Page 55 of Reckless Hearts
So, I think we definitely should tell her. But I probably shouldn’t do that without talking to Seb first and ensuring it’s something he wants.
Saskia and I fall into our usual dancing rhythm, our bodies close but not quite touching. She trails her hands through her hair as she dances, and so many of the guys around us are eyeing her up.
There’s another guy over at the bar watching me. He’s the definition of an all-American guy, with a chiseled jawline, perfectly tousled blond hair, and biceps that look like they could bench press a small car.
I avert my gaze, turning my attention back to Saskia.
I’m laughing at her dramatic lip-syncing to “Dancing Queen” when I feel a tap on my shoulder.
I whirl around to find the all-American. Up close, his dark eyes are even more intense as his gaze rakes down my body.
He sticks out his hand. “Hey, I’m Jake.”
“Yeah, I’m not interested, mate,” I reply.
“Oh, trust me, I think you might be interested in what I have to say.”
13
Seb
I kneel on the tussock, trying to hold the fluffy chick tightly enough to keep it still but not damage the white feathery down covering its body. It makes small peeping sounds, and its dark eyes blink up at me.
I send a nervous look to the parent bird sitting on the nest only a few feet away. The parent bird seems to regard our intrusion with remarkable nonchalance, as if having humans handle its chick is just another mundane part of albatross parenting, right up there with regurgitating fish and nest maintenance.
My supervisor Brett takes what looks to be a pillowcase out of his bag.
“Now, you just put the chick in here, and we’ll weigh it,” he instructs.
“Is that a pillowcase?” I ask.
He flashes me a grin. “Never say we don’t use the latest, state-of-the-art equipment.”
When Marcus and I came out to Taiaroa Head, we paid money to watch the albatrosses flying from a distance. It’salmost unbelievable that now I’m getting paid during my summer internship to hold one of the chicks.
I place the chick gently in the pillowcase.
“That’s right. Now, attach the weighing scale to the top,” he says.
Trying to keep my hands from shaking and dropping the pillowcase with the precious cargo, I do exactly as Brett instructed.
I read the measurement aloud. “One point two kilograms.”
Brett notes that on his tablet.
“Now, just take the chick out and return it to the nest.”
I obey, carefully putting the fluffy baby back in the nest.
Keeping track of the weight of all the chicks in the albatross colony is an important part of the conservation of this species, allowing scientists to identify any potential issues early and hopefully intervene before it’s too late.
This is seriously the best internship ever.
And it’s good that my mind has had things to occupy itself over the last few months.
Especially today.
Because Saskia and Marcus arrived home yesterday, and he still hasn’t messaged me. I’m trying not to think about that. I’m trying not to pick up my phone and check for messages.
