Total pages in book: 37
Estimated words: 35195 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 176(@200wpm)___ 141(@250wpm)___ 117(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 35195 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 176(@200wpm)___ 141(@250wpm)___ 117(@300wpm)
“Thanks for that.”
Caden and Shay shared a look. I took a breath, beaming at Kennedy. “For real. What are you guys doing here?” I looked up at Caden. “Did you do this? Was this planned?”
He opened his mouth, but Kennedy said, “No, but kinda. He mentioned a while ago that you guys were doing this road trip and we’re also up here in Oregon visiting my brother.” She moved into his side, almost mirroring us. “Shay remembered, wondered if we were in the same area.”
“I couldn’t reach Caden, but I got a hold of Marcus. You must’ve just talked to him?”
Caden nodded. “Yeah. I called him about a place here, if it was safe or not.”
Shay nodded too. “He mentioned that place, and it’s good. It’s better, actually. They’re usually booked out years in advance so you kinda hit the jackpot.”
“How do you know this?” I asked.
Kennedy replied, “My brother lives in the next town up, but we come here a lot. The place you’re staying at, no one knows the owner. It’s run through a vacation company.”
“No one knows the owner?” I glanced beyond Kennedy, to the bartender. A piece of his hair had slipped out so he had a strand covering his forehead and eyes. As he worked, he kept reaching up to brush it aside and it’d only fall back in place. It didn’t seem to deter him. He kept working, which he needed to because the place was nearing standing room only. His hair was a bit messier too, with stray strands flying around.
“We don’t think he’s around that often, but it’s fine. Everyone who stays there raves about the place.”
Well, that made me feel even happier. I asked, “You guys are staying, right? There’s a show happening here sometime.”
Kennedy laughed, nodding. “Gage might come later tonight, but yes. That’s the plan.”
Gage was Kennedy’s brother, who’d I forgotten lived up here in Oregon. He took a job with a local company. I couldn’t remember what he did, but as we settled back around the table, I asked Kennedy how the rest of her family was doing. Shay’s as well. I was on my fourth drink when Kennedy was telling a very in-depth story about how potty training their little boy was going. He liked to yell for his butt to get wiped and would bend over to be helpful. Shay demonstrated the pose, and I almost fell off my stool from laughing so hard.
The table beside us overheard, and joined in, telling stories about their own children. It wasn’t long before the four of us were mad friends with their whole table, who were locals and who all wanted to know about us as well. By that time, Gage showed up, and a whole camaraderie fell over our tables because he bridged the gap between tourists and locals and all was well in the Mermaid Bar that night.
Or for the moment.
3
I was six pink drinks in and bouncing my butt to WAP when suddenly the music cut off. A protest rose up from the crowd, but immediately the lights went dark. A spotlight tracked to a small stage set next to our table. An excited hush came over everyone.
My heart was palpitating. This was the mermaid time? My palms were sweating.
Dry ice filled the room, the fog covering our feet first and rising up. Then, a small techno beat started. Slow and small. It grew. And grew. And grew. And I was starting to jump up and down, my hands clenched together against my chest. Everyone else was beginning to move too, until suddenly clash, bam, a cymbal smashed and the music built to a super-fast crescendo.
An explosion.
Glitter and confetti threw up everywhere in the room.
The music was now going full blast into a whole techno dance song. People were going crazy, and so was I. My hands were in the air. I was twirling, trying to catch some of the confetti in my mouth. Kennedy was laughing next to me, trying to cover my mouth.
We’d been dancing for the last two hours, along with some other ladies. Gage joined periodically, but he was off with some girl. I looked, craning my neck, and yep, he had a girl pressed back against the bathroom hallway wall.
Caden and Shay were behind us, still at the table, but standing at the end and half leaning.
The bar wasn’t that big.
The dance floor was right next to our table, so we weren’t far from them. The other ladies had both leaned over at one point during the dancing, asking who we were, who the hotties were behind us.
I didn’t blame them.
Caden had these seriously dark and beautiful eyes. A snake tattoo on his arm that looked like a real one, enough where it startled a few people. Chiseled cheekbones that hadn’t softened with age. His very no-nonsense demeanor that gave him an air of authority. I’d be checking him out too if I wasn’t married to him.