“Not there. You’ll stand on the roots.”
Felix moved his boot before climbing into the boat.
The older woman beneath the patched cover regarded him with the expression Ruth used when he reached toward interesting copper.
“Maud Till,” she said. “If you’ve come to tell us the passage is still closed, do it from the other seat.”
He sat where she pointed.
Trays of young plants filled the sheltered space beside household food. An adult lay bundled farther forward while a companion adjusted the cover against salt spray.
Felix looked at the pale edges of the leaves.
“An insulated cover might—”
