Real Mermaids 2 - Don't Hold Their Breath Read Free

Her mom was a nurse at the cottage hospital nearby so she got it.
    â€œYeah. So…” Trey fiddled with a strand of Cori’s hair and smiled. “Am I in the doghouse?”
    â€œOf course not!” Cori swooned. “But is your mom okay now?”
    â€œYes.” Trey let out a breath of relief. “She’s pretty wiped but at least she’s home.”
    I let out a breath too, not realizing I’d been holding it in. “I’m really glad she’s okay.”
    â€œThanks, Jade.” Trey gave me a friendly smile and went back to gazing into Cori’s eyes.
    Customers were starting to gather at the takeout window again, so I gave my hands a quick wash and got back to work, thankful for the distraction. Of course, I was happy Cori and Trey had worked things out, but with my awkward conversation with Luke still fresh in my mind, I wasn’t really in the right head space to watch their happy reunion.
    Three double-scoop sugar cones and a strawberry sundae later, Cori breezed back to the cooler with a goofy grin.
    â€œAll good?” I asked with a smile. And yes, it was sincere. Cori was my girl; it was nice to see her happy.
    â€œMore than good.” Cori rubbed the goose bumps from her forearm. “He’s picking me up later and we’re going roller-blading along the boardwalk by the beach. Hey, why don’t you and Luke come too?”
    Trey had obviously forgotten about the verbal diarrhea I’d spewed earlier.
    â€œYeah, I’m not really sure if the Luke-and-me thing is still happening,” I said quietly.
    Before Cori could answer, Chelse’s stool scraped along the floor as she stood from her perch at the cashbox. She checked the time on her cellphone.
    â€œShift’s over. I’m out.” Her voice cracked when she spoke. I wasn’t sure if it was because of the underuse of her vocal chords, since she hadn’t actually said more than ten words to me throughout our whole shift, or whether she was upset.
    â€œYou okay?” I searched her face.
    Then, the impossible happened. Chelse forced a smile and turned off her phone . As in, cut off her main source of communication with the outside world. Her screen went blank as her phone powered off. She tucked it in her bag and got her sweater from the back of her stool.
    â€œYeah. I’m good, thanks.” She signed off on the time sheet attached to the clipboard by the soft-serve machine then disappeared through the kitchen to the back door.
    â€œWhat the heck was that all about?” I asked, washing my hands so I could take over cash box duty while Cori got to work at the cooler.
    â€œProbably something about her ex-boyfriend. It looked like she was on his Facebook profile earlier. But wait a sec.” Cori plopped a scoopful of Mooseprint Mocha into a paper cup and handed it over to a touristy-looking elderly woman then turned and whispered to me. “What’s this about you and Luke?”
    I made change for the lady and complimented her on her flowery hat, then asked if she needed another napkin and suggested some Port Toulouse landmarks she might want to explore on her trip. Cori poked me in stomach with her elbow. I smiled at the lady and bid her good-bye before Cori cracked one of my ribs.
    â€œI just kind of went off on him,” I admitted. Sure I was ticked about him not calling me since we kissed, but it was more than that. Luke was the only other person I knew like me—a mer. Other than Mom, that was. But Mom wasn’t there just then and Luke was. Thinking I’d screwed up that mer-to-mer connection made me feel more lost than ever. Not that I could admit that to Cori. “Roller-blading with me is probably the last thing on Luke’s priority list.”
    â€œAw, Jade. I’m sure it’s not so bad. Why don’t I get Trey to talk to him?”
    But I couldn’t do that. It wasn’t like we were in fourth grade and could get away