Take Your Seaside Arms

When fifteen-year-old Rian Mariso's family road trip to the East Coast turns into a summer of heartbreak and self-discovery, he never expects to be swept away -- literally -- by a storm and rescued by a beautiful merman with a sparkling silver tail shimmering beneath the waves. Now years later, Rian is a successful but closeted insurance salesman, haunted by memories of that secret kiss he shared with the merman whose sea blue eyes he never forgot. Though his friends pressure him, Rian doesn't have the courage to come out to his conventional parents. His life has become a sham, and the loneliness is slowly killing his dreams. Then one night, the past resurfaces in the most unexpected way. The merman, who now calls himself Olson, shows up in the marina by Rian's home, in human form, desperate and weak. After years of searching for Rian, Olson has made a terrible deal in exchange for his human legs. Together, Rian and Olson have four weeks to conquer the spell, but for Rian, that means risking being discovered by his family. As Rian and Olson's connection deepens into something fierce and transformative, old wounds reopen, and time begins to run out for Olson. Can they find a place where they both belong -- on land or at sea -- before it's too late?