by Hillary Avis
Bethany elbowed her. “Stop trying to set Milo up with people!”
Charley grinned. “Hey, it’s easier to hang out with him if he’s dating my friends. Plus, if he married Viv, we’d be family.”
“I think you and Milo are the kind of friends who are already family. He doesn’t need a legal contract with one of your sisters to make that true. Anyway, if he hooked up with Viv, he’d hang out with her more than you. You just have marriage on the brain!”
“Maybe you’re right. I guess I can finally think about something else other than this case!” Charley shrugged. “It’s a huge relief to have caught the bad guy. I was worried that I’d still be too wrapped up in the case to enjoy the honeymoon, but we’ll have all the details sorted out this week.”
Bethany smiled. “I’m glad.”
A horn sounded outside and everyone stood up.
“The bus is here!” Charley said, offering her arm to Kimmy. “Shall we?”
Kimmy nodded, and Viv scrambled around the apartment, cramming things into a bag.
Bethany grabbed her own seashell-shaped clutch purse and wrinkled her nose at Viv’s overstuffed tote bag. “Do you really need all that stuff?”
Viv clutched it to her chest, her eyes wide. “Yes! This is our survival kit. Trust me—I’ve been to enough all-night raves to know the essentials. You’re going to be glad when I have what you need, when you need it!”
Bethany giggled and saluted. “Aye aye, Captain Viv!”
She started toward the door, but her feet caught in the tight mermaid skirt and she pitched forward, narrowly missing a lamp before she crashed head-first into the couch.
Viv and Milo cracked up, and Bethany stuck her tongue out at them as she struggled to her feet.
“Hey, it’s hard to walk in these fins!” she protested. “Can I get a little help here?”
“Allow me.” Milo held out his arms to both Bethany and Viv, while Charley helped Kimmy balance. They all walked out together, the mermaids taking tiny steps inside their tails and leaning heavily on their pirate escorts.
The party bus was already blasting music and had colored lights flashing when they got inside. As the bus headed for the LaFontaine estate, Charley dug around in the built-in cooler.
Kimmy waved her hand. “I don’t think we should drink on the bus,” she said worriedly. “There’s going to be plenty of alcohol at the masquerade.”
Charley grinned and held up a finger. After a few more moments, she produced a box of chocolate ice cream bars from the cooler. “Since you’re my favorite, I thought we could start the night off with one of your favorites.”
Kimmy’s eyes went wide and she looked like she was going to melt faster than the ice cream. “Oh my god—will you marry me?”
“Yes! Immediately!” Charley beamed, but Milo snatched the box of ice cream bars from her hand.
“Arr! Not until next week, ye won’t! Tonight, you’re all single mermaids and we be single pirates!” Milo dropped the silly accent and winked at Charley as he handed out the ice cream bars, taking the last one for himself. “No commitments, no handcuffs, no impromptu wedding ceremonies allowed!”
“Hey, I’m the captain of this ship,” Viv said, pouting. She pointed her ice cream at him. “Don’t make me challenge you to a duel!”
Milo took a huge bite of his ice cream bar and then held it out like a sword. “To the death!”
“Death by chocolate doesn’t sound so bad.” Viv grinned at Milo and scooted closer to him.
Charley wiggled her eyebrows at Bethany as if to say see what a cute couple they are?
Bethany nodded. Viv and Milo weren’t a bad match, now that she thought about it. Both of them were equal parts fun-loving and ambitious, and they both loved a good meal. She could see something working out between them.
Now who’s the one with matchmaking on the brain?
“Uh oh!” Kimmy said. She scooped a drip of chocolate ice cream off her blue seashell top and licked it off her fingers.
“I’ve got something for that!” Viv dove into her tote bag and pulled out a roll of paper towels. She tore one off and used it to dab the remaining chocolate from Kimmy’s costume. “Be careful—at least until after we take pictures!”
“I can’t believe you have a whole roll of paper towels in there!” Charley giggled. “You’re like Mary Poppins pulling a lamp out of her bag.”
Viv rolled her eyes at her sister. “Someone’s gotta be the party nanny. You’ll be glad I have this stuff by the end of the night!”
As the bus neared the estate, Bethany felt her stomach tighten and her hands go clammy with anticipation. Ryan had worked all night and all day to get the museum ready for the party, but who knew how his father would react when he saw the emerging artists’ wing. Would Mr. Lazam pretend everything was fine? Or would he disown Ryan in front of all the powerful people in the state of Connecticut?
She chewed her lip as the bus turned into the driveway and felt Viv smack her on the arm.
“You’re messing up your lippy. Here.” Viv pulled a tube of glitter lip gloss from her bag and handed it to Bethany along with a small mirror.
“Thanks.” Bethany just had time to touch up her makeup before the party bus pulled up in front of the museum steps.
Charley and Milo got out first and held out their hands to help the mermaids down the steps. Bethany had to admit that she needed the assistance—it was no small feat negotiating stairs when you had a fish tail instead of feet! She smiled gratefully at Milo and Charley as she exited, and her smile grew even broader when she saw Ryan at the top of the stairs, waiting to greet them.
He was dressed as an old-timey magician, in a tailcoat and top hat, with a magic wand and playing cards peeking out of his jacket pocket. He saw her and grinned, jogging down the stairs to meet her.
“Why hello, Mr. Magic,” she said. “May I join your party?”
“Hello yourself, Madam Mermaid. I was hoping you’d show up.” He held out his arm to help her up the stairs. “Or I can carry you, if you’d prefer not to flop your fishtail.”
“Hm.” She considered the offer, blushing at the thought of him carrying her up the stairs like a bride over the threshold.
She looked over at Kimmy and Charley. They were struggling up the stairs together, laughing when Kimmy lost her balance and Charley had to prop her up. Milo was behind Viv, acting as her spotter as she wobbled her way up the stairs, too.
Bethany grinned at Ryan. “You know what? I think I’ll take you up on that.”
He didn’t hesitate—he swooped her up in his arms and carried her to the top of the stairs like she weighed nothing. It literally took her breath away. He set her down gently at the top, chuckling softly at her surprised expression.
“I didn’t want you to change your mind,” he said. “I’m sorry if it caught you off guard.”
It’s not that—I’m just not used to saying yes. She swallowed hard and shook her head. “Thanks for the ride.”
She looked back to gauge Milo’s reaction. Despite the fact that they’d agreed to be friends going forward, she didn’t want to make him uncomfortable on Friendship Day One. He just grinned at her and gave her a thumbs-up, then hoisted Viv and carried her up the last few steps—although with a bit less ease than Ryan had carried Bethany.
“Hey, you guys are making me look bad!” Charley called from the bottom of the staircase, where she and Kimmy were still navigating the steps.
Milo and Ryan looked at each other and then jogged back down the steps. Ryan picked up Kimmy, carefully looping her tail over his arm so it wouldn’t ruin her costume, while Milo tossed Charley over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Then they looked at each other again and dashed—as quickly as possible given their cargo—to the top of the stairs. Milo reached there first.
He dumped Charley on the top step and fist-pumped. “First!”
Ryan set Kimmy down with a flourish and grinned at Milo. “It’s not about first, man. It’s how you finis
h.”
Milo slapped him on the back and they both laughed until a long, gray limousine pulled up in the space the party bus had just left.
Ryan’s face turned serious. “My parents,” he said, swallowing.
“We’ll be inside,” Bethany said, touching him gently on the arm. He nodded as he watched his father get out of the car.
“Wish me luck.”
Chapter 23
BETHANY PICKED UP HER tail so she could sort of shuffle-glide into the building. She was excited to see the space complete—she’d only seen the house when it was empty, with stacks of paint cans and construction materials everywhere.
A woman at the door checked a list on her clipboard for their names. “Ah yes, here you are. Congratulations on your engagement, Ms. Perez and Ms. Caldwell. Enjoy your evening.”
Two men in tuxedos opened the doors for them, and they made their way into the foyer, which had been transformed. The stairs to the second floor were blocked off with red velvet ropes. Next to them, a front desk had been installed. A gilt-lettered sign above the desk welcomed them to the Jasper James Peregrine Museum.
Viv squealed at her elbow. “I cannot believe we got on the list to a Lazam party! My friends are never going to believe this.”
Bethany grinned. “I know, it’s crazy. Look at these people.”
Partygoers milled around in the most elaborate costumes she had ever seen. There were at least three convincing Marie Antoinettes, along with a Napoleon, a George Washington, two superheroes, and a group of fairies—and that was just the foyer! Bethany was glad she’d let Viv work her dubious magic. She’d have been severely underdressed if she’d just worn a mermaid tail and a couple of starfish.
Kimmy shook her head as she took in the scene. “How can anyone compete? These costumes must have cost thousands.”
Viv tossed her head. “Oh, don’t worry—I still have a few things in my bag of tricks. We’re going to show these rich people a few things.” She grinned and pulled a blue wand from her tote bag. She held it up to Bethany’s stomach and clicked it on. “Did I mention that this body paint glows?”
Bethany’s eyes went wide as the fish scales painted on her skin fluoresced bright pink under the light of Viv’s wand.
“Coooooool!” Milo said.
Viv clicked off the wand and stuck it back in her bag. “That’s for later, when the party really gets started. Now it’s time to locate some champagne.”
Milo pointed to the grand ballroom, standing on tiptoes to see over the crowd. “I think there’s a bar in there!”
They made their way toward where Milo had pointed. The ballroom had undergone the same facelift as the foyer. The gallery lighting, now complete with fixtures and lightbulbs instead of just bare wires, illuminated dozens of paintings by Jasper James Peregrine. Bethany recognized the landscapes and seascapes, but there were also portraits of individuals and families—even animals.
Most of the art was hung in pairs, showcasing Peregrine’s famous companion paintings that told a story when viewed together. Some of the stories were amusing, like a puppy falling into a bucket of water. Others were sad, like a second portrait of a family with one member missing.
It makes sense that Ryan chose to feature the companions, since that’s one of the things that makes Peregrine’s art so unique.
Bethany’s thoughts were interrupted when Milo handed her a flute full of sparkling pink champagne.
“To Kimmy and Charley,” he said, raising his glass.
“To friends,” she added, clinking against his glass and then everyone else’s.
“Welcome!” Ryan’s voice boomed over the loudspeaker, and Bethany caught sight of him with a microphone in the doorway between the foyer and the ballroom. Simon and Lucien stood next to him. Lucien was pink and beaming in a pale blue tuxedo and looked like he’d had a few glasses of champagne already.
He must be thrilled to see the museum finally open.
Simon, on the other hand, looked a lot less happy. He kept glancing over his shoulder like he’d rather be anywhere else.
I can’t blame him. It must be really strange to spend time in your former home with a bunch of strangers, staring at your former art collection.
Ryan waited for the room to quiet before he continued. “Thank you all for coming to the grand opening of the Jasper James Peregrine Museum. I think there’s more art walking around this party than hanging on the walls.”
The costumed crowd clapped politely at his joke.
“You’re probably wondering why there aren’t more paintings here, am I right? I know my father is wondering the same thing.” Ryan shot a nervous glance at his father, who was standing ten feet away with his arms crossed. Bethany noticed that he wasn’t wearing a costume, unless a white tuxedo jacket was considered a costume. “‘Where are all the paintings I paid for?’”
The crowd tittered, but Ryan’s dad scowled at the floor.
Ryan took a deep breath. “Well, the rest of them are still here, upstairs—don’t worry, you’ll see them over the next year as we plan special exhibitions. But I have a little surprise for you. As the director of the museum, I’m excited to show you something James Jasper Peregrine would have loved if he were here today.
“You see, Peregrine wasn’t an international artist in his day. He was simply a local man who loved to paint. He taught himself color and composition so he could make a living with his art. And it is in that spirit that the museum will dedicate a wing to highlight the work of emerging local artists. It’s art with heart, not necessarily a pedigree.”
Ryan paused, and then gave a signal to two uniformed women in the foyer who stood on the other side of the stairs. They slowly opened the doors facing the ballroom. Beyond them, Bethany could see another grand room, nearly a mirror image of the room they were standing in. The walls were hung with the black and white photographs of Newbridge, although they were too far away for Bethany to make out the specific images.
The crowd was silent for a moment, and then Simon began clapping, loud and slow. Lucien joined him as best he could with the champagne glass clutched in one hand. Soon the rest of the crowd joined in the applause, and the room was full of sound for a solid minute.
Bethany snuck a peek at Ryan’s parents. His mom was holding back tears of pride, and even his dad was looking around in wonderment at the room full of people who were applauding his son.
It might not solve everything between them, but maybe it’s a step toward understanding.
“I hope you’ll join me in celebrating some lesser known artists along with Peregrine’s great works,” Ryan said as the applause died down. He took a glass of champagne from the tray of a waiter standing beside him and raised it to the crowd. “Enjoy the evening, you strange and magical creatures!”
The tinkle of clinking champagne flutes filled the air, and then the crowd began buzzing and moving toward the newly opened museum wing as music filled the air.
“Is it OK if I go talk to Ryan really quick?” Bethany asked Kimmy. “I don’t want to ditch you at your bachelorette party.”
“Of course! We’ll find you!” Kimmy shooed her away, and Bethany weaved through a herd of giggly teenage girls dressed as cats to find Ryan.
She located him near two portraits. In one painting, the woman looked about twenty years old and wore a rose in her hair. In the other, the same woman was older, stern, and wore a stiff white bonnet that hid half her face.
Ryan was talking to his parents, so Bethany hung back and pretended to be very interested in the bonnet lady. She didn’t want to interrupt them and she didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but she couldn’t help overhearing their conversation.
Ryan spread his hands apart. “I know it’s not perfect, but it was the best I could do in two days.”
“Look at these floors! They’re a wreck, and you’ve had six months!” his father snapped.
“I’m sure he’ll tie up all the loose ends very soon,” his mother murmured soothingly. Then she nodded at
the crowd and said to Ryan, “You’ve really captured their imagination, it seems.”
Bethany couldn’t see his face, but his shoulders relaxed a little.
“Thanks, Mom.”
She nodded. “You’ve set expectations high, so you’ll have to work hard not to disappoint them.”
And us, the subtext seemed to be. But Mrs. Lazam’s expression was kind, at least. The same couldn’t be said for Mr. Lazam, who was still scowling.
Bethany decided that they didn’t need any more time to torture Ryan on what should be a celebratory night. She steeled herself, pasted on a smile, and stepped as gracefully as she could into their conversation.
“Great speech, Ryan!” she said. “You’ve really worked your magic on the museum, too.”
Mr. Lazam looked at her, his lip curling at her costume-based pun. “And this is?”
She stuck out her hand, fully aware of how ridiculous it looked for a mermaid to shake hands. “Bethany Bradstreet. I’m Ryan’s girlfriend.”
In her peripheral vision, she saw Ryan jerk his head toward her in surprise. Mrs. Lazam’s mouth made a little “o” before she gracefully recovered and extended her own hand.
“How nice. We don’t often get to meet Ryan’s special friends.”
Bethany shook her hand dutifully, aware that Mr. Lazam was scrutinizing her from head to toe. Is he checking whether or not I’m a real mermaid?
She stifled a giggle. Of course, I’d be wary of a glittery, footless, half-dressed person making bad puns, too.
“I co-own the Railway Café down at the train station,” she said, hoping that the connection to the Zamrail trains might soften Mr. Lazam’s skepticism of her. No dice. If anything, his expression grew stonier.
Ryan, recovering from his surprise, slid an arm around Bethany’s shoulders and grinned down at her. “You’ll have a chance to get to know her better very soon. You’re going to be seeing a lot of Bethany, if I have anything to say about it.”
“Wonderful,” Mrs. Lazam said, nodding, her smile polite.
