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“Your parents, they live far away?”

“They live in Florida, south Florida.  I don’t see them near as much as I should, but I do see them for holidays and birthdays.”
“And you have no brothers or sisters?”
“No.  Only child,” she shrugged, “Guess I was enough of a handful they changed their mind about having more.”

Kane
regarded her with a smile, “I remember you as a child.  You were running amuck all over the island, laughing and playing.  So full of energy.  I saw you wander into the lighthouse by yourself and I was curious as to what you were doing.  I think I was worried you would climb the stairs and hurt yourself.  So I went to the window to make sure you were alright and that’s when you saw me.”

“And I’m the only one?” she asked again, still astounded at the reality of that detail.

Kane nodded slowly, his eyes piercing hers, “Yes. You and Emma.  I’ve tried to replicate it.  I’ve walked around in plain view of others who have stayed here.  At first I was worried that they would see me and run in panic, but after walking around invisible to hundreds of people for 20 years the fear faded and I came to realize that it was only you.”

“And yet I look at you and wonder how they
don’t
see you,” Susanna shook her head, “Astounding.”

“I prefer to think that it’s astounding that of all people,
you
are the one who does,” the words rolled off his tongue, his Irish accent mild and yet wildly feral.  It made him even more exotically handsome if it were possible. 

“Everything about you screams that you
’re from another time and place. And I mean that in a very good way,” Susanna looked away shyly. 

“How so?”

“You’ve seen enough I’m sure in all the years you’ve watched and listened here … things are just not the way they were.  There have been some wonderful advancements, obviously, that I couldn’t imagine living without.  But the simple truth is the human connection and decency that people once had with one another is something that we’ve lost and I think that is a tragedy.   People don’t communicate with each other as they should.  We use these instead,” she lifted her cell phone which was ironically clutched firmly in her hand, “And a computer.” 

She looked up at him, her honesty evident, “I hear it in interviews and from my parents all the time but sitting here with you makes it hit home even more.”

“Have men in your time forgotten how to communicate?” he offered her a half smile.

“We all have, me included,” she toyed with her phone in her hands, “it’s rare to just sit, as we are, and talk without a TV or a laptop distracting us.”

Susanna slid her phone to the brick hearth by the fire, “So talk to me, no distractions.  Tell me everything about your life and what is was like in 1909.”

Chapter 14

Hours later Susanna was curled up on the couch, a blanket tucked securely around her as Kane sat nearby on the floor.  She had listened to him intensely as he described his life in Boston, his family, his love of woodworking and his life as a boy in Ireland
.  He described how he had loved the ocean and how he missed his parents who he had left behind in Ireland.  He told her of his limited travel once he arrived in the US and all the places he wished he had seen.  She had asked him mundane questions such as what the food was like and the weather.  How difficult it was to navigate such a large city in a time where there was limited transportation.  She was fascinated with all the facts he was revealing in their conversation, things that she had never read in the history books, things that no one else would know or even think about. 

“You
’re tired, I can see it in your eyes,” Kane said softly, his head reclining back against the couch very close to her.

“I am, but I don’t want to go to sleep.  I want to hear more, know more,” she answered, fighting to suppress a yawn. 

“There’s time,” he offered a boyish smile.

“I’m afraid I’ll wake up tomorrow and this will be a dream,” she blinked
in exhaustion.

“You might be alone but know I’ll return,” his smile faded.

“I’ll be so bored without you tomorrow,” she was astonished by her own honesty. 

“Visit with the sheep, work on your article, call and check in with your family and friends, I feel like I’ve caused them some neglect,” his voice was soft
and soothing.

Susanna frowned, “I will.”

“It’s 4am, you should sleep,” Kane got up and knelt before the fire to add fresh wood.

“I’m fine, I can sleep all day tomorrow when you’re gone,” she offered him a lazy, tired smile.

Kane shook his head in disapproval, “I don’t want you to see me disappear.”

Susanna thought about his words briefly and she had to agree.  Her back was turned the other day when it had happened, and for that, she was glad.  She shared more of a connection with him now and couldn’t imagine
being witness to it, “I don’t want to either.”

“I can go upstairs,” he said, rising and dusting his hands
off on his dark pants.

“No, it’s too cold up there, don’t do that.”

Kane flashed her an amused smile, “I can handle the cold.”

“No, seriously, I don’t want you to do that.  I’ll go into the bedroom.  I can move the heater in there and stay warm.  Besides, I haven’t slept in that bed since I’ve been here,” Susanna got up and folded the
blanket.  She went into the bathroom and quickly changed into her yoga pants and t shirt.  When she came out, Kane had already plugged the heater in beside the bed in the small bedroom. A light glow from the lamp on the side table gave the room a warm yellow flush.  The sheets and blanket were turned down, waiting for her. 

“Thank you,” she smiled, walking by him and crawling beneath the covers.”

“You’re certainly welcome.”

She held her hand out to him and he took it cautiously, “Don’t leave.  I’ll turn away, towards the wall,” she was barely able to keep her eyes open.

Kane gave her fingers a gentle squeeze, “I won’t,” he motioned behind him to a chair in the corner, “I’ll stay there, okay?”

Susanna smiled, “Okay.”

She reluctantly pulled her hand away and gave him a smile before turning towards the wall as she promised, “I’m not going to say goodbye, because I’ll see you tomorrow night.”

“You will,” he answered as he took the chair in the corner, “Goodnight Susanna.”

“Goodnight … Kane O’Reilly.”

Susanna stretched lazily in her sleep.  She was so much more comfortable than she had been the last few nights she had spent wrapped in the blankets on the hard floor.  The bed was soft and warm, the sheets smelled fresh and clean like lilac and vanilla.  She hugged her pillow and buried her face in the downy softness of it.  She could hear the seagulls outside crying out at the top of their lungs as they soared in the sunshine.  She wondered how long she had slept.  She still felt tired which is the reason she hadn’t opened her eyes yet.  At present she was thinking about going back to sleep, telling herself that her work and the chores could wait.

“Good morning … or should I say, afternoon.”

His voice penetrated her sleepy thoughts like a needle would burst a balloon, “Kane?” she sat up, searching the room for him.

She found him in the corner, still sitting in his chair, the room awash in sunlight, “You’re here!” she smiled in excitement
and then she instantly looked confused, “Why are you here?”

Kane shook his head, “I
don’t know, but I’m happy, none the less,” his smile was brilliant, his pleasure evident.

Kane stood up as she jumped out of bed and ran towards him.  She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly, “Why didn’t you wake me up!”

Kane hesitantly embraced her as he breathed in the smell of her freshly washed hair, “I wanted you to sleep.”

“What time is it?” she pulled away from h
im, her eyes practically glowing.

“Past noon.”

“Noon!” Susanna playfully struck his arm, “We’ve wasted half the day!”

Her reaction seemed to amuse him,
“Do you have plans for us?”

“Yes!” she ran past him to the bathroom, “Let me get changed, brush my teeth and all that stuff.”

“Would you like coffee?”

“
Most definitely, ”she winked at him over her shoulder as she headed towards the bathroom.

An hour later Susanna and Kane sat at the dining room table, their plates empty, sipping their coffee.  She was able to whip up an omelet with some eggs, cheese and fresh green peppers that she found in the fridge.  Kane, still clad in his sweater and dark pants, had stood at her side and helped chop and stir. 

“That was wonderful, thank you,” he said, giving her a lopsided grin, I should return the favor tonight, perhaps we can catch some fish today?”

“I have an idea, why don’t I call Emma and have Mr. Bailey send over some things so that we can have a good meal?” Susanna was already picking up the phone to dial the number.

“I don’t want you to go to so much trouble,” Kane was trailing off as Susanna quickly typed the number.

Emma answered the phone on the 2
nd
ring, “Susanna, is everything alright?”

“It’s great,” Susanna answered with a laugh, “But I have a favor to ask.”

“Sure, what can I do for you?”

“If I sent you a list of things that I
’d like from the store, could you pick them up and have Bill bring them to me?  I would reimburse him, of course,” Susanna waited patiently for an answer.

“Sure.  Do you need more supplies?”

“Yes, I’m going to be cooking a bit more … so, if it’s not too much trouble,” she trailed off, “I can always ride with him and go to the store myself, but I hate to leave the island.”

“Cooking a bit more?” Emma asked with skepticism, “Do you plan to have company?”

Susanna shrugged her shoulders at Kane who was silently looking on from across the table, “I already have company,” even as she said the words her breath caught on her throat and she shivered a little.

“Is he there?” Emma’s voice was optimistic.

“Yes, he’s here,” Susanna winked at Kane, “I know everything, although I was a little scared at first.”

Emma let out
a long sigh, “Oh thank goodness,” she whispered, “And you can see him?  Just as you did all those years ago?” she asked.

“Yes, as a matter of fact, I’m looking at him now,” Susanna offered Kane a smile.

“In the daytime?”

“Yes, this is the first day it’s happened, but he’s here.  We’ve been making due with soup and what’s in the fridge, but it would be great if we had something else.  I would love to make him
a nice dinner that I didn’t have to use a can opener to fix.”

“Of course
!  You just send me a list and I’ll do the shopping right away.  Bill will complain of course and wonder why you need so much food, just ignore him.”

“I’ll make a list, I promise to keep it easy,” Susanna answered, “Thanks again.”

Chapter 15

Susanna and Kane spent mid afternoon walking the island and visiting with the sheep.  Susanna wondered briefly if they could see him as she did and she watched, fascinated as he walked up to them and reached out his hand.  He could touch them and curl his fingers in their course hair and they stood still, as if he was there in front of them.  As they walked the island he talked about his knowledge of the area and the vast array of ships that had sailed the waters off the island in the last hundred years.  He told her stories of watching the ships sail around the island and some of the treacherous rescues he had seen.  He held his hand out to her and she took it as he guided them across the rocky cliff on the far end of the island.  They sat there, perched on the rocks, watching the people of the sleepy town in the distance go on with their lives, oblivious to the man who had silently observed the town take shape over the last century.  Kane pointed out to her the buildings that had been around the longest, and Susanna was amazed at the detail he provided and what he remembered from so long ago. 

“How long ago did you meet Emma?” Susanna asked
, tucking her hair behind her ear as it blew in the strong wind.

“I would say around ten years ago?”

“Ten years?  Why did it take her so long to track me down?”

Kane smiled, “It took her years to convince me to let her find you
. I wouldn’t allow her to send for you any sooner.”

Susanna looked at him confused, “Why?”

Kane shook his head and grinned as he toyed with a piece of hay, “You were sixteen ten years ago, I don’t think it would have been a good time for you to be here and possibly have been exposed to … this,” he pointed to himself.

Susanna hadn’t thought about it like that and she nodded in agreement, “
Good point.  I was pretty rebellious at sixteen.  I would have met you and told my parents I was staying here with the invisible man and that they could go back to Florida without me. They’d have promptly had me committed to an insane asylum, of course.”

As soon as the words were out of her mouth she regretted them.  She turned towards him, “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded
,” she stammered, looking at him with embarrassment.

Kane shook his head, “I understand,” but his words were not convincing since she could so easily see the pain in his copper eyes.

Susanna reached out and touched his arm, “Kane … I didn’t mean to call you invisible. It was a very insensitive comment to make.”

Kane looked down at her hand as it rested on his arm.  When he looked back at her there was something else there in his eyes that startled her, something that wasn’t there before, “I’m sorry,” she said again.

“Don’t be.  There was a reason I didn’t want you here at sixteen and so I waited,” his eyes were still dark and cloaked something deeper than what was on the surface, “waiting ten years wasn’t so bad, considering the time I’ve spent here.”

Susanna wanted to say something more but the right words just weren’t there.  She stared up at him, the impossible silence just hanging in the air around them.

“I think I hear a boat,” Kane said, motioning with his head in the other direction, “I think Bill’s here.”

This brought Susanna from her trance, “I should meet him at the dock
. He’ll have an arm load of bags.”

“I’ll go with you,” Kane said, rising on the rocks and offering her his hand.

As she stood up and turned to walk towards the grass, her wet boots slipped on the jagged rocks.

Kane was quick to reach out and steady her fall, “Here,” he said, sweeping her up abruptly as he skillfully maneuvered the uneven terrain, “I don’t want you falling in.”

Susanna held onto him, “I’m not very good at this, am I?”

“What’s that?”

“I can’t build a fire, I can’t shut a door in the tower without almost killing myself, and I can’t walk out to enjoy the view.”

Kane grinned as he set her back on her feet in the grass, “You cook a wonderful breakfast.”

“That’s true.  I do,” she winked at him as they walked towards the dock. 

By the time they arrived at the house, Bill and Emma Bailey had already docked and were inside unloading the bags Susanna had requested.   Susanna walked in the kitchen door, Kane followed close behind.

“Sorry, I was going to meet you at the dock but we were at the other end of the island,” Susanna
entered and immediately began helping unload the bags.

“You have a lizard in your pocket?” Bill replied briskly without looking up.

Susanna looked from Emma to the silent Kane who stood unmoving in the corner.  He shrugged and shook his head.

“You’re hearing is gone, Bill!” Emma rolled her eyes toward her husband, “Will you go check the roof on the barn while we’re here.  I think I saw some of the tin torn away from the storm.”

Bill looked up in their direction and Susanna looked back and forth between him and Kane.  It was unfathomable to her that Bill couldn’t see him.  She looked at Kane and the look on his face was pure despondency.  She ached to think about how he must have felt day after day, year after year, of being here, so close to human contact, but so impossibly undetectable. 

“Did you check on the sheep after the storm?” Bill asked.

“Yes, they all seemed fine,” she answered.

“I’ll go out there, see what’s going on,” Bill shoved his arms into his thick down coat and marched out the door. 

As soon as the door shut Emma’s face lit up into a smile, “Kane!” she whispered and hurried towards him.  Kane opened his arms to her and Emma hugged him tightly.

After a few silent moments between the two of them, Emma turned towards Susanna, “How did you take it?  I was worried
. You seem a bit headstrong and stubborn,” she gave a worried look between the two of them.

“Better than I thought,” Kane answered, looking towards Susanna.

“I threw a fit and told you to get out, I’m not sure I could have taken it much worse,” Susanna laughed.

“You
could
have jumped into the ocean and tried to swim to shore,” he answered and it was by far the funniest thing he had said to her and caused her to laugh out loud and cover her mouth.

“I wouldn’t have done that,” she giggled, shaking her head.

“I’m not so sure,” he answered with a wide smile.

Emma looked back and forth between the two of them, beaming with happiness.

“I couldn’t have escaped, I was injured,” Susanna put her hand on her back.

Emma’s look turned serious, “Injured?”

“We haven’t told you the entire story of how I announced my presence,” Kane shook his head, “I’ll let her tell you.”

“I’m fine now, I just got a little banged up,” Susanna protested.

“She went upstairs to shut the tower door during the storm, naturally I followed her, staying way behind in the dark, when she reached the top she slipped and fell,” Kane’s look was stern.

“Fell down the tower stairs?” Emma was shocked, “Susanna, that could have been very dangerous!”

“He was there.  When I woke up I was back inside and warm in front of the fire,” Susanna attempted to make light of her situation.

“She had a nasty cut on her head and was knocked out cold, I was terrified,” Kane’s look was serious, “I wasn’t sure what to do and I knew I couldn’t get her to you for help.”

Susanna crossed the room and stood in front of him, reaching out to rub his arm, “You did fine.  I’m fine, just a little sore, that’s all.”

“Where?
  Where do you hurt?” Emma asked, still concerned.

“My back, but
only because that’s where I landed …”

“Susanna!  Turn around and let me look,” Emma forcefully turned her around and lifted her sweater, “Oh my goodness!  This
doesn’t look good at all!”

“It’s just bruised, I’m fine …” Susanna was trying to pull away but didn’t make it far.

Kane took a step forward and saw for himself the black and purple lines that ran across her back, “Susanna, you didn’t tell me it was this bad.  Emma, you should take her back with you and take her to a doctor.”

“No!  I’m fine, it’s just bruised,” she pulled away from them and righted her shirt, “I’m not going anywhere.”

“Susanna, he’s right. You should have a doctor look at that just to make sure,” Emma pleaded.

“Emma, I’m fine,” Susanna answered before turning to Kane, “I’m not leaving here, I’m not leaving …”
you
was what she wanted to say but she stopped short of admitting the whole truth.

“If you didn’t feel entirely well, you promise to be honest and tell me so we can get you to shore for you to see a doctor?” Kane asked her, his copper eyes narrowed
at her in warning.

“I promise, I feel fine, I’ve always bruised easy, I swear,” she went back to the table and returned to unpacking the groceries.

“Keep an eye on that,” Emma said to Kane and he nodded.

“Thanks again for bringing all this
. It’ll be nice to be able to cook a good meal,” Susanna said as she put a box of pasta on the counter.

“The timing was perfect
. Bill was due to come out today anyway to check and see if you were doing okay,” Emma looked out the window towards the barn to check on Bill.

“What day is it?” Susanna asked, immediately feeling ridiculous for not knowing, something that had never happened to her in her entire life.

“Wednesday, dear,” Emma answered.

Wednesday?
  I’m half way through the week!
  She felt a bit panicked that her time was dwindling.  She chanced a look at Kane and the look he was giving her told her that the same thought was going through his mind as well. 

Emma
noticed the look that passed between the two of them, “Well, we’ll get out of the way of you two …”

“I think we
’re going to do some fishing this afternoon, right?” Susanna asked him.

“We are,” he smiled and nodded.

“Well that sounds like a lovely dinner,” Emma said, rubbing Kane’s arm as a mother would, “By the way.  I’ve stored a few clothes for you here in the closet in the bedroom.  Things I have gathered through the years, just in case you ever wanted to change out of these,” she rubbed his thick sweater.

Kane
smiled shyly, “Thank you.”

“It wasn’t any trouble
. Some of the things were left behind from tenants either here or at the bed and breakfast, just some simple shirts and pants.”  Emma walked to the door, “I’ll drag Bill back to the boat. He would stay here and tinker all day.  The less questions he asks, the better.”

“Thanks again for bringing everything,” Susanna hugged Emma as she opened the door.

“Have fun fishing,” Emma smiled at Kane and blew him a kiss.

The two of them watched as Emma and Bill walked hand in hand back to the boat.  Once they were sure they heard the boat motor puttering towards town, they dug around the shed outside for some old fishing poles and walked towards the water. 

“You should have told me your back was as bad as it was,” Kane gently scolded her.

“It doesn’t matter, I wouldn’t have left either way,” she was determined.

“I would be okay for a few hours without you.”

“I know you would,” she said, “I just don’t want to go.”

Kane baited a hook for her and tossed the fishing line into the water.  She wasn’t sure how they were going to catch anything as quickly as the water was moving but Kane assured her that there was a good chance they would get a few bites.  They weather was chilly but the sun was shining and the peaceful sound of the buoy bell in the distance made everything seem magical.  It was like there was no one else in the world. It was only the two of them on their private little island.  They laughed and told stories of their childhood, both of them wanting to soak in every small detail about the other.  The unspoken pressure of not knowing how much time they had forever hovering over them.  Susanna blatantly studied every small detail about him, from his chiseled bronzed high cheekbones to his lean slender neck that remained irritatingly hidden beneath the folds of his high neck sweater.  His hands were tan and strong and remarkably smooth considering how he told her he worked with them woodworking when he lived in Boston.  His brown hair gleamed with streaks of gold in the sunlight, the top being longer than the crisp short hair around his neck. 

“Seriously Kane, you look like something from a Ralph Lauren commercial,” she laughed.

“I’m not sure what that is but I take it from the smile on your face that it’s not a bad thing?” his grin was broad and made him appear younger.

“How old are you?
” she finally asked the question that had been floating around in her mind for days.

“Thirty one … or at least I was in 1909,” he shrugged, “It doesn’t feel like I’ve aged at all since I died.”

“Don’t say that … I don’t like the word died,” Susanna shook her head, “You’re clearly alive and here with me.”