The Lovely Deep (The Mer Song Trilogy Book 1)

by Michelle Pennington

  From the first day he’d gone to work at the souvenir shop, sparks had flown between them. He wasn’t even sure why. Sure, she was gorgeous with her distinctive hair color and clear green eyes just the color of the ocean in the shallows. But it was more than that. He loved her dry sense of humor and rare smile. Even more than that, something about her struck him as mysterious. He had no idea why, but it intrigued him. Maybe that was why he wanted to know everything about her.

  So why was it that he still knew practically nothing about her? How could you flirt and tease and talk for hours on end with someone and still know almost nothing important? Except that they were kind and smart and hard-working and…

  Marshall waved a hand in front of his face. “Hello? Are you going to answer me?”

  River shrugged. “Oh. Why aren’t I fighting you for her? Easy. I want to watch you strike out.”

  “Me? No way, dude. Not going to happen.” Marshall flexed his bicep and nodded his head toward the girl.

  River glanced over at her and saw that she was watching them, angling her body to show off her figure. As River glanced away again, unimpressed, he realized Marshall was still talking.

  “I’m going to make sure she has the best dive ever. Blue angelfish, rockfish, rays, some spiny lobster. Maybe we’ll get lucky and a shark will swim by.”

  “Oh yeah, that would be great with amateurs in the water.”

  “I could be her protector. And with her adrenalin flowing, I’ll get her number for sure.”

  No sharks showed up to help Marshall out, but it was a perfect dive. The water was as smooth as glass and the visibility at least eighty feet. The three-hour tour they charted was two dives with a one-hour break in between as they changed locations. Marshall had tons of time to flirt under the glare of the girl’s disapproving father. When the dive was over and the captain headed back to the harbor, Marshall slacked off on helping River sort out and stow all the diving equipment in a last-ditch effort to enthrall the girl.

  Graham took drinks around while River worked alone. As he passed River, Graham muttered, “Marshall had better not tick off the dad trying to get the daughter’s digits. I’d pick his fat wallet over her any day.”

  Luckily for River and Graham, they all got a good tip, but unfortunately for Marshall, the girl slipped River her number.

  Marshall groaned. “What the…? Dude, that’s wrong. You didn’t even look twice at her.”

  The three of them were changing at the dive shack, so Graham didn’t hesitate to put Marshall in a headlock and punch him playfully in the side. “Yeah, but she was obviously looking at River. Face it man, you can’t measure up to the sea god here.”

  “Cut it out,” River said, pulling on a t shirt and grabbing his dive bag. “See you jerks later.” He waved cheerfully at them and stepped out into the afternoon blaze.

  After stowing his bag in his truck, River walked down the harbor walk to get some lunch. He wove through the milling crowds but didn’t pay much attention to them. His mind was too busy calculating numbers.

  Once he added his pay for the morning and his tips, he would have over two thousand dollars in his account. It was a good start, but only a drop in the bucket considering how much he needed. Life had taught River three things: how to work, how to swim, and how to adapt. Since his dad had killed his mom by driving drunk when he was only fifteen, the third hadn’t been a choice.

  He’d gone to live with his grandparents after that, which is when he’d gotten really good at the other two. His grandma had signed him up for the swim team to give him something to focus on besides his anger. His grandpa had made him work on his fishing boat every weekend. River still wasn’t sure if it was to distract him from his pain or just because he needed another deckhand. Either way, it had worked out for both of them.

  Now they were gone too, and River was left alone to make what he could of his life. It was his dream of being a Marine Biologist that led him to take on so many jobs over the summer. School was expensive, especially with living expenses. Working as a scuba guide paid more than his job at the souvenir shop. He’d have to quit his job at Beach Bum’s Paradise so he could go on more dives. But before he did that, he needed to convince Narissa to go out with him. If he was dating her, he might be able to give up the time he spent with her at the store. Maybe.

  As he rounded a corner that led to his favorite sandwich shop, his eyes caught on a paper pinned to the public bulletin board. The words “divers wanted” in all caps flashed at him, so he stopped to read. The pay caught his attention next. Taking his phone out, he snapped a picture. The only problem with the job was that he would need to provide a lot of his own equipment. He was certified to do technical diving but didn’t own all the gear. It was expensive, but the wages might be worth making the investment.

  With his mind fully occupied with this new idea, he ordered his food and drank his soda while checking prices online for depth gauges and decompression regulators until something caught his eye. Glancing up, he saw Narissa walk by with another girl he didn’t know. Narissa’s loose red curls fluttered in the breeze and gleamed like fire when the sun hit them. She carried a paper sack and looked as if she was headed somewhere with a purpose.

  He wanted to follow her. In fact, the urgent desire he felt to be next to her shook his normal state of calm. Frustrated that he had to wait for his order, River tried to keep his eyes on Narissa. Even though he was over six feet, he soon lost her in the crowd once she got to the lower-level docks.

  “Here’s your food, man.”

  River grabbed the bag and took off. Striding after her, he took the stairs two at a time, nearly tripping over a toddler that wandered into his path. He sidestepped the little guy, barely, and looked around. No sign of her anywhere. He thought about asking some of his buddies who worked around the harbor if they’d seen her, but the place was full of attractive women. Like they would have noticed a particular one. Though they would have if they’d known her like he did.

  Giving up, River leaned against a pylon and ate his sandwich. He watched a seagull flutter around, hoping for a bite. “Not a chance.” His grumpy words came out louder than he intended.

  “So, this is what you do on your days off? Yell at birds?”

  River would recognize Narissa’s voice anywhere. He whipped around and saw her and her friend standing behind him, both of them eating ice cream. Hopefully, his ears were too sunburned to turn any redder. “Somebody has to keep them in check.”

  When he looked curiously at her friend, Narissa said, “This is Anne. She works at my uncle’s restaurant with me.”

  “I’m River.” He bent forward and shook her hand.

  “Nice name,” she said, smiling at him.

  “I told you,” he said to Narissa.

  She smiled. “Yes, you did. Many times in fact. I’d love to stay and argue with you, but we have to go.”

  She took a step away so he reached out and touched her arm. “Hey, can’t you stay for a few minutes? You know, finish your ice cream?”

  Anne scooped some into her spoon and ate it while she looked at Narissa, waiting for her to answer. Clearly, she wasn’t in a big hurry.

  But Narissa shook her head. “Our shift starts soon.”

  River noticed Anne’s eyebrows rise slightly, so he knew Narissa was lying. Or at least stretching the truth. “What time?”

  Narissa’s shoulders rose in exasperation. “We are supposed to be there early. Everywhere I work wants me there early. Not that you would know what that’s like.”

  He shrugged. “Unless you consider five-thirty in the morning early. Dive charters don’t leave on time unless the crew gets there way ahead of time. I just got back from one.”

  “Really?” Anne asked. “You’re a diver, huh? Narissa didn’t tell me that.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “But she’s told you other things?”

  Narissa glared at Anne, but he noticed that her cheeks were pinker. It was easy to see on her fair skin. “I migh
t have mentioned you in passing,” she said.

  River tried not to smile but didn’t think he’d done a good job holding it in.

  “I’ve always wanted to try diving,” Anne said, clearly trying to smooth things over. “But I’ve never had the money to get certified.”

  Because it might keep them there, River dove into a long discussion about the courses she needed and the best places to take them. The whole time he and Anne talked, however, he kept his eyes on Narissa. He tried not to be disappointed that she apparently found the ocean more interesting than him, but he couldn’t help but be curious about the longing in her expression. Was it possible to be jealous of the ocean?

  “I bet the water was nice today,” Narissa said, interrupting River’s spiel about technical diving, which didn’t surprise him since he knew she hadn’t been listening.

  “It was perfect,” he agreed. “Do you dive?”

  Her lips rose in a half smile. “Oh, yes.”

  Awesome. Something he could ask her to do with him. “You’ll have to go out with me sometime.”

  But his question shattered her reverie. “Maybe. I’ll see you tomorrow at the store, right? We really have to go. Sorry about your sandwich.”

  “What?”

  River looked down just as the seagull ripped the last of his sandwich out of his relaxed grip. By the time he was done cursing the bird, the girls were gone.

  Chapter Three

  Narissa knew Anne was going to give her a hard time about River, so she was surprised they made it to Anne’s car before she started.

  “So, I’ve been wondering why you always want to come down here to bring that homeless man dinner.”

  Carefully schooling her face to hide her embarrassment, Narissa raised an eyebrow. “So, now that you’ve met Stumps, you know it’s because he’s a nice man, right?”

  “Yeah, he is. And it’s so sad he lost a leg in combat. You’re really sweet to want to help him out.”

  Narissa felt her stomach twist. If only Anne knew, she wasn’t only being nice. Stumps was the perfect candidate to be one of the two Lovelies she needed. “I’m not sweet. I just hate that he’s hungry.”

  “Sure. But come on. Admit it. You’re also hoping to run into River.” There was a teasing, sing-song tone in her voice that made Narissa blush even harder.

  “Look, that was totally random. I knew he worked as a diver, but it’s not like I knew his schedule or anything and I’ve never seen him outside of work before.”

  “Okay, whatever. I believe you. But once you saw him, why’d you have to run away so fast? We don’t have to be to work for another hour, and River couldn’t take his eyes off you.”

  “Really?” Narissa hated that this excited her. Especially since she knew it was just her siren magic drawing him in. It was times like this that she wished she didn’t have to keep her true identity a secret. Anne was the first, and only, friend she’d ever made. She wished she could tell her everything. What would it be like to have someone to share her worries and doubts with?

  “Yes, really. And why, in the name of all that’s holy, didn’t you say how hot he was.”

  “I told you he was good-looking.”

  “Yeah, but you didn’t mention how tall he was or that his shoulders are a work of art. And if his features weren’t so masculine, his face would be beautiful.”

  Narissa clenched her jaw as her fingers curled into fists. “Well, since you’re so into him, maybe you should go out with him. He offered to help you with diving, remember?”

  Anne laughed. It grated against Narissa’s nerves. Why was she so annoyed?

  “He wouldn’t even look twice at me. He’s way too interested in you. Why is it that you always attract nice guys and I always get the losers?”

  “You’re missing the turn,” Narissa said, glad for the excuse not to answer her.

  “Oh, shoot.” Anne hit the brake and turned the wheel hard enough to make the tires squeal. Luckily, no one was riding her bumper.

  Narissa turned to look out the window, catching the glimpses of dazzling blue waters between the condos that lined the beach. She knew exactly why she attracted guys, and Anne was wrong. Narissa attracted the jerks too. But Anne had something going for her that she never would. At least when a guy was attracted to Anne, she didn’t have to always discount it as just the result of her magic.

  Anne pulled into the back of the parking lot at Poseidon’s Realm, Uncle Jesse’s restaurant. Narissa was always amazed that for such a stern, serious man, her uncle had ironic sense of humor. She wondered if the sea god knew about the name and what he thought about it.

  As she got out of the car, the afternoon heat and the sound of the surf rushed over her. The scent of sunscreen swirled with the salty breeze, and a gull screeched nearby, accompanied by the distinctive hum of golf carts driving past. She’d spent half of every year here since she was three, but even though she was used to it all, she loved it. When she was forced to spend time in the ocean, she missed it all desperately. With a surge of desire, her determination to stay on land forever increased even more. And with it her bitterness.

  “You coming?” Anne asked.

  Narissa hadn’t realized she’d stopped walking. “Yeah. Sorry. It’s just a beautiful day.”

  “It is, but I’m melting.”

  Together they hurried into the shade cast by the two-story restaurant. The top floor served as the family living quarters, but the restaurant on the ground floor was still massive. It was also weathered and a bit ramshackle—in the best way possible. Compared to the condos and modern homes that lined the beach around it, it looked charmingly out of place. That didn’t stop it from being one of the most popular places to eat in Destin.

  Poseidon’s Realm was famous for its fresh seafood and heavy-handed nautical decorations. It was cliché but so brazen and unapologetic that the customers loved it. There were mermaids and mermen on every wall. Of course, that was just one more of Uncle Jesse’s jokes, and he didn’t care if no one else got the humor of it.

  As a cover for a former-merman-turned-human and as a refuge for the few mer people who were also sirens, it was genius. No one ever noticed strange comings and goings in the busy rush of hungry customers and thirsty beach-goers.

  Sometimes though, Narissa hated how busy the restaurant was. It made it impossible to escape to the water when her uncle needed her to work the floor. And since he’d been providing for her since she was a toddler, she couldn’t be so ungrateful as to let him down.

  Uncle Jesse looked up as she and Anne came in through one of the side doors. His low, bushy eyebrows rose just high enough to crease his high forehead. For a middle-aged man who spent most of his time in the kitchen, he still looked rugged and fit enough to be intimidating. “You two are unusually early.”

  Narissa sighed. “It doesn’t matter if I’m on time or early, I always catch flak for it.”

  Uncle Jesse placed a perfectly grilled snapper fillet on a huge plate. “I’m not complaining. As you can see, we got an early lunch rush today.”

  Sharing a wry smile, Anne and Narissa headed out to the restaurant floor to start their shift early. With so many customers, time passed quickly. That didn’t stop Narissa from wanting to walk away from it all, however, and head out to sea.

  She loved the sun and she loved the land, but ever since she’d run into River down at the Harbor Walk, she’d wanted to escape, even if just for a little while. She wanted to dive in and let the salt water fill her and surround her and carry her. Carry her away before she hurt him.

  For the last few days, ever since he’d said he wanted to go out with her, each of their meetings was a test of her resolve. The attraction that sang in her soul awakened the old magic in her blood. Down at the docks, the thought of diving in with him had nearly broken her. Maybe she couldn’t have him as a human, but she could make him a mer. The temptation burned inside her, even though it was against all of her personal convictions.

  Maybe if she went a
lone and let the saltwater flush out her mind—fill her senses with something besides wanting him. But all she could do right then was lean against the rail of the deck and watch the tourists flop around in the waves as the sun set.

  She heard footsteps approaching and turned to see her uncle. He leaned down to prop his arms against the rail next to hers. He gazed out at the water too, and she wondered for the hundredth time how he endured missing it.

  “You should go,” he said.

  Narissa blinked. His encouragement surprised her. “Are you sure? It’s going to be dark soon.”

  “I know something is worrying you. If this will help ease your mind, then do it. But take plenty of bribes with you.”

  “I will.”

  He was right. If she crossed into the Realm, the water would be full of mermaids. They would all be out searching for things to make themselves beautiful before the full-moon in ten days when they would get their legs and have a chance to mate. And since human trinkets were prized above anything they’d find in the sea, no doubt some of them would have crossed over into the human world.

  She went upstairs and changed into a two-piece swimsuit, then picked up the mesh dive sack she kept hooked over the closet doorknob. She kept a stash of trinkets in her closet for times like this—cheap mirrored compacts, hair ties, scarves, beaded combs, and water-proof makeup. When her bag was full, she grabbed a large beach towel and returned to the deck where her uncle was still looking out to sea.

  “I won’t be too long, she said.”

  “Be safe.” There was a hint of tension in his voice.

  She nodded and went down the steep stairs, dragging her hand along the iron rail so she didn’t slip on the bottom few steps that were covered in loose sand. Not wanting to lose courage now, she tossed her towel down under the stairs, and ran toward the water. She glanced up and down the beach, glad that it was already nearly deserted. There was a family about 50 yards away, but they were too busy packing up to notice one lone girl disappearing into the water.