Page 16 of Seashells and Daiquiris

"When did what start?"

"The bad luck."

I blink. “I mean, I guess bad luck is one way to phrase it. It happened this morning, I think? When the shell dropped on my foot. And then just... everything. One thing after another. Like the town decided I personally offended it."

He's looking at me with an intensity that makes me forget about my damp shoe. "Was it like this yesterday?"

I think back. "No. Yesterday was fine. Weird, obviously, because of—" I gesture vaguely at my purse where the shell lives, "—all of that. But nothing was trying to hurt me."

His jaw tightens. He leans back in his chair and looks out the window, and I can see something working behind his eyes that I don't have access to.

"I ordered you a latte, by the way,” he says, which is not what I expected him to say. “It’s fine if you don’t drink it. There’s just some honey in it.”

My eyes widen a bit, the smell of coffee really getting to me. “Wow, thanks. I actually love honey lattes.”

His gaze moves back to me, a slight smile in his eyes. “I had a feeling.”

Just when the silence is getting a tad awkward, a barista comes over with two lattes, the foam perfectly decorative. I dive into mine almost right away, the warm strength of coffee mixing with a mild sweetness is the right way to deal with all this nonsense.

"Funny how nothing bad has happened since I sat down," I say, mostly to myself. “With how this morning was going, this should have been scalding hot.”

"Notice how when we're near him, it's safe."

I pause with the mug at my lips, sort of looking around because I’m still shocked no one else can hear that. Liam's eyes flick to my purse, and he almost looks apprehensive.

"The shell's not wrong," he says, quiet.

"What do you mean?"

He rubs the back of his neck, which somehow makes his arms more pronounced and I have to clear my throat to focus. "After you left last night, I went into the ocean. I felt Thalassa's energy in the current. She was upset about something." He lowers his arm and lazily motions to me with his hand. “You, specifically.” He says it flatly, like he's reporting the weather. "She texted me."

"Your sea witch ex texts you?"

“We all text,” he scoffs, but there’s not a harshness in his eyes. He pulls out his phone and slides it across the table. I read the message.

Hello, handsome. I’m aware there’s a new match… I saw it in the pearl. A little human, too! You might feel the desire to try and keep a distance with this one, but doing so means the moon window closes permanently. I’ll see you both at the Luminary.

I read it twice. "Her pearl?" I glance up. “This might be the romance writer in me, but that sounds like an innuendo.”

He raises a brow as he sips on his latte. “It’s just literally a large black pearl. Like crystal balls in the human world.” He sets his mug down and grins at me. “Maybe the shell was really reflecting what was coming across your mind.”

A blush threatens to bloom. “Okay, keep going… so she was watching me?”

"She's watching the shell. Which is on you. So, effectively, yes."

I set the phone down and take a very large sip of my latte. Then another one. Then I consider drinking the entire thing in one go and ordering a second. "Okay. So the sea witch can see me. And she added a new rule to the curse. And my terrible morning⁠—"

"Is probably her energy. Bleeding through." He looks genuinely angry now, not at me, but at something much bigger. His golden-brown eyes have gone hard, and his hands are flat on the table like he's keeping them there on purpose. "When Thalassa is focused on someone, it manifests. Bad luck, small accidents, things that seem random but aren't. She can't directly curse you, you're not bonded to her magic, but she can push energy your way. Think of it like... a current. She's sending a riptide at you, and you're feeling the pull."

I replay all the bad things happening to me and lean back in my seat, looking all around. “Great. Love that for me.”

“I had a small suspicion, and based on what you’ve said, and the shell, then you just need to stay near me.”

"His protectiveness is attractive.”

I close my eyes, but not before catching that he smiled. “I don’t think. I can get used to this.”

"The shell's right, though," Liam says carefully. "About being safe near me. My energy counteracts hers. Always has, ever since the curse. When you're close to me, her influence can't reach you as easily."