Page 8 of Little Saint Nautilus

I held out my hand. “I’m Cory, by the way. Sorry, I should have said that earlier, but I was just a little…distracted.”

“By my dick?Di-ck.”

I coughed and sputtered, feeling my face go red, especially at the way he emphasized the sound of the word, as if it was new to him. “That was part of it. But it’s not every day a man walks across the beach and tells you he found the one he’s been looking for.”

“I did, though. I found you.”

“So wehavemet then?” I knew his face, knew it with every fiber of my being, but it was still so hard to come to grips with.

Hedipped his head. “We have. Though you were injured, so I would understand if you don’t remember.”

I reached across the counter and grabbed his hand. “I do. I remember everything. Until I passed out, at least. But I remember your face. So it was you? You’re the one who was there when I crashed?”

“It was me.” His fingers squeezed mine, and he peered into my eyes.

My entire world spun. I’d known it, but to hear confirmation was unreal. The number of people who told me I was imagining it, the times I tried to convince myself I must have, and the way his face had never left me. And he was here. Sitting across from me.

“How? How is it possible? Nobody saw anything that day. They couldn’t figure out how I’d gotten to safety. It was you, though. I knew it. I’ve known it this whole time.”

“I was near when I heard you shout.”

“Shout? You mean when my knee hit the rock? That was underwater.”

His expression turned down, sadness filling his eyes. “Yes. The sound… it was agonizing, and I couldn’t stay away. Ihadto help.”

“So, you were…underwater? Doing what? Scuba?” What were the odds? Except…The Wedge wasn’t safe for scuba divers. It was barely safe for surfers…clearly.

“Not scuba. I can breathe underwater without the help of an apparatus.”

I leaned closer and lowered my voice as if someone might overhear me. “Are you a mermaid? Well…merman, I suppose?”

He let out a laugh that sounded twinkly, a sound I absolutely wanted to hear again. “No, Cory. I am not a merman.” Amusement lit his eyes.

I shook my head. “Right. Because mermen don’t exist, and I’m being ridiculous.” I grabbed the thermos from him and took a drink before handing it back.

“You’re not ridiculous. Theydoexist.” His statement came out as fact.

“Dude! Seriously? They’re real?”

He gave me a soft smile as he had a drink of coffee. Here we were, sharing the same cup, talking about mermen, as if it wasn’t the most world-shattering news I’d ever heard. “You might know one, actually. Calder is a prince of a mer-kingdom. He lives on land most of the time with his human mate, Denver. Do you know Denver?”

I shook my head in disbelief at the casual mention of a mer-prince. “No, I don't think so. I don't know every single person, and I think I would remember if someone I knew had a merman for a…mate. But that’s not what you are? You can breathe underwater, so…what does that make you, then?”

He watched me carefully, as if deciding what to say. “There are many types of beings who can change form, like mermen.”

“And you are one of those beings?” He dipped his head in confirmation. I ran a hand through my hair as I took in the implication. “So you can change your form? Do you have a tail?”

Another burst of twinkly laughter came out of him. “You’re funny. I have no use for a tail.”

I chuckled half-heartedly as if I were in on the joke, but I wasn’t. Ireallywasn’t. “Can I ask what you are?”

“I’m a nautilus.”

The matter-of-fact tone gave me pause as my brain tried to catch up. “A nautilus? Like a cephalopod?” My fascination with the ocean wasn’t only about the waves. I loved going to aquariums and seeing the amazing creatures who lived beneath the surface, and my brain chose that moment to pull a scientific name out of thin air.Go brain!I think. Wait? A cephalopod? Was he actually telling me he was one?

“Yes. Precisely. No tail for me. I have cirri, a type of tentacles, but they are thinner and there are a lot more of them.” He sat straighter in his chair, looking proud of himself.

Why was the sound of that both intriguing and exciting? Was I losing it? Was this a real conversation? “Tentacles? Really?”

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