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

with passing notes to each other with check boxes to find out:
    Do you like me?
    Yes
    No
    â€œNah…I think it’s just best if I cut my losses.” I didn’t need Teen Cosmo to tell me that our summer romance had probably come to its thrilling conclusion.
    That’s when a busload of day-campers and their counselors converged on us, shutting down our conversation, which was just as well.
    I’d been so focused on Luke that I hadn’t given enough of my brain space to the other mer in my life. Mom was stuck in the ocean, waiting for the Mermish Council to decide when she could become human again. Or was she in the magical tidal pool undergoing her transformation already? Gah! I needed to find out what was going on with Mom or I’d drive myself crazy wondering. Crazier than usual, anyway.
    From then on, I vowed to put Luke Martin out of my mind and turn my attention to bringing Mom home. I was sure that was exactly what I needed to get my head on straight again.
    Forget boys, especially adorable mer-boys like Luke Martin.
    I had bigger fish to fry.

“Did I just hear you correctly?” Dad called from underneath the bathroom sink as he attempted to replace the faucet. I could hear the smile in his voice.
    â€œWhat?” All I had said was I thought we could use a plumber.
    CLANG, DING, CLANG .
    â€œWe don’t need a plumber.” Dad’s pudgy legs poked out from underneath the sink as he worked to get comfortable. “I just didn’t realize there was an up and a down on this valve thing. No biggie, I’ll figure it out.”
    I scrolled through my Google search for local plumbers on Dad’s iPad. AAA Drain Repair all the way through to Zooter Rooter Plumbing Services. At least they would know which direction to install a bathroom faucet.
    â€œAll I’m saying is there are professionals who depend on this kind of work to feed their families, you know.”
    I wasn’t sure if Dad’s latest do-it-yourself kick was to make the house look nice for when Mom finally got home or whether he was just trying to distract himself while he waited. There was the new paint job in the living room, some project he and Luke’s grandpa Eddie were working on in the garage, and now the plumbing job to replace the leaky faucet. Oh, and the plugged bathtub drain would probably need to be addressed at some point.
    â€œSheesh, have a little faith!” Dad called over the clanging. “I’m an engineer, after all. How hard can it be to change a bathroom faucet?”
    I leaned over and hollered into the sink.
    â€œApparently, harder than quantum physics!” My voice bellowed down the drainpipe. The sound made him jump.
    â€œHey!” A hand appeared from below and a crumpled wad of packing tape sailed toward me. It missed me by a mile.
    â€œOuch, I’m hit!” I faked a cry. “This is definitely going to need stitches.”
    â€œYeah right!” Dad’s hand disappeared again. More clanging noises.
    â€œHey, is the main water valve still off?” I called down, trying to figure out the instructions on the sheet of paper that had come with the faucet.
    â€œGive me a little credit, Jade. They teach that kind of thing in engineering school too, you know.” Dad popped his head up from under the sink and stood to survey his handiwork. “There! All done. See? That didn’t take any time at all.”
    I checked my watch. “Yep. Only three hours and forty minutes, seven Google searches, and two trips to Home Depot. Record time.”
    The cell phone rang. We both froze and stared at it vibrating on the vanity’s countertop, just like every other time the phone had rung in the past three weeks. Was it Mom? Was she safe?
    I picked it up on the second ring. “Hello?” I asked hopefully.
    â€œCongratulations! You’ve been selected for an exclusive three-day Frontier Alaskan Cruise…”
    I clicked off the