Chapter 10
Marina
I’m dreaming, right? This has to be some kind of bad dream. I can’t get my mind around it, but my palms don’t usually sweat when I have a bad dream. And I feel a little sick to my stomach.
This is real.
As much as I don’t want it to be, it is most definitely real. My ears ring as one of the girls helps me into the living room, and they start spreading takeout containers around the coffee table. Ashley is looking at me as if she’s waiting for an answer, but I didn’t hear the question.
“Did you say something?”
She takes my hand and squeezes. “Why don’t you go put your things down, and we’ll figure this out, okay?”
I nod slowly.
Yes, I should go put my tote bag and purse away.
I take a step toward my bedroom on legs that don’t feel like my own, stopping to glance at the television. There’s a photo of me with Zach on the screen, taken by someone hiding in the shadows as we exited the recording studio last night.
It’s a good picture, I numbly acknowledge in my addled brain. I’m smiling up at him, lips swollen and looking thoroughly kissed, as he waits for me to get in the car. The entertainment news reporter on TV is almost squealing at how romantic it is that the Duke of Rock found his mermaid. They’re speculating now. How long has this been going on? Is it serious? They have so many questions. This is my worst nightmare.
Merry appears at my side, gently walking me the rest of the way to my room. I shut the door behind me. Only when I’m alone, do I feel the sting of tears threatening my eyes. A lump forms in my throat as I drop my bags on my bed. One bag rolls to the side, and my suit falls out and lands on the floor in a crumpled heap. I pull my phone from my purse and slip it into the pocket of my pants.
Already, there’s a war going on in my head over Zach, my fight-or-flight mode trying to win in a battle with my heart. My usual response is to cut the drama off at the source. Not that Zach is the actual source here, but if he wasn’t in my life, I wouldn’t be in this mess. Normally, I hate messes, but he’s kind of making me see that it’s okay to color outside the lines. I know I’m not in any place to make decisions about it right now. I somehow manage to keep my mind from running through every horrible scenario as I shrug out of my jacket and throw it on the bed. The first tear falls as I walk to the door to join the girls. I leave my suit on the bedroom floor in a heap. I won’t be needing it, or any of the others, for a while.
The girls have arranged the food on the coffee table when I get back to the living room, along with a giant box of tissues in the middle of it all. I snag a few from the box before I drop onto the couch. Ash leans over and wraps me in a hug, which I accept gratefully. If there’s one thing years of therapy have taught me, it’s to accept comfort when it’s given and try to deal with my feelings instead of fighting them. I’m still working on the latter.
Scarlet, ever the practical one, passes me a container and a set of chopsticks as soon as I stop hugging Ash. I don’t even have to look in the container to know it’s my favorite fried rice. These women know me better than anyone, and when we call an emergency conclave, we do it right. When Ash and Greg broke up because he wasn’t sure what he wanted, it was her favorite ice cream and Hallmark movies. Scarlet’s childhood pet dying? Merry baked her favorite cookies, and we all slept over at her mom’s house. When Merry found out her last boyfriend de jour was cheating, we converged on Nonno’s restaurant so she had three shoulders to cry on while she ate her weight in cannoli. Whatever any of us needs, we’re here for it. Today just happens to be about me, and it’s a doozy because I literally have no idea how we’re going to figure this out.
“I’m so fired,” I manage to choke out before digging into my fried rice.
Ashley rubs a hand up and down my back.
“We don’t know that for sure,” she says in a motherly tone. “We should prepare for that, but we don’t know that yet.”
Merry snorts. “The Evil Queen will go for the throat.”
I nod in agreement as I load my chopsticks. “I’ve definitely lost my job. Which means I’ve lost law school, or delayed it significantly. And I won’t make rent next month.”
“They’re not the only firm in the city,” Scarlet reminds me. “Just the most bougie. I’ll ask my mom if she has any leads. You know she’ll do anything to help you, girl.”
I nod and give Scarlet a weak smile. Her mom is a lawyer. She may not work for the most prestigious firm in the city, but she is a partner at a decent-sized firm, and I know she would at least write me a letter of recommendation to help with my job search. I feel myself relax a little and take another bite, not really tasting anything .
“Don’t think about rent right now,” Ashley tells me with a nudge. “I can float you next month, and you’re not allowed to say no.”
“At least it’s a good picture,” Merry chimes in, ogling the television.
I scoff.
“It really is,” Ash adds with a grin. “I mean, look at you two.”
I glance at the television before throwing my chopsticks back in the container and setting it on the table. It is a good picture, but that’s not going to help me get a job or get into law school. All it shows is two people who are clearly focused solely on each other, so much so that we both fail to see the photographer hiding somewhere nearby. I stare at Zach’s image for a moment, still unsure of how to handle him.
“Hey,” Ash says, pulling my attention from the television. “Don’t even think about that either.”
I don’t bother trying to act like I wasn’t thinking about ending things with him. Ashley knows me too well. I shrug.
“It could minimize the damage,” I say all too matter-of-factly. I should really be worried about how easily the words roll off my tongue. I would be if my heart didn’t plummet to the floor at the mere thought of never seeing Zach again. He’s already under my skin and well on his way into my heart. I like him. I’m happy when I’m with him…and that’s not a bad thing, nor is it an easy thing to give up.
Scarlet gasps. “This is not the time to make that decision!”
“And what good would it do?” Merry adds with a wave of her hand. “If you’re right and you do get fired, breaking up with Zach won’t get your job back.”
Without even thinking about it, I know she’s right. Breaking up with Zach solves nothing at this point. It’s just running like a coward, and I’m done with that. That’s what I did when Mom died…I ran. I haven’t come this far in life just to go back to old habits. I’m going to stand, and I’m going to deal with it .
“Does he even know?” Ash asks from her perch on the couch. “We barely just found out about it as we were getting off work.”
I pull my phone from my pocket and check for messages. None. I shake my head.
“He’s on his way to the Channel 3 studio to be on San Francisco Tonight,” I explain. “He must not know, or my phone would have exploded.”
My heart jumps to my throat. He doesn’t know…and he’s on his way to a talk show appearance. I pull up his number and hit dial, my heart pounding in my ears. The girls watch anxiously as I hold the phone to my ear, waiting. Waiting. It goes to voice mail, so I hang up. I quickly text him.
Marina: They know. It’s all over the news.
I put my phone on the end table and shrug.
“It went to voice mail, so I texted him.”
The entertainment reports have mercifully gone on to the next story, so I don’t have to see myself on the screen anymore. I reach over and grab my food off the table.
“What time is Zach’s interview?” Scarlet asks. “We have to be sure to watch it.”
“It’s not live,” I say between bites. “They’re taping it tonight, but it won’t air until later in the week.”
Scarlet nods. “And the Evil Queen? What do we do about her?”
I laugh bitterly. “There’s nothing we can do about her. I have brought what she calls unfavorable attention to the firm. I will be fired. There’s no getting around it.”
“Why give her the satisfaction then?” Merry muses. “Just don’t show up tomorrow.”
I consider it, then shake my head. “No, if I’m going to lose my job over something like this, I’m going to make her work for it.”
Scarlet and Merry blink back their surprise and Ashley smiles from ear to ear.
“There she is!” Ashley cries out, holding her hand up for a high-five. I give her one.
Merry grins at me. “You got this.”
I nod. “I got this. I mean…it was a shock, for sure. I would have preferred to remain a mystery, but this is what’s happened. I can’t run from it.”
“Besides, everyone loves the mermaid story!” Scarlet says excitedly. “It’s not like it’s a bad thing for your boss.”
“Yes, it is,” I argue gently. “She thinks the whole thing is stupid. She’s much too important to waste time with music or art or…”
“Fun,” Ashley chimes in.
“She’ll take this as a personal blow,” I explain. “I’m making Taft & Kennedy a laughingstock.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Scarlet says, chomping on an egg roll.
I take a deep breath and roll my head around to release the tension in my neck.
“Well, ridiculous or not, there’s only one thing to do,” I say. “I will go to the office on Monday, clean out my desk, and close that chapter of my life. I should probably start looking for jobs tonight, but I can’t face it. I have the whole weekend to figure out what to do.”
“No,” Ashley says soothingly. “Don’t think about that tonight. You can work on that tomorrow when you’re fresh.”
“Yeah,” Merry agrees. “Tonight’s about you and margaritas.”
I raise my eyebrows in alarm. “Margaritas and Chinese food?”
Scarlet rolls her eyes at me. “Seriously?”
I open my mouth to reply, but a knock on the door interrupts me. We all look at the door, but nobody moves. The knock happens again.
I get up and head for the door, but Ashley jumps in front of me.
“What if it’s the paparazzi?” she says with wide eyes.
I laugh and step around her, putting my hand on the door knob .
“It could be Mrs. Baldwin next door,” I muse. “Or the landlord. Or a delivery. Everything doesn’t have to be about me.”
I open the door and the foyer erupts in white light as dozens of flashes go off in my face. I put my hand over my eyes and quickly slam the door, but it’s too late. They’ve seen me. I couldn’t see how many reporters there were, but now they’re shouting through the door.
“Marina, tell us about your relationship with the Duke of Rock!”
“How long have you been the mermaid?”
“Is Zach a good kisser?”
I lock the deadbolt and step back from the door like it’s on fire. I turn to Ashley, shaking my head.
“How are we ever going to be able to leave?” I ask, my voice nearly a whisper.
Ashley grabs my hand and yanks me away from the door as the reporters continue shouting in the foyer. It’s only a matter of time before my neighbors open their doors and they’re accosted with questions about what it’s like to live next door to the mermaid. I’m suddenly thankful we have a trash chute in the building or they’d already be going through our garbage.
“This is impossible,” I whisper as my hands float up to my cheeks.
“Well, we have food and margaritas. We can out last them,” Ashley declares, stepping into the kitchen and flicking the switch on the blender with dramatic flair.
Merry snickers. Scarlet runs into Ashley’s bedroom to look out the window because it faces the street. My room overlooks the tiny little alley behind our building. She comes back with eyes as round as saucers.
“We may be spending the night,” she mutters as she heads to our tiny kitchen and starts pulling margarita glasses from the cabinet.
Merry and I look at each other and shuffle into Ashley’s bedroom. I move the curtains just enough to look down, and my pulse hammers wildly. There’s a crowd on the sidewalk below. It looks like a party down there, people chatting excitedly with each other. There are several reporters swarming anyone walking on the sidewalk.
“Whoa,” Merry mutters as we watch the chaos.
I pull away from the window before anyone looks up and sees us. Merry and I walk back to the kitchen.
“I’m sorry, girls,” I mutter, feeling terrible that we’re now trapped in this building.
“For what?” Merry asks. “You didn’t do this. They’re the crazy ones. And none of us care if we’re on TV. You’re the one who works for the weirdos.”
Ashley hands me a margarita. “We’re not going to worry about it right now,” she says. “We’re just going to hang out and focus on what we can control. And if they’re still in the foyer when we’re ready to call it a night, I’ll call the police.”
I smile and take a sip, choking almost immediately. I give Ash a wide-eyed glance, and she winks at me.
“They may be a little strong,” she says with a laugh.
***
Two hours later, we’ve watched more news footage, and the girls have had to talk me off my mental ledge twice. There were speculations on whether this is my natural hair color, whether I planted myself in that traffic jam on purpose to get Zach’s attention, and an impromptu poll among the commentators about whether we’ve slept together yet. We finally turned off the news. Our current topic of discussion is spa pedicures, which is funny because I can’t really feel my feet anymore. Or my hands. I’ve had four of Ashley’s special margaritas, and my limit is usually two.
Another knock on the door jolts us all from our debate on gel polish. The reporters haven’t budged. We’ve been ignoring the random knocks, but this one is a more frantic pounding than a knock. And they’re not letting up.
Geez .
Ashley bolts from the couch and stomps to the door as Merry and Scarlet leap to their feet and urge her not to open it. I would as well, but I don’t think I could manage it. I’ve always been a lightweight when it comes to drinking.
“Marina!” Zach’s frantic voice sounds on the other side of the door.
I gasp, and Ashley lurches forward with a squeal. She rips the door open to let him in. Zach stands in the foyer alone. All the reporters are gone. His eyes dart nervously around the apartment until they meet mine. He looks relieved but worried at the same time. His jaw muscle is working overtime as he assesses the situation. He steps inside, and Ashley closes the door behind him.
Nobody moves. Merry and Scarlet are frozen where they are standing by the coffee table. I’m sitting up on the couch, trying to focus my increasingly fuzzy gaze on Zach. Ashley stands behind him, looking bewildered. Zach looks around at my friends.
“Hello, ladies,” he says with a pensive smile. “Everyone all right?”
No one says anything. We’re all like deer in the headlights. Eventually, Merry nods. Zach’s gaze fixes on me.
“Are you okay?” he asks quietly, his voice laced with hurt and worry.
“Hi…here,” I say, then shake my head. “Hi. Reporters are here.”
He nods. “I’m so sorry. Are you okay?”
“Yep,” I reply, showing him my glass. “We have margaritas.”
The corner of his mouth twitches as if he’s not sure he should smile. He takes a few steps towards me.
“You aren’t angry with me?” he asks softly.
My mind is starting to get really fuzzy. “Where did all the people go? ”
“I sent them away.”
I raise my eyebrows in wonder. Wow.
“And they listened?” Merry asks incredulously.
He shrugs. “They listened to the private security I just posted outside your door.”
Ashley opens the door and sticks her head out. “Oh! Hello…sorry…”
She shuts the door again and gives me a thumbs up, as if having security guards outside our door is totally normal. Zach looks at me again.
“I left my phone in the car when I went to the show taping, so I didn’t see your text message,” he says. “I only found out the media knows who you are when they asked me about it during the interview.”
It’s starting to get really hard to hold my head up. I rest my chin on the cushions.
“Come sit down, Zach,” Ashley says, ushering him into the living room.
I try to move over and suddenly feel very dizzy. I sway to the left, and Zach is there to catch me. He takes the margarita from my hand before I spill it everywhere. He sits next to me, brushing my thigh with his, and I don’t think about anything but sinking into his side. A look of relief washes over his face as he wraps an arm around me and kisses the top of my head.
“I’m glad everyone is all right,” he says. “Certain members of the press can be aggressive.”
Ashley nods. “We noticed.”
I feel Zach’s body tense up. “Did they try to push in here?”
“No,” Ashley replies. “But they just kept knocking and yelling through the door. Like that’s going to get anyone to go out there. So thanks for the rescue.”
“Well, that brings up something I wanted to talk to you ladies about,” he says pensively. “You don’t have a doorman or any security in this building.”
I scoff. “We’re not all rock stars, baby!”
Merry snorts and Zach frowns at me, then looks at my margarita that he’s still holding. He sniffs it, takes a sip, and nearly chokes.
“How many of these has she had?” he asks my friends.
Merry holds up some fingers, but I can’t see how many.
“Maybe some water?” Zach asks, handing my glass to Ashley. She takes it with a smile and disappears.
Ashley brings me a glass of water, and I start sipping.
“I worry about your safety,” Zach continues, looking from me to Ashley. “I can keep security here to keep them out of the building, but that won’t stop them once you’re on the pavement.”
Ashley heaves a sigh. “I have to be able to get to work.”
“I don’t!” I shout, then frown at myself. Why am I yelling?
Zach looks at me with a worried expression.
“I’m going to be fired,” I whisper.
Zach’s eyes sadden. “I’m so sorry, Marina. I never meant for this to happen.”
I shake my head. “Not your fault.”
“She’s right,” Ashley says.
“If I hadn’t stepped off my bus and caused that scene, none of this would be happening,” he argues. “And there’s no way I’ll be able to relax if you two aren’t safe because of me.”
“What do you suggest then?” Ashley asks.
“I’d like to put you both up in a hotel,” he answers. “One with security, and I’ll get the car service to take you both to work.”
Ashley’s eyes are huge, and I wish I had my phone so I could take her picture.
“No, Zach,” I say quietly, sipping more water. “It’s too much. That’s so much money.”
He shakes his head. “They won’t stop, Marina. And they’ll badger your neighbors as well.”
Ashley bites her lower lip, and I know she wants to say yes when she looks at me. I cave instantly.
“Okay,” I say quietly. “I guess I understand.”
“You’ll let me help?” he asks, his hopeful expression pulling at every single one of my heartstrings simultaneously.
I nod. “We’ll go to a hotel. I don’t care which one. I’ll leave that to you.”
“Oh, not for me,” Ashley jumps in. “I can stay with Greg.”
Even as fuzzy as I am, I wonder how that’s going to go over with Greg.
Zach nods. “Okay, then I’ll let you ladies pack.”
I raise my brows. “We’re going tonight?”
Ashley comes over and pulls me up off of the couch and out of Zach’s arms, making me frown. “Let’s go pack what we need, okay?”
I shuffle off to my room with Ash, leaving Merry and Scarlet behind with Zach.
***
Zach
I sit in the back of the car with a sleeping Marina tucked into my side, watching Merry say goodbye to Ashley as we drop her off at her fiance’s apartment building. I made sure to have two drivers waiting downstairs, and although it was technically illegal, I asked one of the drivers to block the road so Dave could get us safely away from the reporters outside Marina’s apartment building. I wave at Ashley through the open car door as her fiancé comes to help her with her bag, and Merry gets back in the car with us.
Marina is in no condition to be left alone, so I asked Merry to stay the night with her. She insisted she could borrow something of Marina’s so we didn’t have to stop at her family’s home for her, and I told her to charge whatever she needs to the room. Toothbrush, shampoo, bottle of champagne, I don’t care. I just want someone to watch over Marina tonight, and I don’t think she’d want that person to be me.
“Thank you again for doing this,” I say quietly, smiling at Merry over the top of Marina’s head.
She grins at me. “Well, I happen to agree with you about her current condition. Sometimes Ash gets heavy-handed with the tequila.”
I nod. “That little sip I had nearly killed me.”
Merry laughs. We sit in silence for a while.
“I want to ask you something,” she begins, looking straight ahead, “but it’s none of my business.”
I nod again. “Okay. Go ahead.”
“Why Marina?” she asks plainly, her dark eyes flickering over my face.
I swallow hard, my mouth suddenly dry. Marina’s inner circle is fiercely protective, and I don’t want to get this wrong.
“Her voice got me off the bus that day,” I begin. “But then I saw her, and I was instantly attracted to her…I won’t lie about that. But there’s a light inside her that’s intoxicating. And when we sang together? She hooked me. I couldn’t have gotten away if I tried. Our voices blend perfectly, and the pure joy that shines in her eyes when she sings? What a beauty. Inside and out.”
Merry smiles over at me.
“When I went to the library the next night and watched her working with the children, I knew I had to see what this is between us.”
She nods slowly, and somehow, I feel like I’ve passed another test.
A few minutes later, Dave pulls the car up to the hotel’s entrance. There’s never any press allowed here, which is why I stay here every time I come to this city. I gently rouse Marina from her slumber .
“Time to get you settled, love,” I say, planting a gentle kiss on the top of her head.
She grumbles and tries to snuggle in tighter, which kills me but also makes me laugh a little. She never stops being adorable. Dave opens the car door, and I slide out, gently bringing a yawning Marina with me. She sees Merry, and a big, loopy smile spreads across her face.
The concierge walks hurriedly toward me with two card keys and a big, placating smile.
“Mr. Adams, I’ve taken care of all the arrangements,” he says quietly. “Your guests have a suite on the floor directly below yours, and I’ve had some complimentary noshes taken up there in case they’re hungry.”
I take the card keys and hand them to Merry.
“Thank you very much,” I say with a nod, then turn with Marina toward the elevators. Merry keeps pace with us, and Dave brings up the rear with their bags.
Merry’s eyes travel in awe as her gaze sweeps across the poshly decorated lobby.
“Of course you’re staying at the Fairmont,” she laughs, shaking her head.
We get in the elevator and I hit the button for their floor.
“I love staying here when I’m in town,” I explain. “Specifically because they don’t put up with any aggressive reporters hanging around. No one will bother her here.”
She nods.
“And you’re welcome to stay the whole time if you’d like,” I offer gently. “It’s a two-bedroom suite.”
Marina looks up at me and squints. “Why are we at the Fairmont?”
Merry laughs out loud. “Dude, you can’t handle your liquor.”
Now it’s my turn to laugh. “In her defense, there was very little margarita mix in the one I tasted.”
Merry shrugs, and the elevator door opens for their floor. We all walk together, slower than normal, because Marina is concentrating on her steps like a toddler learning to walk. Merry opens the door and holds it for me to help Marina inside. Dave follows, putting the bags down in the small foyer and stepping back out of the room. I gesture at Merry.
“Lead the way and pick a room,” I say lightly.
She steps into the main living area, which is lavishly decorated. Two bedrooms are visible, one on either side of the living room. Merry looks to Marina.
“Are you sober enough to pick one?” she asks.
Marina looks around and points to the one on the right. “That one’s closer.”
Merry grabs her bag and takes it into Marina’s room. I gently turn Marina to face me, cupping my hands on either side of her lovely face. Her eyes are tired as she looks at me.
“This is where we say goodnight, Siren,” I tell her, already missing her.
She wraps her arms around my waist and presses her cheek to my chest. How am I supposed to say goodnight to this woman when all I want to do is spend every minute of every day basking in her sunshine? I hold her close for just a moment before gently pulling her away just as Merry appears in the doorway.
Unable to help myself, I brush my lips against hers in a light kiss.
“I’ll check on you tomorrow, okay?” I say as she nods sleepily, then turns and walks toward Merry.
“I’m so fired,” she mutters, and my heart sinks.
I hope that’s not true. I hope with every fiber of my being that her horrible boss doesn’t hold her responsible for this mess, but all I can do is wait and see. Merry puts an arm around Marina and nods at me as she helps Marina get ready for bed.
“Thanks for everything, Zach,” Merry calls to me just as I get to the door.
Yeah, I think. Thanks for everything. Thanks for bringing absolute chaos into the life of the sweetest creature I’ve ever met on this Earth. Thanks for probably getting her fired. Thanks for literally bringing drama to her front door, when she specifically told me she doesn’t like drama. I step out into the hall and take the stairs up to my floor, hoping with everything in my heart that Marina doesn’t wake up and decide none of this is worth it.