by Rose Pressey
How to Date a Mermaid
Book 5 of the Rylie Cruz Series
by Rose Pressey
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form, (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, incidents, places, and brands are the product of the author’s imagination and not to be construed as real. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.
Index
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
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
About the Author
Chapter 1
“Teensy little problem, Rylie,” my mother said when I answered her call.
Ocean waves rolled in and dissolved into a frothy foam at my ankles. A seagull cried out as it swooped by my head. The sun had just popped up over the horizon with streaks of pink and red coloring the endless blue sky. I’d decided to take a walk along the beach this morning. Wet sand squished between my toes. With a busy day ahead of me, relaxing a little on the beach before all that started sounded like a great idea.
“To you a teensy problem means ‘how much bail money?’ and ‘let me call an attorney.’” I stepped away from the shore a bit so that I could hear her over the sound of the waves.
“Not every time,” my mother said with a click of her tongue.
Perhaps leaving my mother in charge of my dating service Get a Mate back in New Orleans hadn’t been such a great idea after all. I’d been desperate though. At least I had help with the office back in New Orleans.
“Okay, break it to me.” I weaved around a woman sunbathing on a bright blue towel.
“Well, you said I could use my judgment while matchmaking when you were gone.”
When my mother’s picture had popped up on my phone’s screen, I knew there was trouble. She would never call this early unless there were a problem. She loved her beauty sleep. The photo was of her during the Mardi Gras celebration last year. We looked alike, with dark wavy hair and eyes the color of a stormy night sky. I was just glad I’d snapped the photo before she’d flashed my father by lifting her shirt. I was still horrified. Though I supposed their loving relationship had set the foundation for me wanting to be a matchmaker. I liked to think of myself as the paranormal Cupid.
“Yes, I said you could use your judgment for matchmaking while I’m gone.” Though now I was regretting it. “What happened?”
“I fixed Mimi up with Terrance and the next thing I knew it was like World War Three.” My mother’s voice rose with each word.
“How much bail and which one?” I asked.
“Oh, they haven’t been arrested. Give me a little credit,” my mother said.
“Then what’s the problem?” I fanned my face with my hand.
Miami heat was no joke. Not even nine in the morning and I was already too hot. Iced coffee would be necessary to get me going.
“Mimi made dinner for Terrance and he said the food was awful. She tossed the bottle of blood in his face. He broke her cauldron. They came to the office and demanded a refund.”
Mimi was a witch and Terrance a vampire. Both had quick tempers. My mother should have known that was the perfect storm.
“Well, he should have never said her food was bad, and she shouldn’t attempt to cause bodily harm, but that’s neither here nor there now. Just refund their money and we’ll chalk this up as a loss.”
She sighed. “I already refunded the money. Then there was Byron and Kate.”
“You fixed up Kate and Byron?” A guy carrying a surfboard eyed me when my voice reached a high pitch. “Ugh, go ahead and refund them too.”
“Already took care of it,” my mother said.
I needed to get back to New Orleans before I was broke.
“Then what’s the problem?” I spotted the café up ahead.
“It’s the coffee,” my mother said around a sigh.
“What about the coffee?” Now I was even more confused than usual.
“Do you really want to serve that yucky coffee to clients? Why not let your mother pick out something a bit tastier?”
“This is the teensy problem you called me about?”
“It seems like a big problem when a client almost choked on the stuff this morning.”
I groaned. “Buy whatever coffee you want, Mom. I have to go now.”
“Call me later. And don’t get into trouble,” she said in a singsong voice.
I clicked off the call. Why did everyone always warn me not to get in trouble? I wasn’t that bad. In my defense, trouble always seemed to follow me.
My name, Rylie Cruz, was attached to all the brochures for my business. My reputation, my business and livelihood were on the line with this trip.
In a time where everyone used apps to find dates, I was doing things the old-fashioned way. Even with modern technology, I had a respectable number of clients. They seemed to enjoy the retro way of finding a mate. Not to brag too much, but people said I had a natural knack for playing Cupid. That was why I had to make this latest venture work.
I was a werewolf, not a mermaid. Though being a mermaid would be pretty cool. I’d never been much of a beach person. No sand and sun for me. Not that I didn’t enjoy the water and the beautiful view, but if hair started sprouting over my body, then it would get hot out there under the sun fast. No one liked sweaty hair.
It might have been easier if I’d been raised near the beach. Or anywhere close to one, I guess. I’d grown up on the bayou. Sure, we’d gone to the beach on vacation, but my family, being as wacky as they were, always managed to get us kicked off the beach or scared people by turning into werewolves right there on the sand. I’d never forget the terrified faces of the beach-goers when they saw werewolves walking up and down the shore.
Sometimes I even envisioned becoming a beach person, wearing cute swimsuits and frolicking in the sea. It never worked out that way though. I pictured the wind whipping through my tousled hair and a sun-kissed glow on my cheeks. Instead I had a sunburn and frizzy hair filled with seaweed and sand.
I supposed I could visit a beach with a cooler climate, but I had a specific reason for being in Miami. I’d traveled all the way from New Orleans to meet with a mermaid. Yes, mermaids were real. Though I hadn’t actually seen one with a tail swimming in the ocean water. If there were bona fide werewolves and vampires, then it wasn’t hard to believe that mermaids were real too. My best friend Jennifer and my boyfriend Jack Chandler had come along with me for the trip. With any luck we’d get a chance to have some fun while here.
Jack thought I was just asking for trouble by making this trip. I’d wanted to argue that wasn’t true, but in all honesty, he was probably right. However, I’d made the trip anyway. I’d decided to
do something that was probably crazy. It wouldn’t be the first time I did something nuts. I’d decided to expand my business to Miami.
That wasn’t the only reason I’d come to Miami, although I kept the other reason a secret. I wanted to find out more about a recent rumor. It had all started innocently enough. Just a mermaid crashing a charity event costume party. The mermaid had followed her ex-boyfriend to the party. Jack knew the guy from his monthly vampire meetings. Plus, he’d been one of Jack’s patients.
I’d been told the couple had broken up because the vampire hated water and the mermaid detested the sight of blood. The disastrous relationship failure could have been avoided if they’d used my services. Their breakup had led to the rumor that mermaids were looking for vampires. I supposed they wanted revenge for the vampire’s mistreatment of their friend. Yes, this all sounded bizarre.
Things had been going so well lately with my business back in the French Quarter, so opening another branch seemed like the right thing to do. It just so happened that the location I’d picked for the new branch was sunny Miami. It helped that I had someone who wanted to run the branch for me. Jack and Jennifer worried that my new friend the mermaid had talked me into this. That wasn’t true. It was all my idea.
I’d tracked down Shelby Kendra after she’d been kicked out of the party. She’d explained that there was no revenge plotted against vampires, at least not to her knowledge. Actually, Lily Friedman had raced out of the party that night and chased the mermaid down. Imagine the mermaid’s surprise when she saw a wolf with hair as shiny as a penny chasing her down the sidewalk.
Lily was a thorn in my side. She insisted that we were friends, but at the same time she relentlessly harassed and insulted me. I supposed that was her weird way of showing affection. Lily saw a punch to the face the way other people saw a hug. Lily had said she was coming to Miami. When she found out we came here without her, she would be livid. I’d have to deal with her later. Right now, I had to get the franchise up and running.
Shelby claimed she had no idea who had started the rumor about the mermaids being mad at vampires. According to her, the breakup had been uneventful other than the little argument we’d seen that night. Shelby said the only reason she went to the party that night was to get back cash that her ex had borrowed. She said he still hadn’t given it back and she’d given up on ever getting it. Since nothing had come of the rumor, I figured there was no reason not to believe Shelby. The source of the information had obviously gotten it wrong.
My meeting with Shelby was set for ten thirty. That gave me an hour to enjoy the morning sunshine and pick up a bit of breakfast. Jack was expecting me to meet him. I hated to leave the beach, but work had to be done. Unfortunately, this wasn’t a leisure trip.
I turned away from the water and walked across the sand toward the sidewalk. This stretch of beach was lined by a road with shops and cafés. Once on the sidewalk, I headed down the café I’d spotted earlier. Jack had taken surf lessons this morning. Of course, he’d asked me to come along, but I figured werewolf hair and a wetsuit wasn’t a good mix. Sure, I didn’t have the hair all the time, but if I got stressed then there was a chance it could pop up.
Jennifer planned on hitting the spa this afternoon. After that she said she’d do some shopping. She wanted to sleep in. I was totally jealous.
Wait a minute. This wasn’t a vacation. It seemed like it was for Jack and Jennifer. I supposed that was the price I had to pay for opening a second location. Maybe I’d get a chance to have some fun before heading home. I wasn’t even sure how long I would be here.
After a few more seconds of walking, I arrived at the Blue Water Café. Music spilled from speakers out onto the sidewalk. People were walking up and down in front of the place. It was still early, so there wasn’t a huge crowd just yet. Tables and chairs were out on the front patio. The rest of the café was open to the elements, with windows that rose up so that it was all basically outdoor seating.
With weather like this it was understandable why everyone would want to enjoy being outside as much as possible. Probably the only time they’d shut the windows was for rain or a hurricane. Luckily, I was used to the heat from New Orleans. The beachy vibe I liked though. Maybe I would have to make many more trips to Miami. It was beautiful here, but I would always love the haunting charm of my hometown, the Big Easy.
I stepped into the café and the scanned the space for Jack. Even though it was morning and bright sunshine outside, the abundance of windows didn’t allow in as much light as I expected. I supposed the covered canopies out front blocked a lot of sun. The place had a kind of laid-back island bar vibe. I surveyed the space again for Jack, but he was nowhere in sight. I hoped that his surf lesson went well. I pulled out my phone and sent him a text to see how close he was. I hated to rush him, but a werewolf had to eat.
I’m on my way. I had to take the surfboard back to the rental place. Don’t order without me.
Jack knew me so well. He realized that I would start eating without him if he didn’t hurry. Maybe I could just have a little snack to tide me over. I picked out a table and headed in that direction. So far, no one from the restaurant had even noticed me.
I sat down at the table and hoped that the waiter would notice me soon. I could really use some orange juice and a steak, but I supposed it was too early for the rare meat. Thinking about it was just making me even hungrier.
Three women sat at the bar. The bar was right next to me. Something about the women seemed familiar. The one sitting closest to me scratched her leg, drawing my attention to the scales on the side of her leg. She was a mermaid, and apparently, she needed to get in the water soon.
It looked as if the three of them were having a heated conversation. And of course, now I was curious what they were discussing. Did they know Shelby? Since Shelby lived close, I wondered if they were friends with her. I wished I wasn’t being so snoopy, but I really wanted to know what they had to say. Perhaps I should get closer.
I wished it was more crowded in the restaurant and then they wouldn’t notice as I moved closer to them. There was an empty stool next to them. Maybe I could sit down at the bar, although with all the other empty stools they would probably wonder why I didn’t sit at one of those and why I insisted on sitting so close. I would have to take my chances.
Moving over to the bar, I sat down on the stool. They didn’t seem to notice me at first, but then one of them glanced in my direction. She frowned as if she wanted me to move. I tried to act like I really didn’t care what they were saying. If they thought I was listening, they would stop talking. Perhaps they would even get up and leave. The bartender came over and took my order for orange juice. It felt strange sitting in a bar this early in the morning. Could he bring steak? Never mind. I didn’t ask.
“Do we have a plan?” the blonde woman asked the other two.
“It’ll be easy. We’ll get rid of him and then everything will be just fine,” the brunette said.
This was an awfully strange conversation. Who did they want to get rid of? I forgot that I was staring at them. When they looked at me, I realized what I was doing.
“Excuse me, but what the hell are you looking at?” the blonde snapped.
“Nothing. I just like your hair,” I said to the woman sitting closest to me.
I figured I’d better make her feel good because she was close to probably punching me. I really didn’t want to get into a bar fight this early in the morning. How would I explain that to Jack? Although he wouldn’t be too surprised. It wouldn’t be the first time I’d been involved in a scuffle. Did I mention that trouble seemed to follow me everywhere I went?
The women didn’t answer me as they got up from the stools and walked out of the café. That was definitely odd. I’d been hoping that I could hear more of their conversation. I wished that I could follow them because this was really bugging me. I just got a bad vibe from them. As they walked out, Jack walked in. Now I couldn’t leave. He probably would f
rown upon it if I left him to follow the mystery mermaids.
With a huge smile on his face, he waved and headed in my direction. Should I tell him about what I’d overheard? No, I should just keep it to myself. Oh, who was I kidding? I couldn’t wait to tell someone. I was terrible at keeping things from Jack. Or keeping things from anyone for that matter. I always figured since Jack was a psychiatrist he’d be able to see through any lies.
Chapter 2
Jack’s blond hair glistened from with beads of water. He had a sun-kissed glow from his quick surf lesson this morning. Seeing Jack in casual clothes wasn’t something I was used to since he mostly wore a suit and tie. His office was right across the hall from mine.
The start of our relationship had been rocky. Jack had questioned my sanity when he first found out about my werewolf status. However, now Jack was totally aware of all the paranormal happenings around. In fact, he was a vampire.
From the first moment I saw Jack I’d been smitten. His big blue eyes, dazzling white smile, and muscular physique made me howl at the moon—a crescent moon, not even the full moon. Yeah, he was that hot. Jack made his way across the café and joined me at the bar. Today Jack wore blue shorts and a fitted white T-shirt.
“Rough morning already?” he asked as he sat on the stool next to me.
I took another gulp of my orange juice and glanced at him. “Why do you ask that?”
“You’re already at the bar,” he said with a smile.
“I suppose nothing has happened yet, although I just had a strange encounter.”
“Well, that’s not so bad. You always have strange encounters,” he said.
I realized that my life was a bit odd, but there wasn’t much I could do to change that. Luckily. I was pretty sure Jack accepted me for who I was.
“There were mermaids here a minute ago. Actually, they were walking out when you came in. Did you notice them?”
“I never notice other women. As soon as I walk into a room my eyes are only for you.” Jack took my hand in his.