Page 5 of Bewitched By the Siren (The Bewitching Hour #1)

CHAPTER FIVE

Brendan

It’s a new day and a new opportunity to get the job done. The sun is coming up as I step out onto my back deck, and I sit in one of the chairs to watch it rise while I have my coffee. And to watch for any sign of Hali Weston next door.

It’ll be several days until I’ll get another chance to see her perform and get a recording for Julius, but I can’t just sit on my thumbs all week, either. I have to try to charm her. To get to know her, a little, and start to foster some trust between us.

But before I can do that, I have to get her to talk to me.

According to Hali, we have nothing more to discuss.

But I don’t give up that easily. I can’t give up until I’ve tried everything.

I don’t know if Julius would actually fire me over losing this contract, but it’s not a chance I’m willing to take right now.

Not when I’ve barely given this an effort.

The breeze picks up, and the cool, early-morning air feels amazing against my skin. It’s not as humid here as it was in Savannah, and this early in the morning, it actually feels a bit like fall out here. Lifting my cup, I drain the last of my coffee before looking over at Hali’s place.

There’s still no sign of her. Maybe she’s a night owl and likes to sleep in. I might have to wait hours for her to emerge. Heaving a sigh, I stand, then freeze when her back door opens and she steps outside.

Setting my cup back on the table, I dig into the pocket of my shorts for my container of mints. Popping one into my mouth, I shove the small tin back into my pocket and jog down my porch steps to the sand.

“Good morning,” I say as I meet her halfway between our two houses.

She pulls up short, a bit startled. Her expression immediately pulls downward, her eyes narrowed and her lips pinched as she greets me with a simple nod of her head. Unperturbed, I grin and fall into step beside her as he starts walking again.

“What can I do for you, Mr. Howser?” she asks after a long, exaggerated sigh.

“Brendan, please,” I say, keeping my voice chipper.

“Fine. What do you want, Brendan ?”

Ouch. I think the daggers in her tone just pierced my skin. This is going to be even harder than I assumed it would be.

“I just thought we could hang out,” I say. “Maybe you could give me a tour of Circe Key. Show me all the local hidden gems.”

“No, thank you.”

“Ouch,” I say out loud this time, slapping a hand to my chest like she stabbed me while my steps stumble. Her stern expression falters, and I see the corner of her mouth twitch like she’s fighting a smile. I cock my head, adding, “That’s not very neighborly of you, Miss Weston.”

She shakes her head and picks up her pace, slipping between our two houses and heading for the street out front, leaving me behind. I hurry to catch up, falling into step beside her once more. Her lips aren’t twitching anymore, and she looks even more irritated than before.

“Do you ever give up?” she asks after several beats of silence.

“Never.”

She huffs out a breath. “Unfortunately, I have somewhere I have to be so I can’t give you a guided tour today.”

My lips turn up into a grin. “Not today” doesn’t mean “never.” Baby steps.

“Do you have another job other than performing at Memaw’s on the weekends?” I ask, desperate to keep this conversation going as we walk further and further down the road.

Hali suddenly stops walking, and I skid to a stop beside her. Facing me, she crosses her arms over her chest and taps a toe against the gravel-strewn road.

“Are you stalking me, now?” she demands, her gaze like ice. “Trying to figure out my routine?”

I can’t stop the laugh that barks out of me. “I’d be a terrible stalker if I told you I was stalking you, wouldn’t I?”

Hali cocks her head as her gorgeous green eyes narrow to thin slits. “That’s not a denial.”

“Nor is it a confirmation,” I say with no small amount of smugness.

She huffs and drops her arms to her side as she turns her face toward the sky. She’s quickly nearing the end of her patience with me, and proves it as she grits out her next words.

“What do you want?”

“You know what I want,” I say, my voice soft and filled with the slightest bit of pleading. “I want you to help me help you . Please, just give me chance. Hear me out.”

Hali shakes her head. “It’s not going to happen, Brendan. I’m happy with my life, and I don’t want it to change.”

She fiddles with her necklace, and I notice the small shell pendant as she reaches up to unfasten the clasp behind her neck.

Pulling it free, she coils the necklace into her palm and shoves it into her pocket.

I lift my eyes back to her face, and her expression turns a bit pained before she swallows thickly.

“Go back. Stop following me,” she says, and her voice sends a shiver down my spine not unlike the one I experienced last night in the bar when she came out on stage.

I give her nod, then spin around without another word. My pace is brisk as I walk all the way back to my rental. I don’t even consider arguing with her. All I want right now is to get back to my temporary home. I need to get back there.

Once I jog up the steps and onto the front porch, my feet stutter to a stop. Blinking my eyes several times, I shake my head to clear the fog before looking back the way I came with wide, confused eyes.

Hali has disappeared, completely. There’s no sign of her.

What in the hell just happened?

I had no intention of letting her out of my sight this morning. I know I could’ve charmed her into spending some time with me. To get to know me a bit and see that I have her best interests at heart, even if they do align with my own selfish needs.

But with a few words from her gorgeous mouth, I just tuck my tail and flee?

I shake my head again. That was fucking weird. And completely out of character for me.

With nothing else to do, I guess I’ll just head inside and wait for her to come back so I can try again.

Because I’m not giving up. Not by a longshot.