Page 66 of The Sea Witch's Son

“Yes, sir. Just had our time trials last week.” Finley shrugs modestly, “There’s some work to be done, but I’m looking forward to a season of improvement.”

It should be cute, the fake modesty and charming smile hoping to win my stepfather over. He’s saying all the right things, making all the right comments, but they sound so...

Fake. Scripted.

A little too perfect to be real.

“What were you doing for this date?” Erik crosses his arms and does his best to look intimidating.

Finley clears his throat, “I was hoping to take Melody to Hollow Lake. It’s about twenty minutes past the college, quite the scenic spot at this time of year.”

“Oh.” The arms uncross themselves, “That sounds lovely.”

“Well, that’s the plan if Melody agrees to it.” Finley looks at me expectedly and I realize I never gave him an answer.

“Uh, yeah. That sounds great.” Mustering up a smile, I gesture inside, “Let me go change. I’ll be right out.”

“No rush.” Finley rocks back on his heels, “I’ll be here.”

Tendrils of guilt hit my gut as I walk back up the stairs and head for my closet. The little black skirt is at the front, like it always is, and I quickly push past it.

Grabbing some jeans from the back, I pair them with a cropped sweater that will keep me somewhat warm in this weather.

The ridiculous heart Marlin left for me is still on top of my dresser. I returned the seashells and the starfish to their original positions, but I didn’t touch the bundle of red lace. It put a reluctant smile on my face this morning and for some reason I’m not ready to let that go.

The bright colour lingers in my mind when I walk outside to join Finley.

“Ready?”

“After you.”

He leads me down the main street, steering clear of the muddy trails I hiked along yesterday. We talk about idle things, his upcoming swim meets, the amount of homework already assigned this early in the semester, and other mundane activities until we finally reach our destination.

“Woah.” I breathe out the word, staring at the glass-like surface of the water. It’s perfectly still, the body of water just barely reaching the rocky shoreline before us.

“Pretty, isn’t it?” Finley smiles, settling himself down on a rock, “Besides the oceanfront, this is the best view in Wolf Hollow.”

I glance at him, “Where’s the oceanfront?”

“On the other side of town. To catch a glimpse of it, you either walk through the forest or risk going through the Queen's Maze."

At my baffled expression, he chuckles, “The shoreline sits on Seaborn property. Unless you wish to become the Sea Witch’s next science experiment, you try and find a way to see it without crossing the border.”

I walk over and sit down beside him, “She’s that scary, huh?”

“From the stories, yes, although I don’t know how much of it is true.” He raises a brow, “Some people think she has tentacles instead of legs. Could you imagine?”

“That’s... disturbing.” Biting back a laugh, I look out over the water, “The rumour mill is something else out here. It’s hard to know what to believe.”

Finley nudges me gently, “I’m really glad you came today. That is something you can believe.”

I turn and look at him. He’s staring at me with warm brown eyes, the tiniest smile playing at his mouth.

“Would it be alright if I kiss you, Melody?”

I swallow, dropping my eyes to his lips. They’re kind and soft and everything that a girl should want.

But all I’m seeing is the red heart waiting for me back home.

---