Page 22 of Ripple Effect

“Hey.” She gives me a humorless snort. “Life’s too short to stick to our safe, little routines. Don’t you think?”

“If you say so.”

“You know, I’m curious,” she says, her gaze sweeping across my features. “What is that you’re studying?”

“Electrical engineering.” I scrub a hand across my forehead, blowing out a heated breath. “I’m in my final year of the program now. Took a year off after high school.”

“So, that makes you ...”

“Twenty-two.”

“Hm, I just turned twenty-one over the summer.”

I angle my head and give her a knowing look. “Should’ve guessed you were a summer baby.”

“That’s right.” She beams at me, her soft, amber eyes sparkling in the sunrise. It’s invigorating. Warm. All-encompassing. “And what are your plans after graduation? Any big dreams?”

My smile fades a little, and I scratch the back of my neck. “Don’t know, really. Get a decent job in my field, move out of my apartment, get Bentley a yard to putz around in if he’s still kicking.”

“That sounds nice,” she says sincerely, her eyes meeting mine. “What about in the far future?”

“Far future?” I quirk a brow. “You mean, like, retirement?”

“Yeah, like that.”

“Never put much thought into it.” I let out a breathy laugh. “Maybe a small house by the beach, a cottage in the woods, a steady job to keep me busy. Nothing fancy.”

“That sounds perfect,” she says softly, wistfully.

“What about you?”

“Maybe academia, research of some kind.” She shrugs out of the top half of her wet suit, raking a hand through her damp hair. Then she pats the sandy spot next to her, a silent invitation. “I’d like to teach marine bio at the college level, I think.”

Sitting down next to her, I unclip Bentley’s collar, watching as he slowly dashes toward the receding waves. “That’s your major?”

“Yeah. Fitting, right?”

“Very.” Clearing my throat, I venture a bit further, “What’s, uh, do you have a favorite thing about it?”

Her features brighten as she turns to face me. “I really love sea turtles.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, well, all animals, really.” She looks out at the ocean, her gaze softening. “But I think sea turtles are my favorite thing to study. Did you know that they use the Earth’s magnetic field to navigate?”

“I didn’t. But that’s pretty cool.”

“Right? It’s incredible. I love how the ocean’s full of so many mysteries.” She stretches her arms high above her head, spine stiff from her morning surf. “Did you know that over ninety percent of its species have yet to be classified?”

My brows shoot up. “Really? That’s fucking terrifying.”

“No, it’s amazing.”

“I don’t know, something about all that mystery kind of freaks me out.”

“You mean, like, the universe in general?” Her eyes spark with mischief. “How it’s constantly expanding? How there are probably three hundred and fifty billion galaxies out there just like ours, yet to be discovered.”

I lean back on my hands, shooting her a wary look. “Jesus Christ,” I mutter, the enormity of her words sinking in. “See, when you put it like that, it’s pretty scary shit.”

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