Her eyes light up. "Oh, I love those! Did you get photos?"
"I did, because I knew you'd want to see them. How were the contractors?" Today was the day they were supposed to finish the mermaid tank. She's been worried they would end up behind schedule.
"They didn't quite finish. Hit some sort of snag with the frame. They need to rebuild part of it. That's what I also came by to tell you."
"Aww. Not uncommon though. I'll be done in a few here. Wanna grab us some beers from the fridge down below?"
"Absolutely."
I spray the cooler as I watch her walk away, her hips swaying. It's been two weeks since we made our friends-with-benefitspact, and I swear, life's never been better. We have the kind of relationship I've dreamed about: spontaneous, casual, fun.
Leaving the cooler to dry in the sun, I make my way below deck. It's not big down here, just a small bench and a fridge. Meant for fishing trips, not entertaining. I don't mind.
She's already down there, head in the fridge, looking for beers. She straightens when she hears me, that grin on her face — the one she only ever shows in private.
I go to her and take her in my arms, planting a big kiss on her lips.
Whatever happens on a fishing boat at three o'clock on a Thursday afternoon is nobody's business but ours. And I'm not going to apologize for any of it.
THIRTEEN
Leilani
It's Sunday afternoon and I'm in a long checkout line at Jack's Grocery. There's an annual anime convention at the Magnolia Grand Resort this weekend, and I'm standing behind a yellow Pikachu, a woman dressed in a Sailor Moon outfit, and two dads in beach attire with their adorable little girl, who appears to be dressed as some sort of orange cat.
Probably, I should've gone to the con with my on-land mermaid costume — a blue wig, a sparkly catsuit, and lots of sparkly makeup — but I'd had so much to do in the past few days with the bar. Opening night is coming up fast, and I have an anxious pit of dread in my stomach that I won't be ready. I've even had nightmares that I've somehow missed my own bar's opening evening.
So, my plan tonight is to chill at home and hopefully relax. Maybe see Remy later on; he'd gone out with his dad and brothers on the boat today, and has the usual Sunday dinner with his parents. I've never told him this, but the fact that he hangs out with his family and that he actively likes them (and isn't constantly second guessing their life choices, like I do with my mom) is a terribly endearing quality.
I'm waiting to pay for a frozen pizza and a pint of my favorite ice cream — Ben & Jerry's Phish Food, of course — when I hear a woman calling my name.
I swivel my head toward the sound. It's Natalia. "Hey there."
She sidles up to me. She's also got ice cream in her basket, but her haul is three giant tubs of plain vanilla.
"What are you up to?" She peers into my basket.
"Not much. Headed home to chill out. There's a new series I want to binge."
She frowns. Today, her hair is the same color as her eyes, and I'm about to ask her what dye she uses when she points at my pizza. "Why don't you put all that away and come have dinner with me. With us. With my family."
"You mean at your parents' house?"
"Yeah. Ma always makes extra. She sent me out to buy vanilla ice cream for the blueberry pie. And she made her special sancocho."
I blink.
"Sancocho is a Puerto Rican stew. Ma's half Puerto Rican, so sometimes she makes recipes from her abuela. It's like a delicious beef stew with potatoes and stuff. And she's making a lasagna, because she's also half Italian. She makes a ton of food on Sundays because my brothers eat like feral dogs."
Oh, gosh. I love lasagna. It's a food group all on its own. "Hmm. My mouth's already watering." I'm not the best cook, and haven't had a home-cooked meal since I moved to Cypress Grove. For all of my mother’s faults, she is an amazing cook. I glance down at my frozen pizza, which suddenly holds the appeal of soggy cardboard.
"What are you waiting for, friend? Put that stuff back and come home with me."
I chew on my cheek and we inch forward in line. "I rode my bike here. And, ah, what about Remy?"
Some men don't want to introduce women to their parents until they're serious. And Remy and I will never be serious. We've got our arrangement. That's what I call it in my mind.
Remy and Leilani's Arrangement.