The Summer of Chasing Mermaids Read Online Free

she’d given me when Kirby introduced us, I would’ve thought she hadn’t recognized me.
    The birthday boy had yet to arrive; likely he was waiting at home, trying to put some distance between Vanessa’s entrance and his, lest anyone figure out about their high-seas adventure on the boat.
    The boat.
    My stomach rolled every time I thought about it. Christian and Vanessa, catching me in the V-berth. Writing on the walls. Hiding.
    A vandal and a stowaway. Perfect.
    â€œI just feel bad for him,” Kirby said. She shook a can of whipped cream, topped each of our drinks. “He’s only mayor because no one else ran, and now he’s desperate to prove himself. On top of that, his wife bailed last year—Noah told me his dad gave Terra an ultimatum to quit her job or quit the marriage. Guess what she picked? Right after that she moved to Newport. And Terra’s in Mom’s coven, and the mayor doesn’t even know she comes to town every month for the gatherings.”
    â€œJesus, Mary, and Josephine,” Vanessa said. “You tell your cousin everyone’s business? What’d y’all say about me?”
    â€œNothing true,” Kirby teased, pressing a fresh strawberry onto each glass.
    We sucked down half of our daiquiris without taking a breath, the girls eager to hide the evidence before the adults caught us with booze. The way they treated each sip like a stolen victory made me smile. Back in Tobago there was no need to sneak.
    At least not with alcohol.
    â€œGood?” Kirby asked me, and I nodded. The rum was strong; it tasted like home.
    I wiped my mouth on the back of my hand and gestured toward the hallway off the kitchen. Can we go in my room?
    She leaned in for a closer look at my lips. “Sorry. Maroon?”
    I shifted toward the bedrooms, but she and Vanessa were looking out across the gallery again. I dropped it.
    â€œWhere is that boy?” Vanessa said. “He should’ve been here by now.”
    â€œProbably off with some cheetah,” Kirby said. I looked from her to Vanessa, then back to Kirby, confused. The couple had looked pretty cozy on the Vega, but Vanessa didn’t flinch at Kirby’s comment.
    â€œChristian’s not a poster boy for monogamy,” Kirby explained. “Last year, there were these three sisters, the Lorettis? And they—”
    â€œGood lord,” Vanessa said. “You really need a silencer, Kirbs.”
    â€œWhat?” Kirby said. “Honestly, I don’t know how you can be so cool about it.”
    â€œI don’t care who he hooks up with. I’m liberated.”
    â€œOh, that’s one word for it.” Kirby snorted. “Wait until the rest of the summer renters roll in next week. The line to ‘liberate’ with Christian will stretch from here to Astoria.”
    I thought of his smile when he’d caught me on the boat, the glint in his eyes as he scanned the words I’d left on his walls.
    Around here, liberating with Christian was probably like high tide. Regularly scheduled. Alluring, yet slippery. Dangerous.
    Vanessa only laughed. “I’m tellin’ him you said that. Anyway, worryabout your own liberations.” She tugged on one of Kirby’s curls, eyes sparkling with new mischief. “Where is Noah tonight?”
    Kirby bristled. As she leaned close to Vanessa with a string of ­denials, I backed up toward our bedrooms. My door was ajar at the very end of the hall, and the light from my desk lamp spilled into the hallway, an invitation to a better place.
    Three steps in, my passage was denied.
    Anderson Kane.
    The father.
    â€œI don’t suppose you’ve seen our birthday boy?” Christian’s dad pointed at me, his smile forced. Wearing jeans with a button-down and a tie, sleeves rolled deliberately to his elbows, Anderson Kane reminded me of a sandy-blond version of the “corporations are ­people” guy who ran for