“You can take Gigi to that award show. I don’t care.” I pull on a loose thread, unraveling a few stitches. “I hated how cheap Amy made me feel. I’m not a casual girl. With my ex I had him wait three months before we…” I trail off, remembering we have an eavesdropping driver.
Sully leans over and kisses my bare shoulder. “You’re priceless, and I’d never call you casual. Relationships mean something to you. I like that.” His words send a zing through my bones.
I turn my head to say something, but he kills it by pressing his lips to mine. Damn it, he can win any argument with those delicious lips.
We make out like teenagers on prom night until the car halts. The driver clears his throat. “We’ve arrived at The Pearl Kingdom.”
“Guess I’ll see you later,” I say, opening the door. There’s a buzzing in my ears as I slip out of the car.
Sully sticks his head out the door and shouts, “I’ll pick you up for dinner!”
Maybe it’s because I’m swept up in the moment, but I scream, “Okay!” It’s silly, but I watch the car drive off, pressing my fingers to my bee-stung lips.
The moment burns off with the scorching sun. After counting to three in my head, I step into the restaurant. To avoid any unwanted eye contact, I tuck my chin into my chest and speed walk toward the breakroom.
My phone rings; it’s my mom. I ignore her and make a mental note to call her back later. Out of habit, I open Insta and scroll. There are still a few minutes before my mermaid persona is needed in the tank.
But maybe I should’ve gone for my tail and not my phone when I see a post from Gigi. She’s making a kissy face and wearing a silver crown with pink diamonds. The caption reads, “Can’t wait for the Rock Music Awards. Just got my beautiful dress! Who’s my date you ask? Only the sexy bass guitarist from Scarlet Failure. XOXO.”
Well, this killed my mood. I ditch my phone and try to put on a happy face as I climb the stairs and prepare for my show. Veronica might have ashattered heart that can’t repair itself, but Mermaid Veronica has a heart of gold, and nothing can destroy her.
23
“Youhavenothingtobe nervous about,” Alice says, snapping a chocolate chip cookie in half.
“Who says I’m nervous?” I toss a crumpled paper towel at her. “Didn’t your mother teach you to eat cookies and not destroy them?”
She narrows her eyes and breaks the cookie into smaller chunks before popping a piece into her mouth. “If you’re not nervous, tell that to your hands because if that ring was human, it would be dizzy as hell.”
Shit. She’s right. I always twist my mermaid ring when I’m uneasy. I wonder if that’s why Sully stole it.
“Whatever.” I drop my hands to my sides and step into my favorite pair of black stilettos, focusing too hard on the scuff on the inside of the shoe’s right heel. I rub it over and over until it fades away.
There’s a knock on the door and I almost trip over the couch to answer it.
“Subtle,” Alice teases, eating more of that cookie, or its remains. I swear it takes her forever to eat one cookie. She says it makes it last longer, but honestly, she loves to drive me nuts. The girl gets crumbs everywhere and I’m the one who cleans them up.
When I open the door, Sully stands there wearing tight black jeans and a black Def Leppard tour shirt.
“Good show?” I ask, nodding to his attire.
He looks down as if he forgot what he had on and plucks at its collar. “Hell yeah. Caught their last tour in Germany. Have you been?”
“Seen the band, but I haven’t had the pleasure of traveling out of the country.”
“Not yet!” Alice chimes in, holding the box of cookies and digging out another one.
She chuckles as I shoot daggers over my shoulder. She blows me a kiss and disappears into our tiny kitchen.
Sully offers me a small smirk. “I can fix that. But let’s start with dinner.”
“What do you have in mind?” I grab my purse and close the front door behind me.
“Actually…I was thinking of cooking for you. I promise I’m an excellent chef.”
“Okay,” I say, sounding stiffer than I mean to.
The words Amy said, more as a threat than a contract, filter through my head. “As far as the world knows, you and Sully mean nothing. You’re nothing…to each other, I mean.”
