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imagine it?”
    “I know it’s corny, but I just want my dad to agree… on his own.”
    “Oh?”
    “And we can’t tell anyone about this.”
    My brow furrowed. “Tell anyone about what?”
    “About the arrest warrants!” She shook her open hands at me. “Where have you been?”
    I sucked in a breath. “Well, sure… yeah. Of course.”
    She gawked at me, determination wrinkling her forehead. “You can tell your parents, but…” she stood and took my hands in hers, “if we truly want the mers to have the freedom to live on land, then no one can know about this. We’re supposed to be the masters at it.”
    “Oh,” I said, thankful I finally understood. “Yeah. Right.”
    “So, you and your dad have to figure out a way to fix this before anyone visits. Find Alaster, pin it on him, or come up with a convincing story about how the fire was started, and where I went. Not something that the press would go after and not let go, but something decent.”
    Decent. Right. I had no clue what that could be, but I’d figure out something. Anything to make her smile.
    “Until then,” she lifted her chin, “I’m finishing out my senior year.”
    I nodded, suddenly regretting that I’d agreed to join her.
    “That’s a good idea,” I said.
    The space between her eyes puckered in that cute way I liked. “You’re coming with me, right?”
    “Of course I am.”
    “To high school.”
    “Yep.”
    “For four weeks.”
    “If that’s how long it is, then yes.”
    “You’re not going to argue with me?”
    I dipped my head. “With my wife? No way. We’re a team, remember? And if this is what you need, so be it.”
    Her eyes teared up again, her lip quivering. My insides seized. What did I say wrong now?
    “What did I do to deserve you?” She grabbed onto me, laying her lips on mine.
    I almost collapsed in relief and deepened the kiss. “No. I’m the lucky one.”
    Her body softened in my arms. “Thank you, Fin.”
    I squeezed tighter. What was four weeks anyway? Piece of crab cake.

    ~|~

    After Ash had found me one of her dad’s shirts to wear, she changed out of her dress into yoga pants while I searched for an alibi on the internet. Luckily, there was a city located close to the border in Arizona that would be an ideal place for a mission tour and sounded similar enough to be confused with Africa.
    We walked downstairs, finding her parents where we’d left them, and smoothed things out the best we could before I headed over to the singed pile that used to be my house. Ash decided to stay behind to clean up the shrine in her yard. Glancing over to my parents’ driveway, I was momentarily jolted that my Jeep was missing until I remembered I’d left it in Florida.
    “Where’s Ash?” Dad crossed over to me, his hands blackened with soot.
    “She’s cleaning up the shrine in her front yard, and breaking the news to her best friend.”
    “Shrine?” Dad asked.
    I shrugged. “We didn’t think through the whole mission trip thing, so when they couldn’t reach her, they thought she was missing.”
    “Oh.”
    “Yeah. There’s also a warrant out for my arrest,” I said.
    “For?”
    “Arson.” I gave him a fake smile. “Got any pull in the police department?”
    Dad grabbed onto my shoulder and squeezed while he laughed. “Oh, don’t worry about it. I have to go sweet-talk the county for the building permits later anyway, so I’ll take care of it while I'm there.”
    Hope filled me. I knew if anyone could fix this, he could.
    “This is quite some mess.”
    Dad gave me a disheartened look. “Yes, it is. I can’t believe my brother would do such a thing.”
    “Have you seen him at all?”
    Dad let out a low whistle. “No, but knowing him, he’s lurking somewhere embarrassed. He knows he’s not welcome.” Dad lifted another charred board. Underneath was a burnt picture of our family. He cursed. “He’ll more than pay. He’ll suffer.”
    Oh, yes he will.
    Forcing himself on Ash to be his