Chapter Seven
Lena
I have to give Cade ten points for eating all of his eel pie, not to mention another five for identifying it.
Since I’ve been in town, no one has wanted to continue the Tour after being served eel pie.
Most real estate developers don’t have the stomach for one bite, much less the whole thing.
And given the strategy put into the Tour, I’ve often thought realtors prefer easy wins over Mermaid Bay’s challenging defenses.
But not Cade. He’s different than any real estate developer I’ve met.
What does that mean?
I need time to think. I lead Cade outside into the winter sun and wind, then over to the ten-foot tall, bronze statue of a mermaid on the edge of the boardwalk. “This is Serena, one of our town’s most popular legends.”
I take a moment to admire the statue. Crafted as if she’s taking a seat on a rock, Serena is beautiful.
Her face has petite features. She wears a pearl necklace.
Her hair undulates like sea waves down her back.
Sea shells cover her breasts. Her long tail is flexed, curling around until her fins nearly touch the ends of her hair.
“Is it just me?” Cade peers upward, lifting his aviator glasses. “Or does she look sad?”
“Yes. She’s the Weeping Mermaid of Mermaid Bay.” Funny how my voice sounds reverent. “It’s just a myth. But it’s one I’m reminded of every day I’ve run the Mermaid Café. Serena and her legend are dear to me.”
“You don’t think she looks a little like…Marina?” He’s still staring at the statue.
“Marina?” I peer at the mermaid’s face, looking for a resemblance to the old woman who hangs out in my café. And looking…
“Yeah. Like…if Marina was younger. And didn’t complain as much.”
“About you, you mean.” I laugh, still looking at Serena’s face. “I think she looks more like Keira, Marina’s granddaughter.” I’d never seen the resemblance before.
“Keira, the woman who brought us coffee this morning.” Nothing gets by Cade.
“Yes. Not that I’ve ever seen Keira cry.” Not that I wanted to.
“I heard a little about Serena the weepy mermaid from the motel manager where I’m staying.” Cade’s gaze turns assessing. And he’s no longer studying the mermaid. He’s studying me. “Why does she resonate with you?”
My heart beats faster in my chest. I take a calming breath and remind myself of my No Dating policy. “The story goes that a widowed fisherman fell in love with a mermaid. A mermaid who sang every night on the rocks beyond the lighthouse.”
“Did she make a bargain with an evil octopus to earn her legs?” Cade teases. “For which she had to give the octopus her singing voice?”
“No.” My smile feels strained. “Do you want to hear about Serena or not?”
After a moment, Cade nods.
I take his arm and bring him closer to the statue, refusing to acknowledge how nice it feels to hold onto him. “According to local lore, the widowed fisherman had a run of bad luck. Empty nets. Torn sails. Overturned boats. Jelly fish stings.”
“Shark attack,” Cade murmurs.
“Maybe.” I nudge him with my elbow. “But one day, his net caught a mermaid.” I nudge Cade again when he opens his mouth to make a smart remark, stopping him. “As the story goes…”
He doesn’t interrupt.
So I continue, “Something about the mermaid reminded the fisherman of his dead wife, so he immediately set her free without bartering for any favor or wish.”
“I can tell this fisherman wasn’t the sharpest hook in the tackle box,” Cade murmured.
The way he murmurs—only for me to hear—is adorable. Plus three points. And yes, men in their forties can be adorable.
Not that I’m in the market for an adorable man.
But admittedly, I have been feeling restless lately. Happy but…
Not knowing how to complete that thought, I clear my throat and push on.
“From that moment forward, the fisherman’s luck changed.
His nets were always full. The wind always filled his sails.
And when he dove underwater to harvest oysters, he found pearls in them—all of which, he offered back to the sea.
A gift to the mermaid who watched over him.
” I point to the strand of pearls around her neck.
Oddly enough, Marina wears a strand of pearls like that.
“And yet, Serena the Mermaid weeps.” Cade smirks. It’s an attractive smirk.
“She weeps because there’s a dark side to this story.” This is the part I don’t like. “Serena was a princess, one who didn’t want to marry the merman her parents had promised her to.”
“And, of course, this merman showed up to claim his bride.”
I nod, because the story is both sweet and predictable. “The merman appears. Only to find Serena’s favor had been given to another. And that’s where the tale turns grim. The fisherman set sail one morning, heedless of the red hue in the sky.”
“Red sky in morning, sailors take warning,” Cade murmurs.
I stare up at him, at warm brown eyes and a mouth so close it wouldn’t take much effort to exchange a kiss.
If that’s what I wanted.
I swallow thickly and continue the tale. “A storm struck and the fisherman was never seen again. Heartbroken, Serena wept and her tears turned to sea glass that still washes up on Mermaid Bay’s beaches to this day. Some say on foggy nights the mermaid still sings, lamenting her lost love.”
“Or is that one of the residents of Mermaid Bay?” Cade chuckles. “It pays to perpetuate a story, doesn’t it?”
I release a sigh. “You’re a jaded soul, Cade.”
“Like calls to like.” Cade stares down at me. The warmth… The humor in his eyes. They call to me stronger than any siren song. “Is there a riddle at this stop, mermaid?”
“No.” I release his arm. It was foolish of me to think he’d appreciate the romance. He’s probably never even seen a Hallmark movie. “This isn’t an official stop on the tour.”
Cade raises his brows, a silent request for clarification.
“I was impressed by your composure at the Barnacle Diner and…” I stop myself before I give away too much.
“We shared a moment while talking about our marriages,” Cade says slowly. “What does Serena mean to you?”
“Well, for starters, she didn’t marry that stupid royal merman.” My voice has risen.
Cade strokes my arm consolingly. “And…”
“And she didn’t just roll over and give up. Nowhere in the story does it say she threw herself on the rocks and died.”
“I hear sharks are the leading cause of mermaid deaths,” Cade deadpans.
My fists take position on my hips. “Are you trying to annoy me?”
“No.” His arms come gently around me.
It’s a nice embrace. But, “This goes against my No Dating policy.”
Cade’s chuckle reverberates through me. “I thought I might have earned enough points for a date.” He draws me closer.
And I can’t remember what his point total is.