Chapter 6
Sammy – a seal that is not a traffic stop but is a great listener
Nova
I awake surrounded by the scent of sandalwood. Did I dig one of Dad’s old flannel shirts out of a box and wrap it around me again?
An arm tightens around my waist and memories of last night crash into me. Dad’s old shirt is not the scent I’m smelling.
I can’t believe I had sex with Hudson. A man who hates me. A man who thinks I’m not good enough for him. A man who gave me more orgasms than any other man has ever before.
Ugh. This is a disaster.
I can’t wake up with Hudson and see the disgust on his face. I can handle a lot of things but the man I’ve crushed on since tenth grade looking at me with disgust, is not one of them.
I lift the arm from around my waist and scooch out of bed. Hudson rolls over to his other side. The sheet is wrapped around his waist allowing me a view of his back. My fingers itch to touch his skin. To feel those muscles ripple.
I fist my hands. No gawking at the man who hates me.
I throw on my sundress but my panties are nowhere to be found. Oh well. It wouldn’t truly be a walk of shame with panties on anyway.
Walk of shame? I gulp. I have to walk through Hideaway Haven Resort, the fancy pants resort that’s too good to carry Five Fathoms beer, in yesterday’s dress with no panties on.
I tiptoe to the living room and gather my things before slipping into my flip-flops. I try the front door but it’s locked.
Curse the kraken! I forgot about us being locked in. It’s the reason—
Nope. No. No. No. No thinking about last night.
I spin around and scan the chalet. There must be another way to get out. I should have searched last night but I was too busy trying to sell beer to one cranky resort owner.
Good job, Nova. Mission accomplished. Not.
I hurry to the sliding doors to the deck. I pull on one and it opens. Yes! Escape is mine.
I slip out the door and pause for a moment to gaze at the plunge pool. What I wouldn’t give to have a pool of my own. But not all of us have millions from being an NFL superstar.
I make my way around the chalet until I’m on the path toward the main resort building. I hurry as fast as I can considering I’m wearing flip-flops, have no panties on, and am carrying a large bag with beer and food.
“Good morning,” Roger, the front desk worker, greets as he approaches me.
“Good morning,” I infuse my voice with cheer I’m not feeling this morning.
“Have you seen Mr. Clark? No one’s seen him since late yesterday afternoon.”
Probably because he was locked in a chalet doing dirty things to me. I feel my cheeks heat but ignore them.
“Nope. I haven’t seen Hudson since yesterday.”
I scurry away but his voice stops me.
“Where did you see him yesterday? I can start there.”
“His office,” I lie.
Forget about walking. I sprint down the paths until I arrive at the parking lot. Never mind how my breasts bounce. I need to get out of here pronto.
When I arrive at my car, I throw the bag in the passenger seat and jump in. My tires squeal as I peel out of the parking lot. This is not me. I don’t speed. I don’t break laws of any kind. Assuming I’m alone. When I’m with my friends, all bets are off.
I turn toward the town of Smuggler’s Rest and force myself to slow down. I’m not an escapee from prison. There’s no reason to risk a speeding ticket. I don’t want to imagine what kind of rumors would spread if a police officer pulled me over as I sped away from Hudson’s resort early in the morning.
I notice the time. Uh oh. It’s not as early as I thought. I’m going to be late for work and my friends will ask questions. Questions I have no intention of answering. Ever.
I push my foot down on the pedal to speed up but when I round a corner, a gray lump is blocking the middle of the street. I hurry to brake before I hit it.
I skid to a halt but the lump doesn’t move. Typical.
I open my door and walk toward it. “Sammy.”
The seal raises his head.
“You’re not supposed to be lying in the middle of the street.”
I swear Sammy raises an eyebrow.
“Yeah, yeah, I shouldn’t be driving home at this hour either.”
I sit down next to him. Close but not touching considering a seal is still a wild animal. I cross my legs at my ankles since I’m well aware of the lack of panties situation.
“I couldn’t help myself. Have you seen Hudson?”
Sammy barks. I interpret his bark as a yes.
“Sexy, right?”
He barks again.
“I couldn’t resist him.” I sigh. “I’ve wanted him since tenth grade. Although in tenth grade I didn’t know much about sex. I would have kissed him, though. Hudson’s a good kisser.”
This time Sammy’s bark resembles a question.
“I don’t know how many girls he’s kissed. He was a football player. He’s probably kissed thousands of girls.”
Which is kind of ick now I’m thinking about it. But in the three years since Hudson’s been home, I haven’t seen him with a woman on his arm once. Of course, he owns a resort. He could have the pick of the female guests and no one would be the wiser.
“Nope. I don’t want to think about it.” I stand. “Time to get off the road, Sammy boy.”
He barks.
“I don’t care if the road is warm and the sun is shining on you and there’s no one around, it’s a road.”
He covers his eyes with his fins.
“You can’t ignore me.” I wag a finger at him. “I’m not above calling the dogcatchers on you.”
He barks again but this time he scoots off of the road. Not far. He’s on the shoulder but at least he’s not in the middle of the road.
I wave at him. “See ya, later, Sammy.”
I switch on my car and drive away slowly. I wouldn’t put it past Sammy to hobble back on the road to tease me. The seal is a menace, but he’s cute.
My phone rings. “Hello.”
“Are you in your car?” Sophia asks.
“Yes.”
“But you can walk to the brewery from your house.”
“I’m well aware of how far my house is from the brewery.”
“And you’re late to work.”
“I’ll be there soon,” I say instead of confirming how late I am.
“Holy mermaids!” She squeals in excitement. “Did you go home with a man last night?”
“No.” It’s not a complete lie. I didn’t go home with Hudson. Being locked together in a chalet is not the same thing.
“Really? Are you sure?”
“I think I’d know if I went home with a man last night.” Still not a lie.
She sighs. “Why didn’t you go home with a man last night?”
“You’ve got sex on the brain ever since you and Flynn got together.”
“It’s awesome.” She clears her throat. “But seriously, why are you driving if you didn’t get some last night?”
“There are other reasons to be in my car. I could be coming home from the doctor or the pharmacy.”
“Shoot the mermaids. Are you sick? What’s wrong? Do I need to bring you some of my mom’s chicken noodle soup? She can have a batch ready by lunch.”
My stomach gurgles as guilt slams into me. My friends are well aware of my abnormal anxiety about my health, but they don’t ever call me out for it. They accept me for who I am.
And yet here I am lying to Sophia, one of my best friends in the world.
“I’m fine. I’ll be in the office in half an hour.” Just as soon as I shower the sex off of me and put on some clean panties.
“Why don’t you stay at home and work from there? I know you prefer your own surroundings when you’re not feeling well.”
Tears well in my eyes. She’s being super sweet and I’m lying to her. Well, not exactly lying. My tummy does feel funny. But I’m definitely withholding information from her.
I suck the tears back in. I love Sophia and my friends but they don’t need to know about every time I have sex. I’m allowed a private life.
“I’ll be in soon.”
I want to be at the office surrounded by my friends. If I stay at home, I’ll spend the entire time thinking about last night. Wondering what possessed me to have sex with Hudson when I know he can’t stand me. Wondering how sex can be fantastic with someone who doesn’t have feelings for you.
“No rush,” Sophia says and hangs up.
Despite her words, I rush home. Thoughts of Hudson and what we did last night are banging at my barriers. I need a distraction.
I need my friends.
What I don’t need is a man who can’t stand me.
Forget him. We’ll make Five Fathoms Brewing a huge success without him.
The thought of shoving our success in his face has me snickering. I’ll show him I’m good enough for him.