Good Girl

by Tricia O'Malley

  At the knock on her door, she jumped up.

  “I’ll be down in ten.”

  “Hurry up,” Jolie called through the door. “The sun’s about to set.”

  Grabbing one of the red dresses she’d bought from Charlene the first day she’d stumbled into the village, Samantha tugged it over her head, then picked up her now-favorite comb to tuck among her curls. Just touching it seemed to give her power, and she smiled at the woman she saw standing in the mirror.

  “I like you,” Samantha said to her reflection.

  Chapter 41

  “Surprise!”

  The quiet dinner Samantha had been expecting was anything but. They’d thrown together another beach BBQ, much like the one she’d had so much fun at, and invited all the neighbors down the beach, whom she’d come to know by name over her time here. Javier waved to her from where he manned the grill, Irma hovering close by to offer her input. Jolie and Mirra came forward, each of them grabbing her in a hug-sandwich, and Samantha clung to them.

  “I’m going to miss you two so much,” Samantha exclaimed.

  “All the more reason to come visit often,” Mirra smiled.

  “A gift, for you,” Jolie said, and held out a brightly wrapped box.

  “You didn’t have to get me anything,” Samantha gushed. “It should be me getting you gifts. You’ve done so much to make my time here special.”

  “You’re more than just a guest,” Jolie said with a shrug, and then narrowed her eyes. “Open it.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Samantha said, laughing as she blinked back a sheen of tears. Opening the box, she found a long delicately braided silver chain with a mermaid pendant on it. The mermaid’s tail looped around a perfect pearl, which looked just like a full moon.

  “It’s stunning,” Samantha breathed.

  “We at the Laughing Mermaid think you’ve got a lot of potential,” Mirra said. It took Sam a minute to realize she was quoting a line from Pretty Woman.

  “Aww, you think I can really be a mermaid someday?” Samantha laughed and put the necklace on, loving the feel of it against her chest.

  “I think you’ve done a damn good job of learning how to channel your inner mermaid,” Irma said, coming to stand by them and pulling Samantha in for a hug. “You’ve come a long way in a short time. You’re leaving here a different woman than the one who arrived stressed out and broken down.”

  “I feel different,” Sam said, hugging her back.

  “Good. I hope you take that feeling home with you,” Irma said, then pulled back to give her a stern look. “No tears, Missy. We’ll see you again soon – soon enough.”

  “You think?” Samantha asked.

  “If you will it, so shall it be,” Irma said and turned her to see Lucas waiting on the edge of the circle, Pipin at his feet. “Now go hug that man and make a wish on the green flash.”

  “How do you know there’ll be a green flash tonight?”

  “The best nights always have them,” Irma said.

  Samantha crossed the sand, going as neatly and naturally into Lucas’s arms as if she’d always done so. When a cold nose nudged her knee, she realized her mistake.

  “I’m sorry, Pipin,” Samantha said, throwing Lucas an apologetic look before crouching to give Pipin all the love he was due. Once he was satisfied, he wandered away to collect his accolades from the rest of the attendees.

  “Hey,” Lucas said, dropping a kiss on her forehead as he pulled her in for a snuggle.

  “Hey,” Samantha replied, loving the feel of him in her arms. It was as though she’d finally found home. They stood in silence, holding on to each other, as the sun dipped below the horizon. And in the last instant, Samantha saw the flash of green.

  She closed her eyes and wished.

  “I missed you today,” Lucas said, pulling back to look down at her. “I thought about you all day long.”

  “I know, I missed you too. I… it’s tough to think about tomorrow,” Samantha said.

  Just then the call for food went up.

  “You get two hours. Then I’m stealing you from the party so we can have our own private time,” Lucas said, his eyes serious.

  Samantha nodded. “I promise not to drink the rum,” she said, and Lucas smiled.

  “Best not. I want you clearheaded for what I have in mind.”

  Samantha gulped, but couldn’t keep the smile from her face. She wanted this, she realized, so badly. Neighbors who came by for a drink, people who waved to her on the street, a chunky dog who wanted nothing more than snuggles each day… and him.

  But he hadn’t said he loved her, or that he wanted her to stay.

  Remember, Samantha chided herself, island life is all about taking it slow. You don’t need to decide your entire future in a day. The thought helped soothe the panicky feeling that clawed at her chest. She’d always been horrible at making important decisions quickly.

  “I got you a little bit of everything,” Lucas said, coming back with two plates in hand and a smile for her on his face.

  “That’s exactly what I wanted,” Samantha said and pushed all thoughts of tomorrow aside to give herself over to the flow of the evening.

  And as they danced – Samantha jumping up this time as soon as the music started, comfortable now in her skin – the full moon rose over them, blessing them all with its abundance and light.

  Chapter 42

  True to his word, Lucas snuck her out of the party exactly two hours later, a happy Pipin on their heels. Instead of steering her toward his villa as she had expected, he tugged her down the beach.

  “Let’s walk in the moonlight. It’s so pretty tonight, no?”

  “It really is,” Samantha said, happy just to be near him. It was amazing how bright the light of a full moon could be when there was so little ambient light from a big city to compete with it. She could easily see where to place her feet, and watch as little crabs scuttled out of the way on the sand. “It’s just so beautiful here.”

  “Are you going to miss it?” Lucas asked, his hand tight on hers.

  “Of course I’ll miss it. It’d be hard not to miss paradise,” Samantha said, her tone light though her heart screamed that he was the one she’d really miss.

  “What about me? Will you miss me?” Lucas asked, pausing to pull her toward him so he could wrap his arms around her.

  “Yes, I’ll miss you,” Samantha said, smiling shyly up at him.

  “I’ll miss you, too,” Lucas said, leaning to kiss her.

  Samantha lost herself in him, in the moment, wanting to burn it into her brain forever.

  “I… maybe I can come back and visit soon?” she ventured, anxiety clawing at her throat.

  “I don’t want you to visit,” Lucas said, slamming the door on her hope quite neatly.

  “Oh… I guess I misread this,” Samantha said, stepping back from him.

  “No… that’s not what I meant, damn it,” Lucas said, raking his hand through her hair. “Samantha, I don’t want you to just come back and visit.”

  “I know, I know. You’ve said,” Samantha said, turning to look back out at the water. She would not cry, she promised herself. She’d cried enough on this vacation.

  “I’m asking you to stay,” Lucas said, grabbing her shoulder to turn her back to him.

  “You want me to stay?” Samantha said, in surprise.

  “Yes, I want you to stay. I want you here, with me. Laughing in the water when we snorkel, scolding Pipin when he steals food, waking up in my bed. I want you here with me.”

  “But… I don’t know what that means,” Samantha said. “We’ve only just met. My life back home…”

  “Screw your life back home,” Lucas bit out, sounding seriously angry for the first time since she’d met him. “You’re not happy there. Your work doesn’t value you. Your family doesn’t respect you. Stay here. With me.”

  “Lucas… I mean, I can certainly look at extending my vacation time. I’m more than due the time off.” Samantha bi
t at her lip, feeling anxiety claw its way through her stomach. How was she supposed to make such a huge decision at the snap of her fingers? After she’d only known this man for three weeks? It went against everything she knew about herself – everything she was. And yet she’d been in tears over the thought of leaving him just hours before. Her head was conflicting with her heart, and panic set in.

  “I don’t want you to just extend your vacation time, Samantha. I want you to stay here. With me. To give us a chance,” Lucas said, his eyes liquid in the light of the moon.

  “But that’s not fair. I have to give up everything to give us a chance? It’s all or nothing? What about long distance? Can’t we meet in the middle?” Samantha cried, her mind trying to look for ways they could make this work that didn’t entail her throwing her entire existence as she knew it out the window.

  “Long distance won’t work for someone like you,” Lucas said. “You need too much reassurance.”

  “So you’re saying I’m needy?” Samantha said, stung by his words.

  “No, I’m saying that you don’t trust easily. And you have every right to feel that way after what you’ve been through. But I can’t give you what you need unless you’re with me.”

  “If you know me at all, you have to know you’re asking me to make a huge life decision on… on nothing. Weeks of knowing someone!” Samantha exclaimed, and now it was Lucas who drew back, stung.

  “I didn’t realize I was ‘nothing’ to you, Samantha. I thought we had something deeper than that,” Lucas said, stepping further back from her. Samantha suddenly felt like she was sinking in quicksand and couldn’t get out.

  “We do, it’s just… I can’t think straight. I’m scared and nervous and don’t know what to do,” Samantha said, holding her hands up in the air. “What do you want from me?”

  “To make a decision that puts you first,” Lucas said quietly. Turning, he whistled for Pipin and walked away. “I’ll leave you to think about it.”

  “Oh – you say I don’t trust easily and yet you walk away at the slightest argument?” Samantha yelled after him.

  “I may be walking away, but you’re the one leaving,” Lucas said, shaking his head sadly as he disappeared over a dune toward his house.

  “This is complete shit,” Samantha bit out, turning to stare out at the sea. “The man wants me to just up and leave everything? To trust in him? What about my life? How am I supposed to believe in him?”

  “Maybe you need to believe in yourself.”

  Samantha whirled to find nobody behind her. Was she hallucinating now? Was this the breaking point everyone had told her was coming when she had not gotten her promotion? Or what if this entire vacation was one big hallucination? One messed-up long dream that she hadn’t woken up from yet? Samantha felt a hysterical giggle stick in her throat – then a flash of silver out in the sea caught her eye.

  “Oh no you don’t, not this time,” Samantha raged. Irrationally she stormed into the dark water, determined once and for all to get to the heart of the matter.

  Chapter 43

  Samantha dove into the dark water, so enraged at everything that she didn’t even consider what she was doing. She began to swim. The path of the full moon lit her way as she paced herself, swimming toward where she’d last seen the silver flash. Salt water filled her eyes – or were they tears? – and as the reality of what she was doing hit her, she began to tremble.

  Why was she swimming out into the dark ocean after a fantasy? What did she hope to find out here?

  Why had she even come here at all?

  Tears streaked down Samantha’s face as she began to lose steam. Her limbs began to feel heavy as the rage seeped away, to be replaced by sadness, until she felt like she could just slip under the water.

  A flash of silver caused her to twist in the water. Then another flash and a splash, and Samantha twisted again.

  “Don’t give up, Samantha,” Jolie said from over her shoulder and Samantha opened her mouth to scream, only to suck in a huge mouthful of seawater. Sputtering, she sank below the surface – but not before she saw what she’d come out here to see.

  Mirra and Jolie, both heartachingly beautiful, circled her as mermaids. Their hair twined in the water, flowing behind them in waves, and their tails, shining effervescent in the light, swirled and flowed in a dance unlike any she’d seen. She smiled beneath the water as she drifted – they were intoxicating in their beauty and it all made sense.

  Samantha’s head broke the surface when Jolie lifted her.

  “You’re real,” Samantha gasped, choking as water and tears clogged her throat.

  “Of course we’re real. We told you we believed in mermaids,” Mirra said, pressing her hand to Samantha’s chest. Instantly her coughing subsided, and she floated there, held gently between the two as the moonlight serenaded their beauty.

  “Have I gone mad?” Samantha whispered.

  “We all go a little mad sometimes…” Mirra quoted.

  “You’re crazy if you leave that man and fly home to a life you hate.” Jolie cut right to the chase.

  “But… I barely know him. How can I trust him?” Samantha sputtered, still trying to wrap her head around the fact that she was floating in the ocean with two mermaids.

  “I thought you’d channeled your inner mermaid. That you were finally listening to your heart. What do you want, Samantha?” Mirra whispered.

  “Oh god… I want… I want to believe in mermaids.” Samantha laughed as tears streamed down her face. “I want to believe in love at first sight, and new beginnings, and that you can start over no matter what happens in life. That every day is a chance to be a new you. I want to stay here and swim in the ocean with you and know that two of my best friends are magick.”

  “And so you shall,” Jolie said, kissing her full on the mouth in her joy. “Now, take my breath, and we’ll show you magick.”

  “Take your breath?” Samantha asked, and as she opened her mouth, Jolie blew into it and then tugged her below the surface.

  It was a kaleidoscope ride on an underwater rollercoaster. That was all Samantha could think as Jolie and Mirra spirited her through the waves, the reflections coloring neon tracks in the water as they dove her deep and shot straight to the surface, dipping and rolling, until Samantha’s head spun and her heart all but burst with joy.

  Because if there really was a world where mermaids existed, why would she ever want to leave it?

  “It’s time for us to take you back,” Mirra said, as they broke the surface once more.

  “I… this is magick. The best kind of magick. Oh, to know a world like this exists! What power… what beauty. Thank you for showing me,” Samantha gasped, overcome with the gift they’d given her. The moon bathed them in her benevolent light and Sam couldn’t believe she was really floating in the dark water with two such beautiful beings.

  “Your man is distraught. You must go to him,” Mirra said. They swam her as near to the shore as they could, then dipped beneath the waves and out of sight. Samantha could just make out Lucas walking the shoreline, calling her name, as a distressed Pipin raced in circles.

  He’d never left her, she realized. Even when he’d walked away, he’d never really left her.

  So why was she leaving him?

  “I’m here,” Samantha called, stumbling from the water.

  When Lucas saw her, he ran.

  “Oh god, you’re okay. Please… please don’t tell me you tried to…” Lucas said, his face racked with grief as he pulled her to him, showering kisses over her face.

  “No… oh no, Lucas, no. I just – god this is going to sound crazy, but I thought I saw something. A mermaid, actually,” Samantha babbled. “And for some crazy reason I dove into the water. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have scared you like that.”

  “You can’t do that to me,” Lucas said, his lips finding hers. “I love you. You can’t leave me like that.”

  And there it was, Samantha thought, pressing her face to his
chest. Just like that. All she had to do was believe.

  And if this was a world where mermaids existed and a man like Lucas loved her, then Samantha knew she’d found her home.

  The rest of it, she’d figure out… one slow island day at a time.

  Epilogue

  “Yes!” Lola shrieked in her ear the next morning when Samantha called her from the hammock swing on Lucas’s patio. Lucas smiled at her from across the patio, where he was drinking a cup of coffee and working on his laptop.

  “I love you,” Samantha mouthed to him, and he blew her a kiss. It still made her giddy to say it, but seeing as how they’d repeated it to each other throughout the night – they’d barely slept – she was getting more comfortable with it.

  “So, what do you need me to do? Pack all your stuff? I’ll bring it down myself. I have to come meet this man,” Lola laughed, absolutely delighted.

  “I quit my job,” Samantha said, barely able to contain the big news. Lola shrieked again while Lucas applauded from across the patio.

  She’d told him her plan over a breakfast croissant earlier that morning. While he’d been away on meetings yesterday, she’d half-driven, half-stalled her way to the eco-tourist villas and had met with Lisa. They’d spent an hour together, and by the end of it had come to a tentative agreement. At the time, Samantha had agreed to review their books from afar on a monthly basis – just so they had another set of eyes on them and she’d be able to spot it if anything fishy came up. If – and yesterday morning it had been a big ‘if,’ even when Lisa had begged her to stay – if she decided to move to the island, she had an opportunity for a position at the resort.

  Thinking about it now made her smile. It would be entirely different to work for a couple who poured their heart and soul into their properties, and Samantha thought that was exactly what she needed. It would be nice to come in at ground level in a business where people actually cared about their product and the impact they were having on the environment around them. And maybe, just maybe, she would finally feel like a valued team member instead of just another number on a spreadsheet.