Mermania

Little smiles and hopeful eyes

"I've never been there. Is it nice?" He closed his eyes and shook his head like he was trying to shake off a bad dream. "Yes, right. Sorry, this music is giving me a headache." "She'd be about your age now. Like I said, she's strong and defiant like you." "Just my mom," I said. "But only about the first two." My mom shook her head. "He would never hurt you, Meara. He loves you." With all my love, "Rita!" Zach's voice sounded as he ran to them from the front of the house. "Rita, look what I found!'" He beckoned her to come, and she followed him into the front yard. Kara came along in time to see him guide Rita to a flower bed against the house. "See? I remember when we planted these!" The Asian woman considered for a moment. It was best to play it safe, she decided, in case they were already tracing the call. Mobile phones, for all their benefits, were easily located. "Let us say that I, too, am a mother- one who cannot approve of snatching such a lovely child from his home. "His suspicions were confirmed- she didn't choose Lennek. That meant she didn't love him. But why was she wearing his necklace? "My brother and I aren't close like that. He doesn't share his plans or his feelings with me," Darmik said. "Unless you were lucky enough to be hiking to the top of Mauna Kea. At 13,000 feet, you'd probably survive." "Craig, you're searching for a miracle under every rock. It's not good for your family- not for Zach, not for me. We need you here." "Yeah," Gretchen said. "He's very attentive. To you." "I do," I said. "Where are we going?" "Good," she said. "Let's go ahead and bandage them for another day, just to be safe." She fetched the bandages, pulled out three, and began to position the first one on his index finger. I didn't know what that meant. I assumed it was a friendly greeting. "A pleasure to meet you, Aunt Brigid." I extended my hand. She stared at it for a moment before taking it in her own. Her slim hand was cool and dry. "Goodnight, Meara." "Nice pitches, Douglas and Zechariah," the announcer's voice resonated again. "Thank you for being with us this evening. We hope you and your families enjoy the game." "Okay." She'd never known a merman could look so deadly. Sara's eyes rose to his face. Xanthus looked apprehensive, as if he sensed her alarm. When she saw his trepidation, her fear melted away. This was Xanthus, the man who had been watching over and protecting her since the moment they'd met. He might look lethal, but he would never hurt her. Mr. Nordell's face popped into my mind. Last week, he had challenged me to try something out of my comfort zone. Now, to fulfill that task, I envisioned having that conversation with him about Maddie. Soon. Rema wondered who they were talking about. Another potential suitor? "Hmm, that's interesting," Kara responded, suppressing a chuckle. "Expensive, though," the European man pointed out. "Why so costly?" I think what Zach's trying to say," Craig teased, "is that you just get better looking with age." Prologue No__that was premature, and probably entirely wrong. It made more sense that the first DNA test had been flawed. The second test would clear things up. Life would be simpler if Zach were Elliott's son. Yes, It would have been. "Daddy?" I called in the dark. My throat felt funny, like when Mommy made me gargle with salt water when I had a cold. I held back a sneeze; a strange smell tickled my nose. "You fell?" Aunt Maya asked. Rema nodded. "That must have been some fall. You better get inside and change your dress before Bren and his family arrives. Put on something presentable. We can't afford to lose this match." Aunt Maya spun and headed toward the back door of the house, water sloshing over the side of the bucket she carried. When mom opened the trunk, Grandma Mary pulled both bags out. As she walked away, she called over her shoulder. "Your father is at work. He should be home soon, but I made you dinner." Zach as a little boy had those Craig-eyes-but-blue that Kara knew so well, and that straight, brown hair that was little darker and a fair bit thicker than Craig's, but otherwise just the same. In one photograph, he was smiling- that easy-going smile, full of joy and the wonder of life, that she had come to find so refreshing. In another, his face was dark, angry, his eyes red as if he had been crying. The man didn't seem too impressed. "Yeah man, right. You might notice I'm the one with the..." Before he got the words out, Xanthus had the gun out of the man's hand and pointed back at his face with his windpipe clenched in his fist. He pulled into the driveway. Before he stopped the car, Kara jumped out and raced to the police cruiser. Two shapes stepped out of it as she approached. Officer Garrenton, Craig saw as he hurried out of the car himself, climbed out of the driver's side. From the passenger side came a man, leaner and taller than Craig, mustached, dressed in a shirt and tie with a sport coat over them to defend against the rain. "And when you weren't?" "You've got me," he said. "You haven't taken him to the police, and I wouldn't either, not until I'd ruled out all of my relatives. But on the other hand, I wouldn't wait real long. Keeping someone else's child in your home without their permission-even a relative- that's big risk." When they neared the massive stone wall surrounding the city, Lennek yanked the curtains closed. "Thank you," he said. ***"You look pretty good yourself," I said. Whole minute until Ben finally looked over at Lia__she was one of my bride's maids_ and said, 'Lia, as your husband, I forbid you to take this man! And everyone laughed again, and then it was all okay." She paused a moment, reminiscing. "And after that, I wasn't afraid anymore." The man nodded eagerly. "I heard his name on the loudspeakers and couldn't believe it. I saw him with you down on the field- it was him, sure enough!" He peered past Kara at the youngster, who was still munching on garlic fries and laughing with Doughlas. "He looks so healthy, so strong." "Craig?" Kara prompted him. "You're thinking