Page 8 of Bewitched By the Siren
“Nor is it a confirmation,” I say with no small amount of smugness.
She huffs and drops her arms to her side as she turns her face toward the sky. She’s quickly nearing the end of her patience with me, and proves it as she grits out her next words.
“What do you want?”
“You know what I want,” I say, my voice soft and filled with the slightest bit of pleading. “I want you to help me helpyou. Please, just give me chance. Hear me out.”
Hali shakes her head. “It’s not going to happen, Brendan. I’m happy with my life, and I don’t want it to change.”
She fiddles with her necklace, and I notice the small shell pendant as she reaches up to unfasten the clasp behind her neck. Pulling it free, she coils the necklace into her palm andshoves it into her pocket. I lift my eyes back to her face, and her expression turns a bit pained before she swallows thickly.
“Go back. Stop following me,” she says, and her voice sends a shiver down my spine not unlike the one I experienced last night in the bar when she came out on stage.
I give her nod, then spin around without another word. My pace is brisk as I walk all the way back to my rental. I don’t even consider arguing with her. All I want right now is to get back to my temporary home. Ineedto get back there.
Once I jog up the steps and onto the front porch, my feet stutter to a stop. Blinking my eyes several times, I shake my head to clear the fog before looking back the way I came with wide, confused eyes.
Hali has disappeared, completely. There’s no sign of her.
What in the hell just happened?
I had no intention of letting her out of my sight this morning. I know I could’ve charmed her into spending some time with me. To get to know me a bit and see that I have her best interests at heart, even if they do align with my own selfish needs.
But with a few words from her gorgeous mouth, I just tuck my tail and flee?
I shake my head again. That was fucking weird. And completely out of character for me.
With nothing else to do, I guess I’ll just head inside and wait for her to come back so I can try again.
Because I’m not giving up. Not by a longshot.
CHAPTER SIX
Hali
I really hatethat I did that. I press my palm against the shell resting firmly against my chest, right where it should’ve stayed earlier.
The only time I take advantage of my siren song is when I’m actually singing, and that’s only because I need the crowds to be happy and generous so I can pay for Mom’s medical bills. I never use it for my own personal gain or to get out of sticky situations. Like trying to get rid of pesky talent agents.
I mean,maybeI would use it if someone were threatening to hurt me in some way, but Brendan Howser wasn’t hurting me.Annoyingme, sure. But I wasn’t in any danger. I just panicked. I didn’t want him following me around this morning.
My volunteer job at the sea turtle center is sacred to me. Helping to save and rehabilitate turtles is a calling for me, and I won’t have my happy place tainted by his relentless effort to get me to change my mind about his offer. Because I won’t change my mind. Ever.
I arrive at the center, and all thoughts of Brendan Howser slip away as I walk through the front doors.
“Morning, Hali,” Susannah, another volunteer, calls out from her spot behind the hospitality desk.
“Good morning,” I say, offering her a smile as I pass by.
Heading into the locker room, I grab a pair of rubber boots from the shelves on the wall before heading toward my locker. Shoving my bag and shoes inside, I pull on the boots before using the hair tie on my wrist to pull my hair up into a bun.
Sundays are my favorite days to volunteer because the center is closed to the public. There are no tours to interfere with my work, and I can just relax and be with the turtles. I step into the large room where the turtle pools are and breathe in deep, feeling all my tension drain out on the exhale.
“Good morning, Jimmy,” I say as I approach the first pool.
Jimmy Buffet is the center’s longest resident, a giant loggerhead who’s estimated to be about forty years old. His shell was injured when a boat collided with him, causing a deformity that left him non-releasable. An air pocket inside his shell has left him unable to sink beneath the surface on his own, a problem that would ensure death if we returned him to the ocean. He’s become a bit of a mascot for the center, a favorite of employees and visitors, alike.
Jimmy swims toward me at the sound of my voice, lifting his head out of the water to peer at me with his dark, endless eyes. I check the weights attached to his shell that help him submerge himself, and they hold firm. They should be good for another week before we need to replace them.
