41. Chapter 41

Interest in the Jubilee Ball disaster quickly burned itself out. Jayna's conciliatory statement and Sid's matching follow-up apparently robbed the story of drama, and the streamers quickly moved on to more interesting stories.

If only Jayna could move on so easily.

The first couple of days after her return to San Diego, she'd held out hope that Sid would reach out to her. It hurt that she hadn't heard from him, but it was probably for the best. He was her boss and getting into a relationship with him had been a mistake, which is why she didn't try reaching out to him, either.

At first, she had been determined to force Sid from her mind and return to the life she'd had before she'd met him. But it was no use. Despite the outward support and positive comments Jayna received from her friends and castmates, knowing that they had all seen her relationship meltdown robbed her of the joy she had previously found while performing.

After a miserable week, she accepted that she couldn't remain at Realms of Neptune. Obsidian Hayes may not have been at the park in person, but just knowing he owned the place was too much for her, and she'd given her two weeks' notice. It was yet one more thing that ill-advised relationship had cost her.

With only a few days left at the park, Jayna saw no point in sticking around for the unscheduled "mandatory" staff meeting. What were they going to do if she skipped? Fire her?

As soon as the show finished, she hurried to the dressing room and changed. Despite her best efforts, she couldn't help but remember Sid assisting with her merbreather the day they'd first met, and how even then, she'd known there was something special about him.

And that was exactly why she couldn't stay at Realms.

She hurried from the dressing room before she could be assaulted by any more memories of Sid and headed for the park exit. She was nearly at the gate when the path was blocked by a large, shadowy figure.

Startled, Jayna drew in a sharp breath. She was just about to turn and run when the figure pointed towards the aquatic theater. "Aren't you supposed to be in that meeting?"

Joy and relief washed over her as she recognized Kalani's voice. She rushed forward and wrapped him in a tight embrace, fighting back tears as he held her. At last, she found her voice. "What are you doing here?"

"Your goodbye hug expired. I needed a new one."

Jayna pulled back and narrowed her eyes at Kalani, who was clearly trying hard not to smile. "You did not fly all the way over here just to give me a hug."

Kalani's smile broke through and spread across his face. "No, I didn't. I had some business to take care of."

Jayna grew concerned, remembering Kalani's offer to beat up Sid. "What kind of business?"

He shrugged. "You'll never know if you miss this meeting."

Her guilt at being caught trying to sneak out was quickly overshadowed by curiosity. "Then I guess I'd better go."

She looped her arm through his, and together they walked into the theater. Her joy at seeing Kalani was replaced with trepidation as she took in the theater seats full of park employees. She attempted to steer him towards the high seats, but Kalani shook his head and gestured towards the front.

"Are you kidding me?" Jayna asked, aware that every eye in the theater was on them.

"Nope," he said, and though his smile remained, Jayna could tell he was serious.

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."

A loud murmur of surprise filled the theater, followed by hesitant applause.

Jayna couldn't believe what she had just heard and looked wide-eyed at Kalani for confirmation. He nodded his acknowledgment with a grin so large, it threatened to split his face.

She felt a little thrill of happiness deep in her chest. This is what she had wanted—for Realms and Kingdom to come together. And Kalani was going to be their General Manager!

But then she remembered just how much Gabrielle had disliked the idea of the two parks merging, not to mention her animosity towards Kalani. She glanced warily at her friend, but Gabrielle didn't appear all that upset at the announcement. If anything, she seemed pleased.

"Realms and Kingdom will remain separate legal entities," Sid continued, "with independent management teams and a shared board of directors. Kingdom of Tangaroa shareholders will retain full ownership of that park. This park will be given to you. As of midnight tonight, the Realms of Neptune will become an employee-owned company."

After a moment of stunned silence, the aquatic theater erupted in cheers like Jayna had never heard before.

She felt light-headed. "Is he serious?"

Somehow, Kalani's smile had grown even larger. "It's already done. We had the legal meeting this morning and signed the papers."

Jayna looked up at the stage where Sid sat proudly in his merman tail and merbreather, beaming at the park's cheering employees. His eyes met hers, and her heart swelled.

Why was he doing this? Was he trying to buy his way back into her heart?

If so, was it working?

Sid motioned for silence. "I'm sure you all have questions, so as soon as I'm done, Hazel will come up here to answer them for you. After that, please make your way to the reception grotto, where we'll celebrate the Realms of Neptune's new owners—you!"

There was another round of applause as Sid waved his arms, launched himself into the tank, and swam towards the backstage tunnel.

Unable to contain herself any longer, Jayna hopped to her feet, leaped over Kalani, and dashed to the dressing room.