Page 8 of Something Real with the Sea Monster
The water is choppy around the headland and saltier where the tide washes in from the bay. That makes it easy to float toward the surface through the little particles the moon illuminates into tiny stars. Sometimes I let myself imagine what life might be like if I wasn’t a kraken. How I might have chosen a path that led me away from Kraken Cove and to somewhere more exciting. To a big city or overseas, without the need to feel so tied to the ocean, to a place. As good as I feel in the water, though, it’s not the ocean that ties me to Kraken Cove. It’s my family. And even if I wasn’t a sea monster, I’d be tied to them. Of all my brothers, I know I feel this most. I know as my parents age it will primarily fall to me to take care of them.
I wouldn’t have it any other way, but there are days that feels like more of a burden than others. Especially on days like today, when I’m thinking about what I might have given up.
Unwilling to let my thoughts roll in that current longer, I swim to my usual nook in our family cave and anchor myself with mytentacles wrapped around a bar fixed to the ceiling. Then I close my eyes and let the gentle motion of the water rock me to sleep.
FIVE
Tegan
Luke leaves the house early the next day for work, and it’s just Mia and me at breakfast. I’m still feeling a little rough around the edges, so I stick to black coffee. I consider searching Mia’s cupboard for something a little harder I could add to my coffee, but I’m not sure how she’ll react, so I hold off.
Look at me on my health kick.
Sometimes you need a little hair-of-the-dog, though. “So you think Luke’s brother was actually serious about that job?” I ask Mia to distract myself from the way my head throbs.
She shrugs. “Sure. I mean he’s been saying he should hire someone for a while now, but he never actually does it. I honestly think he’s been too busy to put an ad up. Why? Were you? Are you?”
“Maybe. I mean it would be good to give myself some space from Mark.”
She nods.
“Someone at work told me there’s a position at Stratos Group that’s going to come up soon. She heard it from a friend of a friend. You remember the team leader role I applied for last year that I didn’t win? They said to apply again when I had more experience. Well, now I do. I’m a shoo-in. I know it. The trouble is I’d need a reference…”
Mia purses her lips. “From Mark?”
“Exactly. I don’t want to ask him. I doubt he’d give me a good one now anyway.” I sigh. “I should never have gone there.”
I sip my coffee, and Mia takes a bite of toast.
“I need a reset. A month or two to get it straight in my head what I want to do. Will I be in the way here?”
“Are you kidding? I would love to have you stay that long.”
“It will be good to have all the time together. It feels like forever since we got to catch up properly.”
I wonder what it would be like to work for Jack. Keeping my voice light, I watch Mia over the top of my steaming mug as I ask, “Is Jack married or single?”
Mia fixes me with a grin. “Single.”
I shake my head. “Oh no. I’m not asking it like that. I just want to know if I’m putting myself in the zone of another married guy who’s going to tempt me to do something that could turn out to be a disaster.”
Mia turns serious. “Jack’s a good guy. He won’t make a move. He’s not like that. And he’s not married. I don’t even think he’s had a girlfriend since I’ve known him.”
I remind myself that’s a good thing and I should absolutely not be feeling at all disappointed. “Well, I’m going to go down there and hit him up about it later today. Just as soon as I can stomach some breakfast.” I grimace.
Mia giggles. “You did have a lot of wine last night.”
“Pfft. I didn’t have that much.”
I have to look away from the knowing expression on her face, so I get up to toss out the dregs of my coffee and put my mug in the sink. “You know what? Maybe I’m in my detox era. I’m going to stay here and eat nothing but vegetables for two months and make only good decisions.” Grabbing my phone, I start googling detox diets, but they all look so depressing. I never last more than a few weeks on these things no matter how hard I try to drink only green smoothies and eat only raw foods.
“Come on,” says Mia. “I’ll make you a piece of toast, and then we can go down and get your car. I have to head out to the gallery later today to see if they’ve got space for my latest.”
My stomach rumbles, but I can’t tell if it’s from hunger or nausea. I make a mental plan to stop at the supermarket for kale and celery, and my stomach rumbles again. “No toast for me. Just let me brush my hair. Oh shit. I left all my stuff in the boot of my car.” I had to borrow pajamas from Mia when we got home because I realized I hadn’t even brought those with me.
“I’ll lend you something to wear,” Mia says cheerfully.
And so I find myself squeezing into a pair of Mia’s jeans. We’re technically the same size, but I’ve always had more junk in my trunk, and the jeans barely go up over my hips and the top button refuses to do up. Maybe I’ve put on a little weight.
