How to Date a Mermaid

by Rose Pressey

  Shelby stepped into the café and I wished that I could go in too. But that would just be too obvious. Maybe I would just have to hang around outside and see if she came out with someone else. If I get closer, I could peek inside. She would never know I was looking. I hurried my steps so that I could get over to the windows for a look.

  When I peeked into the café’s window I saw Shelby sitting at a table in the middle of the room. She was all alone. So far she hadn’t seen me peeking in the window. Thank goodness because I was sure that she would think I was completely crazy. Maybe I was for looking in the window like that.

  Shelby was reading the book. I was so curious as to what this was that I almost walked right in, but then stopped myself. Maybe it was just an innocent paranormal romance book. But after what I’d heard about the mermaids and the vampires I just had an odd feeling. It lingered and I couldn’t quite put it out of my mind. My options were to just forget about it and try to see the book later or maybe go in and act like it was a coincidence that I was there. I really didn’t think she would buy that though. She’d think that I’d followed her, which in fact, I had.

  “What are you doing?” the voice from behind me asked.

  It startled me, so I jumped. When I spun around Jennifer was right behind me with a confused look on her face.

  “I was spying on Shelby,” I said.

  Jennifer scowled. “I don’t understand.”

  “She has a vampire book.”

  “Okay, you’re not making any sense,” Jennifer said.

  "She spilled stuff out of her bag and there was a vampire book. I don’t know what it was about, but I just have a strange feeling. I’d love to know what it was. Was it just a novel or was it a nonfiction book on how to kill vampires?”

  “Now you are getting paranoid,” Jennifer said. “Shelby’s so nice she couldn’t possibly want to do anything to vampires.”

  I sighed. “I suppose you’re right. Nonetheless, I still would like to know just to make me feel better.”

  “So how were you going to find out?” Jennifer asked.

  “I haven’t really thought about the final plan for that yet. My options were to go in there and have her think that I was following her or just wait until later and try to sneak the book out of her bag.”

  Jennifer shook her head and made one of those sounds like neither was a great idea.

  “Well, any other suggestions?” I asked.

  “How about you let me go in there and I’ll just stop and say hello. She won’t know that you’re out here and she’ll think that it was totally random. I’ll order something to drink and stop to say hello to her.”

  “That’s a great idea. Thank you,” I said. “Now I can put my mind at ease.”

  “Think nothing of it,” Jennifer said. “That’s what friends are for.”

  She turned and walked into the café. I stepped to the side just a bit so that I could still watch inside the café but with any luck stay out of sight in case Shelby looked outside. I watched as Jennifer walked in and ordered a drink. Shelby was watching Jennifer, so I knew that she’d noticed her right away. Jennifer was acting as if she hadn’t seen Shelby. I had to give Jennifer credit, she was doing a great job of keeping the secret and acting like this was a random encounter.

  After Jennifer got her drink she headed back for the door and then pretended to notice Shelby for the first time. She walked over to her table and they started talking. I hoped Jennifer didn’t stay too long because I wanted to know all the details. I would just have to be patient and wait. Another minute past and Jennifer waved and headed for the door. I couldn’t wait to find out. I stepped away from the café so that if Shelby looked out she wouldn’t notice Jennifer stop and talk to me.

  Once Jennifer stepped out the door, she kept a normal pace until she reached the side of the building and out of view from Shelby. Now Jennifer raced over to me.

  “What was the book?” I asked with anticipation.

  “Getting Rid of Vampires,” Jennifer said.

  My eyes widened. “Seriously? Why would she have this book?”

  “I don’t know, Rylie.”

  “This is most disconcerting. I have no choice but ask her about it.”

  Jennifer shook her head. “Just be careful. I have to meet Freddie Cool for a date, but I’m going back to the hotel to chance first. Call me and let me know.”

  “Be careful going out with this guy. I’m still not sure about him,” I said.

  Jennifer hugged me. “You worry too much.”

  “Yes, but I had reason to worry.”

  Chapter 26

  After leaving Jennifer I hurried back to my office to wait for Shelby to return. I was pretty sure she had no idea that I’d spied on her at the café. I couldn’t get that book out of my head. Why did she want to get rid of vampires?

  Shelby hadn’t returned yet. Though she’d said she would be here thirty minutes ago. I’d tried to text her, but so far, she hadn’t answered. What if she’d seen me? Of course, I was starting to worry. After what had happened it was no wonder I was a bit freaked out. I tried to keep myself calm and not fret too much. Maybe her phone just wasn’t working, or she’d forgotten to charge it. Maybe she’d left it at the café. I wouldn’t start to panic for at least another thirty minutes.

  In the meantime, I was trying to keep myself busy while making sure that the new software on the computer worked. I needed to show Shelby how to use it. That was our plan for the afternoon. Maybe that plan needed to change now. Should I ask about the book before or after showing her the software?

  I was suspicious of Shelby now, even though I hated that the thought crossed my mind. Questions swirled in my head. About the book and when she’d gotten on the boat and it had seemed as if she had wanted to be there. Then she’d pretended as if she didn’t want anything to do with the mermaids. I just thought it was so strange.

  An idea popped into my head. Should I snoop? I knew it wasn’t exactly the best thing to do, but it would help put my mind at ease. If there was nothing suspicious on Shelby’s computer that she had left on the desk next to mine, then I could relax a bit. Just a quick little peek and then I could put my mind at ease.

  I paced across the floor again, looking over at the computer and trying to decide. I was debating yes or no. Should I do it? I looked at the door, wondering if I should before she returned. Maybe I should lock the door so that Shelby wouldn’t walk in and catch me.

  I rushed over and twisted the lock. Then I dashed over to the desk. If I was going to do this, I needed to do it in a hurry. Especially before I changed my mind and chickened out. Nerves twisted my stomach into a knot as I lifted the top of the laptop and pushed the power button. It was taking forever for it to power up.

  When I got the laptop on, I realized that she had it password-protected. Why would she do this to me? Okay, remain calm, Rylie. What would be her password? Something that she would think no one else would consider. Did she have pets? No, so that was out. I typed in the word ‘mermaids’ and it worked. How lucky was I? What was I even looking for on here? I mean, if she was doing something wrong she probably wouldn’t leave the information right there on the computer. Although I guessed if she thought it was password-protected she wouldn’t worry.

  I looked at some files, but nothing seemed interesting. Some online shopping and planning of events. Mermaid events and meetups. Nothing about going out on the boat with the people I saw her with though. I had hoped to find more information about them. But then I stopped in shock when I saw the name of the next file. It was labeled ‘Vampire Info.’ What did that mean?

  I was in a hurry to find out, so I clicked on the file, waiting for it to open. As soon as the file opened I scrolled down just a bit and was shocked at what I saw. Needless to say, I wasn’t happy. And I wanted to know why it was on her computer. Unfortunately, I would have to wait until she showed up to get answers. But I wanted answers right away when I saw her.

  She had Jack’s info on the
page. Why would she have this? His address was on the page. And the date and time of the charity event that the vampires had been attending in New Orleans. Also, there was information about the mermaid show and Miami Mermaid Club. That was extremely suspicious. I was so glad that I had looked on her computer. I would’ve never known any of this.

  She also had information about other vampires other than Jack too. I had to warn him right away. I would make sure that the mermaids couldn’t do anything to Jack. Shelby had always acted so nice around him. Not as if she was mad or anything like that. I hadn’t expected her to try to harm him at all. But nonetheless, I had the proof right here on the computer. Something strange was going on and I wanted to find out before someone got hurt. Or even worse.

  As I read through the pages, I realized that there had been a mermaid who had been turned into a vampire. This might be the first time I’d ever heard of this happening. What would she be called? A vammaid or a merepire? Maybe it was best to just leave it at a vampire/mermaid.

  Apparently, there was even a scheduled meeting to discuss this incident and how it would be addressed. The mermaids were furious that a vampire had done this. ‘The vampires have to pay for what they’d done’ was listed as one of the discussion points. But who was the vampire in question? Maybe I would go to the meeting and listen to what was said.

  I went through every file I found, hoping to find the vampire’s identity, but it was never mentioned. I wanted to find out when this happened and where it had occurred. I needed to know all the details. Maybe Jack would know something about this. Surely, he would’ve mentioned it.

  Shelby had a newspaper article saved that was about her boyfriend. It was of course before he had been murdered. In the article it said he had been working on a book about vampire life and how great it could be. I had been surprised to find out that he was a vampire. The fact that the mermaids were trying to get back at some vampires couldn’t be a coincidence. I’d been told repeatedly that was nothing more than a rumor. However, this seemed too suspicious to ignore. And I wasn’t just going to write it off as nothing.

  I wanted to know more about this discovery. I should just confront Shelby with this information right now. I would know if she was lying to me. The other mermaids should be confronted too. They thought they were good at hiding stuff, but they really weren’t. The look of fake shock on their faces would give them away instantly.

  I hit redial for Jack’s number and waited for him to pick up. I was anxious to hear what he had to say before I confronted anyone with this news. When he didn’t answer I was disappointed, but maybe he was busy. He had an appointment to meet with someone who said he could fix the leaky windows in the new office building. I wanted to take care of the repairs before we left for New Orleans. I left a message for Jack to call me back so that I could ask him about the vampire.

  I wanted to know if he’d heard a rumor or anything really. I had to figure out what other things I might do to track down this information. I supposed I could talk to the vampire leader. Though it wasn’t like I could just dial him up and get right through. I would have to call his office and speak with his secretary.

  Continuing my search of the computer, I perused some of the photos. I stopped on one of Shelby. The gold ring on her finger caught my attention right away. It was the same type of ring that the mermaids wore. Now I knew that the ring I’d found really had belonged to Shelby. She wore the ring because she was involved with the bad mermaids. She’d lied to me about it.

  As I was scrolled through looking for more information, something sounded right outside the door. I clicked off hurriedly and shut down the computer. The text on the screen popped up stating that the computer was updating and to please not shut it off. Seriously? Of all the freaking times for an update. If I shut the computer off without the update Shelby would notice when she turned it on next. However, maybe she would think that she was the one who hadn’t finished the update.

  No, I had to wait. I was too paranoid to take the chance. I tapped my fingers against the desk as I watched the update bar. It went from ten percent done to twenty and then seemingly stopped at seventy percent. I was just about to give up when it quickly moved to one hundred percent. Finally! If I closed the top now and it wasn’t shut down all the way Shelby would be suspicious.

  More rattling came from outside the front door. If Shelby thought the door was locked she would probably use her key to get in. I had forgotten all about giving her a key. Maybe I shouldn’t have given her a key so soon. Luckily, the computer finished, and I shut the lid. Then I hurried over to the door. Since she hadn’t come in yet I wondered if I had just been a random noise outside. I went over to the window and lifted the blinds. Had I really heard something?

  I scanned the area in front of the office building, looking from my left to the right. There was no sign of Shelby. I saw no one close enough who would’ve made that noise. Maybe it was just a stray cat. Or a bird flying over. Yeah, I didn’t really think it was either of those things. But I didn’t know how else to explain the noise. It wasn’t like someone could hide behind the palm trees or something.

  I supposed I was finished looking at the computer for now. Shelby would be here soon. At least I assumed she was coming back. Maybe this was her way of letting me know she’d quit. I crossed the room over to the door and unlocked it. If Shelby entered now there was no way she would be suspicious at all. I hoped I didn’t have ‘suspicious’ written all over my face.

  When my phone rang I jumped. Lily’s picture was on the screen. It was a picture I’d snapped when she was shifting. Her hair had been halfway on her body, so it was a straggly mess. She’d flipped me off, so that was why I’d taken the photo. Luckily for me, she’d held the finger up long enough for me to capture the photo. It was classic Lily and perfect for the contact info on my phone. Lily had no idea I had it as her contact photo. What did she want now?

  Chapter 27

  “I’m at the Blue Water Café. You should come over here right away,” Lily whispered.

  “Why are you whispering?” I asked.

  “Because I don’t want anyone to hear me, duh. Isn’t that the reason everyone whispers?”

  “Well, yeah… but why don’t you want them to hear you? And who don’t you want to hear you? What have you done?”

  “There is no time for this discussion right now, Rylie Cruz. Just get your…”

  “If you insult my butt, Lily, I will come to the Blue Water Café and pummel you.”

  “I’d like to see you try it,” Lily yelled.

  “Tsk, tsk, tsk, Lily, they’ll hear you.”

  “Just get over here.” She tried to use a calm voice.

  I sighed. “All right. I’ll be there in just a minute.”

  Did Lily know I’d only recently returned from the Blue Water Café? What could possibly be going on there now? Actually, if Lily was there, then any number of bad things could have happened. I scribbled down a note for Shelby in case she returned while I was gone. I’d let her know I’d be back in a jiffy. That was unless Lily got us arrested. I was surprised that hadn’t happened yet.

  After locking the door, I took off down the sidewalk toward the café. I’d almost expected to bump into Shelby. Should I start worrying? What would I say to Shelby when I saw her again?

  Soon I reached the café and was relieved to see that there was no brawl or police cars surrounding the place. Maybe they’d already taken Lily away in handcuffs. The building was still standing too. No fires or explosions.

  As soon as I stepped inside I peered around for Lily. Things seemed perfectly normal. People were chatting and enjoying their meals. A noise from my right caught my attention. It sounded like a hissing or maybe something leaking. It wasn’t a constant sound though. When I glanced to my right I spotted Lily peeking out from behind the tall potted plant.

  “What in the world are you doing back there?” I asked.

  She reached out and grabbed me, pulling me behind the plant with her
.

  “Are you hiding from someone?” I whispered.

  “You are quick to catch on,” Lily said.

  “If you didn’t want them to see us then why have me walk in?”

  “How else was I supposed to get you here? It’s not like you can be invisible.”

  “All right, enough with the games. Tell me what this is all about,” I said.

  “Shelby is here.” Lily gestured.

  I frowned. “What? She’s supposed to be at the office with me by now. Why don’t you want me to say anything to her? I have a lot of questions for her and she has a lot of explaining to do.”

  “It’s not that simple. I think there’s something you should know about her.”

  “What’s that?” I asked.

  I already knew more than Lily could imagine.

  “Take a look over there at her. Tell me what you see. She’s over there by the bar.”

  I peeked out from behind the plant. At first, I didn’t see Shelby, but then I spotted her sitting next to a tall man with long black hair. Shelby touched his arm and then she laughed. The bright white fangs were visible all the way across the room. My eyes widened as I turned to Lily.

  “Now you know why I wanted you to get over here as soon as possible,” Lily said.

  “She’s a vampire?” I asked a little louder than I intended.

  The people at the table next to us peered behind the plant. I waved at them as if this was a totally normal thing. As far as Lily and I were concerned, this wasn’t all that unusual.

  “What do we do now? Why didn’t she tell me she was a vampire? I knew she was a mermaid because I saw her tail.”

  “Are you sure you saw it? Furthermore, why are you asking me all these questions? I don’t know anything about this. Actually, I don’t know why you asked me to come to Miami in the first place.” Lily shook her head.