“I think I’ll be fine so long as I can arrange transportation. I’m fairly good at finding my way around on my own. I’m used to it.”
“No wife back home missing you?” Jolie asked; then it was her turn to clamp her mouth shut when her sister shot her a look.
“Oh, um, no. I’m single. Much to my parents’ chagrin.” Ted smiled easily, and the moment passed.
“Don’t I know it,” Irma said, looking at both her daughters.
“We have time yet, Mother,” Mirra said, while Jolie dropped her eyes to her plate and found her own cheeks burning. It wasn’t like her to feel shy or uncomfortable around a man. This… this was different. It all felt outside her comfort zone. Was this what love was?
“You have all the time in the world. You know I’ll never push anyone on you.” Irma smiled at them both. “I think it’s important you find your own way.”
“She says that now, but I bet in five years she gets a lot more pushy,” Jolie said, and smiled when Ted let out another robust laugh. It warmed her to know she’d made him laugh, and she wanted to do it again.
“I might. We’ll see. Jolie, can you take Ted to town tomorrow?”
“I can. Do you want to rent a scooter or a truck? I’d recommend a truck, but I’m not sure of your budget.”
“A truck would be perfect. I imagine there are a few off-road spots here that’ll be tricky for a scooter.”
“Great; it’s a date.” Jolie almost slapped a hand over her mouth.
“Right,” Ted said, nodding and not meeting her eyes. “I’ll plan for it.”
At that, Jolie gave up and downed her glass of wine. She’d embarrassed herself enough for one evening.
Chapter 5
Ted had excused himself after dinner, claiming tiredness from his travels – but in truth, he was revved. It was like his blood was humming underneath his skin and he wasn’t sure what to do about it. If it hadn’t been night, he would have jumped in the ocean and swum until the anxious feeling dissipated and he was once more at peace.
God, he’d been such an idiot at dinner. Groaning, Ted poured himself a glass of wine from the bottle that had been stocked in the room, and dropped into the chair on the balcony. The moon, halfway through its monthly turn, shed enough light to sprinkle diamonds across the dark water. Ted wiped a hand over his face and took a slug of the wine before propping his feet on the wall of the balcony and letting his head fall back to look up at the stars.
He’d just had to talk about the mermaids.
Aside from his students, nobody in his life could really understand his fascination with mythology – specifically mermaid mythology. He’d learned to change the subject at dinner parties after going on one too many tangents about some historical tidbit he’d recently uncovered in his research. Now, he typically managed his social anxiety by being the one to ask questions of everyone else. One thing he’d learned quickly was that people loved to talk about themselves. So long as he asked the right questions, remained interested, and didn’t make an ass of himself, he could generally leave most social gatherings feeling accomplished.
Tonight though, he’d been overwhelmed. He had even caught himself stumbling over his words a few times – falling back into a slight stuttering habit he’d grown out of as a kid – and had even tripped over the table. Sighing, he took another sip of his wine and let the sound of the waves soothe him. It wasn’t a big deal, he reminded himself. The women had been more than gracious and had seemed interested in his conversation. These were his people, Ted thought. There was no way they could run a mermaid-themed guesthouse without loving them and the stories about them. He hadn’t made all that much of a fool of himself. The anxiety kicking in his stomach retreated a bit, and he took a few deep breaths to calm himself before letting his mind settle where it really wanted to.
On Jolie.
He hadn’t even been able to look at her full-on – at least, not for long. It was like staring at the sun. Just the sight of her when he’d walked into the kitchen, not to mention overhearing the comment about sex, had sent all of his senses into overdrive. He’d never met a more potent woman in his life and Ted had shocked himself by how much he wanted to touch her.
Hell, to touch her? Kiss her. Talk to her. Be near her. It was as if Irma and Mirra had faded into the shadows, and Jolie had been this bright ball of energy pulling him to her. It had taken everything in his willpower to not crawl to her at the table and beg her to bestow a few words of kindness upon him. Like a pauper to a queen or an errand boy to a goddess, Ted would submit himself to her will if she’d only give him a chance.
Which she wouldn’t, Ted reminded himself, and took another sip of his wine. It was his experience that women like Jolie did not go for men like Ted. Hell, women like Jolie didn’t even notice men like Ted. His whole life he’d been ignored or steamrolled by women who looked like Jolie. When they did pay attention to him – like his graduate students – it was because they wanted something.
Jolie, in all her beauty and confidence, was quite simply terrifying to Ted. So he would do what he always did in situations like this – refuse to read into anything and keep his distance. He’d already overheard their rule about not sleeping with guests, and there was no way he was interested in getting on Irma’s bad side. Really, then, the choice – he laughed and shook his head at himself; like he had an actual choice. But even if he’d had one, it was out of his hands. Ted was a rule follower and it wouldn’t do to fall into the bad graces of any of these women. The women of the Laughing Mermaid were a formidable lot. Ted planned to admire them from afar and do his best to not break any of their rules.
An image of Jolie laughing flashed into his mind. The breath had left his body and he’d been dead in the water the minute he’d seen her smile. But Jolie laughing? It was the first time Ted had believed goddesses to be real. No mortal human could embody such beauty. If she’d let him, he would photograph her. Just one picture – Jolie laughing – that he could take home and pin to the corkboard above his desk. When the days were long and cold in the dead of winter of Boston, he’d look at the photo and find all the warmth he needed.
Chapter 6
“Go easy on him, Jolie. He’s shy,” Mirra advised the next morning as she lay on Jolie’s bed and studied her sister, who was standing in front of her closet.
“He’s not that shy. He called us goddesses last night.”
“And then blushed immediately after.”
“I know. Isn’t he darling?” Jolie laughed and whirled, beaming at Mirra – who looked at her and sighed.
“Jolie. He’s a guest.”
“Yes, yes, I know the rules.”
“He’s not yours to play with. Find someone else.”
“I will make my own decisions, thank you very much, sister of mine.” Jolie tied the halter straps of her breezy turquoise dress around her neck and dropped a layered necklace with brilliant orange beads over her head. Shaking her hair out, she let it tumble to her waist and grabbed her oversized white sunglasses. “How do I look?”