There were almost too many emotions to handle that night, and too many things going on in the background. For one, her parents were at the Mermaid Ball, too, and every once in a while, she’d feel her mom or dad’s eyes on her, evaluating the danger their daughter might be in. As if. Clancy was a complete gentleman, and they had no idea how wonderful he was compared to some of the boys she knew at home.
Clancy’s family was there, too, wandering around. His little sister, it turned out, was the same age as Amanda, and they’d been hanging out together much of the week. After some observation, Evie decided that Clancy was right about his brother, Duncan. He did act like an ass. He was one of those brainy superjocks who thought they were all that, the kind of guy who strutted around totally sure that girls were staring at him and fighting over him.
Duncan had been smiling at Evie all evening, even when he was out on the dance floor with a girl of his own. Right now he sat at one of the side tables, trying to get her attention. She definitely sensed some serious competition going on between the brothers—Duncan was daring her to ditch Clancy and come hang with him. Ugh. She didn’t understand boys sometimes, but she did know that guys like Duncan weren’t her type at all.
Her type was Clancy—a boy with smarts, a sense of humor, and good looks. He was sweet, kind, and a blast to be with. And all of this came without a hint of being conceited. That is what made him special.
“You look so beautiful tonight, Evie. This is the first time I’ve ever seen you in a dress, and it was totally worth waiting for.”
Oh, she was so happy to hear that! She had debated with herself whether to take up space in her suitcase for something as useless as a dress because, really, who wore a dress on vacation? But at the last minute she balled it up and stuffed it inside. Maybe somewhere in the back of her mind she’d known she would meet her true love that week.
“Thank you.” She slid her arms lazily over his shoulders and cocked her head, just enjoying that handsome face in the twinkling lights. The only shadow on the evening was the fact that by tomorrow morning she would be gone.
“I wish I didn’t have to go.”
“Ah, man, so do I.” A shadow moved across his expression, and Evie saw he was as bummed out as she was. “Hey!” Clancy perked up. “Do you think my parents could adopt you so you could stay on Bayberry forever?”
They both chuckled.
Just then, a flash of light surrounded them, leaving black spots in Evie’s vision. They glanced over to see Clancy’s mother with her camera, giving them a thumbs-up and a big grin. She wandered off to catch another couple unawares.
“Sorry about that. My mom’s kind of in charge of the festival and likes to document all the events with pictures.”
“I’m not sorry at all.” Evie kissed his cheek, not caring who saw her do it. “Now you’ll have a picture of us together. It will help you remember me.”
He whispered in her ear. “I won’t need a picture for that.”
As if on cue, the DJ played their song. It wasn’t exactly a shock, since it was pretty much the love song of the summer and the Mermaid Ball was coming to an end, but to Evie it was a sign. The lyrics flowed through the breeze. The paper lanterns along the dock began to dance. They held each other tighter. We’ll always be a part of each other . . . our love will never die . . . I will always be your baby . . .
After the Mermaid Ball ended, she went to her parents and begged for a little extra time.
“I just want to take one last walk on the beach. Please, please, please let me. Just a few minutes.”
Her parents shared a glance, and her dad looked at his watch. Oh, great. She’d be lucky to get five minutes and thirty seconds.