The Haven High Book Series (Wattys2017)

Chapter 21

Xander's private jet landed at Ronald Reagan Airport at 9am and a limo driver was waiting for her with a sign in his hand. That read"

"Ariel"

She couldn't help but laugh. That Xander what a card! When the driver passed her a sealed envelope she was more than a little surprised. Inside were five hundred dollar bills and a note that read.

Hey Dweeb,

I can call you that right? You probably don't need this, but just in case. Let me know if there's anything else I can do. Kelly says, "Ya'll better bring her back a souvenir."Don't worry I've explained to her you won't have time to shop. Good luck. We'll lookout for Cam while you're gone.

Xander

She almost lost the driver as she followed him to where the car was park; the tears that filled her eyes were so thick. Thinking: Nobody has better friends than her and Cam. Nobody!

Once inside the lush limo she sat back and relaxed knowing that a half an hour drive would probably take more than an hour in D.C.'s rush hour traffic, she closed her eyes to get a little more sleep. She was exhausted. She'd tried to sleep on the plane, but she was too nervous about seeing her father.

She hadn't seen him since the wedding. Any time he needed to fulfill his husbandly duties he did so in D.C. It had been four years now and frankly she thought it would be many more. He made zero effort to see her.

She sighed with her eyes closed and tried to take deep calming breaths, but her heart continued to pound in her chest and the knot resting in the pit of her stomach wouldn't let up. What was she going to say to him anyway?

Hey Dad you know how I didn't get that pony how about saving my boy toy instead?

"Urgh!" She growled, as she slammed her arm down on the armrest.

She didn't know what made her think he'd give a shit about a selkie he never met if he couldn't care less about her, but she had to try. Maybe she could guilt him into it. She rubbed her shaking hands over her face and threw her disastrous hair over her shoulder. Slowly she considered doing something about her appearance, he hadn't seen her in years what would he think about how she looked now. She didn't have a mirror but she knew if she could see herself she would see that she looked as desperate as she felt, maybe that would turn the tide. Tide? She almost laughed out loud at the pun.

She closed her eyes again and thought fake it 'til you make it and pretended to sleep, but soon the pretense became reality, and she drifted off as the car sailed across the freeway and weaved in and out of traffic.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Megan stood on the shores of their beachfront property in Cardiff South Wales, her mother stood tall beside her while her vibrant hair flew to the side like a flag in the wind. The surf was crashing on the shore and her mother was laughing at the little dance her daughter was doing in the sand.

The beach was their favorite place. They spent every day they could there even on the coldest ones. Young Megan loved to help her mom collect stones and beach glass as well as interesting driftwood and then watch her Mom turn those items into extraordinary pieces of art. Not the gaudy souvenir type but the 'this should be in a New York Gallery' 'type sculptures.

Her father had once told her a bedtime story about him discovering her mother on the beach one day, and she had laughed her little girl laugh when he told her he'd gone up to her like a real goof ball and accused her of being a pirate's booty and by mariner law since she was on his beach he had the right to claim her. That might have been creepy coming from any other guy, but when it comes out of the incredibly gorgeous and charming Lord of the Sea's mouth; well could she blame her mother for falling for it? And she had fallen. She'd fallen hard. They both had. Her father probably never intended to love a human. They are tricky messed up affairs that rarely end well, but she guessed that sometimes life, lives you.