The Turning Tides - By Derrolyn Anderson Page 0,36

tears to my eyes.

My nomadic life had never bothered me, but now, for the first time ever, I felt homeless. When it was just Dad and me, it never seemed like I was missing anything, but all at once I felt it acutely. Abby’s house felt like a home, only not mine anymore. I remembered the vision I’d had of the house Ethan would be building on his land, and I tried hard to remember every detail, taking a deep breath and going inside.

I gave Dutch and Abby the latest information about Dad’s condition, reassuring Abby with the news of how much Evie was doing to help speed his recovery. I refrained from mentioning Ruby’s sudden appearance at Ethan’s apartment, loathe to bring any negativity to their peaceful evening; they’d hear about her return soon enough. I wondered how Ethan was getting along with her.

I spent some time holding Adria, marveling at how much she’d changed in the weeks I’d been gone. Her wise newborn eyes seemed to look deeply into mine now, and she could bring her hands to her mouth, sucking on her fingers with a cute little gummy smile. I guess baby mermaids weren’t the only ones that changed from day to day. I finally excused myself to retreat to my room.

I thought about how shaken up Ethan was, and realized that he had been putting up a false front for many years. He’d always been matter of fact where his mother was concerned; he never tried to hide the truth that she had abandoned him suddenly. What he did hide was the way it made him feel. Being honest and telling me “everything” was really his way of keeping secrets– painful secrets– hidden in plain sight, under the guise of openness.

Somehow, I managed to stay the entire night in bed, sleeping despite the tempting moon that was sparkling like a fishing lure outside my window. The thought that Edwards might be keeping tabs on me was enough to keep me tucked in bed; I couldn’t risk leading him to my sisters. I’d planned on telling Ethan about being followed in San Francisco, but after being surprised by Ruby’s sudden visit, I thought I’d better not give him any more to worry about.

Saturday morning dawned bright and new, all perfect sunlight streaming into the little turquoise bedroom. I woke up and stretched, disturbing a mound of orange fur at my feet. A face poked up out of the pile and meowed at me.

“Charlie! When did you get in here?” I asked, sitting up to give him a quick scratch under the chin.

I looked around the room. Without my art supplies and books, all that remained were piles of clothes and suitcases. It looked like a closet, like someone’s storage room, and it only served to point out the obvious. It was time for me to move on.

I thought about my studio, sitting empty for the past few weeks, and decided to spend the day painting. I used to love being alone there, and I hoped that it would be enough to stop me from recklessly racing out to the water. Soon, I could be with Ethan all the time, and we could deal with whatever Edwards threw our way together.

I just had to get through the next few days without leading anyone to my mermaid sisters. It was a cat and mouse game now, and was tired of playing the part of the rodent. I wanted to learn how to be the hunter

I got up and dressed, taking a few moments to pack up a couple of suitcases. I wandered into the kitchen feeling like a stranger, and found Abby sitting alone, sipping a cup of tea.

She looked up from the paper with a warm smile, “Good morning honey bunny!”

Abby’s cheerful nature always made me feel better. “Good morning,” I replied.

“Dutch made coffee before he left,” she gestured to the pot.

I poured a cup and sat down with her, expecting more questions about my father.

“So,” she asked, cocking an eyebrow at me, “What’s going on with Ethan?”

I met her clear blue eyes and they searched mine. I should have known we weren’t fooling anyone. She knew I’d be with him if there wasn’t something wrong.

I screwed up my face, “Yesterday… His mother showed up out of the blue… She says she wants to make amends.”

Abby reeled back in her seat, her eyes wide, “Oh.”

“Yeah,” I said, unable to keep the bitterness out of my voice, “And it