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Olivia eyed the scuba equipment and stepped from foot to foot. She didn’t select anything.
A display rack would make the choice easier for her, one with three tiers. The chill seeped into Calista’s bare feet. Maybe Olivia’s feet were physically cold. Heated tiles would be a nice upgrade in here too.
Olivia shivered. “It’s so decadent to be in a swimsuit in January.”
“In Canada, maybe,” Vivien said. “I’ve swum plenty of times in the winter back home in Austin.” She looked at the exit. “I hope the aquarium’s not too crowded.”
Calista didn’t care about crowding. Only one name on the tank list concerned her—Willow.
Willow had stolen Dahlia’s man, and she’d done the same to Piper last Valentine’s when Piper had been dating Dodo’s brother Warren. While Calista was happy enough to have the Applebaum men cut from her family tree, she hated the disloyalty. Not just on the men’s part, but on cheating Willow’s too. Willow had been Dahlia’s friend and sorority sister. Plus, Willow would know Calista, and that she shouldn’t be here. This had been in the back of her mind since she scanned the attendee list back at the hotel. “Willow’s here. What if she causes drama?”
Vivien grabbed a pair of goggles and spit on the lens. “Willow won’t even recognize you.”
“How can you say that?”
Smiling, Vivien circled her hand in front of Calista’s face. “Mask, mouthpiece. Your whole face will be obscured.” Vivien pointed to the mouthpiece and stared flat-eyed at her before holding the cleaned goggles in front of her eyes. “You need a breathing apparatus, because this place doesn’t actually transform you into a mermaid. You know that, right?”
Hah. If she had a mermaid tail, she’d swish it. “I am tonight.”
Olivia giggled.
“If they can’t see our faces,” Olivia rubbed her arms, “how are men even going to pick us?”
Vivien shrugged. “Their system must work. Sells out every weekend. I had to bump three people to get us on the list.”
Oh. Calista did not need to know that.
The interior door, with the picture of a staircase painted on the front, opened. A platinum blonde Mer-bar hostess came in. She was dressed in a white swimsuit covered in red maple leaves, same Canadian theme as the ticket taker.
The hostess held the door open with her hip. Beyond that was darkness broken by a wavy, light blue glow. “They’re ready for you. Have fun. And at any time, if you have any concerns, don’t wait for a guy to scoop you out with a net. Just swim to the top.” The hostess pinched her nose with one hand and waved her other arm in the air in case they didn’t know the word swim. “Have fun.”
Olivia widened her big hazel eyes and tapped her flippers against her palm. “Um, I thought there would be more instructions.”
The hostess kept up her smile. “Instructions are on the website. You ticked the box that you read them when you bought your tickets.”
Olivia’s lawyer’s stance was at odds with her beach-day appearance. “What you said about swimming to the top, I didn’t plan on swimming. I thought there’d be a ladder, and I could hang out on the rungs.”
“Nope. If you’re not picked, you swim to the top. You three are gorgeous. You’ll get scooped up.” The hostess snapped her fingers, showing off her acrylic nails painted white with red leaves on top. “Like that.” She leaned harder against the door, widening the opening.
Heck, yeah, water play and Ronan. Calista stepped forward.
Olivia wiggled her hands. “You see, technically, I can’t actually swim.”
Calista stopped and turned back to her friend. That should have come up before now. Like back at the classroom when they first heard about the bar, or on the plane, even at the hotel, or on the drive over.
The hostess’s face twisted. “I’d have to check with my manager on that one.”
“Eep.” Vivien grimaced.
Calista swiped her hands one over the top of the other. “Just hang at the bar.”
Olivia’s shoulders sagged in relief. “Yeah, I’ll do that.” She dumped her flippers back on the table and headed to her locker.
“Your call.” The hostess shrugged. “No refunds.” She turned to Calista and Vivien. “The tank awaits.”
Calista and Vivien stepped out of the room and onto the dark blue painted stairwell. Seashell wall sconces lit the way up the concrete stairs.
The hostess nodded. “The most important thing is to have fun. And don’t mess with the fish.”
Calista paused. “Fish?”
