Page 10 of Bewitched By the Siren (The Bewitching Hour #1)
CHAPTER TEN
Hali
I take a sip of my morning coffee as I use my free hand to knead my aching lower back muscles. I need a swim. A nice long one. My bath last night didn’t ease the pain in my lower half as much as it usually does, which is a firm indicator that I’ve been out of the ocean for too long.
When was the last time I went out? Three weeks ago?
I huff out a breath. As much as I love swimming free in the sea, I hate it, too. It’s dangerous. Scary as hell. And not just because of the possibility of being spotted by a human.
My mom may have found me beached and abandoned when I was little, but that doesn’t mean I don’t still have birth parents out there scouring the ocean for me.
Or others of my kind who would force me to join them in our natural habitat, permanently.
Or kill me for living on land among humans and risking exposing our species.
Who knows what they’re like? They could be terrible creatures with no empathy for the fact that I’d be leaving Mom here on land, alone and in near-constant pain. She needs me.
The risk is terrifying.
Despite those risks, though, I have to go swimming. I’ve experienced the intense pain of waiting too long or trying to make do with soaks in the tub, and it’s not fun. Not fun at all.
Tonight, then. Under the cover of darkness when I’ll be less likely to be spotted by humans and I can focus on my watery surroundings.
A knock on the door startles me, and I slosh some hot coffee over the hand wrapped around my mug.
Gritting out a curse, I set the cup down and rinse my hand with cold water before drying it.
Turning toward the door, I take a deep breath.
The only people who come here this early are Mom’s nurses, and we’re not scheduled for any in-home care today.
So, that means it can only be one person. Releasing the breath, I walk over and open the door to see Brendan standing on my porch, the handle of a mid-sized picnic basket hooked over the crook of one arm and a rolled-up blanket tucked under the other. He offers me a happy grin when I meet his eyes.
“Good morning,” he says. “I was just about to have breakfast on the beach and thought you might like to join me. I used the leftover tortillas from last night to make bacon, egg, and cheese burritos, and I have coffee and juice.”
“Hali, who is it?”
I panic as Mom’s voice rings out from her bedroom, and I close the door to just a crack before saying, “Thanks, but I can’t right now.”
The curious expression he donned at my mother’s voice falls into a kind smile before he says, “Okay. If you change your mind, I’ll be right down there.”
He jerks his head toward the back of the house, indicating the blank swath of sand that leads to the ocean. I nod, and he smiles again before spinning and jogging down the steps. I close the door quietly and lean back against it, taking a few deep breaths.
Brendan is charming as hell. And that feels…dangerous.
“Hali?” Mom calls out, and I push off the door to head into her room. She cocks her head when I walk in, asking, “Who was it?”
“Brendan,” I sigh, plopping down into the chair next to her bed. “He invited me to have breakfast burritos with him on the beach.”
She stares at me for a moment, then asks, “So, why are you in here with me?”
“Mom,” I gripe.
“Seriously, Hals. You should go. Have some fun. Your entire life can’t revolve around taking care of me. That’s no life, at all.”
“I have a life,” I argue. “I have the turtle rescue.”
“Where you take care of sea turtles. What about taking care of yourself?”
“I do take care of myself,” I grumble, but there’s no heart in the words.
She’s kind of right. As much as I love her and will always take care of her, I don’t really do anything that’s just for me. I enjoy my time at the Sea Turtle Center, sure, but that’s only a few hours a week, and it’s technically work .
Between being here for her and my fear of being discovered, I never let loose. I never get close to anyone. I never follow my heart.
Not that having breakfast with Brendan would have anything to do with my heart, but it would probably be fun.
I had fun with him last night, at least until he asked about my family.
That one seemingly simple question made me freeze, then turn tail and run like a crazy person.
I’m surprised he wants to spend time with me again after my odd behavior.
And now that he’s heard Mom’s voice? He’ll have questions.
My muscles relax a bit. Maybe telling Brendan about Mom wouldn’t be such a bad idea. He’ll see how important it is that I be here and maybe even stop pressuring me to sign with his agency. I can make him see why I can’t leave. All without revealing my big secret.
Mom must see something in my expression, because she says, “Yes. Go. Have fun. And bring me back a burrito.”
She shoots me a wink with that last bit, and a chuckle bursts out of me. Pushing out of the chair, I lean over and give her a tight hug.
“I love you, Mom.”
“I love you, too, honey. Now, shoo. Don’t keep the man waiting.”
“I won’t be gone long,” I say as I turn to go.
“Stay as long as you want. I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be right here when you get back. I promise.”
“Dark, Mom. Dark,” I grumble, and she laughs.
She’s always making light of her condition and her inability to move around on her own. But it’s better than falling into a deep depression over circumstances she can’t control or change, and I’m glad her spirits remain high. And her good humor keeps me from falling over the edge, too.
I head into the kitchen to grab my phone from the counter where I left it before Brendan’s impromptu visit. Shoving it into my pocket as I walk, I slide my feet into the flip-flops I left by the back door and step outside.
“Here we go,” I murmur as I jog down the steps to the beach.
I’m going to relax and enjoy myself, just like Mom said. I deserve it. And I’m not going to let my anxiety ruin anything today.