Mermaids of Glendale - a novel

Chapter 7

"Mermaids, actual mermaids, could be considered a classic example of a cryptid," said Dr. Kittridge Dawson. He was holding a glass of white wine and talking to a woman by the shark tank. Light bounced off the water in the tank as a whitetip reef shark passed by the thick glass, the light rippling over Dr. Dawson and looking as though his skin and Hugo Boss suit were themselves watery and ethereal. Lorna felt as though her heart had skipped a beat when she saw him and felt the quick sting of jealousy at the sight of the woman he was talking to.

Lorna had opened the attachment that Kitt had included with his email that detailed the date and time of the party at Aquarium of the Pacific. She had then spent what felt like an eternity picking out what to wear, eventually selecting her teal knee-length Anthropologie dress. Now she was at the aquarium, however, Lorna felt as though the color of her dress blended with that of the water and reflected light and felt strangely naked, blushing at the thought.

"What exactly is a cryptic, Dr. Dawson?" asked the woman, a brunette in a low-cut black Missoni dress, hanging on Kitt's every word.

Lorna had been held up in traffic and arrived to the party late. She had been feeling nervous excitement all day, had skipped lunch, and was now this evening almost ravenously hungry and most of the canapés were gone.

"A cryptid," said Lorna, emphasizing the correct word.

At the sound of her voice, Kitt looked in Lorna's direction and gave an unselfconscious smile that made Lorna feel as though her heart had skipped another beat. At this rate she'd be needing CPR and Lorna wondered if Kitt had the ability to massage her heart, caress her lips, breathe life into her.

"Hello, Lorna," said Kitt. "Dr. MacAvoy, may I introduce Miss Lorna O'Shene. Lorna, this is Dr. Rita MacAvoy from the Federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management."

"Hello, Miss O'Shene," said Dr. MacAvoy "Dr. Dawson mentioned you."

"He did?" asked Lorna, a little confused.

"Well, not by name," explained Dr. MacAvoy. "He was standing here at this soiree, nursing his wine and looking -- if I might say so -- like a little lost puppy."

"I suggested that perhaps she meant a dogfish," said Kitt, making Lorna laugh. "I told Dr. MacAvoy that I was waiting for a friend to arrive."

Lorna felt somewhat crestfallen. Had Kitt just called her a...friend?

Get over it, thought Lorna. What, you thought he was going to declare his undying love for you? Right here at the Aquarium?

"That's not what you said at all, Dr. Dawson," said Dr. MacAvoy. She turned to Lorna and in a stage-whisper added, "What he actually said was that he was waiting for a dear friend."

Now it was Kitt's turn to blush.

"As I was saying," said Kitt, trying to cover his embarrassment. "A cryptid --"

" -- Is a creature," said Lorna, interrupting Kitt. "whose existence has been suggested but is unrecognized by scientific consensus and often regarded as highly unlikely."

"Like the Loch Ness Monster, right?" said Dr. MacAvoy. "Or Sasquatch."

"Just like a mermaid," said Lorna. "Preposterous, huh? So what does the Bureau of...What did Kitt -- I mean, Dr. Dawson -- say it was? What do you do, Rita?"

"The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management," replied Dr. MacAvoy. "We seek to balance the economic development and environmental protection of offshore resources."

"You mean like managing oil rigs and pipelines?"

"That's part of it, yes."

"Dr. MacAvoy works in an area of the bureau that looks after the protection of endangered marine species," said Kitt. "With her husband."