"Sorry about that," Wade mumbled, rushing over to the towel lying on the sand nearby. He quickly pulled on a pair of shorts and a shirt, drying his hair in a hurry. I had to admit, the guy looked pretty good in his swimsuit. And from the way Beth's eyes lingered on him, she thought so too. Hehehe.
I grabbed my own towel and wrapped it around myself, then threw on my bathing suit cover up. The soft fabric soothed my sun-kissed skin, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Back on dry land, with clothes on, everything seemed more normal – or as normal as things could be when I was just swimming with a half-mermaid.
"Emma," Daniel said, his voice tinged with worry and a hint of annoyance. "We were waiting for you. Dinner's ready."
"Right, sorry," I replied sheepishly, giving him a weak smile. "I lost track of time while talking to Wade." I could practically hearthe unspoken question hanging in the air: What were you doing out there with him?
"Hey, it's all good," Wade chimed in, flashing an easy smile that seemed to diffuse some of the tension. "I didn't mean to keep her out there so long. We ran into each other out there, then talked as we swam back."
Daniel and Beth exchanged glances, their expressions softening slightly, but it was clear they weren't exactly thrilled with the situation. I could practically hear the gears turning in Daniel's head, trying to piece together what had transpired between me and the man who was half fish.
"Anyway," I said brightly, determined to shift focus away from the ocean rendezvous. "Let's eat, huh? I'm starving. Wade, you should join us." The mention of food seemed to lighten the mood, as Wade looked at Beth.
"Sounds good," Beth agreed, her eyes flicking back to Wade for a moment.
He grinned. "If you'd like for me to come, I'd be delighted."
Beth led us inside the house. As we walked, my thoughts wandered back to our conversation in the water. It was true, Wade really did seem like a good fit for Beth. He understood her love for animals and her gentle nature. And despite his unique circumstances, he was kind, thoughtful, and just a little bit mysterious – exactly the kind of person she deserved.
As we all stepped inside, the warm aroma of garlic and spices greeted us. Henry had outdone himself with dinner tonight, and truth be told, I was starving. My little ocean adventure had worked up quite the appetite.
"Wow, Henry, it smells amazing in here," I exclaimed as I saw the spread on the table. There was a huge salad, some kind of pasta dish, and what looked like homemade bread sticks. My stomach growled impatiently. "I'm glad I worked up an appetite."
"Thanks." Henry grinned from the stove, dishing up his plate. "I've been experimenting with new recipes lately, and Alice made the breadsticks. I hope you all like it." He glanced at Wade, who seemed momentarily taken aback by the feast before him.
"Uh, yeah. It looks great," Wade managed to stammer, his cheeks flushing slightly. "Wow."
“Will he be joining us for dinner?” Alice asked, washing her hands at the sink.
“If that’s okay, I will,” Wade said.
Henry and Alice glanced at each other expressionlessly before Alice turned back. “It wasn’t what Henry prepared for, but adding one more is fine.”
These two were such a good fit it made me grin. Henry was wearing a shirt that said, “Game or Die,” and she was wearing one under her unbuttoned cardigan that said, “Gamers Don’t Die, They Respawn.” Her outfit was paired with pale jeans and bunny slippers, while his was paired with cargo shorts.
My gaze pulled away from them, and I saw Beth and Daniel staring at Wade awkwardly. Oh yes, they just caught me swimming with a naked neighbor who has expressed interest in Beth. I needed to clear things up before we ate.
I decided to just drop the news. "Turns out we have a mermaid in our midst. Or, well, half a mermaid, I guess."
"Excuse me?" Beth looked at me, her eyebrows raised in disbelief.
"Yep, it's true." I nodded, gesturing to Wade. "Wade here is part mermaid. On his mom's side, I believe?"
"Uh, yeah, that's right," Wade confirmed, clearly not expecting this revelation to come up so casually over dinner. To his credit, though, he didn't seem angry or embarrassed—just surprised.
"Well, isn't that interesting," Beth said, her eyes flicking to Wade with a newfound curiosity.
"I can't believe you just outed the poor guy like that," Daniel said, but the corners of his mouth twitched as he tried to keep a straight face.
It was hard not to return his smile. The man was practically glowing with the knowledge I wasn’t taking a naked swim with a strange man, but instead, that the man had been half-fish the whole time. He looked as pleased as a bear with its hand in a honey pot.
"Hey, we're all friends here, right?" I shrugged. "Besides, it's not every day you meet a mermaid. Or half-mermaid. Whatever."
"Merperson," Henry said, sitting down at the table covered in food. "The term is merperson."
"Right, sorry, my bad." I beamed, gesturing to the empty seat next to Beth. Wade hesitated for just a moment before accepting the invitation and sitting down.
"Dig in!" I encouraged everyone, eager to sample Henry's latest culinary creations.
