Authors: Denise Townsend
Only then did Fen pull away to look into her eyes.
“Say it, River.” The command was implacable.
“It wasn’t my fault,” River said, her voice small and unsure.
Fen kissed her, letting his affection for her spill over them both. She didn’t believe what she’d just said, but it was a start.
And he had all night to keep convincing her.
Chapter Twelve
“You will have so much fun!” Jason shouted, prancing in place like a show pony he was so excited.
Fen looked at Jason affectionately, but River rolled her eyes.
“We’re just going to dinner,” she said, huffily, although she was really looking forward to the evening. She hadn’t been on a date since Trevor.
“And you will have so much fun!” Cue more prancing.
“Are you sure you don’t want to come with us?” River asked her brother.
“You’re joking, right? You two are going on a date. That’s gross.”
“It’s not gross, Jason. Fen and I are just friends.”
Jason gave her the Look. It was the one he usually gave people who spoke to him extra loud and slow like he was deaf, or who asked him if he needed help tying his shoes.
“Sure, Sis. Whatever you say. I’m gonna be totally fine. What I’m gonna do is, when you leave, I’m going to go right home. There’s tuna salad you made yesterday in the fridge, so I’m going to eat that. And then I’ll put my dishes in the sink. And then I’m going to watch the shows I DVRed, and then maybe a movie and then burn down the house.”
“Jason!”
“I mean, go to bed.” Her brother gave River a cheeky grin, doing another little happy shuffle. “I’ll be fine, and I’ll lock the doors, and you’ll have fun.”
“Well, then,” River said, laughing. “That’s a plan, then.”
She went into the back room to fetch her coat and make sure those doors were locked. Then she went back out into the store, where Fen helped her into her jacket like a gentleman. River couldn’t help but admire him in his jeans and green sweater. Not least because she knew they weren’t real, and that without the magic of his glamour he’d be walking around buck-naked but for his sealskin cloak. And no matter how good he looked in those glamoured jeans, she couldn’t wait to see him again in just his golden skin.
It was also strange having blue eyes looking at her, rather than black, and those fey features smoothed out into far blander, if handsome, human ones. But no matter what he looked like, he felt like Fen–his emotions projected at her speaking of the same quiet strength, gentleness and affection she’d grown used to.
Once they were outside, she made sure to lock both locks on the front door. Her encounter with Rick had reminded her that security was an issue, in a town where she hadn’t worried about her back door’s broken deadbolt for the first two years she’d owned the place. It made her sad how much things had changed, but that wasn’t a thought for tonight.
Tonight is about having fun, she thought, as she said good-bye to Jason and took Fen’s arm to lead him to their destination–the little restaurant on the water front that had a bar named after the Old Sow.
“You’re really going to like this place,” River told Fen. “It’s very Maine…all seafood, big portions. I imagine you eat a lot.”
Fen laughed. “Hey, I get a lot of exercise. Both in the water and on land,” he said teasingly, running the fingers of his free hand over hers, where it rested in the crook of his arm.
“Then we’d better keep your strength up, because tonight I…”
“River?” Someone asked, from behind her. Fen felt River’s emotions plunge into complete panic as she turned.
Ready to defend her, Fen stepped in front of her defensively, to protect her from the handsome man with dark skin and braids standing in front of them.
That River’s emotions had turned from panic to dread only made Fen more certain the man was a threat. And yet all the man was feeling was sadness so profound it must have been debilitating.
“Leo,” River said. “I thought you were working tonight.”
Oh
, Fen thought, realizing what had just happened.
It’s the man who saved her life. Whom she loves. Who just caught her out on a date.
A human might have done something stupid, at that point as there was so much emotion swirling around. Leo’s sadness was turning into anger, and River’s dread was turning into defensiveness at seeing Leo’s anger. But Fen was a selkie, used to working with the ever-changing moods of his ocean.
A couple of humans caught up in their own drama was child’s play for Fen.
“Oh,” Fen said, radiating friendliness and calm, as well as his genuine excitement at meeting Leo. “You’re Leo? River has told me so much about you. I was hoping I’d get to meet you, and here you are.”
Fen wasn’t lying, as he let both River and Leo feel. After all, Fen had been cooking up plans for the paramedic ever since River had mentioned him, but the selkie had thought it would take him at least a few weeks to get them off the ground. But here Leo was in the flesh. And Lord and Lady, did the man ever love River.
And she loved him, even if she wouldn’t let herself.
Leo’s eyes went to Fen, reflecting the human’s confusion. He’d been ready for a confrontation, and to learn that the woman he loved was ready to date again, just not him. Leo hadn’t expected Fen’s friendliness.
“And who are you?” Leo asked, trying to keep his voice polite, even if he couldn’t match Fen’s friendliness.
“I’m Fen. I’m a friend of River’s, just passing through.”
“Oh. Passing through?”
“Yes, definitely passing through. I’ve got other commitments, I’m afraid.”
Immediately Leo relaxed, if only marginally.
“Oh, well, sorry to hear that,” Leo lied. “But I should let you two get going. You have a good night.”
Leo prepared to walk away, without even speaking to River.
“Leo,” River said her voice rich with unspoken emotions.
“Yes, Leo, stop,” Fen said. “You should come out with us.”
“What?” the paramedic asked, giving Fen an incredulous look.
Instead of talking, Fen practically assaulted Leo with the seriousness of his offer.
“Yes, Leo,” River said, her voice almost pleading. “We’d love it if you came with us.”
She couldn’t believe she was saying that, but she also knew it was true. When Fen had first suggested Leo join them, River had thought the selkie was losing his mind. But then she knew it would be okay. On the one hand, she felt Fen’s desire to get to know Leo better. On the other, she also knew that if she let Leo walk away right now, something would be damaged between them. It wouldn’t be irreparable, but it would be there. And she was self-aware enough to know that she couldn’t repair damage in another relationship if she couldn’t even fix it in herself. Without Fen’s help, she was afraid that any rift between her and Leo would quickly become a divide.
But isn’t that what I want?
she thought.
To be free? To be left alone?
She couldn’t answer that question, right now, although even that indecision spoke volumes. But she did know she didn’t want to hurt Leo. Not like this. Not after everything he’d given her, with such generosity.
“Are you sure? I don’t want to be a third wheel.” Doubt laced Leo’s words, just as regret and the acrid tang of bitterness laced his emotions.
“You will certainly not be a third wheel,” Fen told the paramedic, making sure he felt Fen’s genuineness. “We really want you to come with us.”
Leo was pretty sure he was setting himself up for a fall, but he couldn’t help himself.
“Okay, if you’re sure.”
“Definitely,” Fen and River replied, as if on cue.
And then they set off, down to the pub, River walking between the two men–one dark, one light–who each had the kind of grip on her heart she’d sworn she’d never allow, ever again.
“To apologies,” River said, once she’d accepted the beer Fen gave her. He’d bought this round, although she didn’t want to know how he’d paid for them. Did that sealskin of his have pockets?
Both men looked at her curiously as they clinked their glasses with hers, taking a sip to complete the ritual.
“Leo, I have to apologize to you. I’m sorry about how I behaved at the bowling alley.”
“River, don’t worry about it. Rick had just attacked you. You weren’t yourself.”
Fen raised an eyebrow at the mention of Rick. He knew there had to be more to River’s story than just Trevor’s death, as something had specifically set her off the night before. Something that couldn’t have been Trevor, since he was dead.
“No, that’s no excuse for my behavior. I was a bitch to you, and all you were doing was watching my back. I’m sorry.”
“Well, apology accepted. And you know I always have your back.”
“I know,” River said, blushing and looking down at her beer.
It warmed the cockles of Fen’s heart, watching the two mortals together. But he was too curious not to interrupt the moment.
“Who’s Rick?” he asked.
“Oh, sorry,” River said. “It’s my night for saying sorry, apparently. We didn’t get to that part of the story, did we?”
Fen shook his head.
“Rick is Trevor’s younger brother. Ten years younger, actually. He’s just a boy.”
Leo rumbled his disapproval. “That’s definitely not an excuse.”
River shrugged, an odd choice of expression borne out of the frustration Fen felt rising within her.
“He’s eighteen now, River,” Leo chastised.
“And his brother died when Rick was seventeen. I can’t imagine that pain.”
Fen let the pair stare each other down for a bit, before interrupting.
“So what’s Rick been up to since his brother’s death?”
“He blames River and Jason,” Leo said, before River could respond. “He refuses to believe his brother was a fucking psycho, despite what he did to River. Rick thinks they manipulated Trevor into snapping, or that they faked the evidence or something. Even their parents admit Trevor had a mean streak, but Rick just won’t have it.”
“So what’s he been doing?”
“He won’t stop harassing her. He was supposed to go to college, but he postponed his enrollment to take some time to recover. Instead of recovering, however, he moved into his parent’s summer house and has been making a nuisance of himself ever since.”
“He’s hurting,” River said.
“He’s delusional. And he’s going to end up seriously hurting one of you, or ending up dead like Trevor.”
Leo’s words dropped like a bomb on the table. River looked haunted.
“What does he do to harass you?” Fen asked River gently.
“In the grand scheme of things, and compared to the loss of his brother, not that much,” River said, causing Leo to groan in exasperation. River shot the paramedic a caustic look. “He’s had the utilities cut off on my shop. Gummed the locks. Written some stuff, after he first moved back, on my windows. But it’s just all kid’s stuff, really.”
“Confronting you like that at the bowling alley was not kid’s stuff,” Leo said.
River didn’t respond.
Fen frowned. “Do you think it’s a situation of his behavior escalating, or what?”
“I think he wants to keep her prisoner. If he does that, he’s happy. As long as all she does is work and sleep, he’s okay just reminding her about what happened. Which is bad enough, since it wasn’t River’s fault Trevor’s dead, nor is it Jason’s. The guy was a fucking psycho.”
“Leo,” River said, her emotions warring inside of her. Fen cheated a bit then by letting her feel what Leo was feeling, a heady combination of emotions all based on his anger at how River had been hurt, and his implacable promise never to let her get hurt like that again.
River stared at Leo, her eyes wide, and when Leo spoke that time, it was just for her.
“What he did to you. The way you looked when we got there…”
River placed a hand on Leo’s, where it lay on the table. This time, Fen didn’t interrupt their silence.
“Anyway, Rick’s not here right now, and I don’t want him ruining our night,” River said, pulling her hand away from Leo’s with a gentle caress. Fen saw and smiled.
“You’re right,” Leo replied. “And I’m hungry.”
“You’re always hungry.” Leo shot River a withering look at her reply, then picked up the menu lying in front of them.
The three ordered and ate, talking companionably the whole time. Fen asked most of the questions, no doubt because he didn’t want too many asked of him. He’d told Leo he worked at sea, and had known River for “long enough”, and some other vague answers that didn’t really satisfy the paramedic. But Fen was also radiating such good natured honesty that Leo didn’t feel he needed to pry. It also helped that Fen made Leo constantly aware that he wasn’t a threat by letting the other man feel that Fen’s affection for River held not a trace of possessiveness.
In fact, they managed to close the bar out without even noticing. The conversation was good, and the chemistry between the three was undeniable. It was with real regret that Leo said he had to get home, as an early shift awaited him tomorrow morning.