“Coffee?” She toddled off into the kitchen, her mermaid tail flapping around her ankles with each step.
“I’m good, Ma.” He took off his damp ball cap.
His mother replaced the coffee carafe and leaned her elbows on the kitchen island. She studied Clancy carefully while she blew over the top of her mug. The thorough going-over he was getting made him feel uncomfortable.
“Tell me what’s wrong.”
“Nothing! I just have a favor to ask. It’s important, but before I get into it, I need to be sure you won’t hit me with a lot of questions and please, please—promise me you’ll keep this to yourself.”
She popped up, her back going ramrod straight.
Clancy answered before she asked. “Nuh-uh. Not even the Mermaid Society. Nobody.”
Her eyebrows arched.
“I know it’s a lot to ask. If you can’t do it, tell me now, and I’ll be on my way. I’ll understand and get someone else to help me.”
“This is about a woman, isn’t it?”
Clancy replaced his ball cap and headed to the front door. “Well, obviously, this isn’t going to work.”
His mother blocked his progress and pointed to her sofa. “Sit.” He did, and she joined him.
“Of course you can trust me,” she said. “I understand this is just between the two of us and you have my word. I also understand that you are here for help, but not advice, so I’ll try my best not to give any.”
He took off his hat again. “Thanks, Ma.”
Mona patted his hand. “You know I’ll do whatever I can do, my wonderful son. Whatever you need, if it’s in my power to give it to you, I will. I love you with all my heart and I’m so proud of you. You are an exceptionally good man.”
Clancy nodded and gave her a quick kiss on her cheek. “Thanks.”
“What can I do for you?”
“Well, I need a mermaid costume for an adult woman—five nine, one twenty-eight, size small to medium. I want the whole thing—hair, shells, accessories.”
His mother looked temporarily stunned.
“And I need a really over-the-top pirate costume for a four-year-old, a tricorner hat, eye patch, sword, white puffy shirt, whatever you can scrape up. I want the works.”
“Oh, my. You really are in trouble.”
He laughed, raking a hand over his face to make sure he wasn’t having another nightmare. “Not yet, though things might get interesting in the next couple days. Can you stop with the questions, now?”
Mona nodded.
“So do you have any of that crap here? Or would it all be in storage in the museum warehouse? I’m kinda in a hurry.”
“I’ll be right back.” She set her coffee mug on a side table and disappeared into the cottage’s only bedroom. She came out with her giant key ring, which probably unlocked every damn door on the island. She removed an irregularly shaped brass key. “This is for the warehouse loading dock door. It might be a big mess in there since the parade was just yesterday and most of the floats are in some stage of disassembly. You know where the costume section is? Where we keep the stuff for the reenactment and the children’s play?”
“Yeah.”
“There’s a combination lock on the big metal doors. The combination is forty-two, twenty-eight, thirty-eight, and, yes, your father came up with that. The kids’ sizes are on the right and the adults’ on the left. But”—she placed the key in his palm—“you know what? Hold on. Let me check on something.”