Free Secrets of the Siren [Sirens and Sailors 5] (Siren Publishing Classic) by Bella Settarra Page B

instantly and the men sighed with relief as they enjoyed their dry surroundings. The rooms were all quite large, and steps led up to even more offices upstairs. The construction was nothing more than an empty shell at present, but it was warm and dry, and most welcome in the circumstances. It smelled of paint and varnish.
    “There’s even glass in the windows.” Delmer grinned at the luxury. The only house on Refrainia which had glass windows was the big house where Dr. Jay had his surgery. The rest of the islanders lived in stone huts with wooden shutters which could be used to cover the apertures in case of rain, but, given the climate, they usually preferred to leave them open to welcome the moonlight and gentle breeze.
    The men split themselves into groups and chose which rooms they wanted to spend the night in. Aitan and Rechavia were in one of the downstairs rooms with Jay, Farris and Delmer.
    “I’m not so sure about the project now,” Aitan admitted as they prepared for the night.
    “I certainly think we need to discuss it with the girls,” Farris agreed. “There’s going to be a lot of upheaval if we do go ahead with it.”
    “It’ll be a whole new way of life for them, that’s for sure.” Jay frowned.
    “I think we’ve disrupted their way of life enough already,” Rechavia replied, thoughtfully.
    “Damn!” Aitan scowled. “I was hoping to have another go on the computer before we left the tavern, but the weather has only gotten worse. I doubt we’d get a signal if we tried all night at this rate. The girls won’t know why we’re not back yet. I know Ligia will worry.”
    “They’ll probably guess what’s happened, won’t they?” Delmer didn’t sound concerned.
    “I sure hope so.” Aitan groaned. “Ligia’s more likely to think something bad happened to us.”
    “I’m sure Blandon and Marinos will put them straight,” Rechavia assured his friend. “We’ve got the finest sailors and the best ship money can buy, we’re hardly likely to run into trouble.”
    “I still wish we could’ve made it home tonight.” Aitan lay on his side to dream about his fiancée. God I miss her!
    The wind howled around the yard, and the rain thrashed the brickwork, but the men had all had a busy day and eventually managed to drift off to sleep.
     
    * * * *
     
    Bright orange sunlight streamed through the windows and woke Aitan early next morning. He took a minute to remember where he was. His surroundings were so different from the stone hut or any of the ships he was used to. He felt bereft not waking up next to his beloved Ligia, and then remembered that they were going back home this morning. He gave Rechavia a nudge and made his way to the window.
    “Storm’s ended,” Aitan said with a grin. Although the ground was wet and there was evidence of rubble and shrubs being blown around in last night’s gales, it looked much more promising for their trip home to Refrainia.
    “We’d best check on the ship,” Rechavia said with a stretch.
    “Morning already?” Farris moaned as he rolled over.
    “Yep. Time to get our baby back.” Dr. Jay smiled as he stood up.
    Farris grinned. “Oh yeah!”
    Soon all the men were stretching and yawning. Rechavia opened the front door to welcome in the new day, and shivered at the cold. “Give me Refrainia any day,” he grumbled.
    Aitan stepped outside and took a deep breath of morning air. “Who’s for grabbing some coffee from that café down the road? I’m sure they do takeout.”
    “Great idea.” Farris was right behind him. “A bunch of us can go fetch them while you lot check out the ship.”
    The café was only just opening up for business when the crowd of sailors arrived. The lady, who recognized Farris and the construction crew from yesterday, made their coffee while her husband got busy with the display of freshly baked buns and rolls which had just been delivered. The smell was so welcoming, the men couldn’t resist. They took a couple of