It was a kiss he never wanted to end but when he felt Miranda go limp in his arms, he pulled back in alarm. “Miranda, love, what’s wrong?” But she was unresponsive. “Help, Goldie, what have I have done? What’s wrong with her?”
The macaw peered over his shoulder. “Nice work, Prince Charming. But no reason to panic, it’s not like the sea isn’t full of mermaids. You can find another.”
“I love her, Goldie. She’s not replaceable. She’s perfect the way she was, is, I mean. Oh, God, Miranda, come back to me. I love you.”
A sob tore through his body as he pulled Miranda up over the edge of the boat. He cradled her in his left arm and slid his right arm under her knees. He buried his face in her hair and rocked her body gently. How could life be so unbearably cruel to let him find Miranda, only to lose her again?
“Easy there, sailor.” Goldie’s talons dug into the edge of the rocking boat. “Just because you’ve killed Miranda, doesn’t mean we have to go down the ship.”
“Stop teasing him, Goldie. You’re so obnoxious.”
The sound of Miranda’s voice broke through Justin’s shocked state. “Miranda?” He pulled back and looked down at her. “You’re alive?”
She smiled up at him. “You love me.”
“I do,” he half laughed, half cried.
“I know, I have proof.” Miranda lifted one of her legs and wiggled her foot around. “See? My friend cast a spell on me. When you kissed me, if you didn’t love me or couldn’t truly accept that I was a mermaid, then I would be forever destined to live out my days as a mermaid. But because your kiss proved that your love is true, I can be human now.” She reached up to touch his face, her eyes on his lips an invitation to be kissed again. “I can be with you now, forever.”
“Forever is perfect,” Justin wrapped his arms even more tightly around her. “Now let me prove it again.”
Epilogue
“Thank you, Mrs. Lyons.” Miranda took the plate of crackers from the housekeeper and balanced it on her very pregnant belly. “The crackers are such a help with the all-day-long sickness.”
“You’re welcome, my dear.” The housekeeper plumped a pillow and put it behind Miranda’s back. “You know, some say that morning sickness and sea sickness feel much the same.”
“Really? I never suffered from sea sickness a day in my life.” Miranda nibbled at a cracker and took a sip of ginger ale. “But this will all be over soon, right?”
“Absolutely,” the housekeeper agreed. “Only a few weeks more to go and you’ll be back to feeling human again.”
Miranda smiled at the housekeeper’s unwittingly ironic choice of words.
Just then Justin slipped through the French doors, dropped his briefcase on an empty chair, and greeted Mrs. Lyons. Once she’d discreetly left them, he turned his attention to his wife. “Hello gorgeous, how are my two favorite girls?”
Miranda smiled up adoringly at her husband. She would never, ever, not in three lifetimes, grow tired of the way Justin looked at her, or loved her. She reached out one hand to pull him down beside her, and then she placed his hand on her tummy. “We’re in ship shape. How was work?”
“Wonderful. I’ll tell you all about it at dinner.” He nestled into the sofa and leaned his head on Miranda’s shoulder. “We had ten different school groups go through the park today. Everyone seemed pleased with their day, I know I couldn’t be happier.”
Miranda’s sigh was one of pure contentment. Things couldn’t have worked out better for them. Almost immediately after they’d arrived back on land, news broke that the International Court of Justice ordered the Japanese government to quit issuing permits for Antarctic whaling. In a surprising but welcome reversal of their position on whaling, the Japanese government agreed to cease their whaling activities. Morimoto industries had no choice but to change the focus of their business. Kenji Morimoto appointed Justin as the executive director of the newly acquired Ocean World right before he retired.
Justin’s first act had been to change the mission of Ocean World from entertainment to oceanic education with a focus on conservation issues. His second act had been to appoint Miranda as the Director of Aquatic Acquisitions. Together they’d returned all the animals to the ocean who wanted to go, and they’d set up a one year exchange program for all ocean animals and sea creatures who wanted to spend a year in Ocean World.
Even Goldie had found a position, and a new home, at Ocean World. He reigned over a small but colorful colony of scarlet, hyacinth, green winged, and military macaws. The arrangement was perfect. Goldie was king of his own little kingdom, at least in his mind, and the Lockheed household was blissfully quiet. More than a few school children described their field trip to their parents by starting with, ‘Well, there was this really loud bird…’
Working together and living together had been nothing but bliss for Miranda and Justin.
“I’ve thought of something new I’d like to try after little Pearl is born,” Miranda said.
“Name it.” Justin enjoyed watching his wife experience all sorts of new things for the first time.
“Okay, I was reading about this drink called Sex on the Beach-”
“Isn’t that what got you in the state you’re in now?” Justin interrupted her.
Miranda returned his grin. “Well, can we try it?”
He lifted her hand to his lips and brushed a kiss across her knuckles. “For you, anything.”
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A Note from Caroline:
Thank you for reading Mermaid, Inc. – I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. As I was putting the finishing touches on this novella, the Japanese government announced that they would cease their Antarctic whaling activities for the upcoming season. This announcement, which I hope reflects a permanent change in Japanese policy, is a victory for whales and the humans who care about them.
I enjoy hearing from readers so please contact me through my website www.carolinemickelson.com if you’d like to get in touch. You can also join my mailing list there to be among the first to hear of new releases, contests, and bonus materials.
Do you enjoy stories about witches? If so, please continue reading for an excerpt from Witch Weigh, a novella about a sassy witch who does everything in her power to keep from falling in love with her sexy fairy godfather. Happy reading!
Chapter One of Witch Weigh
“Hey, lady, anyone ever tell you you’re a real witch?”
“More times than you can imagine.” Contessa Von Hellengaard, Tessa to her few friends and many enemies alike, eyed the obstinate construction worker who blocked the path of her sleek black Mercedes.
She wondered how this mere mortal would like being turned into a fluffy skunk. Her fingers itched to work their magic, but she kept them gripped on the steering wheel. She was already in enough trouble with the Upper Hallows Witch Council without casting what they would consider another unnecessary spell. If she was detained any longer she’d be late for her meeting with said council. Tessa knew they were already ticked off enough without her adding another infraction to their precious list.
She leaned out the window. “Remove your overfed self from my way immediately. I need to use this road and I don’t have time for your ridiculous detour.”
“Guess you should’ve used your broomstick then because there ain’t no way I’m letting your car get through here.” He crossed his beefy arms over his chest.
He seemed altogether too amused with his juvenile humor for Tessa’s liking. Broomstick indeed. She revved the motor to let him know she meant business.
He couldn’t say he hadn’t been warned.
She pushed up her black lace sleeves and pointed to the orange and white barricade. “Last warning. Remove yourself and that thing from my way.”
He laughed at
her. Laughed. At her.
She narrowed her eyes. This sorry excuse for a government employee was not going to make her late for her meeting. Removing him from her path, she decided, was a very necessary act indeed. She could make the council members understand. But only if she got there on time.
With the tip of her red lacquered fingernail she traced a circle in her palm, silently reciting the spell that would get her what she wanted. A small, satisfied smile tugged at her lips as the man in front of her began to levitate. She stroked her index finger sideways to help direct his ascension. His shocked expression and angry torrent of curse words bothered her not at all. He continued to fuss and kick even after he was hooked on to the high crane by the back of his overalls. At over forty feet above the ground she could barely make out his foul words.
Tessa flicked her finger across her palm with one last quick swipe and waited while the barricade went flying to the side of the road and crashed on a pile of rocks.
She waved farewell to the construction worker as she slipped her Mercedes into drive. The fool would be wise to quit struggling or he’d soon have a painful wedgie.
Silly mortal. He had no reason to panic. Someone would be along to get him down. Eventually.
***
Fifteen sinful minutes late, Tessa swung the Mercedes into a circle drive with only a minimal amount of flying gravel to announce her arrival. She grabbed her black leather satchel and eyed the occupant of the passenger seat.
“No, you may not come. I’m tired of you following me everywhere I go.” She half closed the door and then hesitated before flinging it open. “Oh, come on then. You’d better watch yourself though or you’ll end up as annoying as a dog.”
She slammed the car door as soon as Jinx, her sleek black short hair cat, jumped out and made his all too entitled way to the front door of the Tudor home where the council met. The cat was the least of her problems this morning.
Tessa sailed down the hallway. The interior was dim and over-decorated, paying homage to the Victorian style that her Aunt Trudy so loved. Much of Tessa’s childhood had been spent in this very home and she knew it, and failed to appreciate it, the same way she did her own.
She stopped in front of the heavily carved oak doors and took a steadying breath. She wanted this to go well. She needed this to go well. The Council needed to approve her application to the United Paranormal Council as a visiting scholar slash expert on silent spells. Her life was staid, boring and so predictable that even her yawns were planned. But, oh, Europe awaited her. If she could just manage to get there she’d be able to associate with the sort of sophisticated, urban witches and warlocks that she knew she was meant to. She’d happily bid a hasty farewell to the lumpy and dumpy witches she’d grown up around.
With one last flick of her auburn hair over her shoulder, Tessa pushed open the doors and stepped into the Upper Hallows Council meeting room.
The din of casual chatter stopped immediately and the gathered crones turned to her expectantly. To her immense surprise, she realized she was the tiniest bit nervous, but only because the stakes were so high. There was nothing for it but to seize the moment and take control of her own destiny.
“The door, Tessa,” her Aunt Trudy reminded her.
Well, hello to you too, you old witch, Tessa managed not to say. She kicked the door closed with her foot.
At the same moment that she opened her mouth to speak, a horrific screech filled the air.
Tessa froze.
“The cat, Tessa.” Somehow, above the commotion, she recognized her Aunt’s voice.
Jinx. Damn.
When she turned she saw she was too late to rescue her feline companion. Jinx already lay snuggled in Amelia Fairweather’s arms.
“Poor darling little kitty,” Amelia crooned, cuddling the cat even closer to her ample bosom. “You poor neglected angel.”
Tessa watched the love fest, unable to speak a single word in her own defense. She certainly hadn’t planned for the first words out of her mouth to be uttered in self-defense.
And Jinx appeared to be enjoying the attention all too much. His green eyes met hers and they held a self-satisfied gleam. Match point Jinx.
She cleared her throat. “Perhaps you could all take your seats so we can begin.” She ignored the glares the assembled witches sent her way, grateful they were casting dirty looks and not spells.
Tessa balled her hands into fists. Her hands were usually the first things to get her in trouble. They always had been. It was her curse. Like the other witches in the room, her fingers did the work of words when casting spells.
She closed her eyes for a long moment and inhaled. A brisk autumn breeze floated in through the diamond paneled windows. At least the all too staid Council allowed fresh air into the room. A miracle, considering their aversion to fresh ideas.
Jinx, the rotten little minx, meowed. A smug, taunting call to action.
Tessa dropped her satchel onto the table and cleared her throat. “Let’s call this meeting to order. I’m ready to get started.”
An elderly crone spoke to the group at large. “You see, this is exactly the problem. With her, it’s always I, I, I.” She shook her head, disapproval evident on her wrinkled face. “It proves we’ve made the right decision.”
Decision?
“But you haven’t read through my application,” Tessa protested. She glanced anxiously around the table. “It’s not fair to make a decision about this without hearing what I have to say.”
“Are you sure you want to talk to us about what’s fair?” this from the usually reticent Clarissa Goodbody. “What about that poor construction worker you left dangling from a crane?”
So they knew. Tessa clenched her jaw. Of course they did. She had no secrets in the small, interbred community. But if she could just get across the Atlantic she’d have breathing space.
“We’re getting very off topic here,” she said, neatly avoiding Clarissa’s question. “I would like to begin by--”
“We’re not getting off topic, my dear,” her Aunt Trudy interrupted. “We’re actually getting to the matter at hand. Have a seat, please.” She pointed to the only empty chair at the table.
Tessa didn’t want to sit. She wanted to talk. And not about her long list of perceived crimes either. But she did as she was bid. It seemed as if she was in enough trouble already.
Something wasn’t right. She’d attended these meetings for four years now. They were always boring. Excruciatingly so. But the atmosphere in the room today was different. It crackled with an energy that unnerved her. Something was about to change. Her instincts told her she was not going to like it either.
“Aunt Trudy, I came here today to present my application for appointment to the United Paranormal Council.”
“Yes, that is why you’ve come my dear, but that isn’t why we’re here.” Her smile was kind, almost pitying.
Tessa’s stomach turned over, her body reacting to what her mind still wasn’t grasping. Her throat was too dry to talk. She tapped her finger twice on her palm but the witch across from her shook her head.
“Let me, Tessa.” In a smooth practiced movement she waved her index finger in an intricate pattern.
A crystal goblet filled with ice water materialized in front of Tessa. She’d wanted wine. But water would do in a pinch. And if Tessa Von Hellengaard had ever felt in a pinch, it was now.
To read more...
Other books by this Author:
Witch Weigh
Witch Christmas
Magic Wand Ranch
Maid for Love
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