Oh, he was smooth all right.
He was the kind of man who could convince you to sell him your coral bed and thankhimfor the privilege.
Iris’s eyes narrowed.
But before she could respond, a peppy woman came bouncing over. In one hand was a small glass that she set silently in front of Finn. Then, with a flourish, she set a glass the size of her head in front of Iris.
“We made you a saltwater cocktail!” she gushed. “Salt water infused with just a splash of gin, muddled with nori, and garnished with pink Himalayan salt and ground kelp!”
They’d even put a little fake fish inside the cup.
“It looks lovely,” she told the waitress, even if she’d never had ‘gin’ before.
“And we have a massive seafood menu. Just flag me down when you’re ready to order.”
With that, she bounced away.
“She was very excited to get to make you a drink. And serve a mermaid.”
“I feel like there are a lot of eyes on me,” Iris admitted.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a flash of white. Turning, she saw Monty landing on the railing near an abandoned table. Hopping down, he started eating leftover crab cakes off a plate.
“Can you blame th—Is that a pelican?”
“Seems like it. So, Finn, what made you decide you want a mermaid wife?”
He reached as if to loosen his tie before he lowered his hand to the white tablecloth instead.
“Well, to be honest, you represent a key demographic. Your background will add great diversity to my platform.”
He sounded like he was reading off a script.
Had his campaign manager coached him on what to say? Or, worse yet, did he truly feel that way?
“We don’t need to be in love, obviously,” Finn kept prattling on. “We simply need to put on a convincing show for the media, and—”
“Shoo! Shoo!” someone called from her side, making Iris turn to see one of the servers trying to get Monty to leave. She was so amused by the show Monty was putting on, pretending to try to bite the woman’s arm, that she lost track of what Finn was saying. Not that it was hard to drift off during Finn’s press release disguised as conversation.
“The optics of a single male candidate aren’t great. Not even with how much progress we’ve made as a society the past few decades. The people—both human and not—like the idea of strong family values.”
“I see,” she said when it seemed like Finn was waiting for a response from her.
“It is, unfortunately, a lot to accomplish in a small amount of time. But I’m confident we can curate something believable. After all, a picture-perfect couple is curated, not happened upon.”
How romantic.
“You’ll be amazed how quickly the press will take to you. Once we … tweak a few things.”
“Tweak a few things?”
Iris was quickly losing control of her composure. If shewasn’t careful, she was going to blow up at him. Then there would be no avoiding her mother’s wrath.
“Oh, I don’t mean to offend you. Your look might just need to be … refined a bit. Nothing dramatic, just polished. We all have to sacrifice a bit of individuality for the sake of public image. We might just need to tone down the … mermaidness.”
“But Iama mermaid.”
“Yes, which is an important factor. Polling suggests that the fae, vampires, and shifters—in particular—would prefer a candidate who has close ties to one of the paranormal communities, so they know we understand their specific concerns. However, polls also suggest that they like their politicians to be relatable. Voters wouldn’t be able to see themselves in us if we are too … unique.”
