Sea Haven 01 - Water Bound

let Judith out of the task. “While you’re there, can you pick up more toothpaste and a good toothbrush?”
    Judith burst out laughing. “I’m on it.”
    98

    They had a supply room for the farm and it was kept well stocked with everyday items, but when Rikki had checked it, no toothbrushes or toothpaste had been on the shelves. She found a razor and shaving cream.
    The cream smelled like lavender, but if Lev wanted to shave, he could just make do. Besides, it might lessen his ultramale impact on her.
    She tapped the toe of her shoe on the street, counting, all the while keeping her gaze glued to the sea. The whitecaps were foaming and curling, the spray shooting into the air when it hit the cliffs. She found herself smiling, feeling each ebb and flow begin to set her right inside. She wrapped her arms around herself and hugged tightly, needing the pressure to help hold together until Judith returned.
    Judith came hurrying out, her straight white teeth flashing, her dark eyes bright. Rikki took a moment just to enjoy the sight of her, the happiness flowing from her. Rikki saw Judith as a burst of color across a monotonous background. She sparkled, and in another world, she would have been a fairy of some kind, waving her wand and leaving happiness in her wake.
    “What?” Judith asked as she handed the bag of groceries to Rikki.
    “You just look especially beautiful today,” Rikki said, idly fiddling with the turtleneck collar, drawing it up around her mouth.
    Judith’s expression changed. She reached out and touched Rikki’s face, pushing down the sweater. “Is everything all right, Rikki? I can close the shop and go home if you need me.”
    Rikki looked at the masses of people. Today would be a potentially killer day for sales. Judith had rocked the kaleidoscope world, winning all kinds of international awards, and her name was synonymous with quality.
    She had made her money in art restoration, but her first love was making kaleidoscopes for individuals. She studied the person—Rikki knew she could read their aura—and she made the perfect scope for each customer.
    Rikki had one that she only had to pick up in order to gain more control; even the feel of it in her hands was enough. When she turned it to look into the swirling sea, she immediately felt serene and calm.
    “I’m fine. I’m going out to the headlands and sit for a while. You know me, I just have to be out on the ocean sometimes, and it’s been too long.”
    “Come for dinner tonight. I’ll serve salad with a peanut butter dressing.”
    Rikki burst out laughing. “I think I’ll skip it. And you should be happy that I am.”
    Judith laughed with her. “All right. Go sit by your precious ocean and I’ll go see what I can sell today.”
    99

    “Well, one of us has to be the breadwinner, because it sure isn’t going to be me for a while,” Rikki groused as she slammed the door of her truck closed and waved to her sister.
    She watched Judith go back into her shop before she started her truck.
    Judith was a true sister of the heart, not born of blood but certainly chosen and very loved. The five women had taught Rikki trust. It was fragile, but she’d learned to count on others when she needed them—at least here on land.
    Rikki sat for a long time on the edge of the bluff, knees drawn up, just breathing in the scent of the sea. Almost immediately relief flooded her body, practically a euphoric rush. The waves mesmerized her, transporting her away from a world where she didn’t fit, where she was out of sync with everyone else. There was no rhythm for her on land. No order. She rocked gently, picking up the beat of the waves, letting the song of the sea whisper to her, drowning out the noises of the world around her.
    She let herself drift off, envisioning the seafloor, the smooth rocks, the forests of kelp, the coral and the crevices. She found herself laughing as she remembered the time she had had an encounter with an octopus just south of Casper where a big rock about fifty feet off the headlands stuck up out of the water. She was relatively new to the area and she anchored her boat there.
    The floor was some thirty feet down, but she found sea urchins on the rocks at around fifteen feet and began raking them fast into her net, elated at the easy find.
    Without warning an octopus was suddenly in her line of vision, bobbing in the water. Normally the ones she encountered were relatively small, but this one was larger than she