19. Chapter 19

Sid's willingness to meet in-person with Rosalind Aria was proof of how hard he had fallen for Jayna. He couldn't stand the woman, and some of her experimental work was questionable at best.

But her data aggregators were second to none, and her security and compatibility reports were certified ethical and legal. And she could usually be trusted to remain discreet.

Unfortunately, Rosalind's flight into Manutai was late, which delayed their meeting and caused him to miss a big chunk of the Merathlon.

Sid was a bundle of nervous energy as he hurried towards the premiere seats at the Kingdom of Tangaroa's new aquatic stadium. At least Kingdom had enough sense to put their VIP seats well beyond the splash zone.

He cast a quick glance at the leaderboard and was happy to see Jayna in third place overall, though he couldn't figure out if she had already taken her turn in the show jumping.

Out in the water, a golden-haired mermaid with a red tail swam through the hoops and bars that made up the course, and the packed stadium applauded politely with every jump.

Sid scanned the crowd and quickly located Emmaline's bright green hair, which she had colored to match Jayna's tail.

As he slid into the empty seat next to her, she gave him a concerned look. "Is everything okay?"

I'll know soon enough, he thought. He forced a smile and nodded. "Everything's great. How's she doing?"

"Not bad. She did well in the sprints, and got fourth in the jousting, which was impressive considering the size of some of those mermen."

Sid's gut tightened at the memory of Jayna facing off against Merman Pala, and he realized maybe it was a good thing he had missed that part of the Merathlon.

Out in the show pool, the jumping mermaid finished the course, and the crowd applauded.

"Jayna hasn't done the jumping yet, has she?" Sid asked.

"No. She's next." Emmaline pointed to the starting gate where Jayna waited her turn. She wore her sleek emerald-green athletic tail, and Sid's heart raced at the sight of her.

Jayna began swimming slowly through the course, examining the hoops, bars, and small, sand-covered island, which had been decorated with a palm tree and sandcastle. When she reached the end, she returned to take her position behind the starting gate and raised her hand.

"Next up in the show jumping," the event announcer said, "Mermaid Aaramere."

There was a round of polite applause as she gripped the railings with both hands and the muscles in her arms went taut.

A young man standing at the edge of the pool raised a conch shell to his mouth and blew. As the note echoed through the stadium, Jayna shot forward.

The first jump was a simple hoop, not too high. She leapt from the water, cleared it cleanly, and barely made a splash. The crowd responded with more polite applause.

The next obstacle was a combination consisting of a low broad jump, followed immediately by a high vertical bar. Jayna approached the broad jump at a measured pace. She cleared it easily and then immediately leapt over the bar, slipping gracefully into the water on the other side.

This time, the crowd cheered loudly. Emmaline leaned towards him and said, "She's the only one who's made that jump."

Sid had known that Jayna was good but seeing her in action sent his admiration for her into overdrive.

The third jump was a tricky-looking triple hoop, with the middle hoop higher than the other two. Jayna approached carefully, and then shot from the water with a burst of speed, sailing cleanly through all three hoops.

The audience thundered as she circled back and prepared to jump over the sandy island. She approached quickly, keeping her head above water to focus on the obstacle. A couple of meters short of the island, she dived beneath the surface. A moment later she leaped from the water, sailing high above the sand.

As cheers echoed through the theater, Jayna swam to the edge of the tank and circled quickly, building up speed for the fifth and final jump. A single pole stretched high above the water with a bell hung at the top. Jayna sprinted towards the pole and leaped straight up into the air, stretching her hand high above her head.

The sound of the bell reverberated through the stadium, and the audience roared its approval. As Jayna fell towards the water, she tucked her tail underneath herself and landed with a loud smack that sent a spray over the edge of the pool and into the front two rows of seats.

Several seconds later, the scoreboard updated to show Jayna's near-perfect score of 97. The applause surged again, and Sid sprang to his feet, cheering loudly.

"She really is quite impressive," Emmaline said once Sid had returned to his seat. The smile tugging at her mouth suggested she knew how deep his feelings for Jayna had become.

"Yes, she is," he admitted. In practically every way.

"There's only one more jumper, and unless he gets a perfect 100, Jayna will be in first place when they start the final event."

Sid's whole body vibrated with excitement for Jayna's success. But something seemed off. "Isn't this supposed to be a pentathlon? That means five events, but I only count four."

"It's just like the Olympic pentathlon, where they combined the long-distance run and the pistol shooting, only for merfolk, they combine the long-distance swim and spear fishing."

The last merman started the course, and Sid held his breath. He was good, but not as good as Jayna, and his final score of 92 was not enough to knock her out of the lead.

As the stadium erupted in cheers, the overhead display focused on Jayna as she threw her arms around Kalani's neck and kissed him.

A knot formed in Sid's stomach, and he stiffened. The kiss wasn't quite on the mouth, but it wasn't exactly on the cheek, either.

"Relax, Romeo," Emmaline said, giving him a nudge. "There's nothing going on between them. Trust me."

"What makes you so sure?"

"They aren't well matched. Besides, I asked her."

Sid's eyes widened in surprise. "What? When?"

"While we were shopping the other day." Emmaline gave him a mischievous smile. "We talked about all kinds of things."

Sid wanted to press her and find out what else they had talked about. But instead, he decided this would be the right time to tell her about his meeting with Rosalind. He removed a fabric mask from his pocket, slipped it on over his mouth, inserted the connected earpiece, and offered a second mask to Emmaline. Her eyebrows rose in surprise, but she took the mask from him without question and put it on.

After confirming that their connection was secure, he asked, "Can I trust her?"

With her mask in place, Sid couldn't read Emmaline's expression. "Trust her in what way?"

That was the question Sid had been grappling with ever since the two of them had nearly kissed the day before. "Is she the kind of gold-digging climber who will use me to build herself up and then throw me into the void as soon as someone better comes along?"

"She won't find anyone better than you." There was a certainty in Emmaline's voice that surprised him.

"You know that, and I know that," he joked, trying to deflect the unexpected compliment. "But does she know that?"

Emmaline was silent for a moment before continuing. "Trust is something that has to be earned, obviously. But I know that I trust her. She's not Crystal, and she won't throw you into the void."

His anxiety eased slightly at her reassurance.

"Does this mean you're finally ready to admit that your interest in Jayna is more than professional?" Emmaline asked.

Sid cringed. "Is it that obvious?"

The corners of her eyes crinkled. "Only to those of us who know you well."

He sighed. "My feelings for her have grown so intense, so quickly. And the harder I try to ignore them, the stronger they become."

"That's the way it is with soulmates."

His stomach did a little flip. "You think Jayna is my soulmate?"

She hesitated, as though she hadn't intended to use those exact words. But she didn't take them back. "I think it's possible. I've seen the way you look at her—and the way she looks at you. And I've seen how she inspires you to be the best version of yourself." She nudged him playfully. "Have you thought about inviting her to join us at the Jubilee Ball? I'm pretty sure I could secure an invitation for her."

He stiffened. "One step at a time, Em. I'm interested in her, and I think she's interested in me. But it's way too early for anything as public as the Jubilee Ball. Besides, her Merfest is that same night, and the reason we came to Manutai in the first place is so I can try and connect with the Order. The Jubilee Ball is my best opportunity for that, and it will be a lot easier if I'm there on my own."

Sid looked down at his hands. "I need to be certain I'm not making another huge mistake. That's the reason I was late this morning. I was setting up a full security and compatibility analysis on Jayna."

"Oh, I see," Emmaline said. Her voice was just a tiny bit teasing. "And making that call was so urgent you couldn't wait until after the Merathlon?"

Sid shook his head. "I couldn't risk doing this through a call. I picked Rosalind up at the airport so we could meet in person, but her flight was late getting in."

Emmaline went rigid, and Sid glanced at her, concerned. Her eyes were huge, clearly registering shock.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"You…you're having Rosalind do this inquiry?"

He had expected her to express some concerns about his decision to involve Rosalind, but Emmaline seemed downright upset. "I'm sorry I didn't keep you in the loop. I was planning to tell you after the inquiry came back. If there were red flags, then it wouldn't have mattered."

Emmaline fidgeted, which wasn't really like her. "So, no red flags?" she asked.

"It's too early to say. Rosalind thought it would take her ‘gators most of the day to collect all the data and generate a report."

Emmaline relaxed slightly. "Of course. That kind of analysis takes time," she said. "And…Rosalind didn't have any information about Jayna up front?"

"No. She didn't even know why I asked to meet with her as soon as she got to Manutai. But you mentioned she would be here, and I figured a discreet in-person meeting would be more secure than a call."

"Right. That would explain why you just happened to have the masks of silence handy."

After a moment, Emmaline abruptly stood. "I'll be right back." She removed her mask, handed it to Sid, and then all but ran from the stadium.

As he watched her go, Sid replayed their conversation in his mind, trying to figure out what he might have said that could have upset her. But aside from keeping her out of the loop in his decision to contact Rosalind, he couldn't think of anything.

He turned his attention back to the pool, where preparations were being made for the final event. If he had inadvertently said something to upset his assistant, she'd let him know soon enough. But until that happened, he'd have to assume that her agitated state had nothing to do with him.