Page 39 of The Sasquatch and the Hairdresser

Skylar turns to me with a puzzled look. “Can you make alcohol from mushrooms?”

“Not on their own, but with a sugar source for fermentation, you can make wine or beer from them, I would think.”

Baxter rounds up one of the loopy gnomes still holding a flask. “What have you got in there?”

The gnome blinks at him a few times and grins. “Why, the finest mushroom-infused mead you’ve ever tasted.” She takes a swallow as if to prove her point and then burps.

Baxter uses his radio to call for backup. In short order, several other police officers arrive and begin rounding up the gnomes, taking away their flasks and securing them in a transport van.

“We’re gonna take them back to a room at the station. Let them sleep it off and then have a conversation when they’re sober in the morning,” Baxter explains.

Fortunately, the gnomes are too high to be all that bothered and treat the whole escapade as an adventure.

“Were you able to prevent their war with the lawnmowers earlier?” I ask.

Baxter’s large nostrils flare, and he huffs out a breath. “Fortunately, they stopped for food at the diner first. They ended up stuffing themselves and then toddled off to their camp for a nap.”

“Glad to hear there was no damage to public or private property,” I say.

Baxter’s mouth sets in a firm line. “Now that we know the root cause of their recent erratic behavior, we can put an end to their hijinks.”

“Godspeed, my friend,” I tell him with a salute.

Baxter’s really had his work cut out for him lately.

Skylar and I help secure the gnomes’ tents and put out the bonfire so things are safe for their return later. Baxter thanks us before taking off with his officers and the gnomes in tow.

All too fast, it’s just me and the man I’m head over heels for alone on the beach.

We stare at one another for a long, silent moment.

I open my mouth to say something, I’m not sure what, when a loud splash in the water startles us. We turn in time to see Marius, one of Mystic Hollow’s merpeople, break the surface of the water, his tail slapping the water behind him.

“Please tell me you’re going to give me a better show than those gnomes. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a good display of nudity when I see one.” He shudders. “Emphasis on good. Theirs was not. Too many beards for my taste.”

Skylar gapes at Marius. I’m not sure if it’s because he’s maybe never seen a merperson before or because Marius is incredibly beautiful.

As Ryder likes to say, it makes up for his intrusive tendencies and slightly off-putting personality. He’s Mystic Hollow’s most notorious voyeur and enjoys spying on people within viewing distance of his natural water habitat. Since he moved in, a committee has been appointed to make sure warning signage is always posted for visitors to the lake.

Marius tosses his long hair over his shoulder and leers at us. “Don’t mind me. I’m happy to watch while you two get your freak on.” He winks at us. “Or I would be more than happy to join you.”

Skylar and I turn to one another at the same time and, with what I suspect are matching looks of horror on our faces, hightail it out of there.

“Party poopers!” Marius yells after us.

Back on the trail, Skylar takes my hand again, natural as can be, and my heart’s beating wildly once more.

“Was that guy for real?” he asks.

“You mean Marius?”

“Is that his name?”

I nod. “He’s a bit of a pervert but harmless, or the town would have sent him on his way. I think it’s from loneliness and not being taught good social skills. I’m not sure what the situation is with him and the other merpeople in the lake, but I’ve only ever seen him alone. He gets a kick out of watching couples on the beach, but he does ask for consent first. Max and Ryder have lectured him on that point.”

“I think my mermaid illusions have been shattered,” Skylar laments.

“What were you expecting?”