Real Mermaids Don't Sell Seashells Read Free

pilot.
    â€œThat’s where we’ll be staying.” Mom pointed to the Eutopia Resort and grinned. I gripped the metal bar across the back of her seat and tried to keep from sliding into one of the Sticky Boys as Faye took a corner at warp speed.
    â€œAnd to the left is the island’s famous Straw Market where local artisans sell their wares,” Faye continued. “The new Straw Market building had some flooding problems in last week’s storm, so the booths are temporarily relocated at the waterfront near Señor Frog’s, but the market is a must for visitors to the island, so make sure you take that in during your stay.”
    This was definitely the touristy part of town. The tumbledown shacks and narrow alleys were gone, replaced by high-end shops selling jewelry, perfume, and clothes.
    â€œOh,” Cori exclaimed between waving lollipops, “Lainey said we should totally go to the Straw Market. She got this really cool conch ring from one of the booths when she was here with her parents last year but lost it, so I promised I’d try to find her another one.”
    Lainey Chamberlain and I had never been the best of friends, but we’d struck a truce at the Fall Folly dance after she’d discovered her own father’s mer secret. While Lainey might never become my best bud, it was nice to see Cori talking to her again since they both loved fashion and Cori had long since given up on improving my “shabby chic” style.
    I leaned over the seat in front of me and whispered to Dad. “Does this lady’s pay get docked for every minute she’s late dropping us off?”
    â€œWhat did you drop? Want me to get it for you?” Dad yelled and hunted under his seat.
    â€œNo, it’s okay, Dalrymple. And no need to yell…” Mom patted Dad on the back and he bumped his head on the seat’s crossbar as he sat back up. Mom cringed. “It’s just over that bridge, Jade. Not long now.”
    We crossed the long bridge separating Nassau and Paradise Island, and I got my first good look at the blue Caribbean waters. I could see three huge cruise ships docked along the piers, all gleaming white and cheery.
    â€œI wonder—” I caught Cori’s eye and waved a hand in front of me in a fishy, mermaid-tail motion.
    â€œJade, we talked about this, remember? Dry, on land,” she said then mouthed and human so the others wouldn’t hear.
    â€œYeah, yeah. I remember.” But with all the beautiful, crystal blue waters surrounding us, I had a feeling I’d need more than a three-line mantra to switch from mermaid mode to vacation mode.
    Once we got to the other side of the bridge, the shuttle van wove its way through the smooth streets and manicured grounds of Paradise Island and Faye dropped the first couple at their hotel. I thought the hotel was called “the Asylum,” though as we got closer to the sign, I could tell someone had rearranged the letters and it was actually the Alyssum. It looked nice enough, though the balconies all looked out onto the parking lot and I thought I saw a group of college-aged frat boys going through the lobby with blow-up dinosaurs around their waists.
    After traveling a few more streets by pristine grounds, manicured lawns, and perfectly shaped shrubs, we arrived at the Eutopia Resort. Faye pulled the van up to the glittering lobby doors, stopping next to a super-long stretch Hummer limousine.
    â€œIsn’t that Taylor ’n Tyler?” Cori jumped up and down in her seat and pointed to an extremely tanned, bleached, and sunglassed young man and woman all dressed in white.
    â€œAs in the singers Taylor ’n Tyler?” I asked. Taylor Ariella and Tyler Green had been the “It” couple of the pop music scene for the past year. They’d recently collaborated on an album that had hit platinum in its first week of being released. But what were the odds that we’d be booked