Chapter 2 #3
Keeva nodded, seeming to understand that she’d gotten a little too personal. “I help manage a holistic healing village. The Seven Cairns I told ye about.”
In other words, Keeva from Scotland was a snake-oil salesman.
Lyla smiled and kept that assessment to herself.
A lot of people believed in holistic healing, but she wasn’t one of them.
Not after she had tried everything under the sun to restore her voice.
“That must be a very interesting line of work.”
“Ye dinna believe in it, though. I hear it in yer voice.”
“You are very perceptive.”
“’Tis safer to be skeptical,” Keeva said, her tone sympathetic. “I take it ye’ve tried everything to help yer voice?”
“Am I that easy to read?”
The girl winked at her. “We Scots have the sight, ye ken? We often see the unspoken.” She glanced in the rearview mirror and grimaced as the rush-hour traffic slowed them even more.
“And I finally recognized ye after talking to ye for a bit. I was at yer concert in Edinburgh five or so odd years ago. Yer voice was phenomenal.”
“Thank you.” It still hurt to hear that in the past tense. Lyla pulled in a deep breath and held it as she turned her head to stare out the window. “Traffic is unusually bad today.”
“Everything happens for a reason,” Keeva said. “Leastwise, that’s what my mentor always says.”
“Are you talking about the traffic or my voice?”
“Both. Fate and destiny control everything.”
“Are all Scots so new-agey?”
Keeva frowned but kept her eyes on the road as they crept along the crowded thoroughfare. “I dinna ken what that means.”
“Strong leanings into alternative health and wellness. Like your Seven Cairns. Belief in metaphysical tools like tarot, astrology charts, and ways to tap into the One.” Although, to be fair, Lyla enjoyed a good tarot card reading, and psychics always intrigued her, but they were more for entertainment—not anything real.
“Not that anything’s wrong with those things,” she hurried to add, not wanting to sound judgmental. “But fate and destiny?”
Keeva smiled the sort of smile that made it seem as though she had a secret she really wished she could share.
“Scotland is a magical place, lass. A place where anything is possible, and while not all of us believe as strongly in the magic as I do, ye’d be hard pressed to find any Scot who’ll deny the feeling of ancient oneness ye get whenever ye’re blessed enough to stand upon that wondrous land.
” She laughed. “What other country’s national animal is a unicorn? ”
“Fair point.” Lyla's heart lightened. Keeva was good for her mental health. Maybe it was her Scottish magic that was strong enough to spell away Jana’s abrasive behavior. “I really need to get back to Scotland.”
“Come to Seven Cairns,” Keeva said, then held up a hand before Lyla could argue. “I’m not claiming we could heal yer voice, but I know we could give yer soul the completeness it needs. Admit it, would a few weeks in a peaceful Scottish village be such a chore to bear?”
It wouldn’t, but Lyla just wasn’t sure now was the time.
She had so much she needed to figure out.
Financially, she might be okay for a while, but long-term?
No funds to count on other than her investments and the one savings account Derrick hadn’t found?
She was only thirty-eight and hadn’t forgotten the painfully lean years of her career’s beginnings.
“I’ll think about it,” she finally said.
“Things are kind of complicated right now.”
“I tell ye what”—Keeva excitedly patted the steering wheel with both hands as traffic came to a screeching halt—“ye can work at Seven Cairns. Music therapy. Ye would be perfect!”
Lyla loved the way Keeva said perfect, making it sound more like pairrrrfect. But that didn’t change the reality of things. “I can’t sing, remember?”
“At yer show in Edinburgh, ye played the piano and…” Keeva squinted and tapped her forehead. “What was it? Ye played the piano and another musical instrument whilst ye sang.”
“Cello.”
Keeva snapped her fingers. “Aye, that’s it! Ye played the cello.” She gave a happy sigh. “Such a wonderfully emotional instrument.”
Lyla still wasn’t all that sure about taking Keeva up on her offer—if it even was a genuine offer.
She’d just met this girl. Could she really trust her?
“I know nothing about music therapy.” That was a lie.
She’d taken part in her own music therapy and rehab ever since the surgery. “I’m not qualified.”
“Bollocks!” Keeva snorted. “Yer music possesses a magic all its own. Ye entranced the entire audience that night.”
“I’ll think about it,” Lyla promised. Since she was as good as trapped in the automobile, she had to say something to appease Keeva and get her off the subject.
This sudden offer was just a little too tidy a package to accept on face value.
She’d trusted Derrick, and it had cost her big.
It was time to return to being choosier about what to believe or not believe.
She pointed at the off ramp sign up ahead. “You probably need to go ahead and start shifting lanes to the right. We’ll be at our exit before you know it.”
Keeva switched on her blinker.
Its repetitive clicking created the unnerving effect of Lyla's life ticking away. She shifted in the seat, stretching her legs and rolling her shoulders, feeling as though she’d been trapped in the car for hours.
“Ye dinna believe me,” Keeva said, her manner nonchalant.
“Nor do ye trust me.” She huffed, then bobbed her head in agreement.
“I get it. Truly I do. After all, we just met.” As she expertly edged the car into the next lane, she drummed her thumbs against the steering wheel.
“But my offer is true. Once we reach the restaurant, I’ll text my partner and let her know I’ve made it.
I’m sure she’ll agree that it would only be right for us to cover yer airfare and lodging whilst ye decide whether ye’d like to make yer stay permanent.
” She bobbed her head faster. “Aye, that should help with yer deciding. Yer finances would be safe, and who wouldn’t grab a chance at a free stay in the Scottish Highlands? ”
Astounded, Lyla stared at this strange girl who had dropped into her life. “You don’t even know me.”
“I know enough.” Keeva grinned. “And we’ll not be bringing along yer Jana.
She needs to stay here and dedicate her time to her other clients.
I’m not so sure she has yer best interests at heart.
There’s too much negative energy running betwixt the two of ye.
Ye’re sure to come to blows, figuratively speaking of course. ”
“I’m not so sure about the figurative part. There have been times when I’d happily smack her.”
“Aye, well, ’tis a good thing ye didn’t.” Keeva gave her a knowing look. “I’m thinking that one would have just as happily sued ye if ye had done so.”
“No doubt.” Lyla was warming to the idea of escaping to Scotland. This could so be what she needed—as long as it was real. “Like I said, let me think about it, and let’s see what your partner says when you text her.”
The traffic magically thinned, allowing them on their way as if its task of delaying them until a deal was struck had come to a successful conclusion. Keeva winked. “Everything happens for a reason, lass.”
An eerie shiver swept across Lyla. “It would seem so.”