Page 9 of Bewitched By the Siren
Grabbing a net, I fish out a jelly fish from the feed tank and drop it into Jimmy’s pool. He quickly submerges, spinning his flippers to pursue his favorite treat. I smile as I watch him catch it and chow down. When he finishes, he rises and swims back over to me, holding still while I stroke his shell.
The turtles always behave like this for me. Almost as if they recognize me as a part of their natural habitat. Like they can tellI’m a siren and have possibly had contact with some of my kind in the ocean.
My supervisor always marvels over how they seem to swim toward me the second I enter the area. How much the creatures seem to trust me. She’s even offered to let me be one of the team members who gets in the large pool to swim with them, and, God, I would love that, but I can’t, of course.
I shudder to think how people would react if they saw my legs fuse together and turn into a giant tail. Pandemonium would break out, and I’d have to leave Circe Key forever––ifI could get away before the government stepped in and captured me so they could run experiments onthe mermaid.
A shiver runs through me at the thought. No, I’ll never get to swim with my friends here, but Icanhelp take care of them.
I spend the next four hours feeding turtles and cleaning pools before heading back into the locker room to put my own shoes back on and grab my stuff. Calling out a goodbye to Susannah, I head out into the bright sunshine as my stomach grumbles.
It’s almost lunch time, so I pop intoBurger Boysto grab some cheeseburgers and fries for Mom and me. Holding the paper bag in one arm, I fiddle with my shell pendant as I make the trek back home.
As I approach the rental next door, I see Brendan pop up from a chair on the front porch with a wide grin. I close my eyes and heave a frustrated sigh as he jogs down the steps.
“How was your morning?” he asks as he pulls to a stop before me.
Maybe if I refuse to acknowledge him, he’ll take a hint and leave me alone. Stepping to the side, I circle around him without a word and head for my place. Undeterred, he spins and falls into step beside me.
“Mine was dreadfully boring,” he says. “I really need someone to show me around the island.”
I sigh and stop walking. “If I promise to show you around after lunch, will you leave me alone?”
Yes, I’m caving, but I’m starting to get the picture, here. He’s not going to leave me alone until he’s had a real chance to try and convince me to sign his contract. I’ll never do that, of course, but he won’t know that for sure until he’s exhausted every effort. I have to let him try so he’ll see what a lost cause I am.
Plus, I still feel guilty for using my siren song on him earlier.
“Deal,” he says in answer to my question with a wide smile. “See you in…what? An hour?”
“That’s fine,” I say, then start walking again.
When I get on my porch, I look back to see Brendan walking backward toward his rental, his eyes on me and his smile never faltering. His pleasure is slightly contagious, almost making me smile in return. I clear my throat and push my way into the house. Icannotsmile at him. If he thinks he’s getting to me, he’ll never give up and go home.
I carry the food into Mom’s room, and she takes one look at me before frowning. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” I say quickly. “The renter next door was just annoying me.”
“Annoying, huh?” she asks, her expression turning sly. “Is he cute?”
“Who said it was a he?”
Mom grins. “Oh, heiscute. Are you going to go out with him?”
“Mom. Stop.”
“You should go out with him. You never go out other than to work or volunteer. You should be having fun, not sitting here with your old mom every day.”
“I happen to like hanging out with you,” I say as I pull her food out and arrange it on her bed tray.
“I know you do, honey. And I love you for taking care of me as well as you have, but you need to take care of yourself, too. You’re twenty-four years old. You should be out having fun.”
I blow out a long breath and slump into the chair beside her bed with my own food. “I told him I’d take him sightseeing after lunch. Happy?”
Mom nods, her eyes dancing with delight. “Very.”
Something in my chest eases at the sight of her pleasure. I like seeing Mom happy like this. So much of her life is filled with pain and discomfort. Needing help to do almost everything because her legs don’t work like they should anymore.
And if all it takes to make her happy is my agreement to show the annoying talent agent next door around the island, well then, I’ll do it with a smile. For Mom.
