Tears welled in her mother’s eyes, and Laura looked away. “Okay, honey. Well, I’ll leave you to it.”

  “No. Wait, please stay,” Laura said as she reached for her mom’s arm.

  Her mother nodded and sat at the table next to Laura. With a swift flick, she clicked open the misshapen latch and flipped back the top. As expected, the strong, stale cloud of old cologne puffed up into her face, and she laughed. She slid out several books and pamphlets, laying them out on the table. The pages and sheets were crispy with age. Growing up, Laura had amassed an impressive collection of books, guides, and info sheets on everything to do with marine mammals and their care, training, and education.

  Laura felt an unexpected sense of solace when she saw one in particular. It was worn, yellowed, and distorted from the years she carried it around with her. She flipped to the front where the author had signed it to her. She brushed her thumb over the inscription as she had done a hundred times before. She’d never known another person besides Lyle Littleton who had such passion for the career until she met Jillian. And now BJ, and Brooke, and everyone at the institute, and they all believed in her, even as she struggled to believe in herself. She left the book off to the side and gathered up the rest to put back in the box. She would have loved to spend more time going through it, but she needed to get back.

  “Did you find what you were looking for, sweetheart?”

  Laura gripped the old paperback to her chest. How to be a Dolphin Trainer had been her Bible. She studied it tirelessly, making sure she met each and every requirement and prerequisite for success. Colored flaps and tabs marked nearly every page, sticking out like a ragged paper fan. The book had been her lighthouse and Lyle’s words her guide. Yet as she stood there before her collection, clutching her past, she realized that she’d found something at the institute that Lyle never included in any of his lists.

  Laura looked at her mother and said, “That and so much more.”

  * * *

  It was just after seven a.m. when Jillian entered the fish house. She double-checked her watch as well as the clock on the wall. By this time in the morning the hustle and bustle of clanging buckets should be done. However, BJ, Brooke, and Laura were still elbows deep in smelt. Fletcher stood stone-faced against the counter with his arms crossed.

  “What’s going on?” Jillian asked.

  “It seems one of our trainees needed an extra thirty minutes of sleep this morning and set us all back because of it.”

  Laura set the last bucket onto the rack and pushed it into the freezer. She came back out and smiled proudly. “Nothing we couldn’t handle.”

  Jillian looked over at BJ and Brooke, who weren’t quite as confident. When BJ averted his gaze, she knew who the guilty party was. It was a good sign of solidarity and teamwork that Laura had so confidently stepped up to take the slack, however it did little to excuse the error or eliminate the ripple effect it would have across the park for the remainder of the day.

  Working with animals for almost two decades, Jillian was used to frequent and last-minute schedule changes, as they worked around them and not the other way around. It was for a reason that everything that could be controlled was. Being late, delaying schedules, postponing feedings, training sessions, and visitor interactions was unacceptable, not just for Jillian but for the institute.

  A line of trainers began threading through the room to collect their first of the day’s meals from the refrigerator. Nearly all of them flashed surprised glances at each other and Jillian. Several of them hurried in and out as if knowing what was coming next and wanting to be as far away as possible when it did.

  “Spray it down,” she directed them in a stern tone. All three of them looked at each other and then to Fletcher.

  “It’s out of my hands now, kids,” he said, holding up his empty hands.

  As if just now realizing the seriousness, they each scrambled around the room. Jillian shook her head as a flustered BJ grabbed the same push broom as Brooke.

  Laura had witnessed it as well while she unraveled the hose from the wall. “Guys, for real? We do this every day,” Laura said as she pulled the other broom from the hook and handed it to him.

  Jillian chuckled to herself while they sprayed down every nook and cranny in the room. She was almost afraid that Laura’s thoroughness was going to rob her of the fun of the next part. When she thought she was finished, Laura set down the hose and the three of them traded their tools for scrub brushes and a long-handled mop.

  Jillian hadn’t done this in so long that she vibrated with excitement. “Wait just a sec,” she said.

  They looked at her curiously as she surveyed the room inspecting its various surfaces, walls, and basins. She stopped near the ice machine and tapped on the cold, wet steel. Next to her finger was a small iridescent fleck. She could see them everywhere now. She’d spent her first semester schlepping fish too, and she sometimes swore that she even saw them in her dreams at night. Sure, their next round of scrubbing would take care of them, but it wouldn’t be as much fun. Not for her anyway.

  She slipped her hand into her pocket where she had stuck a thick permanent marker. Jillian gave it a little shake between her fingers before uncapping it and drawing a bold, black circle around the sparkling fish scale. She turned back to see all three of their mouths flop open. She moved around the room circling every single scale and shrimp leg that she found. When she was finished, hundreds of them marked every surface in the room. Jillian might’ve gotten a little bit carried away with it, but it was a guarantee that they’d never forget the day or how they had gotten there.

  They stood rooted to the floor with shock on their faces. Jillian looked at her watch; it was just past eight o’clock. She had hoped to be in the water with Laura around now, and while she was disappointed by the turn of events, she’d gotten her consolation. Unfortunately for Laura, she was going to be spending the next three hours scrubbing marker off the walls in the fish house.

  “You have until lunch,” Jillian said as she walked out the door.

  * * *

  Jillian pranced out of the room. Laura couldn’t help but smile at the added swish of her hips as she sauntered out the door. She had been so proud of her little stunt and had no doubt been chomping at the bit for any reason to pull the trigger on it. As much as Laura should have been irritated, she was certain she’d have enjoyed doing the exact same thing.

  “What the fuck just happened?” BJ asked.

  He was far more inconvenienced by the punishment. Sure, she wasn’t thrilled by the idea of spending hours busting her knuckles on these walls, but she had to appreciate the creativity. Although having it doled out by such an attractive woman might have eased some of the pain. If she hadn’t known how bad she had it for Jillian before, she pretty much did now. “Could be worse,” she said as she shrugged.

  “Worse? We have to scrub permanent marker off concrete with nothing but a sponge and Comet,” he said, holding up the supplies for reference.

  “Well, if you had charged your phone last night or set a real alarm clock, we wouldn’t be here. Would we?” Laura smiled and snatched the sponge from him. Brooke let out a burst of laughter from the corner where she’d already begun scouring.

  “Yeah. We, err, I shouldn’t have stayed up so late,” he said, glancing over at Brooke quick enough that Laura almost missed it.

  They went to work on removing the marks. It had taken them close to every minute of the allotted time, all the way up to lunch. Minus the light and lingering fish scent, the room was spotless. Or in this case, scaleless. They had about five minutes to admire their handiwork before the second shift was due in to begin preparation of PM nutrition. While their shift had been delayed, second shift was right on time. Rounds of hoots and whistles echoed through the spotless room. Laura wanted to be proud, but she was too exhausted. Plus, it’s not like they had any option other than perfection when it came to Jillian’s directive.

  Laura cringed as the crew began their work. Within minutes, all their hard work would be gone, and it pained her a tad to stay and watch.

  “Wait,” Jillian called out when she came through the door. Everyone froze at her command. She made her way around the room quickly. It was easy to see that there wasn’t a single black mark remaining. Jillian smiled and nodded at them. Now Laura was proud. Despite her fatigue, she stood taller and pulled back her sore shoulders. She hoped to earn many more of those smiles from Jillian over the next four weeks.

  Chapter Ten

  The sun was barely up this morning as Laura made her way to the fish house. The difference on this day was that normally she’d be covered in squid guts by now. Today she got to sleep in, though unlike BJ the day before, she had the day off. Her knees were still pink and tender from spending three hours as Cinderella, thanks to him. Her neoprene wet suit was soft, but also tight enough to remind her every time she bent her legs.

  Laura had no idea what Jillian had up her sleeve for today. But given the sadistic enjoyment she got out of circling fish scales, Laura was apprehensive to say the least. Jillian was waiting outside the building with two silver buckets under her arms. “Are you ready?”

  “I’m not sure how to answer that.” It was the truth. She should have said something like “hell yeah” but felt more like saying “nope, not at all.” The one thing she could assume was that it was in the water as Jillian’s express instructions included the words “full wet suit.”

  “Honestly would be the best way,” Jillian said.

  “Okay, then. Not really. It’s hard to say you’re ready for something when you don’t know what that something is. Am I ready to try whatever cockamamie idea you have up your sleeve? Definitely not. But for some reason I trust you anyway.”

  “Good. I’d never put you in a situation I didn’t think you could handle. Although I don’t know what that threshold is. At least not until we have evaluated you, right?”

  Laura’s pulse beat harder in her throat. “Right.”

  “Good. As you know, all animals respond pessimistically, and that includes humans. We’ve evolved to expect the worst following a bad experience.”

  “Yes, it improves our survival rate.” Laura hadn’t expected the behavioral psych lesson, but she should have.

  When they reached the edge of the lagoon, Jillian set the pails on a large rock outcropping on the sandy beach. The air was calm and quiet. In the distance, trainers worked along the edges of the water with their pods, splashing and greeting the eager dolphins. On the beach, however, it was just the two of them. Jillian faced her and took Laura’s hands in hers. Her large hands were strong and steady as Jillian’s long fingers intertwined with her own.

  “You are safe,” Jillian said as she stared into Laura’s eyes. It was almost as if she was trying to speak to her very soul.

  Looking into Jillian’s unwavering gaze, Laura spoke the words, “I am safe.” She could almost feel Jillian inside her. She had never felt more invulnerable as she did in this very moment

  “Now are you ready?”

  Without hesitation, Laura answered, “Yes.”

  Jillian scooped up both buckets with one arm and held Laura’s hand with the other. “The water is a constant seventy-three degrees. The shallows stretch about a hundred and fifty feet across and seventy feet out. There are three drop-offs. One at three and a half feet, then at fifteen, and finally at seventy-five. Okay?”

  “Okay,” Laura said. Jillian had distracted her with facts until they reached the first drop-off point. She hadn’t felt the initial chill of the cool water until it had seeped through her wet suit. She was glad of the absence of the paralyzing sting of the cold against her warm skin, kept warmer by the firm and gentle hold that Jillian had on her hand. The waves lapped just beneath her breasts, and her nipples were thankful. She paced her breathing, making sure not to fall victim to her anxiety by holding her breath.

  “Do you want to keep my hand or can you hold one of these?” Laura wondered for a second if she couldn’t just do both before releasing Jillian’s hand and taking the bucket from her. “Wait, this one’s yours,” Jillian said, trading pails with her.

  “I respond to many things, but raw fish and clam Jell-O are not any of those things.”

  “That’s too bad, because it’s all you can eat clam Jell-O day.”

  Laura couldn’t even fathom such a thing, even as a joke. “More for you then.”

  She was surprised and encouraged by how comfortable she was. Jillian had a way with humans as well as animals. Laura jumped when Jillian slapped at the surface of the water and called out someone’s name across the pool.

  “What the hell?”

  Jillian laughed. “Sorry, I’ll warn you next time. Here, let me take that.” Jillian took Laura’s pail and set it behind them on the wall. She turned back just as a large gray mass appeared before them.

  Laura’s voice caught in her throat. Jillian reached into her bucket and welcomed Pepper with a small capelin. Laura kept her fists clasped to her sides to keep from reaching out and touching her. There was no book or photograph in the world that could describe what six hundred pounds of dolphin looked like right there in front of her. She could feel the sting of tears in her eyes. There she was after all these years, living her dream.

  Jillian put her hand below the surface and directed Pepper around in front of them. Gracefully, she turned and brushed up against their legs, and Laura could feel her solid and powerful body against hers.

  “Go ahead. Touch her,” Jillian said, reaching out and stroking Pepper’s head right behind her blowhole.

  Laura hesitated, trying to hold back her excitement so she didn’t scare this gorgeous creature. Her hand trembled as she touched her. Pepper eyed her curiously as Laura spoke to her with awe. Jillian maneuvered her around again and let Laura run her hands along the length of her cool, smooth body. She looked at Jillian who was staring at her, and she pulled her arms back tight against her body. Jillian laughed, and Laura felt her face warm. Although covered head to toe in neoprene, she felt naked and exposed in her pure elation as Jillian stood watching her every move and reaction. She wasn’t sure any of her most intimate partners had ever seen her soul as bare.

  “I wonder how different things would be had I gotten this chance ten years ago?”

  “What do you mean?” Jillian asked as her hand glided through the water to reposition Pepper once more.

  “I wonder would I still be ten years behind on my life?” Jillian took her hand and ran them together along Pepper’s side tracing along the unique markings and colorations.

  Jillian stepped behind Laura and gripped her wrist. “Point your finger,” Jillian said before guiding Laura’s hand with two swift motions, down at the water and then out at the horizon. Laura was surprised by the control she allowed Jillian to have over her. With a strong flick of her tail, Pepper bolted toward the distance and disappeared beneath the surface.

  “Where’d she go?”

  “Just watch,” Jillian said into Laura’s ear just before Pepper leapt out of the water at the center of the lagoon.

  An intense heat ran the length of Laura’s body and back again. Her core was set alight, and she could feel her skin burn with exhilaration. “Holy shit, that was amazing,” Laura said, spinning around in Jillian’s arms. She held her breath, and Jillian’s dark gaze flicked to her lips and back. She licked them instinctively as if under some sort of siren spell. She regretted it almost immediately when a devilish smile spread across Jillian’s face. Thankfully, Pepper’s return broke through the enchantment, and Laura stepped away from Jillian.

  “And here I was about to say that you are right where you belong.”

  Laura’s belly set flight with a flutter of a million butterflies, and she thought for the first time that maybe that was true.

  * * *

  For those few fleeting moments, it took every bit of reserve that Jillian had to keep herself from wrapping Laura in her arms and kissing her full, pink lips until they were both breathless with need. Jillian was captivated by the pure joy that filled Laura. Over the years, she had witnessed hundreds of people encounter these beautiful animals for the first time, but it was rare to see those raw emotions flow out of them so freely.

  She was so caught up in the moment and the sparkle in Laura’s glistening eyes that she almost forgot why they were there. While Laura seemed at ease in the water now, the truth was that beneath the excitement there was a dark and sinister monster lurking within her. Jillian didn’t know if she could help Laura overcome her fear, but she wanted to try.

  “Can you tread water?”

  Laura opened her mouth to respond, but no words came out. After a few seconds, she answered, “I used to.”

  It wasn’t a skill one usually lost. However, considering the circumstances, Laura probably hadn’t even attempted it in years. The glow on Laura’s face began to fade. “Okay. Then we’ll spend a little more time here in the shallows.”

  She needed to keep Laura out of her own head, at least for the time being. Running Pepper through a few of her husbandry behaviors would work for all of them. She held out a bucket to Laura who pulled out a large mackerel and tossed it into Pepper’s wide-open mouth. When Laura’s smile returned, a rush of warmth washed through her. Jillian wanted to make that feeling last as long as possible, for both of them.

  “Put out your hands like this,” Jillian said, laying one hand over the other and cupping them ever so slightly. Laura mimicked her as instructed. Laura set her hands into the water, and Pepper rested her snout into them.

  “Oh my God,” she cooed glancing back-and-forth between Pepper and Jillian.

  “Give her a kiss.”

  “What? Really?” Laura asked. Her eyes were wide with wonder.

  “Yes. Right there on the rostrum. It’s not nice to keep a girl waiting,” Jillian said. How lucky was the girl who got to kiss Laura’s lips? Laura pressed her lips to Pepper’s. Well, that’s a first. Jillian was jealous of a dolphin. She blew her bridge whistle, and Pepper popped open her mouth for a reward.