmer in there. I’ll get you a dry top.” She pointed towards the lounge and was surprised to see tears in Jessica’s eyes. “Are you okay?”
Jessica nodded.
“I won’t be a minute.”
Towel, top, tea. Anna started down the hall and then spun around. She darted back into the kitchen to flick the kettle on, before heading upstairs. She found two hooded sweatshirts that had hardly been worn. Even after ten years, the letters MSU, standing for Michigan State University, still looked brand new. She grabbed one of the hoodies and a T-shirt for Jessica to change into.
In the lounge, she placed the tops and a towel onto the sofa. Jessica stood by the fire, still in her wet sweater.
“Some clothes,” Anna said.
Jessica pulled off her sweater. All she had on underneath was a white bra.
Anna looked away as Jessica pulled on the T-shirt. “Did you make your call?”
“Yes. But my friend didn’t answer. Is it okay if I try again in a bit?”
“Of course. It’s not a problem. Would you like tea or coffee?”
“A tea, please, Anna.” Jessica picked up the towel.
Anna headed back into the kitchen and made tea. She didn’t like the stuff herself and hadn’t been able to adjust to the nation’s beverage from ice tea back in the States.
“Are you hungry?” she called into the other room. “There’s some leftover flapjacks I can heat up.”
Jessica, now standing in the doorway, was sporting the sweatshirt and towel-drying her hair. “Um, yes, please. If it’s not too much trouble.”
“No trouble.” Anna gave a reassuring smile. “I’m sorry it’s so cold—the boiler is broken. My ex-husband was the one who always got it going again. You can go sit by the fire. You look freezing. Call your friend and leave a message. You can leave my number. It’s on the receiver.” God, I’m ordering her around like she’s a teenager. “Sorry, I’m being a bit bossy.”
A half smile played on Jessica’s lips for a moment. “It’s okay. It’s your house.”
“Not according to the bank, but, really, I’ve only had my daughter’s company for a while, and I guess I’m used to—” Do I boss Abbie around all the time? “Well, telling her what to do. How do you take your tea?”
Again, a pause.
“With milk? Sugar?” Anna asked.
“With milk, please.”
The dark-haired woman with the multi-coloured eyes must have been exhausted, and she also appeared confused. Anna passed the cup of tea to Jessica. “Go on through to the lounge.”
Five minutes later, Anna quietly placed the food she had heated up on the coffee table. But it was too late. Jessica had fallen asleep by the fire. She took a woollen blanket from where it was folded over one arm of the sofa and draped it over the woman.
HOURS HAD PASSED, and it was now two in the afternoon. Anna’s texts and calls were being ignored by Abbie. Anna debated going to look for her, when Abbie pushed through the front door. She decided to let the disobedience go for the sake of harmony between them.
“Why’s there a dead woman in our living room?” Abbie asked after peering into the lounge.
“She’s not dead.”
“Is she undead?” Abbie grinned.
“Yes, a zombie guest. I just dug her up from the monastery’s graveyard.”
“Zombies don’t eat flapjacks. There’s a plate of them beside her.”
“You’re absolutely right, honey. I tried, but she wouldn’t eat them.” She hooked an arm around Abbie’s shoulder and gripped the back of her head. “That’s why I need your brain!”
Laughing, Abbie twisted out of her grasp. “Give her yours. You won’t miss it!”
“Very funny. For that and not answering your phone and being late, no Mini Eggs.”
“I’m not late. It’s after lunch.” Abbie darted around the kitchen table, lifting plates, paper, and bags, searching.
“It’s after two.” Anna reached for the cookie jar a second after Abbie pulled out the pack of chocolate Mini Eggs. Anna lunged for her as she ducked, slid under the table and jackrabbited out the other side.
Anna raced around the table to catch her and pulled the pack out of her hand. “Look. I’ll do a deal.” She panted. “You help me with the stable, and—”
“Mum!”
“Wait. I’m not done. And, I also need your brain for my zombie. Then you can have the eggs.”
“No deal!” Abbie snatched the pack from Anna’s grasp and raced down the hall and upstairs.
Anna sighed and turned to see Jessica leaning on the doorframe of the lounge with the breakfast plate in her hand.
“Oh, you’re awake.”
“Zombie?” Jessica smirked.
Anna blushed. “It was a joke.” She took the plate from Jessica. “You’ve eaten some of the cold flapjacks, so I guess you’re not undead.”
“I was…”
Anna felt the need to break from Jessica’s gaze. It was as if Jessica could see into her soul. The connection was scary and exciting at the same time. She turned away. “Any news from your friend?”
“No. I’ll try again in a bit. If that’s all right?”
“Yes, it’s fine.”
“Can I help in any way while I’m waiting?” Jessica asked. “You said something about a stable to your daughter?”
Anna crossed her arms. She didn’t know this woman. “You never explained why you ended up here. I mean, on Lindisfarne.”
“It’s a long story.”
“Are you running from a bad boyfriend, maybe?”
Jessica shook her head.
JESSICA WALKED A few paces behind, wearing an old Barbour coat and the gloves Anna had given her. Her wound rubbed against the glove when she flexed her fingers, and she wondered if it would start to bleed again.
“I have four chickens around somewhere.” Anna scanned the courtyard. “There’s one.” She pointed to a fluffy auburn hen, scratching at a small patch of grass by a downpipe. “Their coop is behind the barn in a treehouse. I get three or four eggs a day at this time of year.”
Anna stopped at a stone-built stable block, which consisted of four separate stalls set out in a row along the northwest side of the farmyard. At one end, a beam in the roof had rotted through and collapsed, causing the tiles to slip off, exposing three of the stalls to the weather. At the other end, the roof was secure, and the far stable had been recently painted. A white pony, with long lashes and a pink muzzle, poked its head out when they approached.
“This is Daisy. She’s a Welsh part-breed. We do pony trekking for children around the island in the holiday season,” Anna told her while rubbing the animal’s neck. “But I need more ponies to make the business work. And, before that, I need to get the other stalls cleaned out and the roof patched.”
“Isn’t Daisy a cow’s name?” Jessica asked and then clammed up. She was being a bit forward by questioning how Anna named her animals.
“Yes.” Anna laughed. “Abbie named her. She jumps like a dairy cow.”
Jessica didn’t say anything, in awe of the woman’s openness and, if she was honest, her delicate features. She watched as Anna petted and spoke to Daisy, noticing the pony was not completely white but had large areas of brown around its neck and middle.
While Anna was occupied with the pony, Jessica studied her. Anna could have been a heroine out of a windswept Highland romance with her thick shoulder-length blonde hair, a small nose speckled with faint freckles, full red lips, and rosy cheeks.
“Are you okay?” Anna asked, looking straight at her.
Jessica double-blinked, allowing her brain to catch up. “Fine.”
Anna frowned. “I asked you a question. You looked kind of frozen.”
“Sorry.”
Anna frowned. “Well, let’s get started. We need to clear out that stall.” She pointed to the door next to Daisy. “And then fix the roof somehow. The other bays are wrecked, but I think I can get this one into use again.”
After three hours, they had removed the decaying straw and swept out a puddle of rainwater to expose a cobbled floor.
While Jessica worked, she thought back to her job, retracing the events that led to her being wanted for fraud. Who would set me up? There are people who don’t like me, but they wouldn’t have framed me.
She had left a message for Chris, her QA lead, to call Anna’s number. She’d have to stall for time, hoping Chris or Megan would ring. If they didn’t, she would need to beg Anna for money so she could buy petrol to leave.
Their shoulders bumped as Jessica carried out the last broken roofing tile.
“You’re in your own world again,” Anna said.
“Sorry.”
“Doesn’t matter. Anyway, we’re done for now.” Anna placed a hand on Jessica’s shoulder. “Thanks for helping. I’ll try to cover the roof tomorrow.”
As they walked back to the house, Jessica’s mind focused on the roof. Her instinct was to solve any problem when it was raised. “How were you planning to do that?”
“I have a tarp. I was thinking I could tie it around the beams, so the rain would run to the side and then out the stall.”
“On the inside?”
“Yes. Why? You don’t think that’ll work?”
Jessica sidestepped a puddle close to the door. “The tarp wouldn’t be supported, and it would just sag, collecting the water until it overflows or rips. It would be best to remove all the tiles, replace the beam, and then reuse the tiles for the roof.”
“I would like to do that. John had ordered the building supplies, but I can’t afford someone to do the work.”
“John?”
“My ex-husband. We divorced two months ago.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It is what it is. I’m not sure it was for the best. But I think that’s what you’re supposed to say.”
The conversation stopped as they entered the farmhouse.
Jessica removed her gloves. “It’s a simple job; I can—”
“God!” Anna shrieked, taking Jessica’s hand. It was covered in blood from where her cut had opened up. “Come to the sink!” Anna flipped on the hot water tap and cursed when the water didn’t warm up. “Keep it under. Sorry it’s cold. You should’ve told me you needed a bandage. What’s wrong with you?”
In truth, Jessica had ignored the wound. However, she could see now it was more serious than she thought; a thick flap of skin was torn above her first knuckle.
“What’s going on?” Abbie’s voice came from behind them.
“Fetch the first aid kit. It’s in the bathroom under the sink.”
“Why? Who’s hurt?”
“Just get the kit!” Anna snapped.
Jessica glanced at Anna, seeing intense frustration and, perhaps fear, in her features. This isn’t just about my hand. “It’s not too bad. I’m… I mean, I was a first aider at work. It’s nothing to worry about.”
“I can see it is!” Anna’s voice was edged with annoyance. The wound, disturbed by the flow of water, coloured it crimson. “There’s a lot of germs in the stables. I should’ve bandaged this before.”
Abbie appeared with the first aid kit and slammed it down on the counter without a word. She stormed back upstairs.
“I can’t get her to help me with anything,” Anna muttered to herself. “Sit!”
Jessica did what she was told, feeling like a schoolkid in detention. She said nothing while Anna applied antiseptic, then a pad and gauze, before taping it secure.
“I’m sorry to be a nuisance,” Jessica said, inspecting the expertly applied bandage.
“Then be more vocal and say if you’re hurt!” Anna stepped away, sighed and leaned against the kitchen counter, tucking her hands into the pocket of her jeans. “Do you want to try your friend again?” Her tone was softer now.
“I left a message, but I don’t think she’s going to call. She’s my ex. We didn’t exactly stay friends after splitting-up.”
“Oh, I see.” Anna’s mouth parted slightly and crease lines formed on her forehead.
“I should go.” Jessica stood. “Thanks for all you’ve done. I was wondering if I could borrow—”
“You’re joking, right?” Anna cut in.
Jessica’s chest tightened. She knew she’d badly outstayed her welcome. “Okay. Well, thanks for everything.” She turned towards the door but remembered her sweater was in the lounge. She headed there and collected it from where it hung on the back of a chair near the fire. She spun around and bumped into Anna, whose fingers encircled her wrist.
“Look, let’s have a reality check.” Anna spoke quickly, her American accent pronounced and her words clipped. “First, you have no money and no gas, by what I could read on your dash. I can lend you some money, but there are no gas stations on the island.”
Jessica’s throat tightened, and tears welled up. She swallowed and blinked, trying to banish them as Anna continued.
“But most of all, the tide is now on the way in. So you need to stay. Unless your car is amphibious and runs on air.”
To her embarrassment, Jessica’s tears started to fall, and she wiped them away with the palm of her hand.
Anna looked back at her with shock in her eyes and, to Jessica’s surprise, pulled her into a hug. “Hey, it’s okay. You can st
ay the night. But I’m afraid you’ll have to sleep on the sofa. The guest room is a bit of a mess.”
“I—”
“You’re staying. There really is no choice.” Anna gently released her.
“Thank you,” Jessica mumbled.
“Now, you can help with dinner, if you like. Assuming, of course, I can get Abbie to come back down again. It’s pizza night.” Anna put another log on the fire. “We’ll have to eat in here.”
Back in the kitchen, Jessica crossed her arms. “You mean homemade?”
Anna smiled. “You can be in charge of the base.” She took Jessica’s hand and led her to a clear section of counter. “Do you know how to make pizza dough?”
Jessica frowned. “I don’t even know where to start.”
Anna turned on a radio next to the sink. A ’90s pop song filled the kitchen.
A flour-splattered cookbook was opened and slid in front of Jessica. Anna flicked through the pages, before pressing her finger onto a recipe. “Just follow this.” She opened the cupboard above her. “All you need is in here. I’ll do the kneading since you have a bad hand. Okay?”
“I’m not sure—”
“Just follow the recipe.” Anna tapped the open page. “You’ll be fine. And I’m right here, so ask if you need help. I’ll make the sauce.”
“Anna, you’re being way too kind to me.” The words tumbled out of Jessica’s mouth, unfiltered.
Anna stared at her with her piercing blue eyes. “Don’t be silly.” She squeezed Jessica’s shoulder.
She touches a lot. She’s way too trusting.
“Mix the salt with the flour in a sieve, then add the yeast.” Anna turned away to start her own preparations.
Once the pizzas were cooked and laid out on chopping boards, Jessica looked around for something to slice them. There was a wooden block for knives, but its slots were empty, except for a paring knife.
“Do you have something to cut the pizzas with?” Jessica asked when Anna reappeared.
“I took the pizza wheel through.” Anna picked up one of the boards and gestured to Jessica to carry the other two.