How to Date a Mermaid Read online

  “These are my friends I told you about.” Shelby gestured. “This is Rylie Cruz and her boyfriend Jack. And this is her friend Jennifer.”

  One of the guys looked Jennifer up and down. Apparently, he liked what he saw.

  Shelby introduced us to the guys. “Rylie, Jack, Jennifer, this is Tag Mitchell, Hudson Holbrook, and Freddie Cool.”

  Freddie Cool was the one who seemed a bit smitten with Jennifer. The blond was Hudson and Tag had dark hair.

  “If you all want to wait right here I’ll see about getting us in,” Hudson said.

  This made me question whether they really could get us in or not. Obviously, they didn’t want us to lose our spot in line just in case they couldn’t get us past the gatekeepers. I was thinking that idea of going to Starbucks sounded better by the minute.

  We watched as the mermen walked down the sidewalk to the front entrance. I peered around the crowd to see if they were making any progress with getting us in. A few more seconds of talking and they motioned for us to join them. Secretly I had hoped they would get us in. Now I had to dance.

  Chapter 10

  “Again, I don’t understand why we’re going to a club to talk to these guys. I mean, it’s going to be so loud and noisy in there. It’s not like we’ll hear what they’re saying. Why can’t we just meet somewhere where we can talk? We can talk to them right here on the sidewalk,” I said as we hurried down the sidewalk.

  Jennifer touched my arm. “Oh, come on. Have a little fun, Rylie. Don’t be a spoilsport. We’re here in Miami and we need to dance. You like to salsa. And Jack’s here. You guys can dance together. You’ll have a great time.”

  Well, that was true… I wanted to dance with Jack. I wanted to have fun too, but I was so focused on business and getting to the bottom of the weird mermaid thing that I supposed I didn’t want to think about fun. I worried too much about what could go wrong instead of enjoying the moment.

  I sighed. “I guess one night of fun wouldn’t slow me down too much.”

  “See, I told you,” Jennifer said.

  “Okay, just a few dances and then back to business,” I said.

  “There you go.” Jennifer winked.

  We walked up to the entrance where the guys waited for us.

  The big guy at the door said, “Identification please.”

  We showed our identification and were allowed in. Of course, that made a few people standing in line unhappy with us. I would’ve been unhappy too if I’d seen that happen. But in this case, I had work to do so I needed to get in there as quickly as possible.

  We stepped into the club. Pulsating music, strobing lights, and people everywhere dancing seamlessly on the dance floor sent my senses on overload. Everyone seemed to be having fun though. So maybe the music was getting to me and I wanted to dance. I could postpone talking to these guys for just a little bit.

  “Rylie, I’ll go get something to drink,” Jack said. “Water for you, and for Jennifer?”

  “I’ll have water too,” Jennifer yelled over the music.

  “Would you like a drink, Shelby?” Jack asked.

  “Nothing for me,” she said with a wave of her hand.

  While Jack went over to the bar, Jennifer and I stood to the side out of the way of the people coming and going out of the club. Shelby’s attention was on the crowd already in the club. The guys had already dispersed into the crowd and were on the dance floor.

  “Well, so much for talking to us,” I said.

  “They’ll get the dancing out of their system and then they’ll be ready to talk,” Shelby said.

  I hoped she was right.

  “In the meantime, we can dance too,” Jennifer said. “I think I have my eyes set on Freddie.”

  “He’s the one who was checking you out, right?” I asked.

  “Yeah, the cute one in the black shirt.” Jennifer pointed.

  “I knew you thought he was cute. But he’s going to be dating one of the mermaids,” I said.

  “Oh, that’ll just be one day. I’m not worried,” Jennifer said with a wave of her hand. “I think I’ll make my way over there and bat my eyelashes at him.”

  “Sounds like a plan, I guess,” I said.

  She smiled and walked away. Now it was just Shelby and me waiting for Jack to return. I was just getting ready to talk to her when a guy approached. They hugged and then he asked her if she wanted to dance.

  “Do you mind?” she asked as she gestured toward the dance floor.

  “Not at all. Go right ahead,” I said, motioning for her to go with the guy.

  She walked away with him and they started dancing. Now I was left all alone waiting for Jack. Well, alone other than the hundreds of strangers around me. Jack stood at the bar, but it looked as if he was almost finished getting the drinks. I should’ve told him not to bother with Jennifer’s water since it looked like she was already dancing with Freddie. Based on the smiles, I assumed they were having fun.

  As I tapped my foot in rhythm to the music it felt as if someone was watching me. When I scanned the dance floor I spotted the mermaid. I hadn’t expected Melinda to be here. Right away she looked away. Her stare had been focused on me though. This was so strange. I would say she’d followed us, but she had obviously already been here. Maybe she thought we were following her.

  I wanted to go talk with her, but I didn’t want to leave until Jack returned with the drinks. Melinda turned and walked through the crowd. Now she was out of sight. I might not see her again tonight. Jack headed back over with our drinks. He placed Jennifer’s down on the table.

  “Everyone is dancing,” I said.

  “We should do the same,” he said.

  I smiled. “Yes, I guess we should.”

  He took my hand and guided me out onto the dance floor. We started our dance moves. I must say I thought we were pretty good. Maybe not the best dancers, but kind of impressive. As Jack spun me around, I made eye contact with the mermaid again. Shayla and Tori were with her. The mermaids stood at the edge of the dance floor staring at us. Maybe they were upset because I hadn’t found them dates yet. I was good at my job, but I wasn’t that good. They’d have to be a little more patient.

  Shelby was dancing with the guy she had talked to earlier. But Jennifer and Freddie were nowhere in sight. That made me a little nervous since we’d only just met her dance partner. Maybe they had just gone for something to drink. I tried to ignore the stares coming from the mermaids as Jack and I danced, but it was becoming increasingly difficult.

  Before the next song started I would suggest that Jack and I sit it out. Maybe I would take that opportunity to go over and speak with the mermaids. It was better to confront their behavior instead of ignoring it. I would let them know it was totally unnecessary to stare at us like that. The stares gave me the creeps, especially since I didn’t know if they were actually murderers. The vibe coming from them was totally messing up my dance moves.

  Chapter 11

  When the song was over I motioned for Jack to follow me. We moved over to the mermaids. I would act casual and just say hello. Their staring didn’t stop as Jack and I approached. I stepped off the dance floor and stood in front of Melinda.

  “Hello, ladies. I didn’t expect to see you here tonight,” I said.

  “Oh, we come here all the time,” Melinda said with a wave of her hand.

  “Really?”

  “It’s a great place.”

  Was the conversation casual enough? Time to move it along. Melinda cast her stare over to Jack. Tori and Shayla eyed him up and down now too.

  “I just wish we had someone to dance with. Have you made any progress on finding us dates?” Melinda asked while watching Jack.

  “As a matter of fact, I’m working on it and I have a few prospects for you.” I smiled.

  I would’ve pointed out the mermen right now, but I needed a chance to talk with them first so that we could be on the same page about everything. If only they’d stop enjoying the nightlife and discu
ss business.

  “Well, in the meantime, do you mind if we borrow your boyfriend to dance?” Melinda asked, taking Jack’s arm.

  Jack had a strange look on his face, like he wanted me to save him. Before I had a chance to say a word or pull him away Melinda moved out on the dance floor with him. I shrugged when he looked at me. They started dancing. She was a little too close for my liking and I probably would get a little too angry. I hoped that I didn’t turn into a werewolf right there on the dance floor. After turning my attention to Shayla and Tori for a few seconds, I ultimately had to look away so that I wouldn’t get upset and allow myself to shift.

  “What have y’all been up to today?” I asked, trying to find a way to turn the conversation to a murder.

  “Not much really. We just did some shopping.” Shayla looked away as she spoke.

  “I’d love to go shopping,” I said. “Where did you go?”

  “We went to TJ Maxx,” Tori answered.

  “I love that store too. They have great bargains.” I was still trying to avoid looking over at Jack.

  All the while Shayla and Tori were avoiding looking at me. Silence settled between us. It was an awkward time. I needed to think of something else to ask them that would direct the conversation toward the murder. Would it be totally obvious if I mentioned seeing the newspaper and that there had been a murder close to their house?

  I wasn’t sure that murder was a conversation someone would bring up randomly. If I brought it up they might become suspicious of me. Maybe it would click that they had seen me before in the café and that I had overheard them talking about getting rid of someone. I still thought it was odd that they wouldn’t remember me. And they hadn’t recognized Jack. He had walked in as they were walking out. I’d thought for sure they had looked at him that day. After the way they acted around him now, why wouldn’t they have noticed him at the café?

  I was just about to mention the newspaper article when Shayla said, “She’s dancing with him entirely too long.”

  Shayla walked away from me and headed out onto the dance floor. Tori stayed behind for a few seconds until she finally rushed after Shayla. Now I was left standing there. Awkward.

  Shayla practically squeezed her body in between Jack and Melinda. Jack looked at me again with a plea for help. I supposed I could cut in on him now. But that might cause a fight and then I would definitely shift to werewolf form. Plus, now that Melinda was coming back over here I would have a chance to ask her about why she had ignored me. I held up my finger, indicating that I would help in just a minute.

  When Melinda and Tori walked back over from the dance floor, I said, “I thought for sure I saw you earlier today in South Beach. But when you looked at me you turned around and walked away.”

  “I didn’t see you,” she said, trying to act innocent.

  I could read right through her lies.

  “If I’d seen you I would’ve definitely come over to talk. I really think you’re fun to talk to you.” Melinda flashed an obviously fake smile.

  This was just another one of her lies. She wasn’t good with the fibbing.

  “Were you talking to a guy? Is that someone you’ve been dating? Why don’t you go with him to the party?” I asked.

  “You must’ve seen someone who looks like me. I wasn’t talking with a guy,” she said.

  “There is someone who looks like Melinda. I’ve seen her around. What do you call it? A doubleganger,” Tori said.

  Yeah, right. I knew it was Melinda. Did they think I was really that dumb? They were just trying to play it off and I wasn’t sure why. I hated this, not being able to get straight answers from them, but one way or another I would get to the bottom of this. I should just confront them right now and tell them that I knew they were lying. No, I would play this out for just a little while longer. There was no reason to cause drama in the middle of the club.

  “Well, I guess this mystery woman does look a lot like you then. I thought for sure it was you,” I said.

  Melinda laughed, but it was more of a cackle. “Nope, not me.”

  “Not her,” Tori echoed.

  Melinda flipped the hair off her shoulder. “Well, it’s been fun talking to you, Ryan.”

  “That’s Rylie,” I said.

  “Right, Rylie. We really should go. We’re going to get our other friend so that you can have your boyfriend back. Then we’re going to take off, but we’ll be in touch about the dates, okay? We’re really excited.”

  “Right. I’ll have somebody for you,” I said.

  They walked away and headed over to the dance floor, pulling Shayla away from Jack. Then they headed in the other direction away from us toward the club’s exit.

  Jack came over to me. “What was that all about? And thank goodness they left.”

  “I asked her about seeing her today and she acted as if it wasn’t her.”

  “Or maybe it really wasn’t her,” he said.

  “I’m positive it was her.”

  “Why do you think she was lying about it?” Jack asked.

  “I don’t know, but I think it might have something to do with that murder,” I said.

  I looked around to see if I found Shelby or Jennifer. I needed to get back to business.

  Chapter 12

  After the mermaids had gone Jack and I danced a bit more. The crowd had lessened and I was growing tired. It was getting late. I hadn’t seen Shelby or Jennifer all night. And now I was really starting to panic.

  “What happened to them?” I asked.

  Jack shook his head. “I don’t know, but don’t worry, I’m sure they’ll show up soon.”

  “It’s almost time for the club to close,” I said. “Maybe we should call the police.”

  “I don’t think we need to do that just yet,” he said. “If we have to we’ll ask the management to help us locate them.”

  “Once the club closes they have to show up, right? Maybe they’ll be waiting outside for us,” I said.

  Oddly, I hadn’t seen the mermen either. It was as if everyone had ditched us. Jack and I stood there watching the crowd as it grew smaller and smaller. People were starting to leave now. My anxiety grew.

  I was almost ready to give up and call the police when I spotted Shelby and Jennifer walking toward us.

  I released a deep breath. “Oh, thank goodness, there they are. I thought we’d lost them for good.”

  When they reached us, I realized the panicked looks on their faces.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  “We were dancing with the guys and then all of a sudden they were gone,” Jennifer said.

  “What do you mean they were gone?”

  “They were standing there then we looked away. When we turned back around they were gone. We need to find them. Where could they have gone?” Jennifer asked.

  “I’ll admit that’s kind of strange, but maybe they decided they wanted to leave,” I said.

  “Without saying anything to us?” Jennifer asked. “I had such a great time with Freddie tonight. I never thought he would ditch me like that.”

  “Remember guys can be really strange.” I looked over at Jack. “No offense.”

  “None taken,” Jack said with a smile.

  “Did you try to call them?” I asked.

  “I just sent Hudson a text message,” Shelby said. “So far he hasn’t responded.”

  “Did they come this way and go out the door?” Jennifer asked.

  “We didn’t see them and we’ve been here looking for you all. I was really starting to panic about finding you. You should have come over sooner,” I said.

  “Sorry, but I guess we lost track of time. Like I said, we were having such fun dancing,” Jennifer said.

  “Maybe they’re outside by the car. We should at least go see if it’s still there,” I said.

  “Good idea,” Shelby said.

  We headed for the exit. I glanced back one more time to see if I saw the guys anywhere. But they were nowhere aro
und. It was much easier to see through the club since the crowd had thinned out so much.

  We went outside and walked down the sidewalk over to the parking lot. The guys’ car was still there.

  “This is really weird,” Shelby said.

  “I’m starting to get a little freaked out,” Jennifer said. “It’s just there was nowhere for them to go. The exit doors were on the other side of the room. Poof, they were gone.”

  “Well, they had to have gotten out somehow. They didn’t just disappear into thin air,” I said with a wave of my hand.

  Jennifer blew the bangs out of her eyes. “I don’t know. Is there a way for that to happen with mermen? Can they use magic to vanish?”

  I frowned. “Not that I know of.”

  We all looked to Shelby.

  She shook her head. “No, nothing magical like that.”

  “See, nothing to worry about,” I said. “They have to be around here somewhere. We’ll wait around for a while. I’m sure they’ll come out to their car.”

  Jennifer tossed her hands up. “Oh, great, then they’ll think I’m stalking them, like I’m some kind of weirdo. Freddie was probably trying to ditch me. That’s why they took off and now I look like a big dummy waiting here for him.”

  “You do not look like a big dummy,” I said.

  “Okay, a small dummy,” Jennifer said.

  “They knew I wanted to talk to them tonight. And they never got around to doing that.” Movement out of the corner of my eye caught my attention. I thought it might be Freddie, Hudson, or Tag, but it was just the bouncer. “Shelby, no offense, but I’m really starting to have second thoughts about using them for this project.”

  “None taken,” she said. “I thought they would be a bit more responsible.”

  “Plus, Jennifer, you don’t need a guy that would ditch you,” I said.

  “Don’t worry, Jennifer, you didn’t need that guy anyway,” Jack said.

  Jennifer tried to force a smile.

  I knew Jennifer didn’t want to hear any of this right now, but it had to be said. However, maybe the men really had a good reason for all of this. I would give them the benefit of the doubt.