AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“It was worth it.” He lowers his foot and removes his hand from my shoulder. Bizarrely, I miss the contact. “Everyone who wants to be part of Arcania and potentially share in its wealth gets one.”
I know what’s coming before he opens his mouth and I want to yell ‘no way no how’ am I getting a tattoo. I have no idea how long I’ll stay here; probably a few more weeks to add to my savings. Then again, where else am I going to find a rent-free place to stay while getting paid to work? Not to mention the incredible healthy meals courtesy of the organic produce.
But a tattoo? Do I look like a cow who wants to be branded?
“Share in its wealth? Sounds like you’re trying to promote a pyramid scheme.”
He laughs. “You really are a cynic, aren’t you?”
“I’m a realist. There’s a difference.”
“Well, Miss Realist, I have a feeling I won’t need to convince you of anything after you spend some time with us.” He sits to put on his sock and shoe and pats the ground next to him. “You don’t know me and by your expression earlier when I said the same thing, you probably think this is a line, but I definitely felt that we had a connection the moment we met.”
A faint blush stains his cheeks. It’s adorable. “My mom always said I’d know when I met ‘the one’ and at the risk of scaring you off, I think that’s you, Cora.”
Warmth surges into my face, but I try to play it cool. I’ve never had anyone look at me the way Harlan is at the moment: like he can see all the way down to my tender bruised soul and wants to make me whole.
I’m so off balance by his intense attention I resort to flippancy. “You’re right. I think it’s a line.”
He reaches up and trails a fingertip along my jaw, setting my body alight. “All I ask is that you have a little faith and let me prove to you how good we can be together.”
His gaze locks on mine, hypnotizing, mesmerizing, imploring me to believe him. I want to, but I wasn’t lying when I told him I’m a realist. Stuff like this doesn’t happen to me. Rich guy who can have anything he wants, poor girl down on her luck, that’s the facts. I’ll be better off remembering I’m here to save money, not fall for a glib sweet talker.
When I don’t respond, he leaps to his feet and holds out his hand. “Come on, I’ll show you the beach. Do you dive?”
I accept his hand and stand, not surprised when he tightens his grip. “No. I’m petrified of water.”
“Too bad.” He winks. “I would give anything to see you in a bikini.”
I groan and yank my hand out of his so I can swat him. “You did not just say that.”
He laughs so loudly a nearby bird hidden in a tree’s foliage gives a loud squawk. “Lame. I know. Forgive me.”
I roll my eyes, but we’re grinning at each other and I’m surprisingly at ease with this guy I barely know.
“I could teach you to dive?” He holds up his hands like he has nothing to hide. “I’ll be gentle, honest.”
“Thanks, but I’ll give the ocean a miss.”
My shudder is real. One of Mom’s boyfriends had thrown me in the pool when I was five and I’d swallowed enough water I thought I’d drowned. I’ve been terrified of being out of my depth ever since.
“That’s okay. We have enough divers here searching the wreckage.”
“So you actually believe all that sunken treasure stuff?”
He nods, somber. “All the workers here learn to dive if they don’t know how and they take it in turns to search the wreck a few times a week.”
Intrigued by an economics major who appears to believe in a myth, I ask, “Has anything been found?”
He nods. “Gold coins, mostly. Jewelry. That kind of thing.”
“And here I thought you made your fortune in organic produce.”
“That’s our staple, but what we’ve salvaged from the wreck has provided a nice boost in income. Not that we’ve sold most of it, but the gold has come in handy during lean years.”
I’ve had plenty of those lean years too. My small savings working part-time at the diner barely covered the necessities. I learned early on not to count on Mom for clothes and shoes, so with a little frugality and a lot of scouring second-hand shops, I got by.
What would it be like to have access to a fortune supplemented by the occasional treasure find? Definitely sounds like something out of a fairytale and if Harlan’s to be believed, maybe I can be a part of it?
