I thought for a moment. "Topolina is a story, yes. But she not JUST a story, she is a legend. You know the difference?"

"Not quite," she replied.

"A story can be rewritten. A legend lives on in remembrance of what they lived for."

She stared at me. "What did Topolina live for?

"Love. She lived for love."

"That's a good thing to live for," Shannon said.

"It sure is Shannon Elizabeth Patterson. It sure is."

Suddenly a loud POP POP POP sounded over the water. Shannon jumped into my lap.

"What in the heck is THAT?" She yelped.

Andy came running over to my side and sunk into the sand. "Why are you sitting on my dad?" he laughed. She moved away, shaking the sand from her shoes. "Uhh," he stammered, "you look pretty tonight, Shay."

She smiled shyly. "Um, thank you, Andy. But it's Shannon."

"I like Shay," he shrugged, grinning at her.

"Fine, but I'm gonna call YOU Andrew if you call ME Shay."

"Fine," he laughed. "I like my friend Ava better than you anyway. She lets me call her Ave Maria. And I sing to her at church. Do you go to Church, SHAN-NUN."

He was Everly Anne to the bone.

"Watch out for this guy," I tucked him under my arm like a football. He began to laugh, and beg for release. "He's nothing but charm and trouble. Stay far away, Shannon Patterson."

POP POP POP. The dock completely fell over. I tried to keep a straight face as the kids started screaming. And then I really had to pray hard as Nicholas emerged from the water, covered in sea weed, tugging a long rope with an old wooden boat attached to it. He waved his hand at the kids on the beach.

"I found her boat! She tried to get me, but no one, of land nor sea, will ever take down Sergeant Petros!"

"Oh my gosh!" Shannon jumped up and ran to him, along with a gaggle of other kids, their poor parents horrified. "Look! He has treasure!" They dug inside of the boat, picking out random items I took from Julep's wardrobe collection from her plays. Fake jewels, gowns, props. And then Nick pulled out the bottle from his shirt.

"Ah, are you Shannon Elizabeth?" he asked.

"How do you know my name?"

"This bottle has your name on it," he explained. "Topolina only let me go because I promised to find you if I made it back to shore. She wanted you to have this, and for me to tell you your devotion has not gone unnoticed all these years."

Shannon took the bottle from Nick, and ran back to me. "Look!"

"I see that. Looks interesting. What's inside?"

She held it up to the light coming from the houses behind us. "It looks like . . . oh my God! It's hair. And . . ." she jingled the bottle. "A ring. A ring with emeralds! It's . . ." her face froze, and then she looked at me. "Oh my gosh. It was her. Wasn't it?"

"Who?" I played.

She lowered her voice. "Topolina was Miss Everly. This is the ring she wore! And her hair. Her pretty blond hair."

I only winked at our secret.

"Really? Andy's mom was a mermaid?"

"She's a legend, Shannon Elizabeth. Topolina is a legend."

Sunday Blessings One Sunday, in Red Pine, we were in the middle of debating Tatum's chicken frying skills when the doorbell rang-an oddity around our house. The screen door was typically the only thing between us and the outside world and most people knew us well enough to just come in if they needed something.

The shadow that stood in my doorway had shoulders wider than mine, and the darkest eyes of any man I had ever met.

I didn't even open the screen door; my spirit was too damn exhausted to deal with the Scorn of Satan. "What the hell do you want?"

He held up a small white box. "I was told to give this to you."