Page 50 of Kringle and the Kraken

Maybe I was still tentacle drunk, or maybe there was something in his magic kraken lube that made me feel like we were bonded.

Maybe it didn’t matter.

I was falling hard for Levi Shoal, and I wasn’t mad about it.

“Can I have the grand tour?”

“Of course. Do you want anything to drink first?”

“Nah, I’m good. I want to see your house.”

My heart fluttered in my chest as I led Levi through my house. I liked having him there among my things, looking around like he was trying to learn everything he could about me just from my home decor.

“This is my office.” I pushed open the door to the large corner bedroom that looked out over the ocean and held the door so Levi could step inside. “It’s my favorite room in the house.”

Levi went to the windows and looked down at where waves crashed against the shore. “Is that beach down there private?”

I moved across the room to stand next to my desk, which was piled high with stacks of paper and books. My sleek silver laptop was in the middle, perched on top of several nautical cartography volumes. I really needed to straighten things up before the next semester started. “Yeah. The only way down there is from a staircase near the base of the lighthouse. Do you want to see it?”

Levi’s face twisted like he was anticipating something unpleasant, but he blinked the emotion away just as quickly and turned, giving me a tight smile. “I do, but first, show me the rest.”

He was trying to hide something from me, but I wasn’t going to let it go. I would bide my time, and hopefully, he’d explain whatever he’d thought about by the window on his own.

Levi crossed the room and looked out the large windows on the other side. “This is a great office.”

“Thanks.”

We finished our tour upstairs, and when we were back in the living room, Levi immediately went to the built-in bookshelves on either side of the fireplace. “Did you make this one?” He ran his fingers over one of the first ships in a bottle I’d made. It was a historically accurate replica of Oliver Hazard Perry’s USSLawrencefrom the Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812. Now, I could see all the little mistakes I’d made, but at the time, I’d been so incredibly proud of it, which is why it still held pride of place in my living room.

“I did.”

“This is amazing, Kris. How do you get so many details into something so small?”

I shrugged. “Some would say I’m obsessive about it. I just like my pieces to be as historically correct as possible.”

“Where do you make them? And can I see you put one together?”

“My workshop is in the garage, and I’d be happy to show you. I’m going to start a new commission tomorrow.”

“Can we go see now?” Levi picked nervously at his thumbnail, and once again, I got the feeling he was avoiding something.

“Okay.”

We both shrugged back into our coats and boots and stomped through the snow to the garage. Technically, I still had enough room to park my truck inside, but I didn’t want to. I liked having the space as a dedicated workshop.

Unlocking the man door, I stepped inside and flicked on the lights. The faint scent of cedar hung in the air. My workbench hugged one wall with my band saw off the side. Unlike my desk upstairs, my workbench was immaculately organized, with all the pieces and parts I needed for my craft carefully organized into tabletop drawers and neatly labeled stacks on the shelvesI’d built above the table. Bottles waiting for the right inspiration were arranged by size and shape on a metal shelving unit, and all my finished pieces were on a separate shelf set away from my direct workspace.

Levi went to the finished pieces first, ducking down to examine the lower shelves first. “You’ve made all of these?”

“Yep.”

His gaze met mine through the shelf. “Kris, you realize these are amazing, right? Like you have incredible talent.”

I felt my cheeks heat at his praise, and for a second, I couldn’t speak around the lump in my throat, so I only nodded. Levi continued to take in my art, and an idea started to simmer in my mind, inspiration, a picture slowly taking shape until my fingers itched for a sketchbook so I could get it down on paper.

My schedule was technically full with projects that needed to be sent off before the holidays, but I would find a way to make time for what I had in mind. I had to.

Levi moved around the rest of my space, his fingers tracing along the worn edge of the workbench until he stood in front of me and reached out to grab my hips and pull me closer.

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