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She scowled but went along. When they reached the front row of the theater, Jayna was surprised to see Gabrielle sitting by a pair of empty seats. Kalani gestured for Jayna to take one.
With a sigh, she inched her way into the seats and glanced up at Kalani with a dubious expression. “I’m not going to get splashed, am I?”
“We’d better not,” Gabrielle said.
Kalani just shrugged. This did not reassure her, but the fact that he was sitting next to her did ease her concern slightly.
She took her seat next to Gabrielle, and Kalani sat on Jayna’s other side, right on the aisle. Almost as soon as they sat down, the lights dimmed, and the announcer’s voice rang through the theater. “Mermaids and mermen! Welcome to an extra special meeting of the staff of Realms of Neptune!” There was a smattering of applause, but Jayna could sense there was as much confusion in the rest of the crowd about this unusual staff meeting as she felt.
“Please give a hearty merwelcome to our guest for the evening, Merman Marevitrum!”
The audience applauded politely, and Jayna’s heart did a flip in her chest at the sound of the mersona she had given Sid. “What is he doing here?” she asked Kalani.
He gave her a cheeky grin. “Holding a staff meeting, obviously.”
Jayna slapped him on the shoulder. “You know what I meant. Why is he the one holding the staff meeting?”
Kalani shrugged. “It’s his theme park.”
Just then, the mer-canon hummed to life, and Jayna shot Kalani a concerned look. “What is going…” Her question was cut off as the mer-canon shot Obsidian Hayes high into the air above them.
Sid landed directly in front of them with a loud splash, and a tiny wave spilled over the edge of the tank. Jayna breathed out a sigh of relief and muttered, “Pitiful.”
Her comment came out louder than she intended, and a ripple of laughter worked its way through the crowd,
Yet despite her dig, Jayna couldn’t keep her eyes off Sid as he swam across the tank to the dais that held the merthrone. But Sid didn’t climb onto the throne. Instead, he pulled himself out of the water and sat on the platform next to the throne. Her heart beat faster, and she was unable to ignore the muscular physique accentuated by his merbreather.
As Sid looked out over the crowd, his gaze swept right past Jayna as if she wasn’t there. There is no way he hadn’t seen her, sitting front and center next to Kalani.
She felt a stab of guilt, remembering the security video that had convinced Sid she and Kalani were in a relationship. But that guilt quickly grew into annoyance, both at Sid for the way he was ignoring her and at herself for letting it matter.
Still, Jayna couldn’t help but think how handsome he was and how good it was to see him, even though his presence made her angry and confused.
No wonder Kalani had chosen the aisle seat. If he hadn’t been blocking her way, she probably would have been halfway to the exit.
“That is quite the ride.” Sid’s voice echoed through the theater. “I need to do that again.”
There was a quiet murmur from the Realms employees. They seemed as confused about the purpose of this meeting as Jayna was.
“Three weeks ago, I had no idea what it meant to be a merman. But I’m told the best way to understand a mer is to swim a mile in their tail. I was given the chance to do just that, thanks to a very special mermaid.” Sid looked directly at Jayna, and her heart skipped a beat. He smiled at her, and there was pleading in his eyes—along with just a touch of mischief.
Then he gestured to her and with a showman’s voice said, “Mermaids and mermen, let’s hear it for Mermaid Aaramere, the world Merathlon champion.”
This time, the applause was heartfelt and genuine. Kalani urged Jayna to acknowledge the crowd. Reluctantly, she stood and waved. She felt the love and appreciation from her fellow castmates and the crew, and she breathed a little bit easier knowing they were all there with her. She had no idea what Sid was up to, but whatever it was, she wouldn’t have to face it alone.
After Jayna returned to her seat and the applause died down, Sid continued. “I learned a lot from Aaramere.”
Someone in the back let out a loud whistle, and laughter filled the theater. Jayna’s face grow hot, and although Sid smiled, he also blushed a deep red.
Once the laughter died down, Sid continued. “Among the many things she taught me, one of the most powerful was the way merfolk take care of each other.”
Kalani clapped, and the rest of the theater picked up the applause. Jayna still wasn’t sure where this was going, but it was clear he and Sid were working together.
“These past few weeks, I’ve come to better understand the tremendous responsibility I owe to each of you as the owner of Realms of Neptune. But even though I now have a tail and mersona of my own, I have a long way to go before I will be able to fully meet that responsibility.”
Jayna nudged Kalani and raised her eyebrows questioningly. He smiled and directed her attention back to Sid with a nod of his head.
“So, after consulting with my legal and professional staff, I have agreed to a merger of Realms of Neptune and the Kingdom of Tangaroa. Effective immediately, Kalani Au will assume the role of interim General Manager.”
