Page 55 of Weaver
“Milly, I love you so much.”
I took a deep breath, my heart racing and wild. “I love you too, Roarke.”
With our shared words, the night came undone.
I woke the next morning still wrapped in Roarke’s arms but was anxious to get home. I had a gut feeling I needed to follow, and if I was right, it couldn’t wait.
Leaning in, I placed a kiss on his cheek. “I have to go.”
He didn’t wake and barely moved when I eased out of bed, still exhausted from what happened at the gate.
Dressed, I headed outside and back down the path to the clearing. Waving my hand like I’d seen Roarke do so many times, I created a rip in space and stepped through. Once off his hidden island and back in the dreamscape, I’d wake up in the real world, and then it was time to get to work.
I wasn’t sure if Isabelle Pike had anything to do with the attack at the gate, but I couldn’t shake the odd feeling I got during our initial conversation. And since she was the only lead I had concerning the curse, I figured it was the best place to start.
Jenks nuzzled my nose as I woke up back in my cottage, happy to see me and ready for his food.
“Good morning, sweet boy. I’m happy to see you too.”
Smiling, I jumped up and added the yellow violet to my memory circle, then started the process of feeding us both.
Now showered and dressed for the day, I packed a bag and bid Jenks goodbye with a scratch behind his ears. Racing down the path to the library, I hoped Keelyn would let me borrow her car again.
“Hey there! You’re certainly up early. All bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.” Keelyn laughed at her own joke as she pushed the cart of recently returned books into the stacks.
“Good morning. Yes, I actually came by early to see if I could borrow your car again. I need to head back to Maine to do some more research.” The urgency I was feeling pushed me to get straight to the point.
“Does this have anything to do with the book I found for you?”
I cocked my head. Keelyn hardly ever asked me questions about my books.
“Yes. Why?”
“No reason. I just thought it was odd that after you bought the only copy we had, I was unable to order another. In fact”—she stopped and turned to face me—“I found out there were only two copies printed in the entire world, and I’m thinking I should have charged you more.” Her wide smile indicated she was teasing, but her words froze me in place.
Isabelle told me there was only one copy printed, which meant… she lied.
“Wow! Really? That is strange. Well, if you’d like me to pay a little more, just let me know.”
“No, no. I’m only teasing. And to answer your question… yes, you can borrow my car.” She dug into the pocket of her pinstriped skirt and handed me the keys. “Happy hunting.”
“Thanks!”
That was exactly what I was going to do.