Page 6 of Kringle and the Kraken

“It’s a bit of a private matter.” He looked over his shoulder at Kris, who immediately took the hint.

“I have more flyers to hand out. I’ll see you around, Levi. It was nice to meet you.” He tipped his head toward the mayor, who returned the gesture but didn’t otherwise acknowledge him.

“It was nice to meet you too, Kris. Stop in anytime, and I’ll see you at the KELPS event.”

He hesitated for a minute like he didn’t want to leave, but he shook his head and walked toward the door. I watched him go and tried to keep my hearts from fluttering when he turned back and gave me a little wave at the door. The second the door closed behind him, I missed him, and I started a mental countdownuntil the KELPS holiday meeting when I was guaranteed to see him again.

“I didn’t mean to interrupt,” Calder started. “Well, actually, I did. I saw Kris come in here, and I realized I hadn’t yet properly welcomed you to town.”

There was something about this guy I really didn’t like, especially since he’d basically driven Kris out of my shop. Now I just wanted Calder gone too. “Consider me welcomed. I don’t mean to be rude, but I have a lot I still need to get ready before I can officially open.”

“Of course, of course. But you need to understand that we do things differently here in Lifeboat.” He waved vaguely at the door. “That isn’t the kind of thing we really…foster here.”

“I don’t understand.” I had a feeling I did, but I wanted him to say it.

“I know it’s different in other haven towns, but here, we”—he gestured between us—“stick to ourselves. It’s better not to get too close to the humans in town. They don’t know what we are.”

“What? Why not?”

His jaw ticked. “We just don’t encourage that in Lifeboat. It’s been the way things are for generations.”

“So, I’m not allowed to meet the humans in town? They aren’t allowed to shop at my store? There aren’t any mixed-species couples?”

“Supporting the local economy is one thing. Making friends with them is another. And yes, there are mixed-species couples in Lifeboat just none that are sea monster andhuman.” His inflection on the final word made my tentacles quiver in disgust.

That was fucked up, but at least my suspicions were correct. The humans in Lifeboat had no idea they were living among mythical sea creatures. Kris had no idea I was a kraken. Which might be a slight problem since I wanted to get my tentacles all over him. Still, I couldn’t hold back a snort. “Okay. But that’snot the way I roll. I’ll stay in my human form, and I’ll keep the secret”—I mentally added thefor now—“but just so we’re clear, I firmly intend to make friends of all species while I’m here.”

Calder’s jaw ticked again and his beady bird eyes narrowed. “Are you sure Lifeboat is the right place for you, Levi? There are plenty of other haven towns.”

Kris’s handsome face with his cute eyebrow crease flashed through my mind, and my hearts did a little flip-flop. Oh, yeah. I was definitely staying. “Yep.”

“Then I hope you’ll take heed of what I’ve said. I would hate for things to be difficult for you here.”

My tentacles twitched again, coming off my body a little at his thinly veiled threat. Calder’s eyes caught the motion, and he took a tiny step back.

“Thanks for stopping by, Mr. Delmar, but I really do need to get back to work.” I turned my back to him and walked toward the storage room. I heard him sputter like he wasn’t used to being dismissed, and I waited just beyond the beaded curtain until I heard the bell over the door signal his departure.

I’d left Baleen looking for a change, an adventure, and if today was any indication, things in Lifeboat, Maine, were definitely going to be interesting.

CHAPTER THREE

KRIS

“Kristopher,are you even listening to me?”

My brother Kevin elbowed me hard in the ribs, and I glared at him while I rubbed my side. “What the fuck, dude?”

He nodded to where my mom was standing at the head of the large dining table, her arms crossed over her Fair Isle Christmas sweater. The rest of my siblings, all five of them, were similarly dressed and all staring at me from their places around the table. Eye roll. And while I, too, had the same sweater, I patently refused to wear it, opting for a black T-shirt and a green and black plaid flannel. It was vaguely holidayish, and it was the best my mom was going to get.

“Mom’s been trying to get your attention,” my brother hissed from the corner of his mouth.

Great. Zoning out while Mary Kate Kringle was trying to dot I’s and cross T’s was a cardinal sin in the Kringle household. “Sorry, Mom. What were you saying?”

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Kristopher, I know you think all of this”—she gestured at the full-scale model of the Christmas tree farm and Santa’s workshop experience laid out on the table in front of her—“is silly, but we need to figure out a traffic pattern that works better than last year, and sincethe Christmas trees are your domain, your input is required, assuming we can pull you away from whatever it is you’re doing over there.”

I peeked down at the printed agenda in front of me, taking my eyes off my mom for the briefest second. I’d been sketching out ideas for a new commission I’d received. In my spare time, I made custom, historically accurate ships in bottles, and with the holidays approaching, maritime enthusiasts of all types were reaching out with requests.

I’d also been daydreaming about Levi. For some reason, I couldn’t get him out of my head, and even a day later, I could still feel the spark of heat that jolted through me the second we shook hands.

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