Merlicious 3

by Cara Preston, Cheryl Bonner, Laura Kitchell

  One picture in particular had captured with remarkable accuracy the hypnotic quality of a merman's eyes. Of her merman's eyes anyway. It was titled Fantasy by Anna Creighton.

  Samantha drank in the image. How did artists do it? How did they express with paint and paper the likeness of a creature most people couldn't even imagine existed? Looking at the painting, she could almost believe the creature gazed back at the artist.

  Awareness brought goose bumps to her skin. She stared, trying to make up her mind. Of course, it had to be true. This picture was a portrait. Someone, somewhere, had stood face to face with a merman.

  Samantha scanned the paragraph underneath. “Ms. Creighton has an obsession with all things nautical. She lives and works on a small barrier island where she shares a bungalow with two dogs and a parrot. Her biggest inspiration is the work of Riley O'Sullivan, whose love of the sea was as great as her own."

  Samantha's pulse quickened as the weight of her discovery sank in. Other mermen had traveled to St. Georges before Dan. How many? He'd said it was a favorite getaway for his family. Was the statement supposed to be a hint? Obviously, their spontaneous trip to the island was no coincidence.

  Kurt claimed to be Dan's best friend. Was he part of the charade? She wondered about the other residents. Did they know the truth? Clearly, Anna Creighton knew. What if she told someone? How would the world react?

  It was all too much. The room shrank around her. Samantha rose and went to the kitchen for a drink, her mind still racing with questions. Memories crowded into her consciousness. She examined each one, hoping for anything that would make sense of her situation.

  Dan seemed so normal on the island. He had charmed the girls at the inn's front desk, laughed with the guys at the pier, even taken hot broth in to Kurt's daughter Cassie. A wave of compassion shot through Samantha at the thought of Cassie. She had been so spirited, begging to go out with her friends despite her illness.

  Realization struck then, and Samantha's wine glass dropped from her hand. It fell to the floor with a crash as she raced back to her computer.

  * * * *

  As Samantha approached the Davis home, sounds of splashing and laughter told her the family was outdoors in the backyard. She walked around the house and let herself in through the privacy fence.

  Kurt climbed out of their swimming pool just as she reached the concrete deck. He paused when he spotted her, his expression unreadable.

  Jen's voice drifted up from the water. “Please hand me a towel, sweetheart. It's time for me to throw that chicken on the grill."

  "Just a minute, dear. Samantha Singer's here.” The words came out strangely, as though Kurt couldn't believe them himself. As if he didn't know what to do next.

  Samantha knew exactly how he felt.

  "Come in, Samantha. Can we get you anything?” Jen's voice held its usual warmth. And she looked as beautiful as ever lounging in the crystal clear water.

  Her blond ringlets glinted in the bright sun, their color perfectly complemented by the golden-bronze scales covering her from waist to fin. Fin? Four smaller mer-people stopped their splashing and turned toward the visitor.

  Cassie piped up, “Hello, Ms. Samantha."

  "Hello, Cassie,” Samantha stammered. “Glad to see you're feeling better.” Samantha looked back at Kurt, examining him up and down.

  Kurt followed her gaze to his distinctly human legs. “I'm not really Dan's cousin,” he said.

  Jen smiled. “Samantha, you must be in shock. Why don't you sit down so we can talk?"

  Silence stretched between them again as Samantha wondered what to do next. This visit was about Dan. It might already be too late to save his father, but she had to try. Her desire for answers would have to wait.

  "No, thank you. I'm looking for Dan. Do you know where he is?"

  The couple looked at each other. Then Kurt spoke again. “Samantha, I don't think that's a good idea."

  "Please. It's important. I promise I'm no threat. I just need to find Dan."

  "You found him."

  Samantha wheeled around. There he stood on the screen porch, his dark expression a sharp contrast to the lightness of the island scenery around them. Her muscles ached with the desire to run into his arms, but the harsh set of his brow warned her off.

  "Dan, I need to speak with you. Is there somewhere we can go?"

  "We can talk right here."

  "Please.” Samantha stepped closer to Dan. “It's about your father."

  He stared at her for a long moment. “Follow me.” He turned and walked away from her. The screen door slammed against its frame as he retreated into the house.

  Samantha followed him into the kitchen. She longed to explain herself, to make things right between them. But Dan's stance told her she'd better get right to the point.

  "Has your father made a recent trip to St. Georges?"

  A muscle twitched in Dan's cheek, but he said nothing.

  Samantha sighed. “I'm not here to make trouble,” she said. She pulled a pill bottle from her pocket and held it out to him. “Here. Take this."

  Dan regarded the bottle. “How did you get this?"

  "It's a prescription."

  "It's a prescription for Samantha Singer."

  "A doctor's job is to heal the sick. Let's just say I took advantage of professional courtesy."

  "How do you know it will work?"

  "I can't be certain. But armed with all the facts, I was able to focus my research."

  "All the facts?"

  "First I found strong evidence of a recent visit here by your father. You look a lot like him, by the way.” Samantha instantly regretted adding the personal comment.

  "That doesn't sound like much."

  "No. Cassie's virus was the breakthrough. Flu bugs can cause vomiting in children, but they're mainly respiratory events in adults. Sometimes patients develop pneumonia in the aftermath."

  "The rest is just conjecture. By searching traditional medicine of ancient cultures near the sea, I could guess at the compounds your people already tried. That antibiotic is a better choice than the ones you took. If I had known the truth sooner..."

  "It would have made no difference."

  Samantha looked at the floor. He was right. If he had told her everything that first night, she would have refused to help him, insisting he go public about his people and seek treatment through normal channels.

  "I better go. Good luck."

  "Thank you, Samantha.” Dan walked her to the front door.

  She knew without looking that he watched her walk down the street. Thankfully, she made it all the way to the ferry before the tears started to fall.

  Chapter Seven

  Samantha loaded a pile of papers into the box. The stack contained a copy of her resignation, a letter of recommendation from the director and several greeting cards from her colleagues. She'd spent the last two weeks packing up her apartment, and Carol had agreed to arrange a sublet. Now it was time to go. As she pushed through the clinic door for the last time, she heard someone calling her name.

  "Samantha! Samantha, wait."

  Amazing. After everything that happened, his voice could still turn her to liquid. She picked up her pace, leading him away from the clinic. Surely he knew they'd call the police if they spotted him.

  When she reached a comfortable distance, she turned to face him. “Jen told me your father had a complete recovery and that you were able to stop the revolution. Congratulations."

  "He did, and, once he regained his strength, support for our opposition petered out. That's why I'm here, to thank you. And to say I'm sorry. I should have found a way to get the medicine without involving you and your friend. Where are you going?"

  "I'm moving to California to be with my mom. I finally figured out what I've been missing all this time. It's family."

  Dan took the box from her hands and set it on the ground. “You can have that here."

  "What?"

  "Humans have caused a l
ot of trouble for the royal line through the years. And trouble for us means trouble for the kingdom. I thought I could protect my people by isolating myself. But I was wrong."

  "What are you saying?"

  "I'm saying we can have a life together. Jen and Kurt make it work. Everyone on St. Georges makes it work. And the island needs a doctor. Please, Samantha. Come back with me."

  "On one condition."

  Dan grinned. “What's that?"

  "You have to take me to see your father."

  Dan swept her into his arms. Lifting her off her feet, he kissed her with a tenderness she didn't know he possessed. Images of their future danced through her head as he lowered her gently back to earth and replied, “How about tonight?"

  The End

  Through Thick and Fin

  by

  Cara Preston

  Unwanted advances from the wrong man are the impetus for the right man's protection. Mermaid sculptures predict a sensual future for Marina and Mr. Right.

  Cara Preston writes romance for Midnight Showcase. Living near the city of Norfolk, a city for which the mascot is a mermaid, Cara is thrilled to be included in this mermaid series of books.

  home.earthlink.net/~ajax21/wordsatplay/id6.html

  Through Thick and Fin

  by

  Cara Preston

  Tossing and turning, Marina lay half-naked, loosely wound in her red satin sheets. Breaking into a sweat, she felt both excited and breathless. She woke with a sigh, remembering the mermaid dream. It was the one that kept coming back.

  Vivid and colorful, the dreams were like sensual fantasies in her mind. She could see herself rising from foam crested waters to greet the moon, water sparkling all around her. Not a care in the world, joined by the merman of her dreams. The only thing was she couldn't be sure what his face looked like. Could it be that she hadn't found her soul mate? Maybe she needed to drop her obsession with Dave and get on with her life. Was he even available any more?

  With less sleep than she would have liked, she started getting ready for the beach when the telephone rang.

  "Are you up for this, Marina?” Celeste was already awake, dressed and on the phone. “We're going to have so much fun today, girlfriend! Look out Virginia Beach, here we come..."

  Wiping the sleep from her eyes, Marina tried to get her wits about her. Taking a deep breath, she thought about what the day might hold.

  "I'm going to find my own King Neptune.” Marina had a lilt to her voice. Part of her wanted to crown Dave as King Neptune, but if another one came along to steal her heart away, maybe she'd be open to it. “Buzz on over. I'm looking forward to it,” Marina said, laying her phone down on the table.

  Packing her beach bag, she made sure to carry extra sunscreen as the rays would be burning hot. Pausing to glance in the mirror, she checked out the string bikini she wore. Maybe it should have been a fashion ‘don't’ for her. Oh well, whatever. I'm sure there will be others there who look a little pudgy in their suits too. She turned sideways to check out the profile of a tummy that looked too puffy. I'm sure I'll be in good company. She continued throwing things together so she'd be ready when Celeste got there.

  Celeste wore a one piece black suit with a deep plunging neckline with her shorts on over it.

  Always one to rush around at the last minute, Marina was still grabbing what she needed. “Sunglasses, magazines, Ipod, camera ... hmmm ... what else do we need? I think this is more of a tankini day for me too,” moaned Marina.

  "Oh stop...” Celeste smiled at her. “You look great. You always do."

  "Humph, glad somebody thinks so."

  As they headed for the beach, they saw a number of cute looking guys going the same direction, armed with surfboards and boogie boards.

  "Check them out.” Marina pointed in the direction of the surfers. “They're cute, but I probably have fillings in my teeth older than some of those guys."

  "Ha ha, you're probably right about that. Total jailbait, I'm sure. Hey, check out that red convertible.” Celeste practically drooled.

  After finally finding a parking lot that wouldn't charge them an arm and a leg, they pulled up beside a black convertible BMW.

  "Wonder who you belong to, little car.” Celeste leaned over and gave it a pat.

  "Are you nuts? What if the owner saw you do that?"

  "Well then, I guess it would give him a reason to talk to me, wouldn't it?"

  "Maybe that's good reasoning ... Now let's head down to check out the sand sculpture contest.” Marina was anxious to see who was participating in the contest and the art vendors with their work.

  From a distance, she saw sand sculptures that would be tough for any judge to make a decision about. Straining her eyes, she thought she saw a mermaid sculpture that looked surprisingly like her. “Wow, I wonder who made that?"

  "Made what?"

  "That sand sculpture over there.” Marina pointed in the direction of the sculpture.

  "Who would have made a sand sculpture that looks so much like me?” she asked Celeste, knowing it was more of a rhetorical question since there was no way Celeste could have known immediately who the artist was.

  Walking over to check it out, she got admiring glances from people around them. “I wonder if they recognize me as the model of that sand sculpture."

  "Possibly, but not so likely,” said Celeste. She didn't want to pop Marina's bubble, but she was trying to be realistic about things.

  Getting closer to the mermaid, Marina noticed the title So Close and Yet So Far Away. “Did you notice the title of that sand sculpture?” She felt a flush come over her. At one point in her life, she had worked on a novel that bore that title. No one knew that but Dave, the man she missed. The man who pushed her buttons and completely blew her away. The man who always kept her on an emotional roller coaster, seemingly whisked away by someone else. It hurt. She was still reeling from the experience.

  But how could the sand sculptor have known anything about that book title?

  Celeste noticed the silence that had come over Marina and stepped over to her. “What is it? Why the silence all of a sudden?"

  "Oh, no reason really. Just thinking..."

  "Yeah? About what?"

  "Dave's the only one who knew I was working on a novel with that title. Yet here it is, the same title, and it's with this sand sculpture."

  "Well, it has to be a coincidence, don't you think?"

  "Part of me wants to think that, and the other part says, no, we really are destined to be together."

  After that statement, she looked through the crowd and thought she saw Dave making his way through the mob. He was tall, handsome, dark haired and self-confident. Looking at him walking through the crowd made her heart skip a beat. He held two drinks in his hands, as though he was taking a drink to someone.

  Let one be for me. Let one be for me.

  She watched as he walked to her. Looking excited to see her, he reached out, offering her a drink. Just then, a cute blonde apprehended the drink and whisked Dave away. He looked apologetically over his shoulder at her.

  "Who is she, and why is he so taken with her?"

  None of it was making sense. She saw him standing near the sculpture that looked like her and felt that the mermaid gave off mixed signals. Leaning against the post of the lifeguard chair, she glanced off into the distant blue sky and sea.

  "Now I know she's a mermaid since I've found her by the beach,” someone said behind her.

  Marina wheeled around, wondering who'd just come up beside her. The redhead stuck out his hand to shake hers.

  "Maybe not so much a mermaid as someone who wants things to go swimmingly,” she laughed.

  "Hi, my name is Josh,” he said. “You strike me as being a woman who likes being where the action is. And I have more action charged up in me than meets the eye.” Josh straightened some and held his shoulders back as if advertising his muscles. He grinned at her with a twinkle in his eye.

  "I love the bea
ch,” Marina said. “I come to this festival every year. And King Neptune is right here, close to the Days Inn Hotel, where I once modeled for a hot tub advertisement.” Marina suddenly blushed, embarrassed she'd let him be privy to that much information.

  "Oh really? And who else was in that hot tub with you?"

  "Another model,” Marina said. “It was all very professional, of course."

  "If you say so,” said Josh. “Just let me know the next time you need a guy model friend for your hot tub shoots, you little mermaid, you."

  "Sure thing,” she said, and she tried walking away again.

  Once more, he reached out and took her by the top of her arm. “Do you really think I'm going to let you slip away again? I want you to come over here to my umbrella and try this new drink I'm going to market. It's a job I have on the side, in addition to painting."

  She glanced back at Celeste who stood gazing at the sculpture that looked so much like Marina.

  "I'll be right here when you get back,” Celeste said.

  Marina shot her a look that said, ‘When I need to be rescued from this guy, come running.'

  Reluctantly, Marina went over to Josh's huge beach umbrella and sat down on his blanket. He opened his cooler and took out a thermos and two wine glasses. Pouring a white creamy frozen concoction into her glass, he toasted, clinking the glasses together.

  Just as she took a sip, he reached over to slide her strap off her shoulder. She gasped and quietly pushed it back up. “What do you think you're doing? I should never have sat here."

  As she spoke, she saw Dave walk by with the curvaceous blonde by his side. She was tan, busty and obviously full of a bubbly personality.

  Marina took one look at the couple who walked along, caught Dave's eye and felt an urge to make him jealous. She took the other strap and slid it down, showing some cleavage.

  Josh looked at her disbelievingly. Shocked, yes; excited about it, that too. “Wow, what's come over you all of a sudden?"

  "Something so close and yet so far away,” she said.

  He looked at her in confusion.