“Yeah.” Maya returned her attention to the movie. “Do you think all these effects seemed super cutting edge at the time? I feel like I could make stage vomit at least that convincing on my tiny budget.” She shrugged and reverted to their parallel conversation. “The festival happens out back behind the businesses on the north side of Main. There’s some fund-raising stuff, but it’s strictly for town causes—the library, the food bank. But also—and beware the meddling matchmakers here—a bachelor auction.”

“That all sounds kind of painfully cute. You’d better hope no tourists catch wind of it, or you’re going to end up accidentally creating a real fall festival.”

“I think everyone is pretty invested in keeping it on the down low. I have to say, auction aside, it’s actually a good time.”

“But Pearl is all over me to open the inn for a town sleepover? Isn’t that a little weird?”

“It’s a lot weird,” Maya agreed cheerfully. “That part came about a couple years ago because Lucille didn’t want anyone drinking and driving, so she offered free rooms. So many people took her up on it that it became a group sleepover. Who knows with this town? You do something twice, and suddenly it’s a tradition, cast into stone tablets as town lore. If you don’t want to do it, just tell—”

Thunk.

Something crashed against the front window.

“Now that is a special effect,” Maya said.

Thunk.

“What is that?” Maya asked.

“Whatever it is, it’s about to break my windows.” Eve got up to have a look.

“Which is why perhaps you should consider moving away from the windows,” Maya said.

“I can’t just let people break my inn.”

“Your inn? Aww. Look how fast that happened!”

Eve didn’t respond, because she’d opened the curtains to reveal a pair of men fighting. Like, fighting. The kind of fighting you saw in movie versions of bar brawls.

She shrieked and recoiled as one jammed his head into the other’s stomach. The force propelled them both against the Mermaid.

Maya joined her at the window. “Oh my God.”

“Right? We should call—”

Someone screamed. A woman had appeared on the scene, and she was yelling at the men. It was hard to tell if she was egging them on or exhorting them to stop.

“Where’s my phone?” Eve looked around the room. “We have to call the police.”

“No we don’t,” Maya said. “Because here comes your prince of darkness.”

“He’s not my prince of anything. He’s…”

Eve had never had a thing for men in uniform. Historically.

Of course, she had also never had a thing for beards. Historically.

But…something was happening to her as Sawyer strode up to the fight and shouted, “Police! Break it up!”

Tingly things were happening.