Page 62 of Second Tide's the Charm
“Trouble, as always.” She scans his card and swivels toward me. “My goldendoodles,” she explains. “I bring them in here for our Read-to-a-Dog events. Great motivation for reluctant readers, and they lap up the attention.” She winks at the pun, drawing a laugh from me and a groan from Adrian.
“Keep those coming,” I tell her. “Puns are this man’s nemesis.”
“In that case maybe I ought not. We want to make sure he keeps coming back.” She slides the first book under the barcode scanner and peers at me over her bejeweled glasses. “Did you know he spearheaded an entire STEAM story time program in conjunction with the university? Convinced several of the faculty to come in every month and give a talk about their job and read a picture book related to it. Some of them even incorporate crafts and hands-on science experiments.”
He shrugs off her praise. “They were happy to do it.”
Setting the book aside, she leans her elbow on the checkout counter. “An influencer, that’s what he is.”
He sighs, but she makes a shooing motion, the gems in her acrylic nails flashing. “Hush now. It’s not a bad thing, young man. You influenced your colleagues to do good in the community. Your influence in those kids’ lives will help get them reading about science and nature. You’re wielding your influence for good, and I for one love to see it.”
“You’re not the only one.” I’ve seen how conflicted Adrian feels about his status, the unwarranted way he feels like his platform is in some way inferior to the work he does the rest of the year.
But what he’s doing is an extension of that. He’s sharing his knowledge and experience. The years of study and exams and lab work. The long hours spent hunched over a laptop. The sweaty, physical days of fieldwork with no guarantee of usable data. The professional relationships he worked to cultivate. All of it has given him the ability to do the work he’s doing online.
“And, Hope.” I’m startled that she remembers my name. “My goddaughter was thrilled to see another ‘girl’—” she makes air quotes with an indulgent smile “—join the crew.”
An unexpected zing shoots through me. There are plenty of women in shark science. Classmates and professors, the late Dr. Clark herself. But media hasn’t always done a good job of portraying that reality.
After my slip-up today, the librarian’s words are an unexpected encouragement. “I’ll tell Marissa, she’ll be thrilled to hear. And if your goddaughter ever comes to one of the story times, we’d be happy to chat with her and answer her questions about sharks.”
“She’d love that, thank you.” She slides the books across the counter. “Don’t be strangers, you two.”
We could never be strangers. But the question remains: Who are we to each other?
twenty-four
adrian
I hated how I had to rush off to the library the moment we got back to shore, and planned to find Hope afterward to apologize. Once again, her unexpected arrival disrupted my plans, but this time seeing her made my heart lift. She’s here, when I didn’t expect a second chance.
The moment we pass through the outer doors, weighty heat blankets my pores. Although the air is sodden with vapor molecules, the hazy aura of the sun is visible through the clouds. The rain must’ve moved off while I was inside.
Thescuff-slideof Hope’s sandals on the sidewalk comes from a few steps behind, and I slow my pace to match hers.
She smiles up at me. “Still haven’t made the switch to ebooks?” She used to tease me for the ever-shifting stacks of books piled on the couch, my bed, and even the edge of the bathtub.
“I’m on screens enough for work, especially lately.” I shift the stack of books in my arms as she falls into step next to me. “Reading physical books gives me a break from blue light to wind down before bed.” The wordbedrings loudly in the deserted parking lot. Especially since I can remember all too well Hope’s head on my bare shoulder as we leaned against the headboard, sharing snippets of what we were each reading. Her dozing off with the lights on, and me tucking her laptop away before settling in next to her.
Does she remember? Or has she tried to forget?
“Figured maybe these days you hit the gym at night, though I guess lugging those around is workout enough.” She lifts her chin to the books.
Amused, I say, “Some nights. Though my workouts aren’t as intense as before. At first—” I stop myself, because I was about to say, my workouts were most intense at the beginning, when she went to Michigan, and the weeks stretched into a month, and then a season, and I realized she wasn’t coming back. Not for me, at least.
“At first...” she prompts.
“Easier to maintain muscle than gain it.” My first instinct is to leave it there, but I realize I want to share this. Want to let her in. “I couldn’t sleep much, once I realized—” My throat goes tight and scratchy, but no going back now.
I swallow, eyes on the shiny foil cover of the top novel. “Once I realized we were over, I needed something to take my mind off things. A colleague had been pestering me to join him in the gym. Said he needed a workout buddy to stay accountable. I figured it would last a few weeks, tops. But I got hooked on the science of it. Trial and error, seeing the changes in my routine yield measurable results.” I approached strength training like I do most things in life: research before action. Analyze, gather information, then put it into practice.
To anyone else, this might sound impossibly nerdy, but Hope is nodding along.
“Not to mention, there’s something satisfying about ending the day with an activity I know will go to plan.” Self-consciousness overtakes me at sharing all this. “Who would’ve thought?” I say, acknowledging my penchant for predictability and routine.
But Hope doesn’t laugh. “I’m glad you had that. And it sounds like it was good for you, beyond the obvious.” Her sunglasses are tucked in her hair, eyes unshielded, so I notice the quick sweep of her eyes down my body and feel a rush of pleasure.
“So you like the new look?” Dangerous territory, but I’ve been dying to know what she thinks. Her comment in the library about being into my body back before I started lifting weights has me curious.
