The Sweetest Summer(80)
Mona gave Izzy the floor while ignoring Polly.
“I don’t question Darinda’s abilities or dedication—I truly do think you’ll be a wonderful president—but do our election eligibility guidelines allow us to put a former fairy on the ballot?”
A hush went through the room. This was a sensitive topic for the society. Many years back, several members defected, deciding to create a new organization, one that honored the alleged existence of woodland fairies in the island’s nature preserve. Most mermaid devotees considered it a slap in the face, and possibly even a tongue-in-cheek lampoon of the island’s sacred legend.
Darinda cleared her throat. “I was a member of the Fairy Brigade when I first moved here, but it didn’t last.”
Polly headed for Mona’s bathroom. “Well, nobody else has shown the slightest interest in being on the ballot for the last three decades! So fairy or not, I say we let the girl chase her dream.”
Layla jumped up and hugged Darinda. “I think you’ll be terrific!”
Mona agreed the matter was settled and asked Darinda to proceed with scheduling. Just before the meeting ended, Mona placed her hand upon the stack of colorful brochures on the coffee table. “Please remember that in addition to the beauty of the legend itself, these brochures are our best recruiting tools, and I don’t have to remind you that we are in desperate need of new members.”
Abigail sighed. “We know, Mona.”
The meeting adjourned and the mermaids scattered to their Island Day assignments. As Mona closed her front door, her thoughts went to Clancy’s visit that morning. If she said anything to him about this, he would tell her she was a fruitcake, but the fact remained—her son’s vibration had undergone a dramatic change in just twelve hours.
Last evening, he seemed preoccupied and unfocused. This morning, he was exhilarated. She sensed a joy in Clancy she hadn’t seen since he was a kid, spiced with a pinch of danger. When she sat with him on the couch, she had known he was on the verge of transformation.
Surely, this change in his vibe was not due to his police work. He never got wound up about his job, not even during festival week.
Mona went around her house turning off lights, checking that the coffeepot was unplugged, and giving a last-minute tug on her long blond wig. It was unheard of—Clancy just walking in and announcing he needed help. He was self-sufficient to a fault. Even something as overwhelming as his cottage renovation was primarily a solo endeavor. It was how Clancy saw himself—a man who gave help instead of asking for it. As police chief, he spent his life assisting others. As the only Flynn son on the island, he was forever helping his family.
And this was why she was so puzzled. What revolution was taking place in the spirit of her unflappable middle child? And the mermaid ensemble for a tall and slender woman? And a kid’s pirate costume? What was that all about?
Mona smiled in the hallway mirror. Of course it was a woman. A woman with a child.
Mona grabbed her tote bag and headed out for her busy day as ambassador of the Mermaid Society. She had to remind herself that she would not get involved with Clancy’s personal life, at least not directly. Her days trying to coordinate her children’s happiness were behind her, but, that said, she was curious to see what would happen with the costume she’d given him.
He had no way of knowing, but the mermaid ensemble he’d borrowed was more than just spandex and sequins. It was the regalia Mona had worn for her last six swearing-in ceremonies. She had renewed her devotion to the legend six times in that tail, and believed it had absorbed the purest of light, been infused with love energy, and now hummed at an advanced, openhearted frequency. In short, any woman who wore that ensemble would receive protection and strength from none other than the Great Mermaid herself, the goddess of the sea, the patroness of true love.