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At last, she said, “The things Crystal reports aren’t technically lies. The people who claim he is controlling and manipulative are simply sharing their opinion. And many of them have been let go from companies Sid has purchased. They may even honestly believe they were targeted unfairly.”
Jayna felt her insides tighten. She could no longer ignore her growing interest in Sid, but the last thing she needed was yet another overbearing man trying to run her life the way Ward had.
“I can say this about Obsidian Hayes, though. He does everything he can to take care of the people at his companies, and if someone is cut from an organization he has purchased, there was a reason they needed to go. Sid truly is a good man. And yes, I am saying that because he is my employer, but he wouldn’t be my employer if it wasn’t true. I think if you give him a chance, you’ll see that he is every bit the person the positive reports say he is.”
Jayna had seen plenty of evidence that Sid was good, but she still had her doubts. “It’s hard to believe anyone could be that perfect.”
Emmaline laughed. “Oh, dear, sweet mermaid. I never said he was perfect.” Then her face went serious. “He is good, though. You should find some way to prove that to yourself.”
Chapter 14
Sid fretted about what to wear to dinner. He told himself it had nothing to do with the fact that Jayna would be joining him and Emmaline.
But he hadn’t seen Jayna since they finished their tour of Kingdom the day before, and it was unsettling just how much he looked forward to spending time with her again.
He finally settled on a simple, understated dark-blue floral print shirt in keeping with the tropical spirit of Manutai. Emmaline had picked it up for him on her shopping trip with Jayna. She often picked up clothing for him when they traveled, since most of the time the local fashion was not something Sid had much use for in his regular wardrobe. Like floral print shirts.
He studied his reflection in the mirror and fussed with his hair. He was interrupted by a call from Emmaline. “I’ll be there in just a minute,” he said as soon as he answered. But when he checked the time, he realized he was still a minute or two early.
“I’m not coming tonight. I’ve had something sent up to my room.”
“Are you okay?” Sid felt concerned, both for Emmaline’s wellbeing and at the thought of eating alone with Jayna.
“I’m fine, just tired,” Emmaline said. “I told Jayna you’d pick her up at her room. You two go on without me.”
If he didn’t know better, he would think that she had backed out of dinner so he and Jayna would have time together.
But Sid couldn’t believe she would do that. While Emmaline may have noticed his interest in Jayna and even teased him about it, she had also seen firsthand the damage Crystal had done to his reputation. He couldn’t believe she would intentionally put him in a similar situation with Jayna.
Yet the thought of having dinner alone with Jayna gave him a little thrill, and that scared him. He had to keep these ridiculous feelings in check before he got himself in trouble.
Again.
He forced himself to slow down on his way to Jayna’s room. Before he could knock, she opened the door. Sid had to catch his breath. Her bright red hair fell in waves over the shoulders of her dark-blue floral print dress. She smiled at him and said, “Nice shirt.”
Sid looked down and realized that his shirt matched Jayna’s dress. Had it been Jayna’s idea for them to wear matching outfits?
As if to deny having had any part in coordinating their attire, Jayna said, “I didn’t realize Emmaline picked that one for you, too. Give me a minute and I’ll change.”
“No, don’t,” Sid replied. “That color looks great on you.” He regretted the words as soon as he said them, though they were absolutely true.
A pink tint touched Jayna’s cheeks at the compliment. “Thanks. But aren’t you worried people will think we’re a couple?” she asked.
Sid wouldn’t mind nearly as much as he should. But if the gossip streams saw him dressed all matchy-matchy with her, it wouldn’t be long before they started comparing her to Crystal and calling her a gold-digging climber. “You’re right, although it’s probably easier if I…” But Jayna had already closed the door. “…change,” he finished quietly to himself.
She returned less than a minute later in a loose white dress with a bold green tropical leaf pattern. “Better?” she asked.
“Better,” he said, even though the white dress wasn’t nearly as striking as the blue dress had been. “Come on, let’s go eat.”
They arrived at the hotel’s soaring atrium, and Sid gazed up at the creamy, iridescent walls with greater appreciation after Kalani’s explanation of how they were created from a mix of waste plastic pulled from the ocean and carbon extracted from the air. “It really does feel like we’re in a giant seashell,” he said.
Jayna grinned and spun around with her arms in the air. “It’s every mermaid’s dream.”
They rode the maglift down to the hotel’s hydrarium, an enormous underwater space that hung beneath the hotel like an immense bubble. The area housed a variety of shops and restaurants, and the surrounding water teemed with sea life. Sid wondered how many of the fish were real, and how many were drones.
The sound of dance music reverberated through the space from somewhere in the distance, and Sid couldn’t help but notice the subtle movements Jayna made in time to the music.
He briefly toyed with the idea of inviting her to the Jubilee Ball later in the week, but quickly rejected it. She would no doubt make an amazing dance partner but having her accompany him and Emmaline to a high-profile event like the Jubilee Ball would send the streamer speculations into afterburn.
