“I know you can take care of yourself. I do. But I just wanted to know you were okay,” Sam said, pulling back, firelight glinting on the tears in her eyes.
“Don’t cry, Sami. Please? I’m fine.”
“I know…” Sam led her to a poofy chair, pushed her down to sit and handed her a drink. A strong one. Lola approved.
“Before we get into anything,” Irma interrupted, and Lola looked up at her. She stood by the fire, her hands clasped behind her back. She wore a simple white sheath that dropped to her feet, her hair flowing behind her almost to her waist, and a riot of turquoise necklaces hung from her neck. She looked like a high priestess, Lola thought, and then hunched her shoulders when Irma gave her the sternest look she’d seen yet from the woman.
“You don’t do that, you understand?” Irma asked.
“I…” Lola looked around at the other girls, but they all were glaring at her too – except for Sam, who was wiping tears.
“You don’t just leave like that. You have family here now. It’s not fair to us, those who care about you. And you’ve hurt Gage.”
“Wait a minute –” Lola said, but Irma held up her finger to stop her.
“We’ll get to Gage. I know you were hurt and that you’re learning a lot about yourself. So I’ll give you a pass on this one. This is your warning. You don’t run away with your tail tucked between your legs and not let your friends know where you are or what’s wrong. That’s not how you treat people who love you.”
“I… You’re absolutely right,” Lola realized, feeling the numbness she’d been holding onto for days crack and all the feelings come flooding through. “I’m so sorry. You’re completely right. I should have spoken to you.”
“You don’t have to handle everything on your own. If you’re hurting, we’re hurting,” Mirra said, her voice soft, her eyes luminous in the fire.
“I am hurting,” Lola admitted. “And I was wrong to not tell you what was going on. But I think since I knew I was coming back, I figured I could explain it later.”
“How could we have known you were coming back?” Jolie asked, her glare game strong tonight. “You didn’t bother to tell us you were leaving. You barely even told Sam – your very best friend. She had no clue if you’d even be returning here. That’s not nice. That’s not what we do.”
“I’m sorry, Sam.”
“I know you are. And I know you, through and through. So I knew you had to go like you did. I just hope that, now that you’re back, you’ll be willing to let us be a family to you. You need a foundation, Lola. You’ve been running for years. We’re here.”
“Mermaids don’t run away, and they don’t leave their tribe behind,” Irma said, piercing Lola with a look so powerful that she swore her heart skipped a beat.
“Excuse me?” Lola whispered.
“You heard exactly what I said. Mermaids are strong and vulnerable at the same time. And we never leave our tribe behind.”
“What are you saying to me, exactly?” Lola didn’t want to blurt out her suspicions and she looked wildly around the circle until her eyes landed on a beaming Sam. “Is this real?”
Sam nodded, tears in her eyes. “They’re mermaids.”
“And so are you,” Irma said to Lola.
Lola looked at her like she’d grown two heads. “Um, pretty sure I’m not.” Lola laughed out loud, then just looked around as they all stared at her in silence.
“The necklace you wear?”
“Yes?” Lola looked down at where the shell locket nestled at her chest, humming its happy little hum by her heart.
“Open it and look in the mirror.”
Lola looked at Irma and then down at the locket, before reaching down and opening it up. Shocked, she almost dropped the mirror, then held it closer to her face, twisting to get the light of the fire.
It was her… but not her. Her eyes glowed fiercely green in her face, and her hair seemed redder somehow, coiling in thick ropes around her head, and her skin glowed as if lit from within by the moon.
“I… what’s happening?” Lola looked down at her drink, then over at Sam.
“It’s true, Lola. Mermaids are real,” Sam said, happy to finally share her secret.
“I know that,” Lola said automatically. “I realized it pretty much the first day I got here. I could feel it in my soul. But I thought it would be best not to say anything. I want to respect people’s privacy. It’s… I just can’t wrap my head around what a magnificent discovery this is. I’m honored to know you all. Thank you for sharing this with me.”
“But don’t you see?” Sam said softly. “What they’re trying to tell you is that there is a reason why you were drawn here. Why you’ve put down roots here, for the first time ever. Why you’ve felt so listless and untethered.”
“Sam, seriously, how would I not know I was mermaid?”
“You have some of it, in your blood. Not full mermaid,” Irma interrupted. “But you were gifted the necklace, and it gives you the power to change, if you will it.”
“Shut. Up,” Lola exclaimed.
“I most certainly will not,” Irma said, but smiled at her.
“So, to be clear, you’re saying if I walk on down to the water, with this necklace on, and just will it – I’ll change into a mermaid? As I will it, so mote it be? And all that? You guys are pulling my leg,” Lola laughed.
Nobody else laughed.
“Is this like – okay, you’re punking me for leaving the island like I did. You just want me jump into the ocean at night and get all wet?”
“Lola, you know it’s true. You’ve received many other gifts since you’ve arrived. Both in experiences, and in actual gifts. You wear another now. It’s not for you, though. What will you do with it?”
Lola looked down at what she had found the other day.
“I need to give it to Gage,” she said, softly.
“You know what it means,” Irma said.
“I do.”
“Then what are you waiting for?”
“Um, I guess I can drive up there and see if he’s home. I need to talk this out with him before I even go through it all with you. Is it okay if I leave you?” Lola asked, suddenly desperate to see Gage and make things right.
* * *
“Yes, go get your man!” Sam crowed.
“Okay.” Lola stood and turned.
“Not that way.” Irma stopped her and pointed at the ocean.
“Wait… you want me to swim to his house?”
“Trust,” Irma said, tapping Lola’s necklace.
“Well, shit,” Lola said, and then looked at the other girls, who all nodded.
“You’ll be safe. We promise you,” Mirra said softly. “Our tribe looks out for each other.”
“He needs you, Lola,” Jolie agreed.
“Does he know… about mermaids?” Sam asked, her eyes on Lola.
“He believes,” Lola said.
“Show yourself to him,” Irma insisted. “Now, go. The hour grows late.”
With one last glance at the women standing by the fire, Lola walked to the shoreline. Then, pulling her dress over her head and tossing it on the beach, she dove into darkness.
Chapter 38
Lola kicked below the surface and, remembering what Irma said, she touched her necklace and willed herself to change.
And she did.
Lola almost choked on water in shock – one moment she was kicking with two legs and the next she was zipping through the water, seeming not to need air, and able to see just fine even though it was night. It was unlike anything she’d ever known, and for a moment she thought she never wanted to come out. Zipping to the surface – and how she even knew where the surface was in the darkness, Lola didn’t know – she popped out of the water.
“Woohoo!” Lola shouted, unable to hide her joy, and the women on the beach cheered. Pipin raced to the water’s edge and barked at her.
* * *
“Embrace your power!” Jolie called.
<
br /> “On it,” Lola shouted, and dipped back under the water, unable to resist the way it felt to flow through the water as if she weighed nothing at all. For just a moment, she allowed herself to bask in the beauty that was the sheer magick of the universe. Then she swam on, knowing instinctively when to surface.
She could see Gage, sitting alone on his deck, his head in his hands. Her heart hurt for him, knowing she had caused a good man pain, and she swam closer. For a moment, she hoped to slip from the water and change before he saw her, but then she remembered Irma’s instructions.
Show yourself to him.
In for a penny, in for a pound, Lola thought, and taking a deep breath, she called to him.
“Gage.”
Gage whipped his head up and looked around in confusion, standing up on his deck.
“Gage, here, in the water.”
Gage bent and peered over the railing. Pipin barked from where he had followed Lola down the shoreline, making sure she was safe.
“Lola? Are you swimming? Is that Pipin? What the hell are you doing in the water at night? Don’t move, I’m coming down,” Gage shouted, and she could see him race through the house. When he came to the beach, he had towels in his hands, and her heart melted a little more. This was a man she had hurt, and still he brought towels down for her.
Gage stopped at the waterline, putting the towels down on the sand, and just looked at where her head and shoulders popped out of the water.
“Lola, what are you doing?” Gage asked.
“I’m sorry I left,” Lola said.
“That’s okay, we’ll work through it. Just… can you get out of the water? I need to see you. I have to explain what happened –”
“Gage, I understand. We’ll talk, but first… I have to show you something,” Lola said, her voice almost a whisper as she worried what he would think.
“Show me what? Lola, are you okay? You look a little…” Gage’s voice trailed off.
“Gage, this is me,” Lola said, and flipped her tail out of the water. The moon flashed off her beautiful scales, and Lola almost laughed at the sheer enchantment of it all.
Gage stood, stunned, his mouth hanging open.
“Gage?” Lola asked softly.
“My wish came true,” he whispered.
“It really did,” Lola laughed, ecstatic in her newfound power.
“I wished for my own mermaid. I wanted to believe in them so much. Just for once in my life, to have something fanciful and full of magick. I wanted to believe so badly, and I thought I’d found that with you and then I worried I screwed it up… and here you are. Oh my god, a real live mermaid! Did you know? Is this what you were keeping from me? I have to touch you,” Gage said and strode right into the water until he was next to her.
“Can I?” Gage asked, his eyes hot in the moonlight.
“You can,” Lola said, and laughed into his mouth when he pulled her to him, kissing her. He tasted of salt and tears, and Lola never wanted to let him go.
“This is incredible. Lola, you take my breath away.”
“I just found out tonight, so I’m pretty new to all this,” Lola admitted, flapping her tail about and giggling a bit. “But I’d like to change and come inside. Is that okay? I want to talk to you. We need to work this out. I don’t want to run anymore, Gage.”
“Good, because I won’t let you run anymore.”
“I’m… going to change now?” Lola laughed. “I don’t really know how it all works, but I guess I just have to will it. Give me a second.” Lola dove beneath the surface and on her command, she was back to her normal legs.
This was trippy, was all she could think. Then she surfaced again and walked with him to the shoreline, his eyes huge.
“Oh god, you’re beautiful,” Gage whispered, and Lola realized she was completely naked. “But you look cold, let me wrap you up.” Gage bent and grabbed towels, running over to wrap them around her.
Miriam was right, Lola thought; this was not a man who would cheat.
“Will you come upstairs with me?” Gage asked.
“I’d love nothing more,” Lola said, and he swept her into his arms, pressing kisses down her neck. Finally he deposited her on the bed, and pulled out a robe to wrap her in. Once he’d tended to her, he kneeled at her feet.
“Lola, you have to know this – I did not cheat on you. Cynthia – well, in her harebrained way, she was trying to help. She wanted to prove to you that you had feelings for me. It was misguided and wrong, but I didn’t know she was going to do it. If you remember at all, I wasn’t even touching her, I was so shocked.”
Lola thought back to the moment and realized he was right. It was Cynthia plastered against Gage; his arms had been at his sides.
“Thank you for the explanation. I understand you’re a good man. I came over to apologize to you, actually,” Lola said, and then ran her hands through Gage’s hair when he buried his face at her knees. “I need to learn to be better about accepting help. And realizing that allowing a partner into my life doesn’t invalidate me or make me weaker, because our shared love only makes us stronger.”
Gage looked up, hope in his eyes.
“I have something for you,” Lola whispered. Reaching up, she pulled a chain from her neck.
“Is this my necklace? Wait… no, is it?” Gage said and stared at the pendant in his hand. It was his pendant, but it had been changed since its time in the cave. Instead of the simple pendant with the stars and the moon on it, the ring she had offered in the wishing cave had been melded around it, forming a braided gold border, and two tiny seed pearls had been embedded on the star and the moon.
“It’s been changed. For us. It’s a gift.”
“Our souls together,” Gage said automatically, recognizing the meaning of the pearls.
“Mine for yours. My gift to you, Gage. My promise to be your partner in this life and the next.”
* * *
Pipin raced back down the shoreline, finding the women by the fire once more, barking in excitement.
Irma bent down and nuzzled him, before looking up at the ladies around the fire.
“And all is as it should be.”
Epilogue
Music played from an impromptu band that had just shown up, and Lola smiled, leaning into Gage for a moment as she looked around at what she had created. It was Siren Moon’s grand opening party, and it felt like the entire island had turned out for the occasion.
“You should be proud of yourself,” Gage said. “I know I am. Just look at how magickal this is. You did this, Lola.”
“I really did, didn’t I? With your help and the help of others, of course,” Lola said, turning to press a kiss against his lips before looking back at her happy little gallery.
Fairy lights were strung among the palms and all through the back garden, where a food and drinks table had been set up in front of her brand-new studio. The tables and chairs she’d brought in were full, but nobody seemed to mind – some people perched on walls; others had brought their own chairs. The inside of Siren Moon was outfitted for her first show, all based around a theme that seemed just right for the occasion.
Believe.
“You’ve got yourself your first sale.” Miss Maureen sauntered over, looking resplendent in a deep green dress splashed with yellow flowers. “I want that black and white photo – the one where you can just think you’re glimpsing a mermaid under the water. It’s mine and you can’t sell it to nobody else.”
“It is yours, but it’s a gift.”
“No, I want to be your first sale.” Miss Maureen put her hands at her waist and set in to argue.
“I refuse. Remember I told you that I had a print for you? In exchange for my gorgeous mermaid dress?” Lola wore it tonight, and had received so many compliments on it that Miss Maureen might have to close her bookshop and take up crocheting full-time.
“I suppose I do.”
“That’s the print. It’s meant for you.”
“Now isn
’t that just the sweetest! But how am I going to be your first sale then?”
“Find something else to buy.” Lola laughed when Miss Maureen swatted her and then hustled back into the store, shooing someone away from a necklace that Jolie had crafted. Prince danced by with his granddaughter, shooting Lola a cheeky grin.
“This here’s just what I wanted for the space, pretty lady.”
“Thank you for everything, Prince. You’re my hero,” Lola called as he danced away, laughing all the while.
“Hey, now, I can’t have you flirting with other men,” Gage pouted, and Lola leaned into him again.
“You’re also my hero.”
“I hope so, because I have a surprise for you,” Gage said, checking his watch and then turning as a car pulled up.
“What is it?” Lola narrowed her eyes, suspicious of surprises.
“One moment,” Gage said, and went to the car, pulling the door open and turning to see Lola’s face when Miriam stepped out. She looked as coolly lovely as she always did, in a brilliant red dress with a funky orange and white necklace twisted around her throat.
“Mom!” Lola gasped, and ran to Miriam, her heart in her throat.
“Well, now, I couldn’t miss your big opening, could I?”
“I’m so glad you’re here. Everyone I love is here,” Lola said. There were tears in her eyes as she looked back at what she’d created, and smiled to see all her favorite people in one spot.
“It’s absolutely perfect,” Miriam said, kissing her cheek. “You’ve created your home.”
And in that moment, Lola realized – this was what she’d been searching for all along.
Afterword
Good Intentions: Book 3 in the Siren Island Series – Available soon!
* * *
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