“Are we all headed to the same place?” Jenna asked, jamming her leopard print suitcase in the storage under the bus.
“Two places,” Vuos replied. “Half of you will be living at Sandpiper Park and the other half have been placed at Coral Landing.”
Jenna hopped on the bus after Grayson and nudged him. “Which one are you at?”
“Uh.” Grayson glanced down at his phone. “Sandpiper Park.”
“Awesome, me too. I wonder if it’s divided by workplace.”
“It is,” one of the younger guys said. “All the Ilithyia Birthing Center people are going to Coral Landing.”
Jenna nodded thoughtfully. “Who all is going to Brighid’s Well?” she called out. Three tentative hands went in the air. There was Jaeyong, a fresh grad who looked extremely nervous about his life choices, Tara, an easygoing pixie of a woman, and Aureliano, a reserved, seemingly introverted man.
“Did you guys see the apartment photos?” Tara asked, wide-eyed. “They’re so fuckin’nice.”
“My last place was a dorm,” Jaeyong said. “I dropped my phone when I saw them.”
Jenna patted her backpack. “I went to Lush and bought about a million bath bombs when I saw the tub.”
“Dammit, why didn’t I think of that?”
That warm, fuzzy feeling was growing stronger in Grayson’s stomach by the second. He could have a community here—people he would see every day who knew what he was and didn’t care. Coworkers, neighbors, and maybe even friends.
“Grayson, give me your number,” Jenna said, handing him her phone. “I’m making a Sandpiper group chat.”
He tapped it in, noticing she’d set his name to “Grayson Violets.”
“Everyone ready?” Jaime stood in the central aisle, grinning at them. The Mer, Vuos, sat in a strangely shaped seat which included a gap for that massive tail.
“Fifteen minutes to Sandpiper Park, then another five minutes to Coral Landing.”
The bus shuddered into gear and began crawling from the parking lot.
“Everyone know where they’re headed?” Jaime asked.
Scattered nods.
“Any questions about the area?”
“Luae, please sit down,” Vuos rumbled. “It is dangerous to stand while we are moving.”
Jaime rolled his eyes but perched himself on the edge of a seat. “Wait till all of you meet your Alpha. Overprotective cetaceans, all of them.”
“Got any coffee shop recommendations?” Tara asked. Instantly, every eye was on Jaime.
“Lucky for you, the Mer love coffee. You’re on your way to americano central. If you’re a latte person, like me, Belly Flop Bean Stop is the best place for coffee to-go.”
Grayson couldn’t hold in the snort of laughter.
“Okay, the name isn’t great,” Jaime conceded, “but the coffee is fantastic. If you want a place to sit and chat, definitely try Butterbell Bakery and Cafe. They have a raspberry ribbon croissant I would commit crimes for.”
“What about a bar?” someone yelled from the back. A general murmur of agreement traveled through the group.
Jaime stroked his chin. “Well, as you may or may not know, Mer are lightweights.”
“I think you mean Mer react poorly to being poisoned, like most living things,” Vuos countered.
“Hush, lightweight. Anyway, there aren’t quite as many bars as cafes, but there absolutely are a few good options…”
