Page 64 of Eat Your Heart Out
I slapped my thigh as I laughed. “Sounds perfect for her. She used to sing those songs all the time.”
“When we were eight.” Elon sounded upset—I couldn’t guess why. “So, what are you doing today in port?”
I lifted my chin. “Ali and I are going on an official date.”
“Where are you taking her?”
Good question. “I was figuring it out when you called.”
“Have fun. I hope you two are as happy as Joel, Kendal, Arman, Maddie, Cyrus, Sarah, Warren, and Kerry. Wow, saying that out loud makes me feel like I’m getting old.”
True. With four of the twelve siblings married, it seemed like Maman was getting good use out of the huge banquet table we’d teased her about buying. I imagined my place with Ali next to me.
I shook the thought. “Relax. Focus on finding your princess in the happiest place on earth.”
“Stop.”
I imagined his face turning bright red, and I sat straighter, like I’d won a childhood battle to annoy my brother. “Gotta go.”
The last thing I needed was for him to tease me about not having a big plan.
I gulped my tea, then Ali came out. “What’s going on?”
I stood and bounced on my feet. “My brother’s going to ask out a theme park princess.”
Ali’s smile was hypnotic, and all I could see was her. “That sounds fun,” she said. She motioned to the black-pearl necklace with the porous lava-stone pendant. “Thank you for this.”
I motioned for us to sit again. “You look great. Do you know the legend of the priceless pearls from the Azores?”
She poured herself a second cup of coffee. “Tell me.”
I hoped my storytelling was good. I moved my chair to directly face her. “A poor mom and her son who went fishing every day to bring the fish to market were happy. A rich man’s daughter was in love with the boy, but he didn’t notice her at all.”
Ali took off her flats, curled her feet in the leather chair, and relaxed in her seat. “Poor thing.”
The ship slowed as we headed closer to the dock, but I wanted to finish the story. “Then one night, he decided to go out fishing before dawn. His mother protested, but when she couldn’t change his mind, she wished him well.”
Ali sipped her coffee. “It feels like something bad is going to happen.”
I took her hands. “He didn’t return. He was taken by a water nymph whose magic made him forget his life.”
She put her cup down and clasped my palm. “Sorcery. Fun.”
I winked, confirming she’d read between the lines. “His mother cried into the ocean every day. Her tears had the power to break the spell of the enchantress, if her son touched one.”
Ali giggled. “So she saved him?” Then she took another sip of her coffee.
I scooted closer. The air was sweet, and it wasn’t just the land we were coming to filling it with the wonderful scent. It was Ali. “One night, while the son slept in the water nymph’s palace, one of his mother’s tears found him. He remembered his life, and he swam back to his mother. The spell was broken.”
She pressed her hand to her neck. “What does that have to do with the necklace?”
Right. The point. I brushed against her arm, and my body grew more intense. “He was still poor, but as he continued to work, noticed the rich man’s daughter for the first time.”
She dropped her had from the necklace. “About time.”
I sat back. Unlike the man in the story, I knew the first time I ever laid eyes on Ali that she was special. “Still, he had no money to ask for her hand in marriage.”
“Oh no.” She put her cup down.
