The Sweetest Summer: A Bayberry Island Novel (26 page)

“W
elcome to the Safe Haven!”

Christina gasped at the sight of the mermaid, as sparkling and sleek as she’d looked sitting on her float in the parade.

Evelyn nearly gasped, too—when she saw the crowd gathered at the mansion’s front door. Those in costume were Rowan, the dashing sea captain from the parade, and an older mermaid who was likely Clancy’s mother. The others—a pretty blonde about Evelyn’s age, the good-looking guy who held her hand, and a small, dark-haired woman wearing an apron and a curious frown—had opted for street clothes.

“Ah, God.” Clancy squeezed his eyes shut.

“I tried to tell you, but you hung up!”

Clancy gave his sister a flat smile. “Well, then, everyone, this is Pirate Jellybean, who has become the scourge of the seas at only four, and Evie, who is an old friend of mine. Jellybean and Evie, this is eighty percent of my family.”

The group was pleasant and welcoming. It took a minute to learn who everyone was. Clancy’s mother, Mona, was indeed there, along with Rowan and her husband, Ash, Rowan’s best friend, Annie, and her
husband, Nat, and Mellie, whose dark eyes evaluated Evelyn’s mermaid/pole dancer outfit.

Ugh.

“So nice to meet everyone.” Evelyn shook hands with Nat and Ash, and received hugs from all the women. “Thank you for having us.”

Once they were inside the house, Evelyn had trouble keeping her jaw from falling open as she took in the shining wood, sparkling crystal lights, and impeccable furnishings. Everyone moved toward a sitting room off the main hall.

“Would you like a cookie, Jellybean?” Mona held out her hand to Christina, who took it without hesitation.

Evelyn was encouraged to make herself comfortable, and Annie offered her iced tea. On a round table was an assortment of treats: everything from chocolate chip cookies to what appeared to be homemade scones. Christina dropped Mona’s hand, walked right past the goodies, and stood in front of Rowan, her eyes as big as sand dollars.

“Are you real?” It came out in a breathless whisper.

“Of course I am, Jellybean.”

Christina touched the mermaid’s stretchy scales, then spun around to look at Evelyn’s similarly made skirt. She checked out Evelyn’s running shoes and then Rowan’s sandals.

“Then why you got feet?”

She smiled sweetly. “Because I’m on land instead of swimming in the ocean, and mermaids need feet if they want to walk around.”

Christina squinted her eyes. “Are you Ariel?”

“No. My name is Rowan.”

“You are so pretty.” Christina suddenly pointed at Ash. “So who dat guy?”

Everyone chuckled, clearly enjoying Christina’s no-nonsense social graces. Evelyn accepted the tea Annie handed her and took a seat.
Relax. Relax
.

But, really, how bizarre could a situation be? She was
a wanted kidnapper hiding in a slutty mermaid costume while meeting the family of the police chief she was shacking up with, in the hopes that they would babysit for the kidnapping victim so she and the cop could
express themselves
for a few hours back at his place.

The ice cubes rattled in her glass.

That’s when Clancy joined her on the divan, sitting right up against her spandex-covered thigh. He reached for her free hand and held it tight.

Of course, not a soul in the room missed his gesture, except for Chrissy, who was fixated on Rowan and intrigued by Mona. Evelyn took a sip of iced tea to wash down her nervousness.

The little party moved along smoothly. Christina hopped around the parlor and did her pirate dance while Evelyn carried on several conversations.

“Would you like a tour of the house, Evie?”

She felt Clancy’s body stiffen next to her, and she caught his eye. He didn’t seem thrilled with Evelyn having alone time with his mother.

“Thank you, Mona, but I’m sure you have things to do to get ready for the clambake tonight.”

“Don’t be silly.” Mona removed the iced-tea glass from Evie’s hand. “The place really does have a fascinating history and is quite lovely.”

Evelyn was up on her feet and being ushered out into the foyer before she could protest. She looked back at Clancy and shrugged.

Mona had been right. The house was beautiful and had an interesting story behind it. It had been built in 1885 by Rutherford Flynn, Clancy’s great-great-grandfather, after his fishery became prosperous.

“Did you know that during the first part of the twentieth century, nearly fifteen percent of all the seafood served in the finest East Coast restaurants originated on a Flynn Fisheries boat?”

“Uh, no. But wow.”

“This house has been in our family for all that time—
Well, of course, I married into the Flynns. I met Clancy’s father as a tourist here one summer. Fancy that, eh?”

Evelyn felt her mouth go dry. “So is this the same Rutherford Flynn who built the mermaid fountain for his wife?”

They had just entered the kitchen when Evelyn asked this. Mona stopped, grabbed her arm, and gasped. “Yes! Yes, it is! You know the legend, then?”

Evie was a bit surprised by the woman’s enthusiasm. “Just some of it.”

For the next half hour, Evelyn was brought up to speed, not only about the Flynns, the Safe Haven, the Mermaid Society, and the history of Bayberry Island itself, but about the mermaid legend as well. It almost seemed like Mona was selling Evelyn on one, or every one, of the topics.

Eventually, they finished the tour of all rooms not occupied by guests. As they descended the grand staircase in their tight mermaid skirts, Mona asked, “Have you ever sought her guidance in matters of love?”

“Whose guidance?”

“The mermaid’s, my dear.”

Based on the seriousness of her tone, Evelyn couldn’t help but think the whole sightseeing trip had been a set- up for that single question.

“Uh . . .” Yes, she’d talked to the mermaid that summer long ago, but she couldn’t remember the conversation. She might have asked for a favor, but not guidance. “Not really, no.”

Mona’s expression was intense, and her eyes searched Evelyn’s face. Clearly, this point was important to her. “Well, let me ask you this: do you believe in true love?”

“Yes, I do.” Evelyn smiled at Clancy’s mom. “My parents loved each other very much. I love Chri— Jellybean.”

“In the realm of romantic love, the bond of a man and a woman, do you accept that there may be unseen forces that guide people toward their heart-mates?”

“I guess. Sure.” She thought about what Clancy had said—
you came back for a reason
. “But what exactly is a heart-mate?”

Mona nodded. “That is an excellent question, and the answer is different for each individual. Only you know the exact vibrations—the combination, balance, and overall frequency—that complements your own.”

“I see.” Evelyn smiled. Of course she appreciated the mechanics of energy flow through the human body—it was part of her training in sports therapy—but she’d reached her maximum daily capacity for New Age hippie talk. “Well, thank you for the tour, Mrs. Flynn. It really is an extraordinary—”

Mona grasped her hand. “You might ask yourself these things: is life more colorful, peaceful, and infused with light when you two are together? Do you have a sense of oneness in his company? Do you sleep better when he is near? Do you trust him with your life? And, most important—could you imagine your life without him?”

Evelyn promised Mona she’d keep all those things in mind. Her head was spinning by the time they returned to the front foyer. Though Clancy’s mom was sweet, she was definitely
different
. She’d even asked Evelyn to consider becoming a member of “the mermaid sisterhood.”

And, hey, why not? Every women’s club needed at least one wanted felon in its ranks. Evelyn told her she’d think about it.

The sitting room was empty, and for an instant Evelyn’s blood buzzed with fear. Then she heard laughing and music somewhere, and she and Mona wound their way through the first floor. A kitchen party was in full swing. Somebody’s iPod was blanketing the room with pop tunes. Ash, Nat, and Clancy were gathered at the center island, talking and laughing. Mellie, Rowan, and Annie were at the sink with Chrissy.

Evelyn paused in the doorway to observe her niece. The tricornered hat and wig were gone, along with the plastic slip-on boots and vest. She’d taken off her Velcro water
sandals and was barefoot. Who would look at that child and not see a little girl? It was right there—in the shape of her leg, the curve of her neck, and the set of her shoulders. And her delicate little face—the truth was the short hair did nothing but make her seem more feminine.

She felt Clancy’s gaze on her. He gave her a gentle smile and inclined his chin, as if to say everything was fine. At that moment, Evelyn realized if she applied Mona’s formula for love, she knew that her life would be flat and colorless without both Christina
and
Clancy. Now that she had found him again, she couldn’t imagine letting him go.

“Hey!” Christina jumped off the stool and ran to Evelyn. “Mr. Ass taught me how to swordfight!”

The room went silent as everyone strained not to laugh.

Evie smiled, too. “Sorry about that, Ash. We’re into creative pronunciation sometimes.”

“That’s absolutely fine. Right, Sir Clancy?”

“Indeed, Mr. Ass.”

“Can I stay?” Christina began jumping up and down. “Rowan and Annie said they’ll play mermaids with me. I want to stay! Stay, stay, stay!”

Evelyn glanced up at the women, and they were beaming at her. “Everybody’s getting along wonderfully,” Annie reassured her. Rowan gave her a thumbs-up.

“Sure, sweetie. Would it be okay if I left for a little bit? I’ll come right back if—”

“Bye!” Chrissy gripped Evelyn’s legs for a quick hug, then ran back to the sink and climbed the stool.

Evelyn thanked everyone, then Ash and Nat walked them to the front door. “See you tonight,” Ash said as they left.

“Will do!” Clancy held the door open for Evelyn.

She made her way to the car slowly, and with her legs pinned together as they were, it took some core strength to tuck herself inside the Jeep.

The trip back was much quieter.

“I hate to ask, but did Mona mermatize you?”

Evelyn laughed. “Yeah. She wanted me to join her group and asked me if I believed in love.”

“Ah, God. Sorry.” Clancy shook his head. “You know, it’s funny about my mom. She’s a brilliant lady, retired school administrator, the most organized woman I’ve ever known—but she loses her freakin’ common sense when it comes to the mermaid.”

“It’s her passion, I guess. People have accused me of the same thing with all the stuff I’m into.”

Clancy gave her a sideways grin. “I had a chance to check out your blog at work this morning. You are killin’ it, Evie. Forty thousand followers? That’s amazing.”

“Thank you.” She felt a little shy.

“I just hope my mom didn’t scare you away.”

“Scare me away? From what—
you
?”

Clancy shrugged, pulling into the drive of his house. “Yeah. Me. This island. I know we’re a little unusual around here. It takes some getting used to.”

He cut the engine, and they sat quietly in the Jeep, simply looking at each other. She reached for his hand.

“What happened with your wife?”

Clancy nodded mechanically, as if he were expecting that question. “Barbie and I met in Boston and got married after just six months together. Mistake number one. When I wanted to come back and take over as chief of police, she fought me every step of the way. She hated Bayberry Island, and she came to hate me for dragging her here.”

“That sounds awful. I’m sorry.”

“Nothing to be sorry about.”

“Clancy, I have something to confess.”

He raised an eyebrow.

“The day I had to leave Bayberry when I was fourteen, I had a . . . I don’t know how to describe it, really. It wasn’t a premonition or anything that dramatic, but I had a
feeling
I was supposed to stay and
would
end up staying somehow. Of course, back then I couldn’t and
didn’t, but I’m here now. And the weird thing is, this trip wasn’t even my idea. It was Amanda’s. She wanted to bring our dad here for his birthday, to relive a happy moment from our past, and she wanted Christina to see the festival.”

“That’s why you had the two rooms.”

“Yeah. Amanda booked them, maybe nine or ten months ago. When all this happened with Richard and I was freaking out trying to decide what to do and where to go, I remembered the arrangements.”

Clancy cocked his head. “So it was almost as if you were sent here.”

“Here’s my confession: no matter why or how I came back, the truth is that this island—the way things are here, the people, you—it fits me, Clancy. I’m not scared away. I’m scared I’ll be dragged off in handcuffs and never see you or this place again.”

He leaned over the gearshift and lifted her chin with a fingertip. “Not gonna happen, sweet Evie.” He placed a soft kiss on her lips. “I guess we’re officially on our date.”

“It seems like years since our last one.”

Clancy laughed. “How about we go inside and you can slip into something, you know . . . ?”

“Without fins and a wig?”

“Exactly.”

*   *   *

“Gather ’round, ye maids.”

Not everyone was settled, but Mona couldn’t delay. A half hour had already been wasted simply pulling people from their clambake assignments and getting them in her living room. This concern had to be addressed now or never at all. The window of opportunity was closing.

“Is this meeting gonna take long? Because I gotta—”

“Can it, Polly!” Mona immediately regretted snapping at her friend. “I’m sorry, but this is an
emergency
emergency meeting. As president, I am calling for a concurrent intervention ceremony.”

The whole room inhaled at the same time.

“Oh, my Lord! We haven’t done one of those in years!” Abigail scanned the room. “Does anyone remember . . . ?”

“It was Maureen Dulvaney in 2006. She put her house on the market to move in with that Rhode Island man she met on the Internet, the one who sent her a picture of his . . .
member
.”