by Scott, Lisa
To their credit, Jessalyn and Ari did great in their new roles. Maybe I could take time off more often. Like, to see Eric once I convinced him he should confess his love to the mermaid. I’d suggest he meet her after the next show, and then take my place back from Jessalyn.
I swallowed a moan. Did I lose IQ points once I set foot on land? I had just screwed up everything! Now that he’d met me in the audience, he couldn’t meet me as the mermaid. He’d know I’d skipped a show. Maybe I could just make it a joke? “Nice to meet you Eric. Gotcha! I already met you. Twice now. Once when you almost drowned, and again while you were watching the show.” But would he hold us to our contract and fire us, especially if he thought he’d been duped? Especially if he was trying to impress his father during his first year as manager?
When the show ended, he stood and applauded. “I’m going to take your advice. I’m going to go introduce myself right now. Nice meeting you, Elle.”
As we filed out of our seats, I tried to think of ways to stop him. My mind went blank. I tapped him on the shoulder. “Maybe she’s too tired right now.”
“If she is, she can say so.” He walked faster toward the pier where our houseboats were docked.
I trotted to keep up. “What about not dating employees?”
“If I’m in charge, maybe I can change the rules.” He turned to me. “Thanks for encouraging me to do this.”
I groaned and hurried after him. He was in such a rush to meet me.
“You need some time to think this over,” I shouted behind him.
He kept walking.
Finally, we reached the dock, where everyone was unloading costumes and props from the show. Eric cleared his throat. “Excuse me, I’m hoping to have a word with the woman who plays the mermaid.”
My father looked at me strangely while Ari’s eyes bulged. I shook my head and drew my finger across my neck as if I was cutting it. Or threatening to cut hers.
Dad looked back and forth between Eric and me, finally figuring out Eric didn’t know I was the mermaid. “I don’t think she’s available right now.” His beard quivered. It appeared to be a seven.
Jessalyn marched up, still in costume. “Why I’m right here.” She took off the wig and shook out her long, black curls. “I’m Jessalyn.”
Eric actually gasped. “Eric Prince,” he said, shaking her hand. “I’ve been watching your show all season. You’re amazing. Of course, we already met when I fell in yesterday.”
She laughed. “I’m glad you’re all right.”
Ari’s jaw dropped while my father’s mouth tightened into a thin line.
“Would you like to join me for lunch?” Eric asked Jessalyn.
“Shall I keep on the costume?” She wiggled her hips.
He laughed. “It’s tempting, but I’ll wait for you to change.”
Dad and Ari stared at me.
After Jessalyn left, Eric crossed his arms and turned to me. “Say, since you’re in town for a while and you say you’re not working, would you like me to find you a job here? I owe you one.”
I looked to my dad, hoping he could save me from this nightmare.
“Sounds like a great offer young lady,” Dad said, no help at all. “Especially since you’re out of work.” He glared at me, and I knew I was in trouble. “Better find out if they give you sick days.”
“Meet me at my office around two, and we can line something up,” Eric told me.
Jessalyn came out of her houseboat, looking perfect in white jeans and a pink halter top. “I’m so glad you stopped by,” she said to Eric as they walked off. She looked over her shoulder at me and smirked.
Once they were out of earshot, my father stormed over. “What just happened?” His beard was at level nine.
I wrung my hands. “He’s been at almost every one of my shows. I spotted him in the crowd and I wanted to meet him, especially after he fell in yesterday. I had no idea he was the manager of the park. Then when I found out he had a thing for the mermaid, I got excited and said he should meet her, not realizing when he did meet me—or Jessalyn, that is—he’d realize I wasn’t performing in the show today.” I shook my head. “It’s all very confusing.”
“Well, seems like you’ve handed your job to Jessalyn. You said you were sick of doing it. Now’s your chance to see if life on shore’s the life for you.”
I stepped back. “You’re kicking me off the boat?”
“Take a week. Go live with your sister.” He waved me off with one big hand. “Decide what you want, because I’m not putting up with this nonsense, jeopardizing our family’s livelihood so you can meet men.” Dad stomped back onto the boat. I was glad I couldn’t see his beard.
Ari looked up at me with wide eyes. “That guy was really hot. I think it was worth it.”
“Yeah, well, he’s not with me, is he?” I went to my room and packed up my things. I was leaving the boat. Leaving my family and my job. My head was spinning, so I plopped onto the bed.
This is what I wanted, wasn’t it? Wasn’t I just complaining about having to be in the show? I’m not sure if Ariel would want me staying at her apartment or not, but I was family so she couldn’t say no, could she?
Ari, the Chester boys, and Mary and Larry watched me walk off the boat, down the dock and toward Eric’s office.
“She’ll be back,” Jimmy said. “She’s got a thing for me.”
I turned back and pretended to gag. How had my best day ever turned into this nightmare?
***
After gorging on funnel cakes, fried snickers, and for some reason, a jar of pickled peppers, I went to the office at the front of the park and waited for Eric. What in the world was I qualified to do? He didn’t need another water-skier. And he probably didn’t need a singer. Besides, if I auditioned to sing, he might recognize my voice.
Watching the clock tick by, I was about to leave when he finally showed up at two-thirty. “Sorry, my lunch went longer than expected.”
My stomach lurched. Possibly from the vast array of food I ate, but more likely from knowing Jessalyn had been with him for over two hours, that water buffalo.
“No problem. I really appreciate your offer.” I followed him into his office and sat down. It wasn’t what I expected. No framed diplomas or stuffy armchairs. It reminded me of a beach house, with a big cushy couch, and pictures of the ocean with someone surfing. I looked closer. “Is that you?”
He laughed. “Yeah. Back when I was in high school. Thought I was going to be a world champion surfer.” He rolled his eyes. “My father wouldn’t have that.”
“That’s too bad. That would’ve been awesome. I’ve never surfed,” I said. Sure, I spent most of my time in the water, but those huge waves would scare me to death.
“So, what kind of job are you interested in?” he asked.
“Anything, really.”
“Let me see what’s open.” He made a call, chatted, frowned, then hung up. “Unless you want to clean the restrooms, there’s nothing open.”
I couldn’t even pretend I might be able to do that.
He twirled a pen between his fingers and stared out the window. “I’ve got an idea. There are so many changes I’d like to make here, so many things I need to check on, what do you say to being my assistant for a few weeks? Follow me around the park, take notes, remind me of people’s names, give me your input. That kind of thing. I want to see what’s working and what’s not.”
Spend the entire day with him—and get paid for it? “That sounds great.” I tried to sound cool, but probably didn’t pull it off.
He grinned. “I like your enthusiasm.”
I sat up straight. “Thank you.”
“You said you’re from out of town. Do you have a place to stay?”
I must’ve made a face because he said, “As part of your compensation we can provide you with employee housing. I’ll have my secretary see what’s available.” He gave her a quick call.
“When do I start?” I asked after he hung up.
/>
“You didn’t even ask about your pay.”
“Oh, right. I’m sure it’ll be fine. It’s the experience I’m after.” Yeah, the experience of spending all my time with you…
“Excellent.” His phone rang and he answered. He frowned. “Okay. I’ll work something out. Thanks.” He looked at me. “The employee housing is completely full. But I will find at place for you at The Prince.”
“The hotel?”
He leaned back in his chair. “Yes. That’s where I stay. Is that a problem?”
“Not at all.”
He clapped his hands and stood. “Great. Shall we get started now?”
“Right now?”
He nodded. “There’s lots to do.”
I set down my bag and got up from my seat. “Then let’s do it.” And maybe I can make you fall out of love with the wrong mermaid.
***
After gearing up with clipboard and pen, I followed him into the amusement park.
“I want to ride every ride and play every game. We’ll see what’s working and what’s not,” Eric said.
I had to walk quickly to keep up. I loved his energy. Made his eyes sparkle. And the man always seemed to be smiling. I wondered if his dimples were permanently grooved into his cheeks.
“First up, the merry-go-round,” he announced.
I asked the attendant to hold my clipboard, and we climbed on. We picked two horses next to each other. I clung onto mine tighter than necessary. My hands were sweaty and shaky just being near this guy. Falling off a kids’ ride wouldn’t make a good impression during my first five minutes on the job.
He smiled at me as we rode round and round. “Any thoughts?”
You’re really, really hot? No. Focus. “It’s fun. A good staple at any amusement park.” I twisted my lips.
“But? I can tell there’s a but.”
I laughed. “The horses look kind of beat. I mean, it’s supposed to be old-fashioned, but these just look old.”
We got off our horses, collected our things, and watched the ride for a while.
“You’re right. It does look old.” He turned around in a circle, surveying the area. “A lot of the park looks old.”
“It is old. But maybe it should look old? Nostalgic? I mean, coming here is a tradition, after all.”
He frowned. “It’s not a tradition a lot of people are keeping. Attendance has been dropping each year.”
I touched his arm. “Maybe you could change that.”
He locked his eyes on mine and grinned. “This certainly wasn’t my dream job, but I’m going give it all I’ve got.”
Next we headed for the aisles of food vendors. “You just had lunch,” I joked. “Or maybe you were too smitten to eat.”
He laughed. “I’ve got a good appetite. And we had a lot to talk about.”
“With the mermaid? She had a lot to say?” I arched an eyebrow and wondered what Jessalyn could possibly have said to captivate Eric. She spent her time out of the water watching reality TV.
He rubbed his chin. “Come to think of it, I did a lot of the talking. Babbling, really, about the ocean and fate and a bunch of gibberish I should’ve kept to myself.”
“I think any real mermaid would love ocean gibbersh,” I said.
He cocked his head and stared at me, mouth parting as if about to say something important.
I panicked and looked away, wondering if he recognized me as the real mermaid. I snuck a glance at him.
“I knew hiring you was a good idea,” he said.
“Thanks,” I said, relieved but also a bit disappointed he hadn’t said, “Wait! You’re my dream mermaid.”
We walked on and stopped in front of the fried-everything stand. It took ten minutes to read over all their offerings. “Deep fried butter—why? I hope they make people sign a health waiver,” I said.
Eric laughed. It was a wonderful laugh that made me feel like I was hilarious. “I’ll try the fried BLT. And you?”
“A fried pickle,” I said.
He placed our order, but the kid at the register said they were all out of pickles. I ordered a fried chocolate-dipped banana instead.
As we walked away with our food, Eric frowned. “I want our vendors to deliver on what they promise. Suppose someone came here specifically to get a deep-fried pickle and they were out of them? Now what do we have? A disappointed customer. We want to exceed their expectations. You wouldn’t have a mermaid water-skiing show without a mermaid, would you?”
I almost choked on my banana.
Eric clapped me on the back, and I tossed the remains of the treat in the trash.
“Didn’t like it?” he asked.
I looked around at the long line of food trucks and stands, promising greasy, gooey, sweet treats. “The park needs more healthy foods options. I haven’t seen any.”
“But people are walking around with traditional fair food. Everyone’s eating it. Seems like that’s what people want.”
I held up a finger. “Or maybe it only looks like that’s what everyone wants because the people who don’t eat junk don’t come here—there aren’t any choices for them.”
He stopped walking and put his hands on his hips. “I never thought of it that way. You have great insights. What do you do for a living? You never said.”
Too bad I didn’t still have my banana so I could’ve done something suggestive with it to distract him from this question. “I’m sort of in between jobs. Trying to find myself. But I’m very interested in human nature.” I pointed up ahead. “Hey, let’s go check out the games!” I ran ahead of him before he could ask me anything else.
After playing a few games and sampling more food, he glanced at his watch. “I promised to meet Jessalyn in-between shows.”
My heart fell. “Oh, sure. You’ve got more gibberish lined up?”
“It’ll just come spewing out, I’m sure.” He laughed. “I’ll call ahead to the hotel. They’ll show you to your room. Rest up. We’ve got lots more to do tomorrow.” He smiled and squeezed my shoulder, and I imagined Jessalyn sinking to bottom of the ocean.
***
The clerk at the hotel gave me the key to an oceanfront room on the ninth floor. The room was three times as big as mine on the houseboat. I jumped on the bed—a king-sized affair that was double the size of mine. I clicked on the huge flat screen TV, then dashed into the bathroom where they had a tub! I’d never taken a bath. We only had a shower on the houseboat. Once Ariel had moved out, she promised to let me stay at her apartment and use hers, but I’d never had the time.
I was stuffed from the food I’d sampled with Eric, and pretty tired, too, so I took a bath with extra bubbles and stayed in the water until it became cold. I tried singing, but it wasn’t the same without the water running.
After drying off, I curled up in bed. Without the subtle rocking of the boat, it was hard to fall asleep. I missed the slapping of waves against the hull. And I missed my family. I’d never spent a night alone or on land in my life.
I rolled over and sighed, staring out the window at the moon reflected in the ocean. Last night I’d dreamed about meeting Eric. Tonight, he was out with another woman, and I was out of my job. How had I made such a mess of things? I closed my eyes and fell asleep with tears running down my cheeks.
***
The next morning, my phone rang at seven o’clock. “Mr. Prince would like you to join him for breakfast in the dining room in half an hour.”
I slapped on some mascara and put on shorts and sneakers. I was sure we’d be doing a lot walking, and cute was going to have to take a backseat to comfort.
Eric was waiting for me in the dining room with orange juice and coffee already poured. “Sleep well?”
I was about to tell him how last night was my first one on land, but I wouldn’t be able to explain that without giving myself away. “It was lovely. Thank you.” I looked at the menu and placed my order with the waitress.
“Ready for another full day?”
> “Absolutely. Do you have plans with Jessalyn again?” I grabbed a croissant out of a basket. I tore it in two and dropped it on my plate.
“We might try to grab dinner. But I really want to get through a lot of the park today with you. We should sit through her show together so we can watch objectively.”
I ran my finger down the condensation on my water glass. “You like her a lot, do you?”
A dreamy look transformed his face. “I liked her even before I met her.”
I stared at the napkin in my lap. “Is she what you expected?”
He paused. “Well, we’re still getting to know each other.”
I decided to put thoughts of Jessalyn away and enjoy my day with Eric. After breakfast, we played more games and browsed the vendor alleys.
“I didn’t know we had an X-rated candy shop here,” he said, standing in front of a gingerbread house with suggestive signs.
“Maybe you need a red light district here,” I joked.
“Write that down. It might not be a bad idea to have an adults-only section.”
I scribbled a few notes, and we found room in our stomachs to sample the pickled produce offered by the cute couple I’d seen the day before. We chatted a bit with them and then moved on. “They’re from Goose Valley,” I mused. “They said that’s not too far from here. I haven’t seen a lot of local vendors. There’s no regional focus at Neverland Island. Down in the Keys, you can’t get away from lime flavors and margaritas and shrimp. But people at the carnivals and festivals down there love it.”
His eyebrows shot up. “Sounds like you travel a lot.”
My throat tightened. “Here and there. But I do find myself at a lot of places like this.”
“No wonder you have such good input. Write that down—regional foods and goods.” He glanced at his watch. “The next water ski show starts in half an hour. Let’s get over there and see what kind of audience the show’s attracting.”
We walked over and stood outside the entrance to the amphitheater. Lots of little kids dragged in their parents. A family with teenagers examined the poster of Jimmy and me skiing together with the shark in the background.
“Do you want to see this?” the mother asked.
A teenaged girl wrinkled her nose. “It’s the same act they’ve been doing for years. I’ve seen this lots of times.” She shrugged. “Let’s do something else.”
