Page 46 of Second Tide's the Charm
I chuckle and he makes eye contact, a wide smile stretching across his tanned face. “What’s your poison?”
“From vending machines?”
He nods, and I don’t have to think. “Snack mix,” I say at the same time as Adrian, who’s been quiet since I joined the others on deck.
Liam shifts his gaze between Adrian and I, blue eyes appraising beneath the brim of his cap.
“I prefer M&M’s,” Sylvia says, rescuing us from the awkward silence after our inadvertent jinx. “Sweet tooth.”
“Regular or peanut?” Apparently, Liam doesn’t play when it comes to vending machine fare.
“Easy,” Sylvia says. “Regular, no contest.”
“Mm-mm.” Adrian shakes his head. “Peanut,” he says, at the same time as I do, and I cringe inwardly.
“You two work together a lot?” Liam lifts his cap and rakes his hands through his sun-streaked brown hair in an overly casual way that lets me know he’s already formed an opinion.
“Used to.” Adrian’s voice is neutral. “Small field.” He doesn’t so much as look my way, and I send him a silent thank-you.
“Have you published lately?” Liam directs this question my way and I’m starting to wish I hadn’t left the safety of the helm.
I lick my lips. Questions like these are commonplace, but this is my first time being asked since I’ve been back. “I co-authored a study on the efficacy of various techniques to stop the spread of zebra mussels in Lake Michigan.”
“Michigan?” He frowns slightly. “Long way from the ocean. How’d you end up there?”
My eyes dart toward Marissa and Adrian. They both know my story, but only Adrian was personally affected. Having to explain myself in front of him is uncomfortable, but I knew this might happen when I signed on. “I grew up there. After I earned my master’s degree in marine science, I worked in elasmobranch research for a couple years, but a friend of mine lost her husband, and I wound up moving in with her to help her with her kids. Worked in freshwater biology for the past few years.”
“Sorry to hear about your friend,” Liam says, and Sylvia nods. “I bet you have some cool insight, working in the Great Lakes. What was your focus?”
His easy acceptance of my story, like everything is actually okay, has my heart full. The first stranger that I’ve had to explain my work history to, and it was no big deal. Granted, he’s not a prospective employer or potential doctoral advisor, but a weight I’ve been carrying for a long time lifts as I delve into my research in Michigan.
At one point, I catch Adrian’s eye, and he smiles. No awkwardness, no trace of a barrier, just the support of someone who cared—and maybe still cares—about me. For a moment, the world feels pretty close to perfect.
“I love how you were able to come back to this after your time away,” Sylvia says. “I was in a similar situation after I had my daughter. I planned on jumping right back in, but I ended up taking a year. Coming back, I was scared of getting labeled a typical mom, or a cliché. But screw that,” she says. “We do what we need to, for ourselves, our friends, our family. And we keep going. That’s all that matters.”
Her words are an echo of Gabe’s... Keep going. Don’t give up. Could that be true for Adrian and I, or just wishful thinking? If I’d been willing to try to share a home with him, even at the risk of failure, might things have been different now?
“Don’t look now, but I think we’re being watched,” Liam says in a false whisper.
I glance up so fast my neck spasms and sure enough, Gabe’s recording us.
“Just getting B-roll,” he assures us.
“Which means?”
Marissa glances up from her laptop. “That he’ll have that on all day, and you should ignore it,” she says. “Trust me, you do not want to hear him go into the history of filmmaking right now.” She drops her chin to her chest and fakes a snore.
“Big talk from someone who once spent over an hour explaining the etymology of the term ‘mermaid’s purse’ for shark egg cases and the unique embryonic development of shark fetuses, complete with illustrative specimen photos from your phone’s camera roll.”
“When you have access to source material, you use it. Academia 101.”
“We were in a karaoke bar.”
Liam lets out a laugh. “I’ve got to confess that I’ve watched every one of your episodes, but you guys are even more fun in person.”
“Right?” Sylvia is grinning. “So cool to be a part of this.” She turns to me. “You said you’ve got an interest in white shark migration, right?” At my nod, she says, “Because Gwen—Dr. Gwen Oswald—are you familiar with her work?”
“Of course.” Her research center in Santa Barbara is one of the most prestigious white shark research programs in the United States.
