The Sweetest Summer(137)
Mermaid Jellybean.
But since she didn’t have a mermaid ensemble yet, tonight she was dressed as a kid: a light cotton hoodie, shorts, and sport sandals, along with the Boston Red Sox ball cap Clancy had given her.
Evie, on the other hand, was greatly relieved to make her debut as a nonmermaid. She had chosen a simple khaki skirt, a white lace-trimmed fitted T-shirt, and sandals. And, for the first time since arriving on Bayberry, she accessorized. She chose a simple pair of gold dangly earrings that Clancy said looked “chic” with her new hairdo.
Maybe he was right. Now a dark brunette, Evie had played with smoothing down her short pieces of hair instead of spiking them up. The result—she’d gone from Brigitte Nielsen to Audrey Hepburn in a single afternoon.
They parked the Jeep along the road and walked together through the rickety gate and down the walkway, Clancy holding the side dish Evie had prepared. Mona’s cedar shingle house was cute—along the lines of Clancy’s—with a brightly painted front door and a huge variety of garden flowers. Evie took a deep breath. She was nervous, no doubt, but there would be only one person she didn’t know tonight.
Frasier Flynn, the family patriarch.
Clancy whispered into her ear. “Remember what I told you about my parents. If, God forbid, you find yourself trapped in a situation where you’re tempted to try to smooth things over between them, just say you have to go to the bathroom.”
Christina raced ahead under an old arbor and into the side yard, getting a hardy welcome from everyone. Ash gave her a high five—which was a low five for him. “It’s lean, mean Jellybean!”
“Hi, Mr. Ass.” The joke never seemed to get old with this crowd.
Suddenly, Christina backed away from Rowan. Oh, crap. No one had even thought about Chrissy’s reaction to seeing the mermaid without her tail.
Rowan got on her knees in the grass and motioned for Chrissy to come near. Evie watched, fascinated, as her niece cautiously approached her idol.
“I am sorry, sweetie. I forgot to tell you that sometimes, mermaids who spend a lot of time on land wear regular clothes. See, because I love a human—”
“Flatterer,” Ash whispered.
“I have to blend in with life on the island. Do you understand?”
Christina nodded. Rowan gave her a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. “Would you like some lemonade?”
Once that little drama played out, Evie was welcomed with equal enthusiasm, getting hugs from everyone there, including Ash and Nat this time.
But not Duncan. He shook her hand formally. “Nice to see you again. Sorry to freak you out yesterday.”
“Oh, it was nothing.” She smiled at him kindly. “Was just a little surprised to see you standing there.”
“You look lovely tonight,” Rowan said.
“Thank you.”
Annie leaned in. “Love your hair color.”
Evie laughed. “Do you? I had a private consultant choose the shade.”
She already felt calmer, thanks to the friendly greeting, and was relieved that Frasier hadn’t arrived yet. She was still a little hesitant to meet him, though Clancy had helped her prepare in advance for the encounter. He assured her that the mayor wasn’t known for his keen powers of observation, and wouldn’t make the connection between the woman standing in front of him in his estranged wife’s yard and the whole kidnapping, worldwide manhunt thing. They had agreed that Evie should be as vague as possible with Frasier but not avoid him entirely. If he learned who Evie was, Clancy said Frasier would be torn between his duties as mayor and Clancy’s boss, and his role as a dad.