Chapter 9 #2
“No, wait,” Norris said, visibly pulling himself back and forcing his mouth back into his fake smile.
“I'm sorry I judged him. I can see how suddenly finding yourself turned into a selkie would have been terrifying.
Then this kraken comforts you. I can see how you'd think you needed his support.
I'll be polite, even though he's not worthy of you.”
“He's worthy,” I said.
“As you wish,” he said, his expression overtly magnanimous.
“All I need to know is who made the necklace and how to fix what it did to me,” I said. “Then Delmar and I will leave and never bother you again.”
Norris’s smile widened into something real and predatory. “I’ll tell you everything I know after you've stayed here for a week.”
Finally, I had something concrete I could trade.
“I’ll agree to stay for two days,” I said.
“Five days,” Norris countered, very obviously pleased with himself. “Five days should be enough time for you to talk to everyone in the colony and realize that we are the family you’ve been missing your entire life.”
That was presumptuous of him. “I have a mother and father that I love very much.”
“That’s nice,” he said, leaning forward and looking intensely interested. “Please invite them to join you here. Stuart and Christine run a bed-and-breakfast that’s empty right now. You can stay in one of the rooms, and your parents can use the other. All costs will be covered by the colony.”
I shook my head. “No. I’ll stay on the boat with Delmar, and I’m not inviting my parents.”
“Do you have any siblings?” he asked. “They can visit.”
I didn’t respond, only kept my stony expression. He paused, as if waiting for me to agree, but gave up with a little shrug. “There'll be plenty of time in the future for you to invite your family here. For now, it’s important you realize how much we have to offer.”
“I have a great life already,” I said.
“I’m sure you have a career, but do you have a community?
” he asked, then held up a hand before I could answer.
“Our colony is so much more than having some friends you have drinks with a few times a month. If the roof on your house leaks, we fix it. If you’re injured or ill, we care for you no matter how long it takes for you to recover.
If you can’t afford groceries, we provide them. No member of our colony goes without.”
His words made this place sound like a safe haven, but that didn't make up for his treatment of Delmar, women, and the culty vibes.
“That’s nice for all of you,” I said.
“Yes, this is an amazing place. I’m sure you’ll realize how perfect it is here and never want to go back to your former human life,” he said, as if we were finished negotiating, but we weren’t.
“Five days is a long time,” I said. “I’m going to miss work. Three days is all I can do.”
Annoyance briefly crossed his expression before his smile was back. “Then we have a lot to do in three days. Let’s start with having a nice coffee while I tell you all about our colony.”
As if she was being queued by Norris’s words, the barista brought us our drinks. Her hands shook a little as she set the ceramic cup down in front of me with a pretty leaf pattern in foam. Normally this would delight me, but not right now.
I’d have to come back with only Delmar tomorrow to thank her properly.
“Thank you, Millie,” Norris said. “Do you have any scones to go with these?”
She nodded, keeping her eyes downcast. “Yes, Mayor Norris. I’ll bring them right out.”
With that, she hurried away, and Norris took a sip of his coffee. I didn’t touch mine, and Delmar only moved his cup a little so it wasn’t right next to his hand.
She came right back with several scones on a plate while Norris pulled out his phone.
“Excellent, thank you, Millie,” he said before she retreated, then took a massive bite out of one while still messing with his phone.
“I’m going to assign a guide for you. I know you’d be more comfortable with a woman, but I can't expect any of them to be near a sea monster. Young Dale showed his bravery when you first got here, so I’m going to have him act as your escort. He’s a smart kid, he can tell you all about us.”
“We don’t need an escort,” I said.
“I’m afraid you do,” Norris replied, setting his phone down and taking another sip of his drink. “It’s not entirely about you, it’s also about making sure my colony feels safe.”
“Dale isn’t allowed on our boat,” I said. Delmar’s appendage was still resting on my hand, and when I used the words ‘our boat,’ it petted the back of my hand.
“Certainly,” Norris said. “He’ll stay in the harbor office until we’ve resolved all this. Ask him for anything, and the colony will provide.”
“We don’t want to stay docked next to the fuel station,” Delmar said.
Norris frowned at him. “Talk to Dale.”
His smile returned when he switched his gaze to me. “It's important that—”
Delmar turned in his chair, cutting Norris off. At the same time, a new voice spoke.
“What’s going on here?”
I turned to see a tall man in his thirties wearing a sheriff's uniform walk in. Delmar must've sensed him come in.
I knew right away that this new arrival was Norris's son. It wasn't only because his name badge said Norris, but also because the two men had the same eyes.
Scowling, he stomped over to us. He was exuding so much anger that Delmar got up to stand between me and this angry selkie. I stood up too. Holding tight to the back of Delmar's shirt, I leaned over to look past him, only to see the sheriff come up short with a surprised expression.
“I'm not a danger,” he said quickly, addressing Delmar but meeting my gaze. He nodded his head at Norris. “I heard there was a confused selkie. I'm here to make sure all your questions are answered.”
“Which is what I was doing,” Norris said, standing up. “Your timing is perfect for once, Archer. I’m done here. You can give Nina a quick tour of the town. I have a meeting to attend. I’ll be in my office if you need me.”
With that Norris squeezed past me, using that as an excuse to pat my ass.
He was so quick that I didn’t get a chance to do anything, and Delmar’s focus was still on the armed sheriff.
Then the mayor was gone. I was going to make him pay for that.
If he wasn’t holding information over my head, I’d have chased him down to punch him in the face right then.
Now that the mayor was gone, Archer relaxed and gave us a genuinely regretful expression. “How much do I need to apologize for?”
His attitude was so different from his father that I found myself relaxing and stepping out from around Delmar.
“Hi, I’m Nina,” I said. “This is Delmar. Do you know how to turn me back to a human?”
By the way the sheriff’s jaw dropped I was guessing he had no clue what was going on. He recovered quickly and glanced over to the barista who was making herself look busy by drying an already dry cup.
“It’s a nice day outside, let’s go for a walk.”
I could tell he wanted to talk where there wasn’t anyone to listen, and I was curious to hear what he had to say. My inner seal didn't dislike him, but she didn't trust him either.
“Yes, let’s do that,” I said, pulling some cash out of my pocket to tip Millie, and set it on the table.
Taking Delmar's hand, we followed the sheriff out into the sunshine.