Page 6 of Beauty and the Beach
“Yeah?” Mako leaned forward. “That’s what I was hoping for. I've been dreaming about someone like her for a long time.”
"Is she pretty?"
"Roget dat. She's looks like the mother of dragons chick from Game of Thrones only with darker hair and bigger..." Makoa cupped his hands in front of his chest, but saw the amused look in Zarafina's eyes. "Seashells."
“Is that right?” Zarafina said dryly, then squinted at him. “So what's the problem?”
"It's complicated." He sighed. Like really complicated. He had a date with a fish woman.
She tossed another card on the table: Justice.
“Are you a virgin, Makoa?”
Makoa leapt to his feet, knocking the chair behind him. “I’m twenty-seven,” he said. Was he starting to sweat? Zarafina knew things. But how did she know about that?
“Mmm hmmm,” she said again and flipped over another card.
He almost slapped a hand over it. He wasn’t sure he wanted to see what she came up with next.
Knight of Coins.
“This is you,” she said.
Mako blinked down at a man in armor holding a circle with a star in it.
“Reliable, patient, a decent man.”
“That doesn’t sound so bad.” He set the chair to rights and sat back down on it. At least it didn't say perpetual wingman.
“Four of coins,” Zarafina intoned, placing another card next to it. “Beware of a miser, someone will not want to share what they have. Perhaps, there is an old boyfriend in the picture?”
Makoa frowned. “I don’t know.” Was there a merman? He pictured Jason Momoa and thought he could probably take him if push came to shove. As long as they weren’t in the water.
“Seven of swords.” Zarafina glanced up at him. “There was a wish.”
Makoa nodded eagerly. “Yes.” Zarafina was amazing.
She turned over The Hermit. “She is fearful of discovery.”
“Roger dat.”
Tapping that card, Zarafina said. “From the boyfriend, maybe.”
“I’ll ask her if she has one.” The thought that Ana might have a merman boyfriend depressed Makoa. He thought he finally didn’t have to compete with someone else. After all, how many guys dated mermaids? It wasn’t like Ana was looking for a rich guy driving a Mercedes.
“Nine of swords.” Zarafina made a face. “There will be a fight. You will despair.”
That figured. It would probably be his fault, too. He didn’t get women sometimes. He knew he wasn’t going to win any Mensa awards, but he did his best. Unfortunately in the past, if a girl said fine, he thought everything was fine. Now, he knew with experience that fine might mean the exact opposite. It made his head hurt.
The next card Zarafina turned over The Devil.
Makoa winced. “Could that be an evil wizard?” Fighting Aquaman and evil wizards sounded like his weekly D&D game with the boys. He never asked Ana if she was born a mermaid. Maybe she had been cursed.
“It’s not literal in this case. I sense a very negative person. There will be some bad mojo going on.” Squinting up at him, Zarafina said. “You might be in over your head.”
“Should I just forget about Ana then?” Makoa sighed. Who was he kidding? Mermaids don't fall in love with bellhops. If he had been a gazillionaire like Marcus or Dude, he could offer her something. Or if he was smart and cunning like Holt, he could solve her problems without breaking a sweat. But he could only be who he was: the eternal side kick, there for comic relief and to clean up when the party was over.
“It doesn’t seem like you want to forget about her.”