Page 11 of Seduced By the Mermen
“It’s nice.”
“I like your accent.” It’s a damn fool thing to say.
“I have an accent? Well, I suppose I do. They say the Midwest has the least accent of anywhere, but then compared to what? Are you doing okay? I’m sure Eros will be back really quickly with the med kit.”
From out in the hall, Blair’s daughter says, “I don’t know about that, Mom. Their discussion is getting really loud.”
“I’m sure they’re trying to decide what to do with me.” I’m sure there’s a lot they are talking about.
“Well, they’re not feeding you to the sharks. They’re deciding if they want to get dome politics involved.”
“Oh. You didn’t mean to get bitten by a shark. You can’t be in trouble; you were just out swimming. Like a jog.”
I smile. “Right, like a jog. But it’s more than that. I went past the posted area. I’m in the wrong. I shouldn’t have, but I . . .”
“You were drawn in by my niece’s dance.”
I’m not one for secrets. I leave that to Clark and Sterling. “Not your niece. I suppose I was hoping to get a glimpse of you in the window. When I saw the different lights, I thought there might be something going on, and I trespassed.”
“But you knew about the sharks?”
“I did, but I’ve outswum sharks before.”
“On purpose?”
“In my youth, for fun.”
“Oh, a daredevil, I see.” She laughs. “I suppose I was one too. I jumped from the top of the hayloft when someone dared me.” She shakes her head.
“And what happened?” I have no idea what a hayloft is.
“I broke my leg. I had to spend the rest of the fall and part of the winter in a cast. Although I did get time to read more, as I didn’t have to do my chores. So it wasn’t all bad.”
My leg is throbbing, but all these little tidbits I’m getting about Blair are making the pain worth it. Reading. I like it. Learning is important to me. She’s mostly practical but has a streak of rebel in her. “Yes, well, I don’t think I’m going to get out of work or chores. What sort of chores did you escape from?”
“Normal farm things for a twelve-year-old. Cleaning out the horse stalls, bringing water to the chickens, collecting eggs, slopping the pigs, that kind of thing.”
“Did you like it?”
Her forehead creases. “I suppose. I liked taking care of the piglets, and when I got older, I liked driving the tractor. But I’m glad to have left it behind.”
Blair’s daughter huffs in the corridor.
“Let’s leave the comments from the peanut gallery alone.”
“I’m going to go get some dessert, if you’re okay, Mom?”
“I’m fine, but Zion could use that med kit. Can you see what’s keeping them so long?”
“Yeaaaaah... Sure, as long as there aren’t any non-angry noises coming from the living room.” Marlee’s footsteps fade away.
Blair smiles at me, but it doesn’t reach her eyes like it did before. I want to ask her what Marlee is insinuating, but it would be pushing too hard.
“Excuse me for what I’m about to do.” She smiles politely, then yells, “Eros, bring me the damn med kit.”
The throbbing pain echoes up my leg to my back, but it’s not as bad as when I stood. Being alone with Blair is better than a med kit, but I’m going to need it at some point.
Eros skids into the room. “Sorry, Blair. We were having a little family meeting.”
