Free Butterfly Cove by Christina Skye Page B

with any sort of calm.
    So what? She would simply make a note of his schedule and arrange to be gone whenever he was around. She wasn’t sure how mature that plan was, but it was practical and it would save them both a whole lot of discomfort.
    She felt movement at her feet. Duffy was curled up on the little rug, his body warm in the afternoon sunlight. After his run with Rafe, he was enjoying a long nap. He looked at Olivia, banged his tail once and gave a little sigh of contentment. Then he put his head across her feet and settled back to sleep.
    Olivia stiffened. She was afraid of dogs. She had been afraid for a long time. And Duffy was a big dog.
    But she told herself that he was her friend. He would never do anything to hurt her. And though she wanted to slide her feet out from under his head and put some distance between them, the sight of his warm, drowsy face made her stop. You can’t let anxiety destroy your future. A therapist had told her that several years ago. Olivia was trying hard to remember that.
    Back in the kitchen, a pan fell suddenly, the sound echoing like a gunshot. Olivia jerked upright. “Jilly, are you okay?”
    Another pan hit the floor.
    There was no answer.
    Olivia anchored her papers under the iced tea glass and then pushed awkwardly to her feet. The sounds from the kitchen had already woken Duffy, who was scratching madly at the screen door. Olivia let him in, walking slowly as her shoulder began to ache.
    “Jilly, what happened? Where are you?”
    “Back here. The kitchen.” Jilly’s voice sounded low and muffled. Duffy began to bark hard.
    When Olivia reached the door to the kitchen, she froze in panic. Jilly was bent over the counter next to the sink, her arm wrapped in a dishcloth, Olivia smelled smoke from the nearby gas range. “What happened, Jilly?”
    “You shouldn’t have come in. I’m fine.” Jilly was cradling her left hand, her eyes closed. “It’s just a little burn. I wasn’t paying attention when I was melting chocolate.”
    “Let me see it.” Olivia leaned over her friend and sucked in a breath when she saw the red welt and the blister rising across Jilly’s thumb. “Did you put anything on it? We need ice. Or butter. I can’t remember what you’re supposed to do for a burn,” Olivia said anxiously.
    “Neither one. I have salve. It’s in that little glass jar beside the sink. I can’t reach it.”
    Olivia handed the jar to Jilly. “Are you sure about this? Maybe you need to go to the emergency care center? What if it’s infected?”
    “It’s not. I cleaned it.” Jilly took a long, shaky breath. She unscrewed the jar with clumsy fingers and smoothed clear cream over the welt. “Stop worrying, Livie. This will take care of it. It’s my master cream for cuts and burns. I couldn’t have gotten through cooking school without this stuff.”
    She winced a little, but continued to smooth cream in place until the whole wound was covered. “It was stupid. I wasn’t paying attention. And then the handle slipped.” She closed her eyes and her mouth settled in a tense line. “There’s so much to do, and I’m worried about opening on time. I’m worried about Caro and why she looks so tired. I’m worried about you, too, Livie. And I’m wondering if—” Jilly shook her head and stopped.
    “You’re wondering what?”
    Jilly looked away. “It doesn’t matter. I’m being stupid. Everybody’s got worries. There’s no reason to let them take over.” Jilly forced an awkward smile. “I’m sorry you had to get up.” She reached down to calm Duffy, who was pressing hard against her leg, sniffing the air anxiously. “I think I’ll take a rain check on the chocolate cream truffle recipe I was working on. I need a cup of herbal tea to calm down.”
    Olivia hid a smile. This person was nothing like the high-strung, Energizer Bunny that Olivia had grown up with. But it was good to see Jilly creating balance in her life. She had been dangerously ill,