Release Me Excerpt

“Connor can be loud and annoying, but underneath it all, he’s a mediocre friend and an exhausting roommate,” he says by way of greeting, his voice deep and raspy.

I chuckle at his dry humor. “You’re lucky to have him.”

“That’s what he keeps telling me.” The guy’s attention lands on the framed photo hanging on the wall next to me. “‘Gigi, the original sea witch,’” he reads out loud. “Who was she?”

“She is my grandmother. That picture was taken in front of the shop the first day it opened, almost forty years ago.” I smile at Gigi back then—her blond hair tied back in braids, a traditional lei hanging around her neck.

He slides off his aviators. “Disney or Greek?”

“Huh?” I manage, caught off guard by both his question and his piercing green eyes.

He smirks. “Which version of sea witch?”

“Oh … I don’t know. It was what my grandfather called her.” I stumble over my answer. Since when are bros interested in plaques and family history? “He was Hawaiian, and he believed in mermaids.”

His gaze drifts over my face, as if searching for hints of island ancestry in my ashy blond hair and olive skin. “And sea witches, apparently.”

“Yeah, that’s what he called her.”

“Weird pet name.” This guy has a cool, calm way about him.

“Actually, it was meant to be an insult.” Once, Gigi and my grandfather had a huge fight before he went out fishing. He lost his boat—and nearly his life—in a squall that day and accused her of putting a curse on him. She didn’t deny it, figured she’d let him fear her a bit. After that, every time something went wrong in their lives, it had to be the work of the sea witch in her. “They divorced, and she moved to Mermaid Beach out of spite.”

The corners of his mouth curl. God, he is a beautiful man. “Your grandmother sounds like a smart woman.”