Page 18 of Orc Charming

“Would you like to take a walk on the shore?” she asked. “There’s public access not far from here. We can splash in the waves if you’d like.”

“That sounds fun.”

She opened her phone and frowned. “I was accepted into your fan club. You have over a hundred members already.” Looking up at me with wide eyes, she shook her head. “They don’t even know who you are. I think you’re perfect, but how do they know that?”

I loved that she thought I was perfect, but I wasn’t. I was just an orc trying to find his place in the world. “I don’t understand any of this.” They couldn’t know who I was, or they’d announce it. “What are they saying about me?”

“Not much, just gushing about how cute you are, which they’re totally right about. They’re following all your posts.”

“I’ve only made two.” I’d found some photos of the diner online and shared them.

“That’s nice of you to mention the diner.”

“I hoped it would bring you more business. You deserve all the best in the world, and a lot of that comes from success.”

“I didn’t know your last name is Aerensten,” she said. “I guess I should’ve looked closer at the paperwork you filled out when I hired you.”

I nodded but said nothing. Aerensten was my mother’s name before she took the royal name of my father. It wasn’t a complete lie to use it since it was one of my five names.

“So far, they’re just talking about how gorgeous you are and how they’d love to meet you,” she said.

“I doubt they’ll come here.”

“Probably not.”

She put her phone on the little table, and we left her house, walking toward the water. I’d seen the ocean a few times since I arrived, though in the Boston area where the treaty was being negotiated. It was much more crowded there than here.

“It’s off-season, now,” Cat said as we took off our shoes tofeel the sand between our toes. “Most of the tourists have left. We’ll see an influx of leaf peepers soon, and then some more tourists around Christmas, but for now, it’s mostly locals.”

We took a path meandering around mounds of soft sand with bits of green grass spurting from the tops and walked out into an open area with the ocean ahead and sand stretching forever on both sides.

Stopping, Cat sucked in a breath and released it. “There’s something wonderful about the smell, the sound of the waves, and the view that relaxes me completely. Whenever I come here, I leave feeling refreshed.”

“It’s incredible.”

People walked along the shore or sat on blankets, locals or tourists. Houses had been built back from the water, and I could picture myself sitting on one of those decks.

Turning, I marveled at how breathtaking the ocean was.

Waves rushed up the shore and crested, dropping with a powerful force, their white foam creating a roar that echoed through the air. The ocean’s deep blue hue caught my gaze and held it, pulling me forward. It seemed so vast, rising all the way to the sky. The water shimmered under the sunlight, each droplet like a precious jewel. As the wind tousled my hair, carrying with it a briny scent, the raw energy surrounded me.

“I see what you mean,” I said with complete awe.

Cat squeezed my hand. She turned toward me and curled her finger, bringing my face down close to hers.

And when she kissed me, my shaky world righted itself all over again.

Chapter 9

Cat

Holding hands, we walked along the shore, the water teasing across our ankles before retreating.

I couldn’t stop smiling at Deegar, watching as he took in the beauty of the ocean for the first time.

Eventually, we stopped and sat where the waves could creep close enough to kiss our toes.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” he said. “We have large lakes and wide rivers, but you can see the other side. The ocean appears to go on forever, though I know there are other bodies of land on the other side.”

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