He left with a heart as light as a soap bubble. He couldn’t wait for the holiday party, he couldn’t wait to see Annabeth again, and he couldn’t wait for the whole rest of their life together. He knew the Defenders had all had dramatic times full of complications and difficulties when they’d met their mates, but clearly that wasn’t always the way it went. All he had to do was bring Annabeth to a party she was probably planning to attend anyway.
As a species, the Dunkleosteus is not overly given to drama,pointed out his inner Dunkleosteus.Our appearance is dramatic enough.
Norris mentally patted his inner armored fish.Right on, buddy. No mate drama for us. We’re skipping all that, and going straight to the happily ever after.
CHAPTER 3
Annabeth didn't expectNorris to return. She’d met a man who seemed fantastic, and then he disappeared without a word. It was exactly what she should expect to happen during the cursed winter holidays. Just another little holiday gift of dashed hopes and disappointment.
"How about that black coffee?"
It was that resonant voice Annabeth felt like she’d known all her life. She spun around, nearly spilling the Christmas Cheers she held in each hand. Her ridiculous elf hat slithered forward, covering her eyes and blinding her. She couldn’t adjust it with drinks in both hands, so she used her knowledge of where the counter was to set down the drinks on it.
“Two Christmas Cheers!” Annabeth called.
She shoved up the elf hat and saw Norris, now wearing a different outfit. She wasn't much of a connoisseur of men's clothing and probably wouldn't have noticed he'd changed, except that both his previous T-shirt (a leaping pod of orcas) and current one (a Far Side cartoon of smoking dinosaurs) had been memorable. His hair was wet and rumpled, as if he’d started to towel dry it and gotten distracted. Strands and locks fell over his forehead, tempting her to touch them.
She began making his coffee again, thinking it was just as well if she kept her hands occupied. Over her shoulder, she asked, "Did you run away, take a shower, and come back?"
He gave her a wry grin. "Sort of. More like a bath. I'm sorry I left so suddenly. I had an emergency. A small emergency. Well, technically it was large, but it's been fixed now. When does your shift get out? Can I take you out to dinner?"
More orders were coming in. Her hands moved automatically, pouring coffee and milk, spraying whipped cream, drizzling cinnamon syrup, and dousing the resulting concoctions with multicolored sprinkles. But inside, her heart was leaping for joy and telling her to say yes, yes, a thousand times yes!
But her mind told her not to move so fast. Her mind told her to be wary of men who disappeared suddenly and then returned with vague excuses—especially during the winter holidays. Her mind suggested that she ask him what that small-I-mean-large-I-mean-never-mind-it’s-fixed emergency was, exactly. And possibly follow it up with some kind of proof.
Her common sense chimed in, pointing out that doing so would make her seem nosy and suspicious. They’d only just met. For all she knew, his emergency was something private or embarrassing.
Annabeth opened her mouth, uncertain what she was even going to say. But as she looked into his brown eyes, as deep and irresistible as the ocean, she found herself saying, “I’d love to go out with you. Come back at 6:00 and you’ll get to see me de-elfed.”
She was rewarded with that dizzying smile of smile of his. “Can’t wait. How do you feel about seafood? I was thinking we could eat at the pier.”
“Sounds good. I love a view of the ocean.”
“Me too.” Norris stood looking at her in silence for a moment, as if he wanted to say something else. Or possibly as if he couldn’t tear himself away.
He physically pushed himself away from the counter and said, “See you then!”
