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“That makes two of us,” I said, immediately realizing the mistake, but thankfully Havana was too mesmerized with the sight in front of her to pay any attention to my careless words.
She took her hand and rubbed it up and down Serena’s fin.
“Wow,” Havana said, rubbing Serena with both hands. “It feels like a snake, but silkier. What does it feel like to you?”
“I suppose it would be like any other touch.” Serena reached for Havana. “You know, touching your arm, touching your leg, touching other more intimate areas.”
Havana gasped and pulled her hands back, her cheeks going red as strawberries.
Howling with laughter, Serena dove into the water. When she popped back up, she leaned her arms against the rock. “I’m kidding. Come on. I’ll show you around the cove.”
“Okay.” Havana jumped in with a squeak and swam over to Serena who took her hands and the two went out to the little island in the center of the cove.
I found one of the nearby wooden benches with an umbrella and sat down. I could go in there and swim with them, but I felt Havana needed this time away from me and this was her experience. She came here for whatever reason to have some fun and she couldn’t do that with me hovering.
“Captain,” Sindle said, coming over with a drink. “I thought you may want this.” The center of the coconut had been carved out and filled with pineapples and rum. A little white toothpick umbrella poked out of the shell.
“Ah, thank you.”
“Do you think your guest will want one?”
I took the drink and nodded. “But wait until she’s done swimming.”
“Of course, Captain.”
Enjoying the view, I leaned back and watched Serena and Havana laugh and play around the cove. The rum slid down my throat, the pineapple coconut taste reminding me I was home.
I hadn’t relaxed like this in over a year. It had been nonstop missions ever since the magi needed help, and my crew and I realized how well they paid. It was nice to be home for a bit.
Havana slid down the curvy slide carved out of the rock. She held her nose before she went under the water then popped back up squealing with laughter. She and Serena swam around each other before they hugged goodbye, and Serena gave Havana a big kiss on the cheek. Havana smiled and waved as the mermaid dove off and went to go play with someone else. Havana pulled herself out of the water and ran over to me. The timid girl that was afraid to walk around in the swimsuit didn’t seem so embarrassed now.
As she sat down on the wooden cushion seat next to me, Sindle came back with her drink. “Here you go, miss.”
“Thank you so much.” Havana took it and began chugging the liquid. “That is quite strong.”
“Aye. Did you enjoy yourself?”
She nodded as she drank, lifting the coconut up to taste every single drop. When she was done, she closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the headrest, holding the coconut in her lap. “Leon, that was the most amazing moment of my entire life. Did you see us?”
I smiled, genuinely happy for her. “I watched you.”
Not getting my tone, she continued talking. “Serena took me to meet the other mermaids and there was this slide in the water and on the other side they had this ball that they played with and then Serena took me to go see a sea turtle.”
Her words stumbled over each other as her excitement began expressing itself in fast talk, and then even faster thumping of her leg.
“What’s next?” Havana asked, now sitting on the edge of the seat, and staring at me with wide, excited eyes.
“Are you hungry?”
“Oh, yes, I really want one of those.” Havana pointed at the vendor cooking pig on a stick. The chunks of meat were definitely one of my favorite amenities of Mermaid’s Cove.
“Let’s get something to eat, then.”
We left our drinks on the table and she got up and ran ahead to the vendor.
“Hey,” I called after her.
She glanced back at me. Her smile so wide it made her dimples even larger. “Come on, slowpoke. I want to doeverythingtoday.”
