Riptide [Kismet Cove] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)

by Susan Hayes

  “Well, if you’re all right with crying in front of me and a bunch of coffee-addicted strangers, I think you should read it now.” Vivian reached out for Jess’s hand and squeezed it. “If you don’t, it’s just going to burn a hole in your pocket.”

  Jess blew out a short breath and pulled the envelope out of her jacket. Her mother had written Jess’s name on the front in her elegant script, and Jess felt a pang just looking at it.

  “Here goes nothing,” she muttered and gently unsealed it, careful not to tear the paper.

  My darling Jess,

  By now your father will have told you that he’s giving you the cabin. It was something we’ve been discussing since the divorce, and I know he’ll do right by my memory and fulfill my last request.

  I know you’re hanging in there, Jess. But I also know how hurt you were by your father’s actions. He’s a good, decent man, and I hope one day you can forgive him. I already have.

  My last request for you is one I’ll hope you’ll honor. I want you to go to Tofino and spend the winter at your new cabin. You gave up so much of yourself and your energy taking care of me and coping with everything, I want you to rest. You need time to heal, my little one, go to the cabin and take care of yourself for once. I’ve always regretted that I stopped taking you there. I should never have done that. You were always happiest there.

  There’s only one other thing I want you to do for me. Your father should have given you a box along with this letter. Bring the box and its contents with you to Tofino, along with my ashes. I would like them scattered into the ocean by the cabin. As for what’s in the box, I have faith you will know what to do with it when the time comes.

  My greatest wish is that you have a happy life. I will always be nearby, watching over you.

  Love,

  Mom

  Jess’s cheeks were wet with tears by the time she finished the letter, and without a word she handed it to Vivian and dove into her purse to grab a handful of slightly dusty tissues. By the time Jess’s eyes were dry, Vivian was tearing up and Jess just handed her one of her less sodden tissues.

  “You were the one who said to read it now.” Jess laughed very softly as she saw how puffy Vivian’s eyes had gotten.

  “Yeah, well when did you start listening to my advice? You know I’m not to be trusted.” Vivian blotted her eyes and then carefully folded up the note before handing it back to Jess. “So I guess that’s decided then, you’re going to the cabin.”

  “Since everyone I know seems to think I should be there, I guess I am spending the winter on the west coast.”

  “Lucky you, no snow to shovel.”

  “Cheer up, Viv. I’m officially inviting you to come visit me for the holidays. We can celebrate our first green Christmas together.”

  Vivian brightened immediately. “Oh that’ll be so much fun! You and me and a town full of rugged outdoorsmen. I may never leave.” Vivian shot Jess an encouraging grin. “And when I get there, I bet you’ll have a new manuscript for me to read. I know you haven’t been writing much lately.”

  Jess wrinkled her nose and sighed. “I’d be happy to have written anything at all by then. The words just won’t come these days.”

  “That’s because you need a change. This is all part of your destiny, you’ll see.” Vivian drained the last off her coffee and pushed back her chair. “Let’s get started.”

  * * * *

  Rory slammed both hands down on the table, making his mother jump in her chair. “What part of this are you not understanding, Dad? You can’t make me marry anyone, and it will be a cold day in Hell before I would agree to spend the rest of my life with that ice-princess you seem to want for a daughter-in-law.”

  “Damn it, Rory, grow up! You know the laws. You can’t inherit if you don’t take a selkie mate from one of the old bloodlines. Those are the rules, son. I didn’t make them, but I surely will enforce them, and so will you when your time comes to lead this colony.” Darius crossed his arms across his chest and glowered at his only son.

  “Well, if the only way to get to lead the colony is by marrying that harpy, then you better start looking for another heir apparent.” Rory kicked back his chair and started pacing, covering the distance of the kitchen in a few long strides as he tried for the hundredth time to make his father see reason when it came to finding him a wife.

  “That law was made centuries ago, when things were very different than they are now. For fuck’s sake, we didn’t even live on land back then!”

  “Language please, Rory.” His mother spoke softly, sadness filling her eyes as she watched father and son fighting yet again.

  “Sorry, Mom,” Rory took a deep breath and tried to rein in his anger. He knew it wasn’t going to get him anywhere to rail at his father. They were too much alike for that to do any good. “Dad, I know you want to follow the old ways, and I respect that, really I do. But you have to admit, the pickings out there are pretty damned slim. There just aren’t that many of us left.”

  “I know.” Darius sighed and relaxed slightly, though his arms stayed crossed over his chest. “We lost access to too many of the old bloodlines during my father’s time.”

  Evan stayed silent, but Rory could see his blood-brother nodding his blond head in agreement. Evan refused to consider himself part of the family despite the bonding between the two of them, and he never spoke up during the inevitable fights that seemed to crop up every time Rory and his father were in the same room for more than a few minutes.

  “You are not your father, Darius,” Emma reached out to take her husband’s hand. “You’ve done so much for this colony and made things so much better than they were.” She glanced over at Rory and he saw the reproach in her eyes. “Rory, I know this isn’t easy, but there are only so many changes a leader can make before it starts to be too much for people to deal with. If we could change things for you, we would. Neither of us wants to see you or Evan unhappy.”

  “If you do this, I will be unhappy. We both will.” Everyone at the table blinked in surprise when Evan spoke up, and Rory stopped his pacing to listen. “Rory and I just need more time to find our match, and believe me, Renee isn’t the one. If Rory doesn’t drown her within the first week, I will. She’s an unbelievably nasty little bitch.” Evan’s gaze flicked from Rory to Emma and he added, “Sorry for cursing, but it really is the only word that describes her.”

  “I see,” Darius mused, his tone thoughtful. “That bad, is she?”

  Rory nodded, afraid to speak in case it broke the spell Evan seemed to have cast over the room. If his blood-brother had just gotten them both out of marrying Renee Harris, Rory was going kiss his feet and then take him out for a night on the town, and to hell with the expense.

  “If she’s so bad not even Saint Evan can put up with her, then I suppose I won’t force the issue.” Darius pointed a finger at Rory and Evan. “But the two of you need to find someone to bond with, and soon.” Darius glanced at his wife and gave her a wink and a grin that made him look years younger. “We are hoping to have a few years with our grandchildren, if you ever get around to giving us any.”

  Rory let out a sigh of relief and mustered a smile for his parents. “Thank you.”

  “Just get on with it son, you’re thirty-one years old. If you sew any more wild oats, you’ll be a farmer instead of a fisherman.”

  Evan snorted with laughter and Rory actually felt his ears get hot as even his mother burst into gales of laughter. “All right, I’ll get on with it. But for the record, Evan’s two years older than I am and I am damned sure he’s sewn enough oats to start a cereal company already.”

  “Nonsense, our Evan is the sweetest boy I know.” Emma beamed at her son’s companion before looking back at Rory. “You’re the wicked one, Rory Frazier. Just like your father.”

  As Rory and Evan headed out to their truck a few minutes later, Rory shot his best friend and blood-brother a dirty look.

  “Evan’s the sweetest boy I know.” He mimick
ed his mother’s gushing tone and rolled his eyes. “How the hell do you do that? You drink like a fish and have more notches on your bedpost than one man should legally be allowed to have. I’ve had to bail you out of the drunk-tank so often I should get frequent flyer miles, and she thinks you’re the good one!”

  “Easy.” Evan brushed his sandy blond bangs out of his eyes and chuckled as he climbed into the passenger side of the truck. “I smile and you’re always frowning. I stay quiet and listen while you always have to be heard. Oh yes, and I don’t curse in front of your mother.”

  “Smart ass,” Rory grumbled as he started the truck and backed onto the gravel road that connected all the residences sprawled around their collective home.

  “If you’re done insulting me, I’m still waiting for my thank you for saving us from the misery of being married to that bitch from the Haida Gwaii colony.”

  Rory grinned over at his best friend. “I’m going to do more than say thank you. Tomorrow night you and I are going to drive into town and celebrate our freedom, however fleeting it may be.”

  “Breakers?” Evan grimaced. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. Trish is still mad at me.”

  “Serves you right, too. Tucker warned you about hitting on his staff, but you just couldn’t keep your hands to yourself.” Rory laughed as he pulled into their driveway and shut off the motor. “You earned that beer shower. But no, I didn’t mean Breakers. You and I are going to drive over to Nanaimo and enjoy ourselves. My treat.”

  “Holy shit, you’re spending real money on me? You really are happy that your dad agreed to forget about marrying Renee.” Evan hopped out and headed for the house the two of them shared. “I’m holding you to the celebration idea, but honestly I did it for my sanity, not just yours. That bitch would barely give me the time of day. I’m fine with sharing, but I have no plans on being celibate for the next sixty years!”

  “And I would rather be celibate than face a lifetime of sharing a bed with a woman who could give frostbite to a penguin.” Rory followed Evan inside and went to the fridge to grab them both a beer.

  “So how long do you think we have to find a compatible mate?” Evan asked as he cracked open the bottle and flung himself into the nearest piece of furniture.

  “Not long. We better start praying for a miracle.”

  “And you better learn to start smiling, or you’re going to scare them all off,” Evan teased and took a drink.

  “I do just fine with the ladies, thank you very much.”

  “Oh sure, and every one of them was human and short-term only. We’re selkies, we’ve been seducing human women for centuries, they’re easy. I’m talking about wooing a selkie mate.”

  “It can’t be that difficult. If my father managed it, anyone can.”

  Evan burst out laughing. “You really should ask your mom about that one day. It’s a fascinating story. She made your dad and Torin work their asses off before she agreed to marry them.”

  “What? I never heard that story. How the hell did you know that and I didn’t?” Rory stretched out on the couch and downed his beer, shooting daggers at Evan the whole time.

  “See? This is why she thinks I’m a sweetheart. I actually listen to her. You should try it sometime. It may make the difference between us getting married to a compatible mate and us spending the rest of our lives with the likes of Renee.” Evan shuddered.

  “I’ll abdicate first,” Rory vowed.

  “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. I’m supposed to be the bonded blood-brother of the next colony leader. I have great plans to live a life of luxury while you see to running things one day.”

  “Nice to know you’ve got ambitions of your own,” Rory muttered.

  Evan just grinned. “Drink your beer. You need to get your liver primed for what we’re going to do to it tomorrow night.”

  Chapter 2

  Jess stepped out of the terminal and immediately regretted that she hadn’t thought to pack an umbrella. Everything was shrouded in fog and it was raining. By the time Jess found her car her hair was plastered to her skin and she knew she was going to look like a drowned rat when she met with the realtor to get the keys to her new home. A drowned rat with purple streaks in her hair. What the hell was I thinking letting Vivian near my hair after we’d been into the tequila!

  She started the car and then fiddled with the seat adjustments until she could comfortably reach the pedals. “In my next life, I want to be a long-legged redhead,” she muttered and then laughed. With her luck that would mean she’d be reincarnated as an Irish Setter.

  The fog got thicker as she drove through the heavily forested area to her new home. She was straining to see the road at all when a darker shape appeared out of the mist and she had to hit the brakes and swerve onto the shoulder of the road to avoid a collision.

  “Holy shit!” Jess swore as the shape came close enough for her to recognize what it was. “Oh my god, there’s a deer in the middle of the road,” Jess muttered, suddenly aware that she was a long way from downtown Toronto.

  Amazement slowly faded to irritation as Jess realized that her unscheduled wildlife encounter was going to make her late. She was supposed to meet Nadine, the realtor, at the cabin at four o’clock, and time was growing short. Uncertain how one got a deer to move along, she flashed her high beams a few times. Nothing. Shit. Feeling foolish, Jess rolled her window down halfway, getting wet all over again as she leaned out and yelled at the deer. “Hey Bambi, move it! Go on, shoo!”

  The deer startled at the noise and went bounding off the road and out of sight. “And so begins Jess’s grand country adventure.”

  She made it to the cabin only a few minutes late, and was relieved to see she’d beaten the realtor. Leaving her things in the car, Jess got out and made a dash for the porch, trying to dodge the heavier raindrops that were starting to come down.

  The place looked familiar and yet different at the same time, and Jess’s head was flooded with memories as she walked around the wraparound porch. The old, heavy driftwood picnic table still sat in the middle of the small back lawn, but beyond it was a gazebo that looked out over the small, mist-shrouded headland that marked the edge of the property.

  “Is that a hot tub?” Jess wondered aloud as she managed to spot what looked like a vinyl cover jutting just above the gazebo walls despite the fact it was nearly dark now.

  “Yes, it is. Sorry to interrupt your exploration. I’m Nadine.”

  Jess spun around and was met by a sight she knew would have to make it into one of her books, if only she could find the words. Nadine was wearing a lime green and hot-pink poncho that looked like it had been handwoven, and a matching hat that was so long the end was wrapped around her neck like a scarf and still had enough length to trail down to her waist. She was wearing a pair of bright pink duck boots and Jess could have sworn the woman’s pink lipstick had been selected because it was an exact match to the rest of her ensemble.

  “Hi Nadine, it’s nice to meet you.” Jess managed to avoid giggling as she offered the woman her hand in greeting.

  “Your father kept the place very well maintained, and I think you’ll find it’s been vastly improved since you were here as a child. I understand it’s been more than twenty years since your family last used the place. There’s a gas fireplace, a modern kitchen, and of course, the hot tub and storm watching gazebo.” Nadine took Jess’s arm and led her around to the front of the house again. “Do you want me to give you the tour? Or would you like to settle in and relax? The keys are on the table, and I put a casserole in the fridge last night, so you have dinner all ready for you. I didn’t think you’d feel like going grocery shopping after all that travelling. Oh, and I baked you some brownies for dessert. I hope you like chocolate!”

  Jess blinked at Nadine in shock. “You made me dinner and brownies?”

  “Why, of course, dear. I just hated the idea of you having to drag yourself out to the store again tonight. Goodness, do you even know wh
ere the store is? There’s the shops in Tofino of course, but if you need a carton of milk or an ice cream fix one night, then Jo-Jo’s is just up the road to your left about a kilometer of so.”

  “That’s so nice of you, thank you so much!” Jess felt a little overwhelmed by Nadine’s kindness and she caught herself tearing up. Her mother would have liked Nadine. They were both good-hearted women.

  “Well, I’ve been taking care of this place for nearly a decade now, and even though I never met your parents, we certainly talked on the phone enough that I considered them friends. Now I know you’ve had a tough time of it, so if you need anything, you just call me, all right? I’ve kids of my own and I know I’d want someone to be looking after my girls if they were a long way from home.” Nadine patted Jess’s arm. “I’ve left a list of contact numbers by the phone, the one at the top is mine. My husband, George, is the local handyman, and he’s been the one looking after things here and seeing to the hot tub. If you like, we can just keep doing that for you.”

  “Oh, yes, please!” Jess sniffled and suddenly found herself engulfed in a wet, wooly hug. “We’re a bit different out here on the west coast, dear, but you’ll find we take care of our own, and since you’re going to be living here for the next while, you’re part of the family.”

  Nadine hugged her again and then released her so quickly Jess nearly stumbled over backward. “Now, get your things and get in out of this weather. Umbrellas are by the door, and next time you’re in town, you find yourself a proper raincoat or you’ll catch your death of cold.”

  With that, Nadine was off, striding through the puddles toward a bright-green Volkswagen camper van that was older than Jess. As it wheezed to life Jess made a dash for her car and had her luggage on the porch before Nadine had made it to the end of the driveway. With an asthmatic honk of her horn, she turned onto the road and vanished out of sight.