“They call them Seaside Daisies sometimes,” Adam said. “But the locals call them Sea Breeze. You can see why. They are wild and stay in bloom till mid-summer. There’s a micro climate in this part of the channel because of the gulf stream bringing in warmer water. It gives the entire island a unique character. I’ve never seen anywhere else like it.”
It was quite a long speech for the normally tight-lipped doctor. Then he went quiet again, so she ignored him and went back to her painting. Choosing a smaller brush, she tried doing several seaside daisies near each other to mimic the carpet effect outside.
“You’ve done a good impression of them here.” His voice came from right behind her this time. The man could move as silently as a ghost.
“Have you ever considered being an assassin?”
He’d been about to say something else and bit down the words. “Hav-… An assassin?”
“You move very stealthily.”
“Uh, yes. I lived a lot of my life around sick people so I’ve learnt to be quiet.”
Something was eating away at this man; she didn’t know what. Anyway it wasn’t her business. He must have come to the same decision because a moment later he broke eye contact and turned to the wall. A cork board held several chiffon, organza and georgette strips fixed with pins.
“And these?” He touched the edge of one painted with thin blue-green grasses. “Elijah Blue?”
“I don’t know their name. I saw a lot of them in Blue-Sage Bay when I was staying with Millie.”
“They’re an evergreen, I think.”
“You know a lot about plants?”
“Not really, I’ve been walking all around here, noticing things then looking them up online when I get back.”
She laughed. “It never occurred to me to look them up. I do take pictures on my phone but only to help me paint them. I just name them myself.”
His eyes flicked back to her “Oh? So what do you call these?” He indicated a chiffon strip with delicate purple stems and small flowers.
“Violetta Little.”
“You know, that’s a better name thanLimonium.”
“What about these?” He was back at her shoulder and leaned closer to look giving her a whiff of fresh male scent. “They’re commonly known as seal berries.”
She looked down at the painting. They were peach-coloured berries that always seemed to grow in pairs attached at the base, like a couple. “Blushing lovers,” she answered doing her best to sound matter-of-fact, but it wasn’t easy.
He was standing very close. There were faint brown freckles along his cheek bones.
“I’m impressed. I’m not normally one for fine art, but you’ve really captured the landscape…” The ghost of a smile passed across his lips. An almost-smile. “The spirit of the island in a few simple brush strokes.”
She turned her face; no way was she going to let him see how pleased she was to receive a compliment. In truth, she hadn’t had any feedback because she didn’t let anyone into her workroom. Now his admiration filled her with warmth. She could feel a smile fighting to break on her mouth.
Hiding behind a change of subject, she asked, “Have you explored the whole island yet?”
His gaze swept through the five windows around the room. “No, not all. I just…” He paused searching for words. “I just walk around aimlessly. It’s my new goal in life, to not plan and just let my feet take me wherever.”
“Aim to be aimless?”
There it was again, his almost-smile. “Something like that.”
His dark green eyes travelled around her face, her hairline, her features down to her mouth, then her neck, then her half-exposed shoulder. His hand did that thing again, going to his collar and pushing inside to stroke his clavicle.
He coughed and moved back. “I should leave you to your work.”
“So, why did you come in the first place?” She hadn’t meant to ask out loud, and the question came out sharper than necessary.
Whether he reacted to the question or her tone, he stopped and his face coloured slightly. “I.”
