Justin spent the next three days in his own private hell. He couldn’t sleep, he wouldn’t eat, he didn’t bother to shave, and he spent countless hours in front of the computer trying to find out something, anything, about Miranda. His heart ached with missing her, his mind reeled at the idea that she was a con artist, and his last nerve was about to snap thanks to the gold and blue macaw that had done little else but screech for thirty-six hours.
“I miss her too, bird.” Justin pushed away a practically full cup of cold coffee and focused his attention on the macaw. “But she’s not coming back. All the squawking in the world isn’t going to change that.”
This only elicited further protests. Loud protests. Justin buried his face in his hands. He longed for some peace and quiet. Peace, now that he knew he would never see Miranda again, he couldn’t have. But the quiet would be attainable if he could get rid of the bird. Surely there had to be avian rescue groups out there who could take Goldie off his hands.
Miranda had really seemed taken with the bird. She’d talked to it often, usually in a low enough voice that he couldn’t quite hear what she was saying. But it had seemed as if she and the macaw had been carrying on full-fledged conversations. In return, the bird had followed her around like a lost puppy. The edges of his mouth lifted in a small smile. Was there no one Miranda hadn’t been able to charm?
“Okay, Goldie,” he said, “I think Miranda would want me to find you a new home.”
The macaw stared back at him, silent for a change.
Justin savored the quiet for a full moment before he spoke again. “I’m sure someone would like to have a pet bird. I mean, I know we don’t have a cage for you but I can buy one, and some bird seed, so that you’d be all set.”
“Forget about it, boy wonder.”
Justin shook his head. His lack of sleep was catching up with him big time. Not only did he feel empty, alone and hollow, but now he was hearing things. “Macaws don’t talk.”
“Oh, yeah, you’re the real expert on animal life, aren’t you? You were living with Miranda and you didn’t even know what kind of a creature she really was.”
“Hey, don’t call her a creature. She was an amazing-” Justin stopped mid-sentence. “What am I doing? I’m talking to a bird.”
“A definite step up from your idiot human friends, if I do say so myself.”
Justin rubbed his hands over his face. Exhaustion. That’s all it was. His body was reaching the breaking point. Not to mention his mind, because it really, actually looked and sounded as if the macaw was talking to him. Crazy.
“Hellloooo…any chance we can get this conversation moving, Lockheed?”
Justin jumped to his feet. “Oh my God, you’re actually talking. To me.”
“Wow, give the boy a gold star for sheer genius,” the bird squawked. “Now sit down and let’s work this out.”
Justin sat. And stared.
“Finally, some respect,” the bird said. “Now, do you want my help in finding Miranda?”
“What do you mean finding her? She’s gone.”
“Gone but not dead.”
Justin squeezed his eyes shut. And then opened them again. The macaw was still perched on the back of the chair opposite him. This was all too crazy. He was losing his mind. It was definitely time to get some sleep. He pushed back from the table and headed down the hall toward his room.
“Look, you can run but you can’t hide,” the voice said.
Justin whirled around. “How is this possible?”
“So like a human to say something so condescending.” The bird jumped up on the hallway banister. “I’m telling you that I can help you find Miranda. Just think about it, you and old fish face can hang out together again.”
“Fish face?” Justin repeated dully. This had to be the strangest dream he’d ever had.
“Snap out of it, Lockheed, and follow me.”
Justin stared as Goldie half walked, half hopped back into the kitchen. He took a moment to check his pulse. No, he was still alive. Delusional but alive.
“Shake a tail feather,” the bird called back to him.
“How is this happening?” Justin asked after he settled himself into a kitchen chair.
“Never mind the how. Just roll with it. You’re not exactly a brainiac so I’ll try to keep it simple.” Goldie stretched out his wings and ruffled his feathers before smoothing them back in place. “Miranda isn’t dead. Neither is she a con artist, so let’s just drop that line of thinking.”
This was nothing short of insanity but Justin decided to surrender to the moment. He nodded. “Okay.”
“But there is something about her that you need to know.”
Justin clasped his hands together to keep them from shaking. He was going to need a shrink before this was all over. “Why are you saying Miranda’s alive? She can’t possibly be. You didn’t see what happened. It was horrible.”
“What? The shark thing? Ah, forget about that. Miranda can handle a sea full of sharks with no problems.”
“You weren’t there,” Justin protested. “You’d understand if you’d been there.”
“Oh, yeah, and you are the king of knowing what’s going on around you.” Goldie rocked from side to side. “Did you see any blood? Uh, no. Don’t you wonder why Miranda jumped into the fray? Because she wanted to talk to the sharks.”
“Talk to the sharks?” Should he call 911? Tell them he was having a breakdown? He closed his eyes. No, better just to let this nightmare run its course. He’d wake up eventually.
“Yeah, she could talk to the sharks the same way she talked to me. Don’t you get it? She wasn’t human.”
“Wasn’t human,” Justin repeated.
“Gawd, you’re a prize,” Goldie squawked. “I don’t know what Miranda saw in you but she was smitten.”
Justin’s eyes flew open. “She was? She cared about me?” As absurd as it was, his heart gave a funny little skip. “Really?”
“Yes really, and I can see you have a thing for her which is why I’m playing stupid cupid. Now listen up, and don’t freak out, but Miranda wasn’t, isn’t, a human. She’s a mermaid.”
Justin got to his feet. “That’s enough craziness.” He took several slow steps toward Goldie. “I think it’s time we rehomed you.” He held out his hands and kept his voice low and soothing. “I’m sure there’s a nice elderly couple somewhere who have a quiet home where you can get some rest.”
The macaw looked around frantically before it flew up to perch on the top of the refrigerator. “Forget it, buddy. I’m only sixty-five and I’m not ready to move to snoozeville. Miranda’s a mermaid. You know, gorgeous upper body and a fish tail from the waist down. You gotta admit she could fill out a pair of clamshells better than any human chick.”
Indignation shot through Justin. He grabbed a chair and dragged it toward the fridge. “Don’t you talk about Miranda like that.” Once he’d settled the chair, Justin climbed up and lunged for the bird, but Goldie flew out of reach. Frustrated, Justin reared back too quickly and threw the chair off balance. He toppled to the floor.
“Give it up, man cub,” Goldie gloated. “You’re wasting time. Time we could spend finding Miranda.”
Justin got to his feet. He knew he couldn’t possibly be hearing a macaw speak to him. He knew there was no way that Miranda could have survived diving headfirst into a school of sharks. It was all ludicrous. But if there was any chance she was alive, he had to know. “Lead the way, bird.”
“Not so fast.” Goldie cocked his head to the side. “There’s something you need to do first. Trust me, Miranda’s going to fall head over fin in love with you if you can pull this off.”
“Pull what off? What are you talking about?”
“Morimoto Industries.”
That was the last thing Justin expected to hear. “What about them?”
“Well, they’re not exactly Miranda’s favorite people. So if you can find a way to finish what she started, she’d be thrilled.” Goldie hopped down to the kitchen table. “Sit down. I’ve got a story to tell you.”
Justin slid into a chair. “A story? About what?”
“A beautiful young mermaid who loves whales.”
***
“Row faster, boy wonder.”
Justin didn’t even bother to glance back at the macaw who was perched on the back of the rowboat. “Goldie, if you were accidentally lost at sea, would anyone even notice? Or care?”
Silence was the macaw’s only answer. Perfect. Justin felt like he was having an out of body experience. He knew he was out of his mind to let the mouthy bird talk him into renting a small wooden deathtrap. But he continued to row, despite the waves that seemed to want to push him back toward shore, and especially despite the voice in his head that mocked him. How could Miranda be a mermaid? Mermaids didn’t exist. Everyone knew that.
But then again, birds didn’t speak English. Yet the macaw had done little but yammer on for the last several days.
“How much further do you think we have to go, Goldie?”
“Oh, so now I can talk? I’m honored.”
For several long moments, the only sound Justin heard was the cry of the gulls overhead and the waves slapping against the boat. The sky was overcast and a light gray color. He inhaled the moist, salty air. He sighed.
“When you’re done communing with nature, buddy boy, let me know,” Goldie squawked. “Because I see Miranda.”
Justin twisted around so quickly that the boat rocked precariously. “Where? Where is she, Goldie?”
“I’ll tell you if you promise not to capsize us.” The bird extended his wings and flapped them. “Remember, I’ve got these if I need to make a getaway. You’re stuck with legs.”
But Justin wasn’t listening. He scanned the sea but was unable to spot anyone or anything bobbing in the water.
“Shark, shark,” Goldie called, his voice even more high pitched than usual.
Justin froze.
“Kidding, ha, that was funny.” If macaws could laugh, Goldie would have been doubled over. “Ah, I’ll miss you, kid, when this little adventure is over.”
Slowly so as not to rock the boat, Justin turned in his seat. “Goldie, I’m going to ask you one more time before I throttle you, where is Miranda?”
“See that rock out there to the right? Since we’re not in Copenhagen, I’m guessing that vision of loveliness you see sitting there isn’t a statue. She must be your mermaid.”
Justin lifted his hands to shade his eyes. He focused in on the outcrop of rocks and, just as the macaw said, there was a human form there. He couldn’t see more than that though. Dismay filled him. He was desperate for a glimpse of Miranda. He picked up the oars. Regardless of who it was out there, they needed rescuing. He started to row.
But half way there, when he glanced up again, he could tell the form was definitely female.
“Justin,” the woman called.
The voice belonged to Miranda. At the sound of it, a jolt of happiness coursed through his body. He jumped to his feet, and then quickly realized what a bad idea that was as the boat began to rock furiously from side to side.
“Sit down, Justin,” she called out to him. “I’ll come to you.”
Mesmerized, he watched as she dove into the choppy water. First her head and shoulders disappeared into the sea, followed by her tail. Her tail. Justin gripped the sides of the boat. Holy sea creatures, he’d seen it. Her tail was a shimmering light green color with golden tipped scales. Miranda was a mermaid.
Shocked, he wasn’t able to string together a coherent thought in the time it took her to swim to the side of the boat.
“Justin, you came.” She gripped the side of the boat, only her head and shoulders visible. “I’ve been so afraid to hope that you would.”
He stared down into the face he’d grown to love so dearly in such a short time. Her hair was still a golden reddish shade, her eyes the color of the sea, and her face was that of an angel. A mermaid. Whatever. He didn’t care. She was here and that’s all that mattered. He reached out a hand and cupped her cheek. “I thought you were gone. Lost forever.”
She shook her head furiously. “I only meant to help the sharks, I thought something was wrong. But it was just a ruse to make me come home.”
It was a miracle. “You’re here.” He shook his head. “You’re a mermaid.”
A sweet smile stretched across Miranda’s lips. “Well, more mer than maid, really.”
He laughed but then quickly sobered. “What happens now?”
The honest longing and desire in her gaze went straight to his soul. “That depends on what you want, Justin.”
He didn’t need time to think. “I want you.”
“There’s something you need to know first.”
“Yes, you’re a mermaid, I see that.”
She shook her head. “It’s not that. It’s about the Morimoto account…I’ve done something.”
“So have I,” he smiled and then glanced down at his watch. “And just about now Kenji Morimoto should be receiving a package via messenger. I’ve sent him a new public relations campaign. And it’s something I think you’d approve of.”
Confusion played across her features. “I don’t think I would.”
Goldie, who had up until this point remained uncharacteristically silent, piped up. “Oh, you would, fish face. Old two legs here finished what you started, and, I might add, for a human he did a very fine job too.”
Justin grinned.
“You’re not mad?” Miranda asked.
Justin leaned toward her. “Mad with desire, yes. Mad with a longing to take you home and make you mine, yes. But angry? Not in the least.”
Miranda fairly glowed with happiness, the sight of which made Justin’s heart swell with tenderness.
“How can I ever thank you?”
“Let me see your tail.”
“With pleasure.” Miranda disappeared under the water. Once she was about twenty feet away from the rowboat, she leapt into the air, her back arched, and dove back into the water head first.
In all of his life Justin had never seen anything more magnificent. The sight of Miranda as a mermaid filled him with wonder, and with uncertainty.
“Miranda,” he said when she’d returned to the side of the boat. “What do we do now? How can we…I mean…well, how can you come with me? If you even want to that is, maybe you don’t want to leave the sea.” Suddenly he felt as if he was drowning in self-doubt.
“I would give it all up just to be with you.” Miranda hoisted herself half way out of the water. “If you really, truly want me, and can love me and accept me as I am, this can work. But first you have to prove it.”
“Of course I want you. I set sail into Pacific waters with only the tiniest belief I’d ever seen you again.” Justin longed to take her into his arms and keep her there. “How else can I convince you?”
“Kiss her, you idiot,” Goldie squawked impatiently. “Pucker up and prove it.”
This was the easiest task Justin had ever been asked to perform. He leaned forward and took Miranda’s face between his hands. With his thumbs he gently caressed her cheeks, savoring the softness of her skin. He brushed his lips gently against hers, at first tenderly but then he surrendered to the passion between them.
It was a kiss he never wanted to end but when he felt Miranda go limp in his arms, he pulled back in alarm. “Miranda, love, what’s wrong?” But she was unresponsive. “Help, Goldie, what have I have done? What’s wrong with her?”
The macaw peered over his shoulder. “Nice work, Prince Charming. But no reason to panic, it’s not like the sea isn’t full of mermaids. You can find another.”
“I love her, Goldie. She’s not replaceable. She’s perfect the way she was, is, I mean. Oh, God, Miranda, come back to me. I love you.”
A sob tore through his body as he pulled Miranda up over the edge of the boat. He cradled her in his left arm and slid his right arm under her knees. He buried his face in her hair and rocked her body gently. How could life be so unbearably cruel to let him find Miranda, only to lose her again?
“Easy there, sailor.” Goldie’s talons dug into the edge of the rocking boat. “Just because you’ve killed Miranda, doesn’t mean we have to go down the ship.”
“Stop teasing him, Goldie. You’re so obnoxious.”
The sound of Miranda’s voice broke through Justin’s shocked state. “Miranda?” He pulled back and looked down at her. “You’re alive?”
She smiled up at him. “You love me.”
“I do,” he half laughed, half cried.
“I know, I have proof.” Miranda lifted one of her legs and wiggled her foot around. “See? My friend cast a spell on me. When you kissed me, if you didn’t love me or couldn’t truly accept that I was a mermaid, then I would be forever destined to live out my days as a mermaid. But because your kiss proved that your love is true, I can be human now.” She reached up to touch his face, her eyes on his lips an invitation to be kissed again. “I can be with you now, forever.”
“Forever is perfect,” Justin wrapped his arms even more tightly around her. “Now let me prove it again.”