3
Maeve twirled around like a waterspout to keep from falling. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d been hung up in a blob of seaweed or someone’s towel that had been stolen by a wave because she wasn’t paying attention to where she was walking. She’d been focused on the horizon—the magical spot where the deepest parts of the sea met with the sky. Her arms flailed, but she caught herself.
A little boy with royal-blue eyes framed by dark lashes stared up at her with one hand still clutching her shell bag, and his eyes as wide as silver dollars. She wasn’t sure who had been startled the most, her or him.
She squatted to get to his eye level. People had always complimented her on her icy-blue eyes, light blue like the North Carolina sky, but his were like sapphires, bluer than she’d ever seen before.
“Hey there, buddy.” The bottom of her skirt floated around her legs like a colorful jellyfish. “You scared me.”
The little boy let go and leaped back next to a girl with the same bright eyes. “What’s that?” he asked, his finger pointing at Maeve’s bag.
“That’s where I keep all the treasures I find for safekeeping.”
A woman with long blond hair ran toward them, panic on her face.
“That your momma?” Maeve nodded her way, trying to calm her.
“Yes ma’am.” The little girl took her brother’s hand possessively.
A wave came in, churning foam and spray into the air.
“I’m Hailey. This is Jesse.”
“My name is Maeve.”
“Maeve,” Hailey repeated. “That’s a very pretty name. You look like a mermaid. Do you live in the water?”
Maeve noticed that the way her skirt floated in the water did look peculiarly like fins. “Being a mermaid would be pretty special, don’t you think?”
With an emphatic nod, Hailey said, “I do.”
“Would you like to see some of my treasures?” Maeve let them look inside her bag. Jesse reached in and pulled out a large scallop shell, his mouth forming a perfect O.
“Pretty neat, isn’t it? And that’s not even the best of ’em,” Maeve said.
The woman raced to Maeve’s side. “I’m so sorry.” The woman huffed, leaning forward to try to catch her breath. The dog that was following her had lost interest and was now biting at the waves, his tiny stub of a tail swirling in a circle so fast it looked like he might helicopter above the water.
“Thank goodness you didn’t fall,” the woman said, exhaling. “Jesse, you can’t do that, sweetie.”
“He’s fine. He was curious about my bag. They’re both delightful.” She offered the young woman a smile. “Really. It’s okay.”
“Thank you. I’m Amanda Whittier, their mother.” She seemed to collect herself. “This is—”
“Hailey and Jesse,” Maeve said, completing her sentence. “Yes, they politely introduced themselves.”
“Her name is Maeve,” Hailey explained.
“I see.” Amanda turned her attention from Hailey to the woman. “So nice to meet you, Maeve. I’ve seen you walking the beach before. We’re new to the area.”
“Yes, I know.” She stood and leaned in. “I’m a lifer. Born and raised here. I know everyone.” Maeve paused, expecting Amanda might explain her connection, but she didn’t.
Maeve finally said, “If you need to know anything, just ask. I can recommend restaurants, mechanics, a church. Whelk’s Island is a wonderful place to live.”
“We love it.” Amanda placed her hand on Jesse’s shoulder. The dog lay in the wet sand.
“That’s Denali,” Hailey said, pointing to him.
“He is quite handsome.” Maeve turned her attention back to Amanda. “It’s great that you chose Whelk’s Island. We need young families like yours to move in to keep this town alive.”
“These two are pretty lively twenty-four seven,” she said with a laugh. “We live in the first house on the right.”
“I know that house. It’s been empty a long time.”
“It’s a work in progress, but we’re slowly getting settled in.”
“It’s a wonderful location. Protected by the dune, and kind of tucked away in your own little oasis. What brought you to our town?”
Amanda stammered. “Well, I…We needed a change. I…” She looked off, then back at Maeve. “I love the beach, and it’s beautiful here.”
“It is.” Maeve suspected there was more to that story, but she didn’t push. Instead, she pointed to where the land began to curve around and rise higher. “That’s my place. I’m sure we’ll see lots of each other on the beach. I’m out here every day.” She delicately tapped Hailey and Jesse on the head.
“That’s a big house,” Hailey remarked.
Unlike the other houses around here that sat close to one another, hers sat alone. It did look big from here. Three levels above the stilts, and a walkway on the top floor with a wonderful view. Yes, it looked quite grand from a distance.
“I grew up in that house,” Maeve said. “It sat empty for years after my folks died. Like yours, it took some work. That makes it even more special, don’t you think?”
“Definitely,” Amanda said with a smile. “We love a project.”
Maeve had a feeling that even simple tasks became a project when there were two littles at your feet, but then she’d never had any so she wouldn’t really know. “When I lost my husband, I moved back. A lot of house for one lady and her old dog, but it’s home.”
“Your dog can come play with Denali someday,” Hailey offered. “Like a playdate.”
“I’m not so sure my dog is up for much playing anymore. He’s like me: old.”
Hailey propped her hands on her hips. “You’re not old. You’re fun.”
“In all my eighty-one years, I don’t think I’ve ever had a nicer compliment. I’ll tell my sister, Judy, you said so.” Maeve lifted her chin. “She thinks I’m old as dirt. She wants me to come live with her.”
“You’re eighty-one?” Hailey’s eyes bugged out. “You don’t look that old. Is that in mermaid years?”
“You really don’t,” Amanda said.
“Well, thank you, both, but I am, and my dog is old too.”