Page 43 of Cruel Tides

I hadn’t expected Leander to be the one to amuse her—especially not so quickly—but here we were.

“This is Kai, Barren, and Leander,” I cut in before Leander could attempt to confess where he came from. Surely even he wasn’t idiotic enough to admit to learning his manners in an underwater palace. But Gram, like the rest of the humans in town, was unaware of the merfolk living deep in the waters she frequented, and that’s how I planned to keep it.

“And I promise they’re not in a band.” I laughed dryly, gesturing to the three of them and watching their chests puff and backs straighten as they dutifully presented themselves. A blush bloomed over my face at how serious they looked, their eyes focused, determined, with their attention turned fully to Gram. Then my gaze caught on Barren, who, for once, didn’t look intent on shrinking his enormous frame into his surroundings. Like maybe Gram’s appraisal meant something to him, too.

A lump tickled my throat as I added, “But they did help me get back home.”

It was strange seeing them in the place where I’d always felt the safest. Surrounded by everything I cared about, it was impossible to deny how well they fit in. How in Poseidon’s Deep had the three of them become so dear to me in such a short time?

When Gram didn’t answer, Kai blurted, “It’s nice to meet you, ma’am.” He gave her an exaggerated bow—much too low for a normal, sane human greeting—before turning his head to throw me a sheepish smile.Oh, Kai. He was trying his hardest to earn her approval like Leander just had, but Gram was a tough cookie to crack.

And crack, she did not. Gram completely disregarded Kai’s flashy bow, her sharp gaze bouncing dismissively from his short, spiked hair to focus back on her slow cooker. “Is that right?” She hummed as she opened the lid to check on her stew.

Okay—it was official. Gram wasn’t a fan of my bubbly, purple-haired shark man. That thought made me want to give him a hug because Kai was as kind as could be, and how could anyone not be drawn to his infectious laugh and genuine smile?

“Oh, Claira, before I forget,” Gram piped up, returning the lid and moving to rinse her ladle at the sink. “One of Rita’s grandkids found your bag while the town was out looking for you. You know, the shy one who helps out around the docks. Such a polite boy, that Shaun… I always thought he was a bit sweet on you.”

Uh-oh.And there she went, baiting them like the shrewd fisher she was. She’d obviously picked up on my ‘friend’lie and was trying to uncover which of the three men standing in her living room had caught my attention. Only, I wasn’t sure she would ever be ready for the answer to that question.

Heck, I wasn’t sureIcould confess the truth to her out loud. Not without my cheeks melting off and Laverne bursting in here to slap around what was left of my face for daring to claim members ofherharem. I could practically hear her screaming in my head now.Shameless, shameless, shameless!

Barren must have been the only one to understand Gram’s meaning because his dark eyes flicked right to me like he was seeking some confirmation or denial of her statement. Before I could react, Gram continued, “I put it in your bedroom, right next to your bed. It still has your money in it and everything. Goodness, John and I were shocked when we noticed—Rita sure is raising those boys right.”

I winced, my stomach twisting at the thought of Shaun’s hands on my bag. Of all the people in town, why did it have to be him?“Wow, that was…niceof him.”

Shaun was neither shy nor sweet, but I couldn’t blame Gram for thinking the best of her dear friend’s eldest grandchild. Gram and Rita had been steering us together for as long as I could remember, all because we happened to share the same age.

But although both of our families were fishers, we were as different as they came. It was like comparing a stately kingfish to a lowly seaworm, and he knew it, too. Shaun was popular, and I… Well, I would always be the awkward new girl who hadn’t known humans usuallycookedtheir fish before eating them—and that classrooms sometimes had tanks filled with class pets that certainly weren’t meant to be eaten at snack time.

I couldn’t recall if he’d been among the unlucky classmates who’d witnessed my blunder or if he’d just been a part of the horrible aftermath of mourning and tears that followed. But even if Shaun hadn’t seen it, there wasn’t a soul our age within a hundred miles who hadn’t heard of the redheaded fish murderer as the tale of that snack time grew and twisted.

Had I reached in and stuffed one fish into my mouth or lunged onto the side of the tank and stuck my entire head in the water to gobble down every last cute, defenseless guppy? I’d heard the story retold so many times, even I wasn’t sure how I’d gone about it. I just remembered being really,reallyhungry. And then equally embarrassed when the school called Dad to come get me for‘upsetting the class.’

At least Dad never scolded me for it. He understood. Shaun, on the other hand, never let me forget. He and his friends usually went with the more colorful versions of the tale, and even after learning to blend in and growing accustomed to life on land, the normalcy I’d found hadn’t mattered to guys like him.

“I can’t believe my bag survived,” I mumbled, glancing back at the hall. I was so sure I’d lost it, along with Gram’s old slow cooker, back when the Turbula twins knocked me out. But now that I knew Shaun had his hands all over my bag, I itched to go check on my things.

Barren was still staring straight at me, his eyebrows pinched, assessing me. If he really was as good at reading people as Leander claimed, then he knew how wrong Gram’s words had been. Shaun wasnotsweet on me. Not in the least bit.

Sproing-oing!The sudden noise severed our locked gazes, and Kai released a delighted gasp that had all of our necks snapping toward the front door.

He’d discovered the doorstop and was completely mesmerized by the simple metal spiral. He nudged it cautiously with the side of his shoe a third time while I shook my head.

“Maybe I should go check on my bag. See if my phone’s still in it.”

One of Leander’s eyebrows hitched in my direction as I sidestepped closer to the hall. Surely they couldn’t get into too much trouble in the time it took me to run to my room and back, right? Kai looked so drawn to the doorstop that I was positive it could entertain him for a couple of hours, at least.

“I’m sure I saw it in there, but go on, dear,” Gram said. “And come on out of the doorway, you three. Make yourselves at home.” It didn’t sound like she’d meant her offer one bit. Still, a weight on my heart lifted. She was at least trying to be hospitable.

“Excuse me for a minute.” Spinning around, I bolted for my bedroom.

My shaggy pink rug was a welcome sight, and as soon as I made it through the door, I tossed myself down on my bed before thinking better of it.

“Oh, how I missed you.” Rolling my head over my cupcake covered pillow, I sighed, contented. It smelled of fresh detergent, and I breathed in deeply, enjoying the way it actually supported my head.

“You feel so good,” I practically moaned, face down in the fluffy, cool fabric, just as my door creaked open.

“Remembering yesterday?”

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