Page 11 of Love & Lattes at The Mermaid Cafe
“No.” My smile feels strained. “Do you want to hear about Serena or not?”
After a moment, Cade nods.
I take his arm and bring him closer to the statue, refusing to acknowledge how nice it feels to hold onto him. “According to local lore, the widowed fisherman had a run of bad luck. Empty nets. Torn sails. Overturned boats. Jelly fish stings.”
“Shark attack,” Cade murmurs.
“Maybe.” I nudge him with my elbow. “But one day, his net caught a mermaid.” I nudge Cade again when he opens his mouth to make a smart remark, stopping him. “As the story goes…”
He doesn’t interrupt.
So I continue, “Something about the mermaid reminded the fisherman of his dead wife, so he immediately set her free without bartering for any favor or wish.”
“I can tell this fisherman wasn’t the sharpest hook in the tackle box,” Cade murmured.
The way he murmurs—only for me to hear—is adorable. Plus three points. And yes, men in their forties can be adorable.
Not that I’m in the market for an adorable man.
But admittedly, I have been feeling restless lately. Happy but…
Not knowing how to complete that thought, I clear my throat and push on. “From that moment forward, the fisherman’s luck changed. His nets were always full. The wind always filled his sails. And when he dove underwater to harvest oysters, he found pearls in them—all of which, he offered back to the sea. A gift to the mermaid who watched over him.” I point to the strand of pearls around her neck. Oddly enough, Marina wears a strand of pearls like that.
“And yet, Serena the Mermaid weeps.” Cade smirks. It’s an attractive smirk.
“She weeps because there’s a dark side to this story.” This is the part I don’t like. “Serena was a princess, one who didn’t want to marry the merman her parents had promised her to.”
“And, of course, this merman showed up to claim his bride.”
I nod, because the story is both sweet and predictable. “The merman appears. Only to find Serena’s favor had been given to another. And that’s where the tale turns grim. The fisherman set sail one morning, heedless of the red hue in the sky.”
“Red sky in morning, sailors take warning,” Cade murmurs.
I stare up at him, at warm brown eyes and a mouth so close it wouldn’t take much effort to exchange a kiss.
If that’s what I wanted.
I swallow thickly and continue the tale. “A storm struck and the fisherman was never seen again. Heartbroken, Serena wept and her tears turned to sea glass that still washes up on Mermaid Bay’s beaches to this day. Some say on foggy nights the mermaid still sings, lamenting her lost love.”
“Or is that one of the residents of Mermaid Bay?” Cade chuckles. “It pays to perpetuate a story, doesn’t it?”
I release a sigh. “You’re a jaded soul, Cade.”
“Like calls to like.” Cade stares down at me. The warmth… The humor in his eyes. They call to me stronger than any siren song. “Is there a riddle at this stop, mermaid?”
“No.” I release his arm. It was foolish of me to think he’d appreciate the romance. He’s probably never even seen a Hallmark movie. “This isn’t an official stop on the tour.”
Cade raises his brows, a silent request for clarification.
“I was impressed by your composure at the Barnacle Diner and…” I stop myself before I give away too much.
“We shared a moment while talking about our marriages,” Cade says slowly. “What does Serena mean to you?”
“Well, for starters, she didn’t marry that stupid royal merman.” My voice has risen.
Cade strokes my arm consolingly. “And…”
“And she didn’t just roll over and give up. Nowhere in the story does it say she threw herself on the rocks and died.”
