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  “Hello,” I say to her softly.

  She falters for a split second before giving me a warm smile and quickly turning away to busy herself with her equipment. I can’t help but smirk. Oh yes, Melissa has recognized me as well.

  I make myself comfortable on a bench next to Cody and Garrett as we head out of the calm waters between the two islands. It’s only about twenty minutes before we find a pod of bottlenose dolphins.

  “OK, let’s get you guys in the water. We like to do two at a time so as not to frighten or overwhelm them.” Marco points to Mitch and Steve to go in first and then looks to Cody and Garrett. “You two will be next,” he says. “Melissa, how long till you’re ready?”

  “I need about ten minutes to get the equipment set up. Oh, can you put that mic overboard for me,” she says, pointing to some sort of recording device with a long microphone. He nods and lets the long cord with the microphone fall overboard. She flips a switch on it and busies herself with other equipment.

  “Sorry, mate, what’d you say your name was?” Peter asks me.

  “Oh, I didn’t. It’s Nick,” I say to him.

  “Nick, I hope you don’t mind but we’re going to pair you up with Melissa,” he says.

  “That’s fine,” I say. I lean over and look at all her equipment.

  “Can I help you with anything?” I ask her as I lean just enough that she will feel my body heat.

  She jumps at my proximity. “Oh, uh sorry, no, nope. I’m good. I just need to calibrate this one thing, and then I can get suited up,” she says, her words coming out quickly, too quickly. I give her a Cheshire cat grin and step back to give her space.

  “OK, Cody and Garrett, you guys ready?” Marco says as Steve and Mitch head back toward the boat singing praises about how this tour is always so amazing.

  Marco then remembers them from another tour and as they board the vessel the three of them start chatting up about local stuff.

  I’m half-aware that Cody and Garrett have jumped in the water. Garrett has his GoPro and is videoing the whole encounter. I look out past Melissa and see several dolphins swim up to them. OK, this is pretty fucking cool, I think to myself.

  I turn to find that Peter is helping Melissa. I realize then that Melissa is taking off her polo shirt, the same one in another color that she had worn last night. I’m transfixed as I watch the shirt come up over her head, revealing a petite, but curvy body. She wears a swimsuit that’s more like an Olympic swimmer’s than a sexy bikini, but damn it if she doesn’t make it look sexy. Her cleavage is tucked in; however, I can see her nipples pebble against the fabric. I literally have to focus on keeping my mouth shut. She slips off her shorts and turns to me.

  “Uh, do you mind holding this for me for a second,” she says quietly, trying not to make eye contact.

  “Sure,” I answer, taking a small black box from her that’s in some sort of underwater housing. My fingers brush against hers, and I see the goose bumps emerge once more. Her face and chest turn that delicious pink, and I smile.

  Cody and Garrett climb back on board raving about their encounter. Melissa gets her mask in place and climbs into the water holding another device and attaching a GoPro camera to her chest. Once she’s in the water, she looks up at me.

  “You can hand that to me,” she says. I lean down and hand her the box before climbing into the water next to her. She’s treading water while trying to somehow hook the two boxes together.

  “You need help,” I ask her. She’s biting her lip, and she looks adorable, her eyes concentrating on the task at hand as her tongue darts out over her bottom lip. I’m suddenly glad I’m in cold water, because all the blood rushes to my cock, and I stifle a moan.

  “There,” she says with a big smile when the devices click into place. She holds it up like a trophy and explains to me that the device is measuring frequencies and ripples in the water. She stops her explanation and laughs. “Uh, I think you have a new friend.”

  I turn to where she’s looking and smile. A small dolphin has just popped its head up out of the water and is staring at me.

  “Well, hello there,” I say to it.

  Melissa giggles and my heart lurches. “Try saying that under the water,” she suggests.

  I put my head under and the dolphin follows suit. “Hello,” I say in the water, although it’s all garbled, and I’m not sure what the dolphin thinks I’m saying. It stares at me, and then I hear it. It’s making noises, little, high-pitched sounds, and clicks.

  I pop up and stare at Melissa who also pops up and smiles at me. “I think it talked to me,” I laugh.

  “Oh? And what did she say?” Melissa asks, cocking her head to one side.

  “She said you should come and get a drink with me after this to celebrate my first inter-species conversation,” I respond with a smirk.

  Melissa tosses her head back and gives me a full laugh. “Oh really?”

  “Yep, that’s exactly what she said…she?”

  Melissa giggles again. “Yes,” she says. Then she launches into an explanation as more dolphins come up, and finally, she sets to work while I talk to more dolphins.

  Melissa is at home in the water. We get to stay in longer than the other four because she needs to get more data. Eventually, we give everyone else another turn, before taking one ourselves. The pod starts to swim away, and Marco suggests we go look for others. We all sit as the boat cruises through the water. Melissa is looking at her video, and I lean over to see it.

  She suddenly squeals with delight.

  “What?!” I ask.

  She rewinds the video. “See that, right there.” She points at what looks like a small black bump on the back of a dolphin that’s about thirty feet from her.

  “Yes.”

  “That’s a tag, an acoustic tag,” she explains. She bends over and opens a waterproof laptop and connects another box to it that’s been sitting on board. She logs into some system and a map comes on the screen and a small red circle. She clicks on the red circle and a data file pulls up on the screen.

  She points to it. “See, I captured its location with our GPS and I can load into this other researcher’s data drive. They nicknamed him…Leroy or bottlenose dolphin number one-three-six-seven,” she giggles. “Anyhow, I don’t always see tagged dolphins, so that’s a really cool bonus today.”

  I nod and watch as she uploads various data before logging off and switching batteries on some of her equipment. About ten minutes later, we stumble upon a pod of spinner dolphins and again, we’re in the water.

  This pod is huge and moving around and generally harder to keep up with so our time in the water is shorter. Melissa gets some more data and the pod moves on before we make our way back, spotting one sperm whale in the distance as we do.

  “Well, I hope you all enjoyed your day today. It was pretty great,” says Marco as we pull up to the marina.

  We all thank him and Peter and provide them with generous tips before disembarking. Melissa is struggling to get her equipment put into bags. I lean down and hand her one of the boxes she had in the water.

  “Thanks,” she says, blowing a piece of hair out of her face, but it only falls back down. I reach out without thinking and tuck it behind her ear. I can see a blush creep across her face.

  “So, when are we getting that congratulatory drink?” I ask.

  “Oh, uh, I don’t know,” she answers, slowing as she turns to face me. “We normally meet up at this little bar…” She trails off as she remembers last night, I can see the recollection in her eyes.

  “The same one as last night?”

  “Yes, that one,” she says softly.

  “Well, then I’ll see you tonight,” I say as I take one of her bags and place it on the cement dock before offering her my hand. She grabs it and hoists two other bags onto the dock.

  “See you tonight, Nick,” she says and gives me a smile as she walks over to Michelle.

  “Soooo…,” Cody says as we walk back to the hote
l.

  “So, what?” I ask him, playing dumb. He rolls his eyes.

  “Seriously, Nick?”

  I give him a smirk and he laughs. “OK, if that’s how you’re going to play it.”

  “I’m not playing,” I say coyly.

  “Uh huh,” Cody laughs again.

  “I take it we are going out for a drink tonight?” Garrett says with a grin.

  “Well, I don’t know about you two, but I’m going to celebrate my first inter-species conversation,” I say as I walk up to my room.

  “Well, women are like another species, but you're first, really?” Cody teases me.

  “Cody, and I’m saying this as family not as your employee…fuck off,” I say as I open my door.

  “Oh, come on, man, I’m just giving you shit. She’s beautiful, if you didn’t pursue that I’d be questioning you right now,” he says.

  “Yeah, well…lay off,” I say, and I close the door in his face. Maybe that was a bit harsh, I’m usually pretty chill, but for some reason, I’m not today.

  I take a shower and stand with the towel wrapped around my waist as I look out toward Pico. I’m intrigued by the other island and look forward to exploring it while I’m here on this project.

  I go over my notes from the morning and double-check some calculations. I note an error and email it to Cody and Garrett. Then I read through some more of the seismic data that I received from Mitch’s staff while we were out on the boat. A knock on my door halts my work.

  I look through the peephole and my heart jumps into my throat. Melissa is standing there. She looks nervous and is biting her lip. I smile. Her hair is loose now, and she’s wearing a flowing sundress with flowers on it. Part of her hair is pulled back off her face with some kind of barrette.

  I open the door and realize I’m still only wearing a towel. I smirk.

  “Hello,” I say to her.

  Her eyes widen as she surveys my body. I give her a few seconds to gawk. “What can I do for you?” I ask with a raised eyebrow.

  “Oh, I, uh, there’s a change of plans,” she says, clearing her throat and trying to focus on my face.

  “Oh?”

  “Uh, yeah. Marco has his uncle’s sailboat tonight and a bunch of us were going to sail over to a restaurant on Pico. Do you think you and your friends would like to come with us?” she asks.

  “Sure. How’d you find me?” I ask, realizing I never said where we were staying.

  She shrugs. “Well, it’s not rocket science. You’re here on business and this is the nicest hotel on the island,” she explains.

  “I see,” I reply as I watch her eyes travel down my torso once more. I really want to ask her if she likes what she sees since earlier today I wore my surf shirt, so I hadn’t put my abs on full display. I’m not one to brag, but I keep a punishing gym routine. I played college soccer and still play in a rec league at home. I pride myself on staying in shape and even try to do at least two triathlons every year. My friends always joke with me about my fitness routine, but it grounds me. I need it to keep me mellow. “What time?” I ask her.

  “In about an hour, down at the marina, just here,” she says, pointing out at the vessels beyond my window.

  “Alright,” I say to her, knowing Cody will back me on this change of plans.

  “The boat’s name is Cetacea,” she says.

  I laugh. “Well, alright then.” I’m amused by the name.

  “OK, well, I’ll let you get dressed, and I’ll see you in a bit,” she says as she bites her lip nervously once more.

  “See you soon, Melissa,” I say as I shut my door.

  I pump my fist in the air as I go to change. She definitely is into me. I’m not sure why this excites me so much. I pause and ponder that for a long minute and then shake my head and button my shirt.

  I’ve had four long-term girlfriends, one in high school, two in college, and one last year. I’ve dated a smattering of other women and had a few one-night stands in college. I’d say I’m pretty typical of the other twenty-something guys I hang out with at home. I know women find me attractive, but I’m also really sensitive and a people pleaser. While Lily was always the strong one acting out, I was usually the coward trying to talk her off her ledge. I’ve only found since being apart from her that I am stronger than I thought I was and perhaps I’ve just projected this persona on myself because I felt it was my role in our “twinship” as I call it.

  Of course, that took six months of therapy after a plane crash to figure out, but nonetheless, it was a catastrophic breakthrough. The plane crash flickers in my mind for a brief moment. My family had been on a plane that went down in Colombia, while we were on our way to get my sister. My cousin Zoe suffered the worst injuries, but, all in all, we were pretty lucky to come away with minor cuts, bruises, and broken bones. I shake my head again, clearing my thoughts and text Cody and Garrett with our change of plans. Cody texts Mitch and Steve, and we all meet up in the lobby a half hour later.

  I’m at the bar having a beer when Cody and Garrett come down.

  “You ready?” I ask them.

  “Sure,” Garrett says as he nudges Cody. I roll my eyes.

  “What?” I ask.

  “Oh, nothing. So, Melissa found you, huh?” he says with a smirk.

  “OK, please let me have it, don’t hold back,” I say with a groan.

  Garrett slaps me on the back. “We’re just giving you shit, man. Let’s go have a good night.”

  I down the rest of my beer, and we meet Mitch and Steve outside. It only takes a few minutes to find the sailboat as Marco, Michelle, Peter, Melissa, and about four others are laughing loudly. We follow the hoopla, and I stand and watch her for half a second before she turns and sees us.

  Waving she smiles at us. “Come on aboard, guys,” she says with a big grin. We all come aboard and take various seats around the sailboat.

  Marco seems to be manning the boat on his own. “Can I offer you a hand?” I ask him.

  “You sail?” he asks.

  “Yep,” I reply. “My mom grew up sailing on the Chesapeake, and my parents used to take us out as kids. I took sailing classes for a long time and even raced a few times.”

  “Can you get the jib for me?” he asks.

  “Sure, no problem, toss me that line,” I tell him, and he does. We silently go about getting the sails set, and then Marco takes the wheel. I lean against the side of the boat next to Melissa.

  “You sail?” she asks.

  “Yes,” I answer her.

  “Impressive,” she says.

  “Not really, at least not where I grew up. It wasn’t that unusual.”

  “Where’d you grow up?” she asks.

  “Maryland.”

  She nods.

  “How about you?” I ask her. She’s clearly American by her accent.

  “Oh, we moved around a lot when I was a kid, my dad was always getting transferred,” she says.

  “Which place was your favorite?” I ask her.

  She shrugs. “I liked Florida, that’s where I decided I wanted to be a marine biologist.”

  “What made you decide that?” I ask as Peter cracks open some champagne and starts doling it out to everyone.

  I hand a glass to Melissa. “Thanks,” she says. “Hmmmm…well, I guess it was because of a stranding I saw one summer. There was this dolphin that I tried to help and…well…it broke my heart, so I decided that’s what I wanted to do…to help them that is.”

  “That’s a noble cause,” I say.

  “I guess,” she murmurs as she looks out at a pod of dolphins in the distance.

  “What do you do?” she asks me.

  “I’m an engineer,” I say. “Cody, Garrett, and I work for an engineering firm that’s building a wind farm on the other side of the island. Mitch and Steve are heading up the construction end of things.”

  “I see,” she says. I can’t tell if she’s impressed or not. “How long will you be here?”

  “A few days
this time,” I say to her.

  She nods. “How long will it take to construct them?”

  “About three months total,” I say.

  “That seems like an awfully long time,” she notes.

  “Well, it’s a bit more complicated because of the seismic activity on the island,” I explain.

  “Oh, yeah. I guess I didn’t think about that,” she says. The wind picks up, and I see goose bumps dot her arms. I slip off the jacket that I had thrown on and put it over her shoulders.

  “Thanks,” she says as she pulls it closed.

  I nod. I look around to see that Mitch and Steve are deep in conversation with Peter and Michelle. And Cody and Garrett are talking to two young women and a man who I recognize from the bar yesterday. The other man stands next to Marco and chats about the sailboat.

  “Do they all work with you?” I ask Melissa, motioning to our entourage.

  “Well, technically I’m doing a project for a marine center at a university, but I worked with them two summers ago, and they let me come out to do my research. But yes, they all work for the tour company. Marco, he owns it.”

  “That’s impressive,” I say. Marco looks to be in his early thirties.

  “Yeah, Marco grew up here. He studied marine sciences in Spain and then came back and opened his tour company.”

  “That’s cool.”

  “I should introduce you,” Melissa says as she takes my hand, leading me over and introducing me to Henry, who is speaking with Marco, Gwynn, Ava, and Ian who are talking to Cody and Garrett. Everyone seems friendly and like the type of people I’d hang out with if I lived here. I feel at ease, perhaps it’s the champagne or perhaps it’s Melissa.

  The boat docks on Pico just as the sun begins to set. We walk up the ramp and into a local restaurant overlooking the water. Marco knows the owner, and we have a private room open to a deck. The wine starts flowing and Pico stew is served. I cringe at the thought of eating octopus, but Melissa insists I try it.