Ocean's Surrender (2 page)

When she looked out the window again her expression was carefully placid. Jason was still chatting away, but now he was feeding his chickens. He reached down to pick up his favorite hen, a crazily tufted creature that was of exotic heirloom stock. Her brother’s big hands were incredibly gentle as he stroked the little creature, which instantly settled against his chest. They loved him right up to the moment he killed them, something that she used to admire.

But now, River’s greatest shame was that even she saw such actions differently. Nowadays, when Jason went out to prepare a chicken for their dinner, she could only see those big hands wrapped around a human head, and the efficiency with which her brother had taken another man’s life.

Tears blurred her eyes as the black dog came panting to lie across her and crush her. She tried to focus on the dressing, but her breath wouldn’t stop coming too fast and she was afraid she’d have a panic attack. Finally, River gave up and sat down on the kitchen floor, her arms crossed over her knees and her back bowed as she waited for the shivering to stop.

Every time I break down like this
, she reminded herself,
it’s a betrayal.

Jason may be a murderer, but it’s because I made him one.

Chapter Two

“I think it’s so cool he can turn into a seal. I mean, I had no idea that could happen. I mean, I knew there were werewolves and like vampires can turn into bats but like can you imagine turning into a seal? I’d love to swim like that. I’d like to fly too. What if you could be a seal and a bird? Swim and fly? Wow.”

River smiled as Jason stopped talking, his first silence of more than a few seconds since he’d come into the shop an hour ago. She looked over to find him sitting, as he often did, wrapped up in the fantasy he’d been recounting. Jason was blessed with a vivid imagination, hinting at the artist or writer he could have been if his umbilical cord hadn’t been wrapped around his neck at birth, cutting off his oxygen for just long enough to impair his mental faculties forever. So it was normal for him to create fantasy friends, although the exotic twist of making that friend a selkie was new. Someone must have told Jason about the seal shapeshifters, and he’d run with the mythology.

While Jason thought, River took a moment to redo her long, curly black hair back into the ponytail from which it had escaped. She also slid off her soft grey cardigan, one of a number of long-sleeved layers she wore, despite the relative warmth of the burgeoning spring. When the cardigan was off, she tied it around her waist before making sure her sleeves were entirely rolled down.

She hated it when people could see her scars.

“What would you rather do, River? Swim or fly?” he asked, finally, as if needing her to clarify the situation for him.

“I don’t know,” River said, placing one of her handmade candles, wrapped in pretty tissue paper for sale, on the shelf in front of her. She kept placing more candles as she thought through Jason’s question.

“I think flight, actually,” she said, eventually. “It would be wonderful to be able to go somewhere far away, and then be able to come back all on my own, and still have time to make you supper.”

She’d meant her words singly, but Jason’s face fell.

“I wish you didn’t have to always make me supper. I mean, I love your suppers, especially when you put the hot dogs in the macaroni and cheese, but I wish you could be anywhere you wanted and not always having to take care of me.”

Her heart breaking, River quickly replaced the candles she was stocking in the bag at her feet and went to her brother.

“Oh, Jason, I didn’t mean it that way. We’re family. We take care of each other, and you take just as good care of me as I do of you.”

Jason stared into his sister’s eyes. They had the same eyes–limpid and large as a doe’s, both the color of aged mahogany. Finally, he hugged her close. She was five foot four, a whole foot shorter than her brother, with a curvy build that still left him over one hundred pounds heavier. His hugs could have been crushing, but he was, as always, gentle.

“Okay, sis,” he said. “Whatever you say. You’re the boss, Tony Danza.”

She laughed again at the joke he’d made a thousand times, ever since he’d heard it in a movie.

“Now how about you help me stock these shelves?” she asked, changing the subject. “Your bees have been so busy I’ve got enough candles for a million tourists.”

He giggled like a small boy, a sound that could be disconcerting coming from his huge frame, and stood up from his customary stool in the corner of the store.

They worked companionably side by side for an hour, him smelling every candle before placing it on the shelf. She didn’t begrudge his attentions, however, as the candles were really a joint effort. He raised the bees that supplied the wax and the honey she used in her honey candy, and she raised the herbs and flowers that she used to scent the candles.

They stocked candles and set out the day’s fresh candy, then she set Jason to dusting the display cases filled with jewelry made by local artists. When she’d first moved to Eastport, her shop had only been for plants and flowers. But there just weren’t enough native Eastporters to support the store, so they’d expanded into the tourist market. Now her little shop sold her products, along with things like quilts, jewelry and Maine related goodies made by other area residents. She kept a small commission, and nobody who came in looking to buy a quilt or necklace ever left without some candy or a candle, so everyone won.

When all was set to rights and clean, she opened the shop. Jason took up his position in the corner, and slowly locals and tourists began to trickle in. All in all, it was a typical day in Eastport, something she no longer took for granted after their troubles of the last year.

Indeed, the day’s precious normality lulled her into a false sense of complacency, and it wasn’t until she saw their postman, Hector, standing outside of her door that she realized something was wrong.

“Jason, did you get the shop mail yesterday?” she asked.

“No, it didn’t come.”

“I didn’t think so. And it didn’t come the day before, either.”

After they’d lost their power once and their water service twice, she no longer took such “coincidences” for granted.

“Hey, Hector,” she said as she popped her head out of the window. “Any mail for us?”

River also passed Hector one of her honey candies, as she knew the postman, a wiry older man in his late fifties, had a sweet tooth.

“I was just going through my pack,” he said, pocketing the candy with a wink, “and no, I can’t find anything. But that’s not right. I’ve been missing your candy for at least three days, now. Lemme make a call.”

River stepped out onto the sidewalk to join Hector as he pulled out his cell and pressed a few buttons. She waved at Jason through the now closed door of the shop to let him know she was okay.

“I’m just checking on the Thibodaux’s mail…What? There’s a hold on it? She’s standing right here with me.”

River’s stomach flip-flopped, as it always did when confronted with the work of their harasser.

“No, it’s not supposed to be there,” Hector said, as River confirmed his words with a firm shake of her head. “Who ordered it?”

Silence as Hector listened.

“Done over the internet, huh? Great. Listen, if any more of this kind of stuff happens, ignore it unless you see River Thibodaux herself walk in and ask for it. I mean it. I don’t care if it’s not policy.” Hector’s voice fell. “You know what’s going on here, Sal.”

More silence. River stared down at her feet. Just like that, her and Jason’s perfectly normal day was shattered.

“All right, good. Cancel that hold and I’ll see you later. Bye.”

Hector shut his phone, looking uncomfortable.

“Sorry about that, River. Looks like there was a, er, hold put on your mail. But I’ll get it to you tonight, after work, no problem. It was probably our mistake.”

“It wasn’t your mistake,” River said quietly. “And it’s okay, you don’t need to bring it by tonight. Tomorrow, with the regular mail, is fine.”

Hector took a step towards River, putting his hand on her shoulder.

“Look, River, you know that we all support you. What happened with Trevor wasn’t your fault. And one of these days Rick’s going to give up, move on and leave you alone.”

River blinked furiously, trying to quell the tears in her eyes. A second later, Jason was there.

“You okay, River?” he asked. He always knew when she was upset, anyway, but he’d been able to see her through the window.

“Yes, Jason, everything’s fine. We’ll have our mail here tomorrow, thanks to Hector.”

Hector smiled at Jason, but it was a nervous smile. Even the nicest of their neighbors were a little bit afraid of Jason, nowadays.

That might actually hurt the most, River realized.

“Everything okay here?” came a new voice, from behind her. Her already knotted stomach flip-flopped again, but this time for an entirely different reason.

“Leo!” Jason shouted, like a delighted little boy, causing Hector to start.

Carefully schooling her features into a polite, but decidedly distant expression, River turned around to meet Leo’s warm hazel gaze.

And why did we give up men forever, again
? her body asked, as it always did when Leo was around. For a second, she couldn’t think of the reason to save her life.

“Hi, Leo,” Hector said, shaking the other man’s hand. That meant Leo’s eyes finally left hers, and she could breathe again.

And admire.

The paramedic looked as delicious as always in his uniform. Of mixed race, Leo’s skin was a honey-kissed cafe au lait, his flesh like dark velvet covering the hard lines of his lean, muscular body. His shoulder length hair, done up in a thick mass of small braids, was caught at the nape of his neck by a silver ring.

His features, meanwhile, were perfect. Masculine yet sensual, with a straight nose, strong jaw and the kind of full, firm lips that begged for kisses.

River only belatedly realized she was staring at those lips when Leo turned back towards her.

“I’ve come to take the big man out for lunch,” he said. “We’ve got things to discuss, you know.”

Jason nodded his head happily. “Manly things.”

“Yes, manly things. Over pizza and iced tea, as manly things should be discussed.”

“And chocolate ice cream?” Jason asked.

“Of course. Chocolate ice cream is a requirement for manly discussions.”

River found herself giggling, to her surprise. That didn’t happen much anymore, and, admittedly, the giggle sounded rusty.

Leo’s answering smile was pleased, and she felt a hot flush in her cheeks and much, much lower down.

Which only made her blush deepen.

“Well,” Hector said, “I’ve got to get back to my rounds. But it was nice seeing you, Leo. Take care, Jason, and sorry again for the misunderstanding, River.”

“What misunderstanding?” Leo asked, after Hector had walked away.

“Oh, nothing,” River said. “There was just a hold put on my mail, but now it’s cleared up.”

“Rick?” Leo asked, an edge to his voice.

“I’m sure it was just an accident,” River lied. Jason looked relieved, even if Leo remained skeptical. She could tell he wanted to say something more, but he glanced at Jason and stayed his tongue.

“We’ll talk later,” was all he said. She nodded, both dreading and anticipating a private conversation with the paramedic.

“Can we go?” Jason asked, in his friendly, blunt manner.

Leo laughed as he took a moment to take off his paramedic’s jacket. Underneath, his shirt was short-sleeved, showing off the tribal tattoos decorating both of his muscular arms.

River’s mouth watered, and she swallowed hastily.

“Let’s go, big man,” Jason said, but paused to look at River. “You sure you don’t want to come with us?”

“It’s men’s time,” Jason whined, even as River shook her head.

“No, you two go on. I’ll be fine.”

“Okay. But we’ll talk later, yeah?” Leo asked.

“Sure. You two have fun.”

“We will!” Jason practically shouted, inching away like a he was straining at an invisible leash.

“Bye, River,” Leo said, his hazel eyes touching her face like a caress. She suppressed a shiver, her own gaze dropping to his mouth.

“Bye, Leo.”

The two men walked away, and River’s fingers reflexively moved to her own lips. She touched them, regretfully.

They had, after all, once felt the touch of Leo’s own mouth. But she couldn’t remember any of it. The kiss hadn’t been romantic.

Leo had given her the kiss of life, bringing her back from the dead.

Chapter Three

“Ohmigod I’m so tired. That was awesome. We walked forever, River, like seriously forever. How many miles do you think we walked? Like a hundred? I bet like a hundred. Definitely like fifty. Wow.”

Jason flopped down on their sofa, hanging his long legs over the end so he didn’t have to take off his hiking boots but wouldn’t get them on the sofa.