Justin held up a lemon. “Citrus? Spanish Olives?” He picked up one of the white cubes and stared at it. “You call this a meal?”
Miranda didn’t know exactly what constituted a meal and she didn’t particularly care. She picked up a square pillow from the sofa, tossed it aside and plopped down beside him. She took the lemon out of his hand and laid it on the table. “If you don’t like this, I can find you something else in a few minutes.” She pointed to the wall. “But first tell me what you were watching.”
What she really wanted to ask was how he was making the images appear but she knew that might set off alarm bells in his head. She was supposed to know what humans did with their spare time. Before she’d gotten her legs, she’d spent endless hours listening to Chelsea tell her things about the things in the human world. Naïvely she’d assumed it would all make sense once she arrived on land. How wrong she’d been.
“Mr. Lockheed?” She waved a hand in front of his eyes. “Are you watching something for work?”
He looked up from the plate, a puzzled expression on his face. He looked from her to the moving images and back. “My new client is involved in whaling. I’m supposed to watch a few of these documentaries before I meet with my team tomorrow for a brainstorming session.”
Miranda nodded encouragingly. She needed to keep him talking. And not about his dinner. “Brainstorm about what?”
He waved his hand toward the whale that was now back on the screen. “Whales. Apparently the fact that the Japanese hunt a few whales every year has some people up in arms.”
A few whales a year? Miranda bit her lip. Hard. She needed to handle this conversation carefully. It wasn’t the time to make waves. “And your company is supposed to find a way to make whaling seem…acceptable?” She had to force herself to get that last word out but it seemed to do the trick.
Justin turned to face her. “Exactly. Acceptable is just the right word. We just need to find a way to smooth a few ruffled feathers and make the idea palatable. I mean, whaling is always going to be repugnant to the fringe minority, right?”
Miranda forced herself to nod. “So you need to find a way to counter their objections so that the majority of people will discount them as radical environmentalists.”
An appreciative smile lit up Justin’s face. At any other time, Miranda would have been distracted by the way his eyes sparkled or by the way his eyelashes were dark and thick. But from the corner of her eye, she could see the whale moving peacefully through the water. Her heart felt like it was being twisted. The poor thing was a moving target. “That’s quite an assignment. How’s it coming?”
The sparkle left Justin’s eyes and his face fell. “It’s not.”
Miranda tried to look sympathetic. “Tell me about it.”
Justin flopped back on the couch and flung his arm over his eyes. His only answer was a groan.
“That doesn’t sound good,” Miranda said. She kept her voice low and debated whether she should reach out and touch his arm in a show of sympathy. No. Too soon. She’d have to stick to words. “Is there anyone helping you?”
He lowered his arm and turned to look at her. “No. Well, yes and no. I’ve got a crack team but I’ve got to spearhead this thing. I’ll have plenty of help once we come up with a game plan but I’ve got to provide the leadership.”
“Leadership,” she repeated. What the heck was he talking about? By the pathetic way he was acting, you’d think he was the one being hunted. “Do you know a great deal about whales or sea life?”
He shook his head. “No. I don’t want to either. I hate the water.”
“You hate the water.” The man was crazy. Handsome but crazy. “That’s going to make this assignment especially hard. I mean, won’t you need to actually go out on a boat at least a few times?” Miranda could swear he was turning a bit green around the gills. “Do you know what you need?”
“A new job?”
“No, you can do this. I’m sure you’ve worked on harder campaigns, right?” She didn’t wait for him to answer. “What you need is a special project assistant. Someone who is knowledgeable about marine life. Someone who isn’t bothered by the sea. Someone who you can depend on to help you navigate the rough waters, so to speak.”
Justin sat up out of his slouch, his eyes fixed intently on her face. “Where would I find someone like this?”
Miranda smiled. He was ready to be reeled in. “I’m available.”
“You?”
She nodded. “Oceanography was my specialization in school.” She forgot the specific word that Chelsea had told her to use. Major? Or was it minor? She’d have to ask Goldie later. “I’ve spent my whole life near the water. I think with your business acumen and my extensive oceanic knowledge I could really help you tackle this project. What do you say?”
She tried not to squirm as Justin gazed at her thoughtfully for several long moments.
“Why would you offer to do this?” he finally asked.
His voice was a tad too suspicious for Miranda’s liking. Her mind raced for a plausible explanation. She glanced over at the lemon. Ah, perfect! She looked back at Justin. “So, here’s the thing. I can’t exactly cook.”
“Exactly?” he raised his eyebrows.
“Okay, not at all.” She shrugged apologetically. “But I can clean the house, and I don’t want to get fired. I really need this job.”
Justin nodded. “You’re suggesting that you help me with the Morimoto account and in return I bring home carry-out for a month and I don’t fire you?”
“Sounds like a great plan to me,” Miranda said, although she had no idea what carry out was.
“Me too.” A bright smile lit his face. “Let’s call for a pizza and get started.” He glanced at the plate she’d brought in earlier. “You seriously thought I would eat that? That’s crazy. No offense, of course.”
“None taken, Mr. Lockheed.”
“Justin.” He stood and offered her his hand. “Call me Justin.”
Miranda let him help her to her feet. She struggled to keep her smile casual as she picked up the dish with the lemon. “Let me just go get rid of this.” Once she was in the hallway she grinned broadly.
She had him. Hook, line and sinker.
Chapter Five
“Wake up, you lazy two-legged sea creature.”
Miranda rolled over and groaned. She swatted in the general direction of the voice. “Go away.”
“Not a chance. Apparently I’ve got to keep a closer eye on you than I first thought.” The macaw took a corner of the bed sheet and began to hop backward.
Miranda struggled to a sitting position and grabbed the sheet. “Give me that.” She drew her knees to her chest and hugged them to her. “What happened to me?”
Goldie cocked his head to the side. “If you’d bothered to count how many pieces of pizza you scarfed down last night, then you’d have your answer. Now get up. You’ve got work to do.”
The bird was right. Annoying, but right. Miranda swung her legs over the side of the bed, letting them dangle for just a moment the way she’d seen people sitting on a dock do. If all the pizza she’d consumed the night before was responsible for her slow, sluggish feeling then she was going to be careful to limit how much she ate in the future. No more than eight slices a night. That was her new cut-off.
Her entire body felt dry and her skin felt so tight she was afraid it would crack open. A good, long soak was just what she needed. Remembering Chelsea’s explanations of how humans bathed, Miranda went in search of a bathtub. She found a huge sunken tub in the bathroom off of Justin’s master bedroom. She fiddled with the taps until the water ran tepid. She added a liberal amount of salt she’d brought from the kitchen, and then she slipped in. Ah, perfection.
She laid her head against a rolled up towel and splashed her legs as best she could in the limited space. It felt heavenly to be back in the water. She could feel relaxation spread through her body. She closed her eyes and thought back to the previo
us evening.
The pizza had been amazing, delivered straight to the door in a couple of square brown boxes. Justin had suggested they sit outside and eat, which she’d eagerly agreed to. There’d been a light breeze coming in off the ocean and the sound of the waves crashing below had been soothing. The evening passed in a blur. Mostly they’d talked about the different species of whales. She’d been stunned at his lack of knowledge on the subject. Apparently he’d been just as surprised by how much she knew about marine life.
She’d been caught off guard to find that Justin was as easy to talk to as he was handsome. He’d listened intently to her, making notes on a yellow pad of paper while she talked. If his grateful smile at the end of the evening was any indication, he was as pleased with their new arrangement as she was.
“Hey, two feet, when you’re done splashing around like a toddler in there, can we get a move on?” Goldie jumped up on the towel rack and looked down at her.
Miranda sat up. “You know, Goldie, you have a real talent for ruining a moment.”
“And you have a real talent for ignoring the obvious, babe.”
She frowned. “Obvious?”
“Yeah, obvious as in the note that pretty boy left for you.”
“He left me a note? Wait, you read it?”
The macaw squawked. Loudly. “I did. We’re in this together. Why shouldn’t I read it?”
“Turn around.” Miranda reached for a towel, stepped out of the tub, and dried herself off. “It’s not that I didn’t want you to read it. I’m just surprised you can read,” she said as she slipped into the maid’s uniform. She stopped when she had the zipper half way zipped up. The silence was deafening. “What? No snappy comeback?”
Goldie sat perfectly still. “I’m a little thrown by the irony here.”
“Irony?” Miranda picked up the brush Summer had given her and began to brush out her hair. She cast a sideways look at the bird. “What are you talking about?”
“You look down on the humans because they think the whales are just big, blubbery floating creatures with no brains or feelings. But then you turn around and look at me and assume, because I’m covered in feathers, that I’ve got stuffing for brains. It’s just a sad cycle.”
Miranda stopped brushing as Goldie’s words sunk in. He was right. She was wrong. “I’m sorry, Goldie. I’m glad you called me out on that.” She went over and gently stroked his head. “Forgive me?”
The macaw cocked his head. “Not until after you make me breakfast. I want some Mango. Pronto.”
Miranda smiled broadly. “Mango it is, then. Come on.” She held out her arm and Goldie stepped onto it. “Let’s get to work.”
And work it was. Miranda’s first order of business, right after preparing Goldie’s breakfast, was to sanitize the kitchen. Between bits of mango, Goldie instructed her on the ways of human cleaning. She worked quickly because the smell of rotting seafood made her gag. After she hauled the garbage bag out to the rubbish, she scoured the garbage pail. She then did her level best to put everything away that she’d gotten out the night before, but she knew most of it didn’t go back in quite the right spot.
“Do you think Justin will notice?” she asked Goldie.
“Ha, he’s so worried about this Morimoto client that he won’t even care. He dashed out of the house this morning without even coming in here.”
Miranda looked around. “Where’s the note Justin left?”
“Follow me.”
The length and breadth of her duties shocked Miranda. Did his normal housekeeper do all these tasks in one day? She shook her head. “Goldie, is this a joke?”
“If it is, it’s on you.”
She glanced down at the list of chores. “There’s no way I can do all of this.” She plopped down on the stairs and sagged against the banister.
Goldie hauled himself up beside her. “What did you think this was gonna be, a resort?”
Miranda looked down at him. “Well, I certainly wasn’t expecting a labor camp.” She consulted the list again. “I’m only going to do one of these things today. The rest can wait. I need some time to come up with a plan to throw Justin overboard on his whaling propaganda campaign.”
“So what’s it gonna be?”
“Laundry.” She got to her feet and headed up the stairs.
“Wait, you’re going in the wrong direction,” Goldie called after her.
“Nonsense, I need my bikini,” Miranda called over her shoulder. “If I do the wash I’m bound to get wet, aren’t I?”
***
Only seconds after Justin eased his car into the garage, his cell phone rang. He glanced down at the caller id and saw that it was his assistant. He was sorely tempted to ignore the call but Glenna was nothing if not persistent. He slipped out of the car, reached for the bag of Chinese carry out he’d picked up on his way home, and touched his blue tooth. “Hey Glenna, miss me already?”
“Not any more than usual,” she quipped. “But there’s one thing I forgot to mention before you left.”
“That’s not like you.” Justin let himself into the house through the kitchen door. He slid the bag containing dinner onto the counter.
“Okay, well, you caught me. I didn’t forget but there’s something I didn’t want to tell you in person.”
His eyebrows rose. “That bad, huh?”
“Not to a normal person, no. But I had a feeling that this might cause you to have a melt-down.”
“Out with it.” He took a quick look into several rooms but didn’t see Miranda, nor did he hear that ridiculous bird.
“Kenji Morimoto’s personal secretary called and said that you and a guest are invited to a private party he’s throwing Saturday night,” Glenna spoke rapidly. “It’s formal, you’ll need a date, and probably a tranquilizer or two when you hear where it’s being held.”
He groaned. “Please tell me it’s not on a private yacht.”
“No. It seems Morimoto Industries has rented out Ocean World for the evening.”
“Ocean World? You’re kidding.” Ocean World was a huge outdoor aquarium park that he’d avoided visiting ever since his fifth grade field trip. He’d humiliated himself in front of his entire class when he’d broken out in hives after they’d walked through the glass shark tube. “Can’t we get someone else to go in my place?”
“No way out, boss. You’ve got to be there representing the firm. It won’t look right to send anyone else.” Glenna’s voice was sympathetic but firm. “Now, where are we going to get you a date? We only have five days until the party.”
Justin’s next words were cut off by an ear splitting series of squawks. He rolled his eyes. First the bird, now Ocean World? This account was going to be the death of him. “You don’t have to make it sound like a Herculean task, Glenna,” he said once the bird quieted down. “I have someone in mind.”
As soon as he hung up, Justin went in search of Miranda. He didn’t find her in the house, nor did he find any evidence that she’d done any of the tasks he’d written on the list. Where could she be? When he heard the macaw kicking up a fuss he realized that was his answer. He jogged down the stairs, out of the kitchen through the patio doors and around the corner toward the pool house. He came to a skidding halt when he saw a pair of his gym shorts hanging from a Hawaiian Bird of Paradise bush.
He spun around slowly, eyes wide. Was that his UC San Diego t-shirt on the pool pump? The ends of his bed sheets were tied around two palm trees, fluttering in the breeze as if they were sails on a ship. A week’s worth of socks were strewn along the flagstone path. It looked like the washing machine had exploded all over his yard.
What in heaven’s name had happened? And where was Miranda? His eyes settled on the garden hose. It trailed around the corner of the pool house. He followed it, coming to a stop once he reached the entrance to the pool area. Mystery solved. He’d found his maid. She was reclined on a floating lounger in the middle of his pool. Justin leaned against the pool fence and watched her.
She was wearing the same white bikini he’d seen her in yesterday. Her golden red hair fell down over her shoulders. She looked like a Hollywood starlet. What she didn’t look like, was a maid.
“Hello Miranda.” He made his way up the steps and settled on a chaise lounge chair.
“Justin, there you are,” her smile was wide. “I’ve been hoping you would come home soon.”
He was surprised how much it pleased him that she seemed happy to see him. He was used to coming home to an empty house. It was nice to have someone to welcome him home. “Enjoying yourself?”
Miranda nodded, reached her hands over her head and arched her back. She let one leg dangle over the edge of her lounger. He couldn’t help but stare. Her movements were a perfect, and unusual, blend of innocence and eroticism.
“I am, ever so much. Are you coming in?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know how to swim.”
The look of shock on her face wasn’t what he’d expected. She looked like he’d just confessed that he didn’t breathe oxygen.
She slipped off the floating lounger and swam gracefully over to the edge of the pool closest to him. “Really? Why not?”
He shrugged. “I just never learned.” He didn’t like the look of pity on her face. Time for a change of subject. “I see you did some laundry today.”
She nodded. “I did.” And then she smiled but offered no explanation as to why his clothing was strewn about the yard.
Fine. He’d ask. “Why are my clothes outside?”
She cocked her head. “I didn’t see a hose inside the house.”
“A hose?” He glanced around. Was this some kind of prank? Was there a hidden camera somewhere? But they were alone, unless you counted the blue and gold macaw who was hopping around on the grass. “You used a hose to do the laundry?”
In one swift, graceful movement, Miranda pulled herself out of the pool. She stood before him, dripping wet. “What else would I use?”
Mermaid Inc. Page 4