“Of course. Anytime,” I tell him, smiling in what I hope is a casual, friendly way. I’m trying to play it cool, as though I’m unaffected by this gorgeous, famous man who has just shown up in real life after appearing in my vision with a ring box in his hand. Am I looking at my future husband? I give a jaunty little wave as he turns to the door. My hand is shaking. I tuck it behind my back.
“Good to meet you both,” Henry says over his shoulder. “Thank you for the delicious caramels, Emmie.”
And then he is gone. I place my trembling hands on the counter and try to remember how to draw a full breath. I feel like I’ve just run a marathon. My legs are as wobbly as cooked noodles.
“Henry Summers was just standing right there,” I say faintlyas soon as the door shuts behind him. I stare at the spot on the carpet where Henry was a moment ago. I feel dazed.
Dani rushes around the counter to where I’m standing behind the register and grabs me by the shoulders so hard she pinches a nerve in my neck. “Henry Summers is here IN REAL LIFE,” she shrieks, giving me a little shake.
I nod. “I know. I gave him one of my caramels and he tried it and groaned. A good groan,” I add quickly. It may be the highlight of my life, that groan. I’m going to be replaying it in my head for the next…oh, decade, probably. Maybe more.
Dani is staring at me, eyes wide in wonder. “Emmie, Henry Summers is going to be hereall summer.”
I nod, too amazed to really know what to say.
“You know what this means, don’t you?” Dani asks portentously.
“What?” I shake my head. I’m still reeling from this unexpected encounter with my celebrity crush.
“Your vision might actually be real,” Dani whispers urgently. “Think about it. What if what you saw wasn’t just wishful thinking?” Her voice drops to an awed hush. “What if it could really come true?” She clasps her hands in front of her in anticipation.
I close my eyes and replay the vision once more—the dress like sunshine, my happy tears, Henry on one knee with the red box in his outstretched hand. I feel again the brush of his lips against my cheek, the tantalizing hint of bergamot. When I open my eyes, I wonder if I was too hasty to dismiss what I saw the night of my birthday. I thought that vision was nothing more than wishful thinking, but what if I was wrong? What if I saw something that could actually, improbably, come true? My heart swells with hope like a helium balloon, getting bigger and bigger. It almost makes me afraid how suddenly full of anticipation I am.
“What if it wasn’t a mistake?” I whisper, staring after Henry and hardly daring to hope. Could it be that the vision I saw might actually be possible after all?
“Call Dot and Gwen,” Dani demands. “We need to have an emergency meeting. This changes everything.”
Chapter 7
“What’s all the fuss about?” Dot demands as Dani, Mom, Gus, and I pile through the front door of the Salty Mermaid thirty minutes later, Mr. Butters in tow. “Dani texted me and said it was an emergency. Did somebody die?” Dot looks at all of us, alarmed.
“Everyone’s fine,” Mom hastens to reassure her. “But Emmie says she has some exciting news.” She glances at me questioningly.
As soon as Henry left, Dani volunteered to pick up Mom and Gus and bring them to Dot’s shop while I closed up the store a little early. We haven’t breathed a word about Henry being in town. We figured it was best to tell Dot and Mom at the same time.
“You won’t believe it,” Dani hisses dramatically, “but I saw it with my own eyes.”
“Oh?” Dot’s penciled eyebrows arch in curiosity. “Just a minute.” She turns theOPENsign around toCLOSEDon the frontdoor. It’s a few minutes early to close, but the store was empty anyway. I did the same thing.
“Head on back to the table and make yourselves comfortable.” She points us to a small area at the back of the store where she hosts weekly mermaid- and nautical-themed craft nights. I set Gus up behind the cash register with a cartoon on my phone and a bag of Pirate’s Booty. He never gets to watch TV after school, so this is a rare treat. Mr. Butters stays with Gus, sitting with his turgid little body pressed against Gus’s side, hoping to get lucky and snag some dropped snacks.
I gingerly navigate the crowded aisle of merchandise and head to the back of the store, careful not to topple any of the tchotchkes piled around. Dot subscribes to the more-is-more method of decorating, and the store is stuffed with mounds of decorative pillows with slogans like “Beach hair, don’t care,” along with cable-knit lap blankets, soap dishes in the shape of seashells, glass vases filled with sand dollars, and all manner of mermaid-themed apparel. It smells salty from the bay out back and like the candle Dot keeps burning during open hours, Sea Dreams. Apparently sea dreams smell a little like a fabric softener sheet. We cluster around a table that Dot repurposed from driftwood.
“Okay, spill the beans. What’s going on?” Dot asks impatiently. Dot and Mom both look at us expectantly.
“Emmie?” Dani invites me with a dramatic swoop of her hand.
“Henry Summers just walked into the fudge shop,” I blurt out. “He’s here for the summer.” I still can’t believe it.
Mom gasps.
“Oh my stars.” Dot looks amazed. “Start from the beginning,” she instructs. “Don’t leave anything out.”
I describe our meeting in detail, how Henry told us he’s intown for the summer finishing up a food memoir, how he groaned when he tasted my caramel. I don’t tell them how I wanted to sniff him to see if he smells like bergamot. When I’m done, I’m trembling all over again from excitement and nerves.
“Does this mean your vision was the real deal then?” Dot demands when I’m finished.
“I don’t know. Maybe?” I glance at Mom, who is beaming.
