Sea of Memories

by Kelly Risser

  She added the last part with an air of defiance, staring into his eyes, her own narrowed. Did she think he would challenge her? In reality, he was too surprised to say anything. She was so very young.

  When he remained quiet, she jerked her chin at him and asked, “How old are you?”

  “I’m older than you think.” He raised an eyebrow and tried not to smile. She was all feisty in a cute, petite package. Too bad her youth and innocence put her completely off limits. “Too old for you.”

  “What are you? Twenty-two?” She scoffed and smirked, covering the look of hurt he saw flash across her face. Frowning, she tilted her head to study him more closely. “You can’t be older than thirty, and that’s pushing it.”

  He crossed his arms and stared at her before nodding and lifting his hand to tell her to keep going up in numbers.

  “No way!” She bumped him with her bag as she fled past, calling back over her shoulder, “If you’re not interested, just say so. You don’t have to lie!”

  He heard the tremble in her voice and realized he’d really upset her without intending to. “Sharon, wait!”

  It was too late. She sped away in a compact blue car.

  That could’ve gone better, he chided himself on the walk back to the inn. She was a nice girl. He didn’t mean to hurt her feelings. Still, maybe it was for the best. He had a job to do, and she would be a distraction. Not to mention, she was human. He had no business messing with a human. It would never work out.

  Several weeks passed, and David was no further ahead than when he arrived at Peggy’s Cove. Here or there, he’d pick up a tease of the scent, only to have it dissipate into nothing—one dead end after another. It felt like a game. Was the killer playing with him? How would he even know David was tracking him or who, or what, David was? No, he was being paranoid. Or was he? To be safe, he watched his back.

  Sharon seemed to be avoiding him. It was Lydia who brought clean linens or anything else he requested. When he did catch a glance of Sharon, she quickly ducked into a room and closed the door. It was obvious she wanted nothing to do with him. He didn’t think it would bother him, but it did. While they couldn’t become involved romantically, he saw no reason why they couldn’t be friends. He was trying to seek her out and make amends, but it was impossible with her running the other way every time she saw him.

  There was a soft rap at his door, and he opened it to find Lydia standing with a stack of towels. She looked a little flushed, and there were bags beneath her eyes. Still, she managed to smile brightly as she held out the towels. “As you requested. Can I take any used items away?”

  “That would be great. Please come in.” He tucked the towels under his arm and held the door for her, letting it close once she stepped past. She started to head into the bathroom, when he stopped her. “Please sit. I’d like to ask you something, and you look like you could use a rest.”

  She chuckled and sat in the chair meant for reading. “Is it that obvious? Are you telling me I look bad?”

  He lowered himself onto the edge of the bed, facing her. “Not bad, just tired. How far along are you? Are you feeling alright?”

  Her hand went to her belly, which was only slightly swollen. “How did you know?”

  “I have been around many a woman with child.” He smiled at her. “I know the signs.”

  With wide eyes, she gawked at him. “You don’t have one, do you?”

  “No,” he said, and she looked relieved. “But I am the oldest of seven. I’ve even seen my own mum pregnant many times.”

  “You have an accent,” she said, changing the subject. “I hadn’t noticed before.”

  “I’m from Scotland,” he said. “My mother was from here, which is probably why my accent’s not obvious.”

  “Was?”

  He nodded. “She’s dead.”

  “I’m sorry.” She rubbed her belly absentmindedly, stretching her legs in front of her. “It feels good to sit. I had no idea how tired I would feel, and I still have months to go.” She looked up at him, seeming to remember his earlier question. “I’m due in August.”

  He had guessed correctly that she was due around the time of the Dispute Moon. “Does your husband work at the inn too? I haven’t met him yet.”

  She shook her head. “He’s in sales and travels a lot. Occasionally, he stops by to visit with my parents, but it’s been a while since we last got together for a family dinner.”

  “Rest,” David ordered as he stood. “I’ll put these away and gather the used towels.”

  It only took him a few minutes, but she already looked better when he handed her the pile. “Take frequent breaks,” he told her. “Your body is working overtime right now.”

  “Yes, Doctor,” she teased and turned to leave.

  “Lydia?”

  She twisted to look back at him. “Yes?”

  “Can you put in a good word for me with Sharon?” He shuffled, feeling nervous although he didn’t know why. “I think I may have offended her, and I’d really like to be friends.”

  “Hmm…” She studied him for a moment before nodding slowly. A small, mischievous smile flitted across her face, and he wondered what it meant. “I’ll see what I can do.”

  “Thank you.”

  After she left, he grew restless. Odds were that even if she talked to Sharon today, she wouldn’t stop by to see him. He doubted she would get over her hurt that quickly, even knowing that he was sorry for doing it.

  He took his seal skin from the closet and put it on. Now was as good a time as any to check back in with his grandparents. He could transport there, but it would be more fun and relaxing to go for a swim. Too many days had passed since he was last in the ocean, and he was feeling the effects of it.

  Grandma? He’d used the necklace a few times to check in with her, but he didn’t do it daily. It had been a few days since they last spoke.

  She responded quickly. Hi, David. How are you?

  Good. Can you handle one more for dinner? Although he could catch fresh fish, he did enjoy his grandmother’s cooking. The spring air was still rather cold, and a hot meal sounded delicious after surviving on beef sticks, cheese, and fruit most days.

  You are always welcome, she said. We’d be happy to have you.

  I’ll be there in a couple of hours. That gave him ample time to get some exercise and work off some of his frustration from weeks of no progress.

  He stepped out the door and came face to face with Sharon. She seemed just as surprised to see him as he was to see her.

  “You’re going out?” Unless he was mistaken, he though she sounded disappointed when she asked the question.

  “For the evening,” he said. “I’ll be back late.”

  “Oh.” She looked down at her toes and didn’t seem like she was going to say more.

  “I’m not sure if Lydia told you or not—”

  “She did,” Sharon blurted, and then turned a furious shade of red after she realized she had interrupted him.

  David ignored her embarrassment, even though he found it endearing. “Well, I’ll say it myself anyway. I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings. I didn’t mean to. I’d like for us to be friends.”

  “I’d like that too.” She met his eyes again, smiling shyly. “I was going to ask you if you’d like to come over for dinner, but, uh, I see you already have plans.”

  “I do,” he said, although he felt disappointed. It would be nice to spend time getting to know her if they were going to be friends. “Maybe another day?”

  “Saturday?” she pressed. “I’m sure my mom would be fine with having company. She usually makes an extravagant meal on the weekends. My mom’s a great cook.”

  “Saturday…” He wracked his brain. In reality, he wasn’t sure what day it was. In his world, they tracked more to moon cycles than days of the week.

  “Two days from now,” Sharon added, blushing again. “I know you’ve been busy. You’re gone a lot.” She paused. “Not that I noticed. I mean, Ly
dia told me.”

  “Hmm,” he made a non-committal noise, grateful she continued to ramble. He didn’t want to divulge what he did during the day. Outside of his family, no one could know the real reason he was here. “I believe I am free. I would love to join you for dinner. Where do you live?”

  “Do you have a car?” she asked. “I haven’t seen one.”

  “No, I walk everywhere mostly. This town is not that big.”

  “It’s not,” she agreed. “But we’re far enough from the inn. I’ll pick you up. Is five okay?”

  “I will be ready.” He would need to pay attention to the time that day. Normally, he ignored clocks. He found the constant tracking of minutes and hours annoying.

  “Great. I’ll see you then.” She started walking backward away from him. “I better get back to work. Love your jacket by the way.” Spinning around, she scurried away.

  ****

  David debated what to wear. Although he could pretty much visualize anything, it didn’t help when he had no idea what image to go for. He didn’t want to appear as if he were trying too hard. This was an outing with a friend, not a date. On the other hand, he was meeting Sharon’s parents. If humans were like Selkies, parents were shown respect, and therefore, he should try to make a good impression.

  In the end, he settled on black slacks and a white button-down shirt. He left the top button open, and rolled the cuffs on the shirt. It was a compromise of dressy and casual. Black leather shoes completed the look. Unfortunately, he couldn’t change the color of his seal skin, but it was acceptable for a jacket to not match the outfit. He learned that when he saw Sharon pair her pink, puffy coat with an orange dress underneath. It was bright, but definitely not matched.

  When the clock displayed five minutes to the top of the hour, he headed down to the front hall to wait for Sharon. He didn’t need to wait—she was already there, talking to Lydia. Her eyes widened slightly when she saw him. “You look nice.”

  “Thanks,” he said. “You do as well.”

  She wore her usual pink monstrosity, but her hair was held up in a complicated style, and she wore a long, black skirt and heels. He could only assume her top was just as nice as the rest of it.

  “Are you ready?” she asked. When he nodded, she turned to Lydia. “See you later. Leave the door open for David, okay?”

  “It’s always unlocked until ten PM.” Lydia’s blonde brows rose. “Unless you’re planning to come back later?”

  “Ten is fine,” Sharon murmured, a blush rising on her cheeks. David liked that about her. The way her face flamed at the littlest thing. It was cute.

  The drive was pleasant. They talked about the usual safe topics—the weather, the locals, and the inn. Sharon was throwing Lydia a baby shower in June, with help from Lydia’s mom, Carol, whom he had only met once. She ran the kitchen and managed the operations, but she seemed to let Lydia and the rest of the staff handle most of the guest interactions.

  Sharon was right. The walk would’ve taken too long for a human. Well, for him, too, because he couldn’t transport without knowing exactly where he was transporting to. He’d heard of Selkies that tried, and they always got lost, ending up way out of the way of where they wanted to go.

  He realized he hadn’t heard the last five minutes of what she said. The talk of decorations, games, and baby things didn’t interest him too much. Thankfully, she seemed content to talk and not too worried about getting a reaction from him. When she stopped, he felt the need to fill the silence. “Thanks for picking me up,” he said.

  “My pleasure.” She gave him a quick smile before turning her eyes back to the road. “We’re almost there. My parents live closer to the cove because Dad’s a fisherman.”

  Her father was a man of the sea. That didn’t really surprise David. It seemed to be the main source of income in this town. “What about your mom?” he asked.

  “Stays home. Tends the garden when the weather is nice. She helps at the inn sometimes, too. Cooking and baking, mostly.” Sharon turned into a gravel driveway that wasn’t much wider than her car. As they came around a curve, David saw a small home shingled in red cedar. The trim and shutters were cream colored. A screened-in porch on the right side faced the ocean. The lawn was neatly trimmed, but the gardens burst with flowers of all colors and sizes. It was a welcoming sight. If houses had personality, this one was definitely well loved and happy.

  Sharon stopped the car and gave him a nervous smile. “This is it. Home.”

  He wondered why she seemed nervous. “It’s very nice,” he said. “I like the flowers.”

  “That’s all Mom. Tell her that and she’ll love you instantly.” Sharon opened the car door to get out, so David followed suit. He trailed behind her to the front door, but stepped past when she held it open for him.

  “We’re here!” Sharon called out.

  The front entrance consisted of a small bench with a coat hook above it. Sharon removed her jacket and hung it on one of the empty pegs. She slipped off her shoes and left them by a few other pairs on a throw rug.

  A woman with full hips and a wide smile stepped into the hall. Her hair was a reddish brown, wavy where Sharon’s was curly. They had the same eyes, though, and the resemblance between them was unmistakable.

  “David!” The woman pulled him into a hug. “Welcome to our home!”

  He patted her back, feeling uncomfortable and unused to human affections. Sharon rolled her eyes and scolded, “Mom, he just got here. You don’t need to hug everyone who comes in the house.” To David, she said, “This is my mother, Mary.”

  “Nice to meet you,” he said. As politely as possible, he untangled himself from her arms.

  Mary beamed up at him. “I’m sure he doesn’t mind. Do you, David?”

  Before he could respond, Sharon took her mother’s arm and pulled her back. “Mo-om.”

  The space helped David breathe a little easier. Humans always surprised him, and he preferred to keep a comfortable distance. Although, Mary smelled delicious. He didn’t recognize all the scents, but herbs, butter, and garlic were noticeable. She must have been in the process of finishing dinner preparations.

  “What?” Mary shook her head at her daughter, although she stayed by her side. “Come in the kitchen. Dinner is almost ready.” She started to walk away and then stopped. “Leave your coat here, David. Make yourself at home.”

  “Is Daddy home?” Sharon asked as she followed her mom. David was a little surprised she didn’t wait for him, but she probably figured it wouldn’t take long to hang a jacket. He heard Mary reply that Sharon’s father would be home soon. David continued to stand in the hall and debate with himself. On one hand, he’d prefer to keep his seal skin on his person. On the other, he knew humans frowned on wearing coats indoors. It wouldn’t do to look like he was going to bolt out of the house right after the meal.

  Sharon stopped and looked over her shoulder. “Are you coming, David?”

  “Coming,” he repeated, quickly hanging his skin on the empty peg next to her coat. What could possibly happen to it there?

  The main room was small and cozy. It had a long couch in blue and tan plaid, two navy recliners, several end tables, and a television. The TV was currently off, which was how he preferred it. Even the one in his hotel room gave him a headache after a few minutes. The idea of watching moving pictures for entertainment was foreign to most Selkies. Great-Uncle Angus had a penchant for human inventions and taught David about them. Televisions, cars, telephones, and even video games—Angus was interested in them all and shared his knowledge with his nephew. If David hadn’t already known about human lifestyle, he would’ve been very lost during his stay on land.

  While he glanced around the room, the women stepped through a doorway on his left. The room was painted a bright and cheery yellow, and the cabinets and appliances were all pristine white. Sharon set plates on the table while Mary went back to check the oven and the pots simmering on the stovetop.

  “Can I h
elp with anything?” he asked.

  Mary made a harrumph noise and gestured to a chair. “You can have a seat. You’re our guest. The first one Sharon’s brought home.” Mary beamed at her daughter, while Sharon turned a lovely shade of rose. “Can we offer you something to drink? Ice tea, maybe?”

  “Just water, please.” He learned a long time ago that he didn’t appreciate the taste of most human drinks. Sharon filled a glass with ice and water, placing it in front of him. “Thank you.”

  He tried to catch her eye, but she turned away to get the napkins and silverware. She was probably still embarrassed by her mother’s words. David wondered if Mary was always so forthright or if she just liked to tease her daughter. Sharon didn’t seem to appreciate it at all.

  The front door opened and the sound of heavy boot steps followed. Sharon glanced quickly at him, and then toward the main room. David wasn’t sure if he should stand or continue to sit. The decision was made when he saw the giant of a man who was Sharon’s father. Jumping to his feet, David swallowed nervously.

  “Who’s this?” Sharon’s father asked, waving a large hand in his direction.

  “Dad, that’s David,” she said. “You knew he was coming to dinner. David, this is my father, Jamie.”

  “Nice to meet you, sir.” David held out his hand and tried not to wince as Jamie crushed it in his own.

  “Jamie’s fine,” he said gruffly and took his seat at the head of the table. Once he was seated, David felt he could sit again. The man had an imposing presence.

  Mary set a basket of bread on the table and kissed Jamie’s cheek. “How was work, dear?”

  “Good day!” Jamie gave her a warm smile, which did wonders to make him less intimidating. “Even if I don’t catch anything the rest of the week, I’m ahead.”

  “Wonderful.” She set more dishes on the table. One contained potatoes, and another, green vegetables. David wasn’t sure what kind, but they looked tasty. The last item she placed was an oval platter on the center of the table. On it was something shaped like a loaf of bread, but it appeared to be ground meat covered in a thick, red paste of sorts.