Suddenly My Selkie (Mystical Matchmakers Book 3) Read online

  Suddenly My Selkie

  MYSTICAL MATCHMAKERS

  BOOK THREE

  C.C. WOOD

  About this Book

  Nova is a free spirit, not uncommon for a will o’ the wisp. Life is an adventure and she yearns to see new places and meet new people. Maybe even get up to a little mischief while she’s at it.

  The only thing missing in her life is love. She wants to share her experiences with someone.

  Torin may look like the bad boy he once was, but now he’s a successful chef and restauranteur. His life is organized and he likes things a certain way—his way. But he’s ready to settle down and most females refuse to take a chance on a selkie because of the ridiculous myths about how the sea was their first and only love.

  Cue Mystical Matchmakers, where all immortals are welcome.

  When Torin is matched with Nova, their first date is a disaster. He’s sure she’s a flake and she is certain that he’s uptight and close-minded. They’re opposite in every way and neither of them believes they’ll see each other again.

  But fate throws them together when Torin’s manager hires Nova to work in his restaurant while he’s out of town. As they spend more time together, they both begin to wonder if they’re a perfect match after all.

  Author’s Note

  When I sent the first draft of this book to my beta readers, a couple of them mentioned that they’d never heard of will o’ the wisps or selkies before. I decided to include a short note here so you won’t go completely blind into this book.

  According to Mirriam-Webster online, “the will-o'-the-wisp is a flame-like phosphorescence caused by gases from decaying plants in marshy areas. In olden days, it was personified as "Will with the wisp," a sprite who carried a fleeting "wisp" of light. Foolish travelers were said to try to follow the light and were then led astray into the marsh.”

  For the purposes of this book, Nova is modeled after the second part of the description. She resembles a sprite but, in her family, they try to help people who are lost or frightened rather than lead them astray.

  Torin, Nova’s love interest, is a selkie. A selkie is a mythological creature that looks like a seal in the ocean and sheds its pelt on land to take on a human form. In many legends and folk tales, human men and women would steal the selkie’s pelt to gain power over them. Usually with the intent of forcing them into marriage. However, these stories often end in heartbreak because the selkie is said to love the sea above all else, and, when they were reunited with their pelt, they would return to seal form and disappear into the ocean. Never to be seen again.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Also by C.C. Wood

  Chapter

  One

  Nova Eckhart loved experiencing new things. The thrill and anticipation of the unknown enthralled her.

  She always tried to keep an open mind and a compassionate heart.

  But even she had her limits.

  She joined Mystical Matchmakers a few weeks ago because of a postcard she got in the mail. As she usually did when she was presented with a new opportunity, Nova jumped on it. How else would she know if something was worthwhile if she didn’t give it a shot?

  While the five dates she’d been on were fun and the males were nice, she didn’t click with any of them. Still, she wasn’t quite ready to give up. She enjoyed herself enough to know that Dominique Proxa was the real deal. She could feel it.

  It would just take a little time to find the right match.

  There was one experience Nova hadn’t had and that was falling in love. While she wasn’t in any huge hurry, something, some instinct, had told her to give Mystical Matchmakers a shot.

  So, she was on date number six and, unlike the others, she was not having fun.

  That was a lie. She was having fun, but not because her date for the night was funny or interesting or a great conversationalist.

  No, she was having fun because she was doing her best to see what it would take to make his head explode. Nova was pretty sure that the moment was nigh.

  Torin Gallagher sat across the table from her and he looked like he belonged on the cover of the romance novels she liked to read. Wild dark hair that nearly brushed his shoulders, tattoos peeking from beneath the collar of his t-shirt and wrapping his arms to the wrist, and incredible blue eyes that made her breath catch the first time they met hers.

  He was a walking wet dream.

  Unfortunately, wet blanket was a better description for his personality.

  He looked like hot nights and spontaneous days of adventure, but every time he opened his mouth, he sounded like an uptight jackass.

  While she might not be all that attracted to him, Nova was enjoying herself as she poked and prodded him verbally.

  It was a shame really.

  After the silence between them went on for too long, Torin sighed and asked, “What do you do for a living?”

  Her brows lifted. This would be fun. “I’m currently between jobs.”

  His expression took on a dark cast and his brows lowered. “You’re unemployed?”

  Nova’s lips twitched but she pressed them together before she grabbed her water glass and took a sip to hide the smile.

  “Yes, I’m unemployed. I’ve had several offers but I’m still looking for the right fit.”

  Torin continued to scowl. “What’s a right fit? You get a job to pay your bills.”

  She put her glass down, cocked her elbow, and rested her chin on her hand. “Oh, really? So, any other job would do for you if your current one didn’t work out?”

  “I have an emergency fund, I’d be okay until I found another restaurant.”

  Nova smirked. “What makes you think I don’t have an emergency fund?”

  “Well, you did pay for a matchmaking service while you were unemployed,” he argued.

  Jeez, this guy was a piece of work.

  “Maybe I’m independently wealthy,” she tossed out, betting his reaction would be disapproval of some kind.

  Ha! She would have won that bet. His scowl increased. “That explains a lot, actually,” he said.

  Nova suppressed a snort of amusement. By the gods and goddesses, this guy was a colossal jerk. No wonder he needed a matchmaking service to find dates.

  “How so?” she asked, her eyes lifting to the waitress who brought another margarita to the table and set it in front of her. “Thanks,” she murmured to the woman.

  The waitress glanced at Torin, then glanced at Nova. “Anything else?” she asked.

  “Yeah, seeing as I’m about to pound this one, please bring me another margarita.”

  The waitress’s expression was sympathetic and she said, “No problem, hon.”

  Nova took a deep drink of her margarita and looked across the table at Torin. She lowered the glass, licked a stray grain of salt from her lips, and said, “Sorry about that. Now, you were going to tell me why the concept of me being independently wealthy explained a lot.”

  She almost grinned when his fierce blue eyes dropped to her lips before they came back up t
o her eyes. Yeah, he thought she was attractive, at least physically, but he didn’t care for her personality either.

  “Why? You don’t seem to care.”

  “About what?”

  “Anything.”

  Okay, enough was enough. Nova drained her margarita and sat the glass on the table with a thump and rattle of ice.

  “All right, I’d say this has been fun, but you’ve made it clear you don’t agree,” she began. “So, instead, I’ll say this.” She leaned forward, catching his eyes with her own. “You don’t know me. This is the first time we’ve met and, I have to say, my first impression of you is just as bad as your first impression of me. Now, if you seemed like a different kind of guy, I’d be interested in seeing if the first impression was accurate or not, but considering how inflexible you seem to be, I doubt you’d be open to that.”

  The waitress came back, another margarita on the rocks in her hand. She seemed to sense the tension surrounding the table and set the glass down without a word.

  Before she could walk away, Nova said, “Could you bring me the check, please?”

  The other woman glanced at Torin, who was still glaring at Nova, and then she asked, “Together or separate?”

  “Separate,” Nova said at the same time Torin said, “Together.”

  He glared harder.

  Nova smiled at the server. “Separate please. Put my drinks on my tab.”

  Torin opened his mouth to say something else but the other woman scurried away before he could speak.

  “I’ll take care of the check,” he finally said to Nova.

  “Thanks for the offer, but I prefer to go Dutch on the first date. Keeps the pressure off.”

  Torin studied her, his brows still close together.

  “I’m not inflexible,” he finally said.

  Nova sighed. “If you say so.”

  He frowned harder.

  “Look, let’s chalk this up as a learning experience,” Nova said. She smiled a little.

  “Learning experience?” he asked.

  “Yes,” she replied. “New experiences are good for you, Torin. There are too many places and people in this world to keep a closed mind.”

  “That explains a lot, too,” he muttered.

  “You’re kinda judgmental,” she said, picking up her fresh margarita.

  He choked on his own drink. “Judgmental?”

  “Yeah. The way you like to live your life isn’t the only way, Torin. And it can’t be a comfortable way to live.”

  “What would a flake like you know about that?”

  “What makes you think I’m a flake?” she asked with a laugh. Oh, yeah, this guy had piece of work written all over him. Maybe he should have that added to one of his tattoos. She almost laughed again at the thought of how he might react if she was bold enough to say that to him out loud.

  “You’re unemployed. You talk about people and places as experiences rather than meaningful additions to your life. And Veronica mentioned this was your sixth match in as many weeks, so it’s obvious you’re not really serious about finding a suitable partner.”

  If she were any other type of woman, Nova would have been incredibly insulted by his assumptions. Instead, she couldn’t hold back a hoot of laughter. The hoot became a whoop and she leaned over, holding her stomach, as she tried to get the giggles under control.

  Finally, she wiped a stray tear from her eye and met Torin’s gaze.

  “I really hope you find what you’re looking for, Torin,” she said. “But it’s clear you haven’t found it in me. I would ask that you open your mind a little bit before your next date though because you drew a bunch of conclusions from random bits of information about me and they couldn’t be further from the truth.”

  He was staring at her with his mouth open and his eyes wide, as though he were dumbstruck.

  “I can’t say this was a great date, but I did enjoy getting under your skin a little.”

  Nova finished her drink and saw the waitress was bringing the checks, so she took her wallet out of her little purse. That’s right, plural, as in two tickets. With a half-smile, Nova took the paper the woman held out to her, glanced at the total, and took out enough bills to cover her tab with an excellent tip.

  “Thanks, hon,” she said to the woman, handing the check back. “Hope you have a good night.”

  Nova put her wallet back into her purse, got to her feet, and hooked the strap over her shoulder. “Torin, it was interesting to meet you. Best of luck on your search for a suitable partner.”

  He was still staring at her with those piercing blue eyes. “I’m afraid I can’t say the same.”

  Nova shook her head and smiled. “That’s okay. I didn’t expect you to.”

  She turned and walked away. As she wound her way through the tables to the door, she could still feel his gaze on her back.

  She did genuinely hope he found the right woman for him. Even if he wasn’t right for her, everyone deserved to find their person.

  Even if they were a piece of work.

  Chapter

  Two

  Torin didn’t have time to deal with this, but he didn’t have a choice.

  Veronica from Mystical Matchmakers had called him twice since the disastrous date three days ago. He knew he needed to call her back, but he wanted to calm down first.

  Nova Eckhart had been nice to look at but she was a complete flake. She was also his third match through the service and, as far as he was concerned, the third strike.

  The first woman they matched him with had interested him, but she didn’t return his calls after she found out he was a selkie. This was something he’d faced before. The sting wasn’t as sharp as it once was, but it was still there.

  The second woman barely ate her meal, stating that she didn’t like most of the things on the menu or her plate. Torin understood there were picky eaters in the world, but he didn’t want to be in a relationship with one. He was a chef. It would drive him nuts if he couldn’t make delicious food because his girlfriend didn’t like ninety percent of the ingredients he would have to use.

  Nova was the last straw. Sure, she was beautiful, with her light red-gold hair, bright amber eyes, and pale freckled skin. She had a good body, one with curves in all the right places. But none of that made up for her deficiencies. She was unemployed and didn’t seem to care. She was also staying with a friend, stating that she was “looking for her own place.” Torin didn’t believe that for a second.

  To top all that off, she seemed to be amused by his reactions and she had the nerve to call him narrow-minded.

  He wanted to cancel his membership with Mystical Matchmakers, but instinct told him to wait. While he considered himself a rational male, he was also borne of magic and he understood that sometimes he needed to trust his instincts more than logic.

  This was one of those times. There was something inside him that insisted he not cancel his membership completely. But he was leaving town for two weeks and he wouldn’t have time to accept any more matches.

  So, he was going to put it on hold.

  Once he’d come to that decision, life seemed to conspire against him, keeping him too busy to make the call.

  He had to do it today because he was leaving tomorrow, and he wouldn’t have time once he was on the road.

  Between prep work and opening the restaurant for lunch, Torin stepped into his cramped, messy office, and took out his cell phone.

  Within moments, Veronica answered, “Mystical Matchmakers. This is Veronica. How may I help you?”

  “Veronica, this is Torin Gallagher.”

  “Good morning, Mr. Gallagher. How are you today?”

  “I’m fine but there’s something I need to discuss with you.”

  “Of course. What can I help you with?”

  Veronica’s voice remained pleasant, but Torin sensed that she knew what was coming.

  “I’d like to put my membership on hold. I’m about to leave town for work and I’ll be gone f
or at least two weeks. Likely even three. I won’t have time to connect with any new matches.”

  “I see,” Veronica replied.

  Something about her tone set him on edge.

  “Is it possible to pause my membership?” he asked, wondering if that was the problem.

  “It is,” she answered. “But are you sure that’s what you want to do?”

  “Yes. Why?”

  Veronica paused and Torin knew he wasn’t going to like what she said next.

  “You haven’t been as…committed to the process as most of our clients.”

  He hated it when he was right.

  “I’m a very busy man,” he said, hating the defensive edge in his words. But, dammit, he was busy. So damn busy he didn’t have time to meet women the normal way. Whatever in the hell that was.

  Veronica was silent for another long moment, and he knew he was going to like what she said next even less.

  “Are you sure that you want to find your match, Mr. Gallagher?”

  “Of course,” he answered. “Why else would I utilize your service!”

  Shit, now he was yelling.

  Torin took a deep breath. “I’m sorry,” he said.

  Rather than angry, Veronica’s words were gentle when she said, “I understand you’re frustrated and you don’t like the questions I’m asking you, but it’s my job to help you find your perfect match. The problem is I can’t do that if you’re not truly open to the process.”

  “Why do you think I’m not open to the process?” Torin asked.

  She didn’t hesitate to answer. “You don’t return my calls in a timely manner. You’ve turned down more matches than you’ve accepted without even talking to the females suggested. And you’re extremely rigid about the type of female you want to be introduced to.”