Mermaid Inc. Read online

  Justin got to his feet. “I don’t know, the washing machine?” He grabbed a towel from the small table by his chair. “Here.”

  She glanced down at the towel he held out but didn’t take it. “Dry is overrated.” She pulled her hair over one shoulder and wrung it out. “Did you bring home some boxes of food for dinner?”

  The eagerness in her voice brought a smile to his face. He had to be losing his mind. He should be annoyed. No, make that angry. His house was a mess, his clothes were thrown about the yard, and the maid was acting like a privileged house guest. But there was something about Miranda that delighted him. She was real. Authentic. Honest. He’d never met a woman anything like her.

  “Justin,” she reached out and laid a hand on his arm. “Are you okay?”

  He nodded. Time for a neutral topic. “Do you like Chinese food?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know. Let’s go find out.”

  It turned out that she liked it. Loved it, judging by the way she devoured the fried rice first, then the vegetable foo young, and finally the sesame chicken.

  “Wow, that’s almost as good as the pizza was,” she said when she pushed away her plate. “Now, I’ve come up with a couple of ideas for the ad campaign you mentioned last night. Do you want to hear them?”

  Her offer put the laundry fiasco right out of his mind. He settled back in his chair. “Go ahead, I’m listening.” And listen he did, to one great idea after another. Why weren’t any of his team coming up with ideas like these? And why was Miranda working as domestic help, work she was quite clearly unsuited for, when her talent for coming up with creative ideas was so obvious? He asked her but the question seemed to catch her off guard.

  “I guess I never thought about it before. I just wanted to try this.”

  “So you’ve never worked as a maid before?” Not that he should be surprised. Frankly, she was a domestic disaster.

  “No, never,” she conceded. She leaned toward him as if to utter a confession that she didn’t want anyone else to hear. “I don’t think I like it either. It’s hard work.”

  Justin resisted asking how she could possibly know that when she hadn’t actually done anything yet. The last thing he wanted to do was alienate her. He didn’t know how this woman had ended up in his home, but he knew he wanted her to stay. At least for the duration of his work on the Morimoto project. Based on some of the ideas she’d run by him during dinner, she was clearly going to be his ace in the hole.

  And if she was absolutely gorgeous and fun to be around, well, that only sweetened the deal.

  “Miranda, Kenji Morimoto is hosting a party at Ocean World on Saturday night. Would you like to go with me?”

  She tilted her head sideways and watched him thoughtfully for a full moment before responding. “Mr. Morimoto is going to be at Ocean World?”

  He nodded. “Yes, and I’m expected to be there. I’d like you to come with me.”

  Suddenly she looked more serious than he’d ever seen her look. She nodded. “Justin, you don’t have to ask twice. I would love to have a word with your Mr. Morimoto.”

  “Great.” Justin smiled broadly. “Then it’s a date. I mean, if you don’t mind me calling it that.” Suddenly he felt like a gangly high school kid talking to the prettiest girl in the class. “I don’t mean that you and I are, well, you know.”

  “I know what you mean.” Miranda picked up their plates and took them to the sink. “I think I’d like a date. I’ve never had one before.”

  Incredulous, Justin swiveled around in his chair. “You’ve never been on a date? Get out of here.”

  “No, really I haven’t. Not with anyone as handsome as you.”

  Justin felt oddly pleased. She thought he was handsome? He smiled. Again. He couldn’t seem to stop. An image of Mrs. Lyons sprang to mind. He hoped she was having a lovely vacation and that she was in no hurry to come back to work.

  “So what do I wear?” Miranda’s voice broke through his thoughts. “This?” She waved a hand over her bikini. “Or my uniform?”

  “Glenna said it was formal.”

  “Formal?” Her confused expression made it sound like she’d never heard the word before. “So which should I wear?”

  He shrugged. “Something from your closet.”

  “There isn’t anything in my closet.”

  Justin stared at her as her words sunk in. “Wait, you don’t have anything besides your swimsuit and uniform?” She had to be kidding. He’d never known a woman with only two pieces of clothing before. “You don’t own a dress?”

  Miranda shook her head. “I’m sorry.”

  Not for the first time, Justin felt conversing with her was tantamount to an out of body experience. “Let’s go shopping tomorrow after work,” he heard himself say.

  Ever since Miranda had arrived it was like a tsunami of craziness had crashed over his regular world. What else could he do but ride the wave?

  Chapter Six

  “So, Cinderella, I hear Prince Gullible wants to take you shopping for a dress for the ball.”

  Miranda buttoned the last button on the cardigan that Justin loaned her to go over her uniform. She had her back to the macaw in the hopes he wouldn’t see that her hands were trembling. So far she’d managed to fool Justin into thinking she was human, but going out in public shopping, and then out to dinner that evening, was like being thrown in the deep end of a very deep pool of water.

  Goldie walked across the bed and began to yank at the zipper of the duffel bag that Summer had left for her.

  “What are you doing, Goldie?”

  The macaw stopped his assault on the zipper and looked up. “How far do you think you’re going to get without cash, huh?”

  “Cash?” Miranda tried to remember what Chelsea had said about it. She knew they’d discussed it. Her friend had stressed how important it was to humans and how often it was liable to come up in a conversation. “Oh, currency, right. Chelsea told me about that.”

  “Did Chelsea happen to mention that it doesn’t stretch very far?”

  Miranda plopped down on the bed. “I don’t know what that means. Oh, Goldie, I’m frightened. I can’t fool people into thinking I’m human. What am I going to do?”

  To her immense relief, Goldie didn’t utter a snappy comeback. Instead, he turned his head and looked up at her. “You’ve already done it once. Fooling Lockheed seemed to come pretty naturally to you. Just do it again, one human at a time.”

  Miranda picked at a loose thread on the cardigan’s sleeve. “Yeah, well, fooling Justin doesn’t feel very good. He’s really a nice guy. I like him.” She waited for Goldie to say something but when he didn’t she continued, “I mean, I really like him, if you know what I mean.”

  “I know what you mean more than you know what you mean.” Goldie hopped up on the dresser and began to pace back and forth along it. “I warned Summer about this. I told her that we were asking for trouble, putting you in this gold fish bowl with him. You want my advice?”

  Miranda nodded. “Desperately.”

  “Snap out of it, sister. Like yesterday.”

  Disgusted, Miranda got to her feet. “Thanks, Golide, thanks a lot. You’re just an invaluable help.” She reached for the duffle bag and drew out an envelope with the cash in it. She slipped it into the cardigan’s pocket and headed for the door.

  “Wait, wait, wait,” Goldie squawked after her. “I’ll help you. Just go buy something fancy schmancy to wear on Saturday and then get back here. I’ll show you how to work the video camera on the cell phone Summer left for you. Then you can use it on Saturday to get those pictures you need.”

  Hand on the door knob, Miranda paused. Her plan. What had originally seemed like a brilliant idea now made her feel queasy. Sure, following through on it would put the Morimoto executives right where she wanted them, but it would also put Justin Lockheed out on a ledge. And it would be all her fault.

  ***

  “So, how’s she doing in there?”

>   The sales assistant at the Coastal Cove Boutique favored Justin with a raised eyebrow. Doubtless the only reason she hadn’t yet narrowed her eyes and hissed at him was that she worked on commission and was still holding out hope that Miranda would eventually settle on something to buy.

  “Your friend,” the sales assistant’s emphasis on the second word was not lost on him, “appears to be in search of something very unique.” Her gaze settled on the cardigan Miranda had worn in that was now draped over the white shuttered dressing room door. “She also appears to have a sense of style that is all her own.”

  Justin nodded. He shoved his hands in his pockets and wished he was anywhere but in the glamorous, glitzy dress shop. None of his former girlfriends had ever asked him to go shopping with them. Not that Miranda was his girlfriend. No. Of course, that wasn’t what he meant. Or thought. He reached up to rub the back of his neck. It was getting hot in here.

  “Perhaps you’d like a beverage while you wait, sir?”

  “No, thank you,” he said, although a stiff drink sounded like a welcome escape. “I’ll just check on my friend.”

  “Yes, of course, and please let me know if she requires anything else.” She held up an armful of dresses. “I’ll just start putting these away.”

  Grateful for something to do, Justin worked his way through the tightly packed racks of clothing. Tentatively he knocked on the dressing room door. “Miranda? Any luck?”

  He jumped back as the door suddenly opened a crack. Miranda, clutching her uniform in front of her with one hand, looked up at him with worried eyes.

  “I’m a failure at this clothes thing, Justin. A total, epic failure.”

  Male reason dictated that he should turn around and run far away from the potential sinkhole that this conversation was bound to turn into. But instead he held his ground and ignored the tiny warning bells that told him that he, a weak swimmer at best, was rapidly approaching some pretty deep water. “Of course you’re not. You’d look great in anything.”

  “Thank you.” She rewarded him with a smile. “What do you think I should wear?”

  “Ummm…I don’t know.” How could a woman as gorgeous as Miranda not be able to pick out a dress? “What look are you doing for?”

  She cocked her head to the side and thought a moment. And then, right before his eyes, she brightened. Her smile reached her eyes for the first time since they’d left the house. “I want to look like a mermaid.”

  “Okay, great, that’s a start.” Except that he had no idea what a mermaid would wear to a formal event. “You mean with those uh,” he waved his hands over his chest, “clamshell things?”

  She giggled. “Maybe we could skip the clamshells this time, but I would love something green or blue. And sparkly too. Do you think you could find a dress like that out there?”

  Unable to speak, he nodded. The truth was, he’d do anything to see her smile at him like that again. Justin sucked in his breath with the sudden realization that he’d fallen for Miranda. Hard. He took a few steps back. “I’ll go see what I can find.”

  With the sales assistant’s help, he soon had two hangers in hand. Looking the other way, he slipped them through the dressing room door and then beat a hasty retreat back into the front of the shop while she tried them on.

  “Justin.”

  He turned and his breath caught in his throat. Miranda stood watching him. She stretched her arms out. “What do you think of this dress?”

  Forget the dress, Justin couldn’t take his eyes from her face. Her expression was so unsure, so eager for approval, so sweet and innocent, that he wanted nothing more than to take her into his arms and kiss her. And never let her go. Where had she been his whole life?

  “Justin?” Miranda’s arms dropped to her side. “Don’t you like this one?”

  He shook his head and forced himself to speak. “I do, it’s amazing. Miranda, you look like you were born to wear that dress.” He let his eyes travel over her, taking in every sensual, sexy inch of her. The dress was a dazzling number, the fabric covered by a riot of sparkling aqua blue sequins. The sleeves ended just above her elbows and the square neckline was equally demure, but there the modesty ended. The dress was just long enough to be legal, making it the perfect showcase for Miranda’s long, shapely legs. “You look incredible.”

  “Is incredible good?”

  He grinned. “Oh, yes, very good. You look beautiful.”

  She smiled and clapped her hands together. “Thank you. Now I need some shoes.” She reached for his hand. He hesitated only for a moment before he took it and allowed her to lead him to the far end of the boutique.

  The search for shoes was blissfully short compared to her search for a dress. Justin gave a low whistle when she held up a pair of gold strappy sandals with five inch heels. Come to think of it, he’d never seen her wear shoes of any kind before. “Think you can walk in those?”

  Miranda’s smile was playful. “I’d really like to try.”

  He watched as she slipped them on and took a few tentative steps toward him. She teetered on the heels like a leggy colt but the delighted smile on her face was priceless. He felt his heart swell with tenderness as she took several steps toward him. But then her heel caught and she tripped. He swiftly reached out to break her fall, catching her neatly in his arms.

  “Oh, Justin, thank you.”

  Justin looked down into her upturned face. Her eyes, a dark blue, were the color of the sea. Her skin was creamy and soft. He reached out and gently caressed her cheek. Unable to resist, he leaned in and brushed a kiss lightly across her lips.

  Miranda had told him she wanted to look like a mermaid. In that dress, in those shoes, and in this moment, her wish had come true. She was a siren.

  ***

  As they walked through the entrance to Ocean World on Saturday evening, Miranda felt unsteady on her feet. She didn’t know if it was because the gold shoes she’d chosen were spiked in the back but she suspected it had just as much to do with the fact that this was the moment she’d been waiting for. She was going to meet the Morimoto team. She’d never been this close to whale killers before. It was enough to turn her stomach.

  She held just a bit more tightly to Justin’s hand. The way his warmth and strength radiated through her made her feel stronger and more assured. She only wished she was working with him, instead of against him.

  “You okay?” Justin stopped walking and looked down into her eyes. “You seem quiet.”

  She looked up at him. “Justin, I just want you to know how much I’ve enjoyed this week. It’s been…it’s been the best week of my life.”

  His smile was wide. “Mine too. I’ve never had so much fun before. You make everything seem so fresh, and so new.” He squeezed her hand. “And there are still so many more new things for us to do together. Make a list and we’ll start tomorrow, okay?”

  Miranda forced herself to smile. “Right, tomorrow.” She looked around the park entrance. The last of the sun’s rays were just about to dip below the horizon. The trees lining the courtyard had strings of white fairy lights woven through their branches. A handful of people were drifting toward the entrance. Everything looked fine. But, human created noise aside, an eerie silence surrounded them. The ocean was never this still or noiseless.

  She searched Justin’s eyes for some indication he noticed the same thing but she didn’t see any signs of awareness. But why would he share her uneasiness? He was human. She wasn’t. She needed to remember that.

  “Have you been here before?” he asked when they started walking again.

  “No.” She managed to refrain from saying that she’d never willingly pay $2.99, let alone the ticket price of $29.99, to spend a day gawking at kidnapped sea creatures trapped behind glass. She knew it was critical she watch every word that came out of her mouth tonight so she didn’t tip her hand. She wanted to swim well below the radar. “Have you?”

  He shrugged and looked away, but not before Miranda caught a glimpse
of something in his expression.

  “You don’t want to be here, do you?” she asked, keeping her voice low so that none of the other party goers could overhear her.

  Justin’s smile was sheepish but appreciative. “I hope that’s not obvious to everyone else.” He waved to a couple that passed them, waiting until they were out of earshot before he spoke. “It’s not my kind of place. The whole ‘sea creatures’ thing makes me nervous.”

  Miranda felt her body grow cold but she tried to keep her tone light as she slipped her hand from his. “Afraid of sharks?”

  He nodded. “Yeah, basically I’m afraid of anything with scales or anything that goes swish in the night.”

  Miranda stared over his shoulder. She wanted to go home. And not to his house filled with dry air but back to the safety and comfort of her salt water world. She didn’t want to look at Justin again. Every time she did she could feel herself sinking just a little bit further. And that would never do when it was time to swim away. She gestured in the direction of the party. “I think we need to be in there.”

  “You’re right, and I need to remember to thank Mr. Morimoto for that ridiculous bird he sent.”

  “Oh, no,” Miranda cried, and then took a deep breath and attempted to look casual. “I’ve already sent a thank you note on your behalf. Which is probably enough, you know how the Japanese are about gift giving etiquette. You’d probably embarrass him by bringing it up again.”

  Justin nodded. “Okay, if you say so. I still think it was an insane gift. What am I going to do with that thing?”

  “Goldie? Just leave him to me. I’ll take care of him.”

  Justin’s smile was grateful. “Thank you. Now, let’s go try to have a good time.”

  Miranda slipped her hand into his outstretched one. It wasn’t time for her to relax and enjoy her evening. It was past time that she got to work.

  ***

  For the next two hours Miranda did her level best to act human. She avoided looking at any of the aquatic exhibits as she followed Justin around. She shook hands and smiled politely as he introduced her to his friends from work and her foes from Morimoto. When asked a question, she answered politely and then in turn asked a reciprocal question just as Goldie had taught her. To her surprise, following the macaw’s guidelines for social interaction seemed to work.