me as she cleaned and dressed my badly skinned knee. I’d tried to ride a pony in between matches, and had taken a hard spill, adamantly refusing to get back on. The words she’d spoken that day rang in my mind.
“You know, sweetheart,” she’d said, bending to kiss the bandage, “There is much less danger in the things we fear… than there is in the things we desire.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
RALLY
Abby and I pulled up to the beautiful seaside fields on a perfect sunny afternoon. A dirt parking area had been outlined with chalk like a crime scene, and was already hosting dozens of cars and trucks, including Ethan’s. We got out and were surprised at how much the guys had accomplished already.
There was a stage set up, and some musician types were doing a sound check, moving equipment around on stage and hooking up speakers. There was electricity in the air; you could feel the crackling excitement of anticipation. I spotted some unruly red curls bursting out of the back of a baseball cap and smiled.
“I’m going to go say Hi to Megan,” I told Abby.
She looked radiantly happy, “Okey dokey! I’m gonna go get started on the auction stuff… This place looks fantastic!”
I walked around behind the stage and stumbled across Megan, locked in a passionate embrace with a tall dark stranger. They both looked up as I pivoted away, embarrassed.
“Marina!” Megan called after me, “Come and meet my friend Jamal.”
I smiled sheepishly and stepped forward to shake hands, “Nice to meet you.”
“Jamal got us this great sound system for the day,” she said proudly.
I smiled broadly, looking back and forth between the two of them, “That’s great! Thank you so much! This really means a lot to us.”
“Anything for a friend of Megan’s,” he said with a smoky voice, excusing himself and climbing up onto the stage.
Megan wiggled her eyebrows at me with an impish grin, “He’s cute, huh?”
“Sheesh Megan,” I said with a smirk, “What happened to the piano player?”
“Oh him? That just didn’t work out. He was way too clingy… Jamal is a studio musician… He played bass on my first recording! He’s really good.”
I had to laugh at her, and she joined in. Megan was morphing into a real heartbreaker, confidant and sassy. I was starting to wonder if I might have created a monster.
“So, when do I get to hear it?” I asked.
“It’s in post-production now, and should be ready tomorrow… But I’m afraid you’re gonna miss the launch party.”
I grimaced in frustration, more annoyed than ever about having to go to Paris.
“So…” Megan grew serious, “Are you going to tell me what happened to you the other night?”
“Oh… yeah…” I’d been so busy with the studio I’d completely forgotten about passing out at the coffeeshop. “It was nothing.”
“It didn’t look like nothing,” Megan said skeptically.
“Really,” I smiled, “It was just like… weird sounds– no images.”
“Listen Bucko, you should take this stuff seriously. So far, you’ve been dead-on about everything else… right?”
“I guess so.”
She pursed her lips, “Still no Grammy for me, huh?”
I smiled and shrugged, “I’ll have to work on that.”
Megan gave me a quick hug and excused herself to get back to her musician friends while I went to go look for Ethan. A black masked pug dog came running up to me, barking excitedly.
It looked friendly, so I knelt down to pet it, “Where did you come from little fella?” I asked, laughing at its cute little squashed up face.
“Thank goodness! There he is–” I looked up to see an elderly man hurrying over with a leash in his hand.
Our eyes met, and both pairs flew open in surprise. It was the same man I’d come across after my first transformation, fresh from an undersea mermaid council. The last time he’d seen me I had just staggered naked out of the sea. My face flushed hot when I realized he recognized me.
He cleared his throat, clipping the leash on the little dog’s collar as he regained his composure, “I’m glad to see that you’re…ah…well…”
“Uhm, yes. Much better, thanks.” I scrambled to my feet, “I owe you a sweater.”
He looked as embarrassed as he did the day our paths first crossed, “No!” he said, “I mean… it was my pleasure… Er, I mean, it was nothing…” His face reddened as he stumbled over his words.
“Thanks again,” I said, turning to flee the scene.
“Stay warm,” he called after me.
Remembering that day pointed out to me how much I needed Ethan, and I scanned the