Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. Stephenie Meyer owns anything and everything relating to Twilight. I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended and in order to keep it that way, No reproduction, copying, reposting, downloading, or any kind of redistribution of this story is allowed. This is to cover my arse as much as yours! And finally, the Original characters, plot, names, nicknames, songs, poems—anything I created from my very own brain—are all the property of the author of this fanfic, My-Bella. Unauthorized use of the material is plagiarism so please be kind and don't steal my creations.
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Chapter 8 – Do You See What I See
Sunday, June 1st
"Lee, I like the way you set up the site for our blog posts. It looks really good," Masen complimented as he passed the butter to her.
She rolled her eyes in response. "I thought you went to bed for a change. I didn't post that thing until like two-thirty this morning."
He glared across the table at Whit while answering her. "I had planned on it but ended up trying to work out a problem instead."
Her sigh was loud enough to be heard over Gopher describing his technique for scrambled eggs to Bella.
"Don't blame your lack of slumber on me, Mase," Whit warned, pointing at him with a triangle of toast. "He who smelt it, dealt it."
"What are you two going on about?" Esme asked, her gray eyes searching Masen's face first and then Whit's.
They both answered with a soft "nothing" and then dropped their gazes to their breakfast plates.
"Is this that same kind of nothing like when you were fourteen and I asked what you two were doing in my garage?" She didn't seem to want a response from them because she immediately addressed Bella next. "Bella, put your juice down. I don't want you to spit any out and this story may do that."
Bella smiled as she set the glass down and then she adjusted her body so that she was facing Esme. Of course, that also left her facing Whit since he was sitting between the two of them. "Okay, Esme. Share away."
"So these two clowns are in my garage doing nothing and not ten minutes after I leave them alone in there, this huge boom sounds off and shakes the house. I go running out to find out what's going on and there's a section of my garage door bulging out from the rest. I'm standing there trying to figure out exactly what it is I'm seeing and these two clowns come running out the side door of the garage. They take one look at the door and then point at each other and shout 'he did it' in tandem."
Bella let out a gasp. "What did they do? And what did you do?"
"Apparently, the mastermind here," Esme said as she ruffled Whit's hair, "convinced the brainiac over there to mess with the engine on Edward's remote control plane. He made some change to the throttle on it and the damn thing took off as soon as he started the engine and flew straight into my closed garage door."
Masen was pleased to see that Bella looked impressed. "You should have seen what I did to that thing's engine when I finally got it back," he told her.
Her lips twitched as she regarded him and he wondered what she found so funny and why she wasn't just letting out her laughter. It's not like she had a bad laugh. It wasn't high-pitched or odd sounding or anything. It was actually kind of a great laugh now that he thought about it.
"When you got it back, huh?" she asked. "How long were you grounded from it?"
He mumbled the number of months to make sure she didn't hear it but he really should have known better. After all, his mother was sitting right there at the table with them.
"I didn't give it back until his fifteenth birthday, nearly eight months later, and even then only on the condition that he never brought into my house or garage. By then we'd moved to the house we're in now and I had a small shed put on the property just for him to work on his improvements. Thankfully, that was the only one that ever caused damage to anything and no one was hurt."
Masen was so busy watching Bella's reaction to his mother's words that he nearly missed what Gopher was saying. "The term brainiac comes from a Superman comic. Issue number 242 from July 1958. The bad guy was able to shrink and steal the capital city of Superman's home planet. This really cool place called Kandor."
"Comics he remembers," Whit said while trying his best not to crack up laughing. "Putting the toilet seat down always escapes his mind."
"Shut the hell up, Whit," Lee yelled, throwing a piece of bacon at him and making him lose the battle to not laugh. She really shouldn't have been surprised since the ratio of her being teased was always equal to the number of times she fell in.
Masen didn't even attempt to hide his laughter as he put his arm around her shoulders. "Come on, Lee. It's just a little water."
Her eyes narrowed into slits and her teeth clicked together as she hissed at him. "Remember you said that next time you fall asleep dry and wake up wet."
His smile widened. "Guess it's a good thing I'm an insomniac then."
"Cocky bastard," she grumbled, half-heartedly elbowing him in the side.
"Say you love me," he goaded, squeezing her against him.
"Let go of me," she ordered as she struggled to get out of his hold.
"Say you love me and this will all be over."
Masen was focused on keeping her captive; that should have made him deaf to everything going on around him but he zeroed in on Bella's voice the moment she spoke. "Gopher, I think this is the part where the boyfriend usually steps in and saves his girlfriend."
Gopher threw his head back and filled the room with his booming laughter. "This isn't the tale of Superman saving Louis Lane from Lex Luthor, Guppy. This is Batman sitting on the sidelines, waiting for Catwoman to finish whipping Joker's ass so we can go back to the batcave and make some leather squeak."
"That's …" Bella paused and her face took on what had to be the most adorable confused expression Masen felt he'd ever seen on a woman's face. "I can't really say I know what that is."
While the others laughed, Masen gave an already flustered Bella a wink that made her bite her lower lip and dip her head, in turn causing him to laugh under his breath at her behavior. He hadn't yet figured out if she had some level of shyness to her or if she was still nervous around everyone. He only knew he got a kick out of making her blush.
"Don't worry, Guppy. I'll explain it to you later while we're getting our work done," Gopher told her.
"Gopher, I'm sure her reaction is from knowing exactly what you mean. Just let it go, sweetheart," Esme told him.
"Yeah, bro. Don't make it worse," Whit added.
"One thing is for sure," Bella said as she shook her head. "I'll never think of comic book heroes the same way again."
Whit laughed and slung an arm around her shoulders. "By the time this summer is over, we'll have changed your view on tons of things."
"Why does that sound so scary?" she asked, looking up at him with wide eyes.
The grin he gave her was enough to make Masen want to kick him under the table but it was the sideways glance toward him that sealed Whit's fate before he ever spoke. "Sometimes people just find change to be a scary thing. It even keeps them up all night thinking about it."
"~~~^~~~~^~~~^~~~~^~~~^~~~~^"
"So what's first?" Bella asked as she stood in the small kitchen with Gopher.
He set a bunch of empty containers and lids onto the counter beside her. "We put the leftovers away on one particular shelf that only holds items the crew is allowed to snack on. When I first joined up, they'd just go in there and grab anything and it was usually something I'd put aside for the next meal. So now there's a dedicated shelf."
"That's a great idea, Gopher. You get them fed and your kitchen organized all at once."
"Yeah, even Mase was pretty impressed with it the first time he saw it."
"He seems difficult to impress."
"I wouldn't say that. He just … He has this sixth sense about him. He just knows when you're giving your all and when you're slacking off and it pisses him off when he knows someone has half-assed something. It's pretty rare for me to say I absolutely didn't do anything to earn his wrath."
"A wrath?" she joked. "He has a wrath?"
"Oh, yeah," Gopher said, stepping back and giving her an appraising look. "I heard about the ocean center fiasco. And the apology that followed. That's some nice work, Guppy."
"But I didn't do anything. Well, I did freak out."
"Yeah, but that wasn't on purpose or your fault. We all have something that makes us feel out of control. Sharks are your thing. You know, you being here right now impresses him."
"What? How?"
"You're battling your fear and trying to make the marine world a better place. What's not impressive about that?"
Her eyes narrowed as she looked him over, positive that this man couldn't possibly have a fear. She was so positive in fact that she challenged him. "What's your thing?"
He looked up from the container he was closing and stared at her as if she'd grown an extra head. "You don't believe me."
"Well … Okay, no, not really. You're so light, like there's nothing that could ever bother you for long. I don't think I've seen you go more than a few minutes without finding something to smile about."
"That's 'cause I live in the moment. In the right here and now. In the place where Lee loves me and I get to be a part of this crew that's really a family. But I'm so much her opposite. She's studious and serious and she always knows exactly what she wants. I'm a go-with-the-flow kind of guy and I enjoy making people laugh and relaxing with good friends and good food. Right now, she likes that stuff about me. But tomorrow or the next day, I might not be enough. She might want someone more like her, someone serious. That's my fear."
"If I was serious all the time, I'd want someone who wasn't to balance things out," she said, hoping that Lee felt the same.
"Are you trying to ease my fear, Guppy?" he asked, grinning wide at her.
"Maybe," she replied as she mirrored his grin.
"Thanks. I appreciate that." He shifted his head to the side as he looked her over and then added, "I know it's hard to be the newbie and you probably don't feel much like you fit in just yet, but trust me when I say that you'll do just fine.
"Now quit talking my ear off and do some work," he ordered with a teasing smile as he handed her a stack of containers. "Put these away on the middle shelf. Keeps the food right in their line of sight so they don't get curious about the other shelves."
Bella managed to wrestle the door open without dropping any of the containers and then she let out a low whistle. The inside of the refrigerator was immaculate and so well-organized that she could tell the purpose of every shelf and bin without him explaining. It meant he took pride in his role as the chef and put a lot of effort into doing the job well.
Bella put away the last container and closed the door—and noticed the alphabet magnets that spelled out "Team MMR". Just below the letters were a group of pictures, each holding an explanation and a year written in a half-messy, half-cursive handwriting.
The first picture she took a closer look at was one of Whit smiling with a giant palm tree looming up behind him. He was looking away from the camera and seemed really happy with whatever he was reacting to. The writing noted that the photo was taken in California in 2004. It also said "Our First Expedition"—Bella immediately thought of the Farallon Islands.
The next picture had Bella laughing under her breath. It also told her the handwriting on the pictures belonged to Lee. The photo was of Lee and Edward and she had written "This is Masen ruining my perfect Cali pic". This one was dated 2004 just like the one of Whit.
The picture at the right corner was of Gopher and simply said "Home" and had been taken in 2008. He was on the beach with the waves pounding against a large rock formation behind him. He was looking directly at the camera and Bella just knew he was smiling so big because Lee was the one taking his picture.
A photo of Esme sitting near some surfboards started off the next row of pictures. It had been taken in Australia just last year. She had this expression on her face like she couldn't decide if she was having a good time or was about to ground someone. Bella felt pretty sure Edward had taken that picture.
The next photo had Bella letting out a soft "aw" and grinning wide—a very tiny puppy looking not quite steady on her little legs. It was also dated for last year and even though it didn't say so, Bella knew this photo had also been taken in Australia because of the story Edward had told her about Lizzy.
The last picture was entirely too typical and it made her laugh out loud. It had been taken just last month and it was of Edward. He didn't seem too pleased with the photographer, though it was hard to be completely sure since he had on his dark sunglasses. There was a beautiful blue sky behind him and the water rolling in toward the beach, scenery that should have had him happy and smiling instead of looking like a grouch.
"Whatcha laughing at?" Gopher asked from behind, making her jump a little.
"Lizzy's just so cute," she said, quickly pointing at the puppy's picture.
"Yeah, she's a big fan of Mase for sure. She'll even growl at Lee sometimes."
"Really?"
"Yep. She doesn't play when it comes to guarding him."
"But she's so little," Bella replied with a laugh. "What does she think she can do?"
"Hey, size ain't everything, Guppy. It's all about what you do with what you've got."
She rolled her eyes at him. "Yeah, okay."
"Oh, hell. Almost forgot," he said as he reached into his apron pocket. He gently pushed Bella aside and grabbed the roll of scotch tape from the top of the refrigerator. After tearing a strip off and attaching it to whatever he was holding, he slapped it onto the door just below Lizzy's picture.
As soon as he moved aside, Bella leaned in to see what it was. She let out a gasp and reached for the photo, running her finger along the words "Bella's First Day Onboard 2009".
"Who took this? When? Is that really me?" she asked.
"You'd have to ask Lee. All I know is she told me to add it to the others."
Bella remembered being out on deck enjoying the sunshine but she didn't remember seeing a camera. She certainly hadn't posed for a picture. And this picture really looked like it belonged on some magazine. The sun was hitting her just the right way and it made her skin and eyes seem pale in comparison to her very pink lips.
"It was either her or Mase," Gopher continued. "They're the photogs on board. They get some of the craziest pictures too, man. I swear they're like photo ninjas." He put his hand on her shoulder and gave it a small squeeze. "You okay?"
"Me? Yeah. Fine. So what's next?"
Gopher smiled at her response but didn't comment on it. "Let's get the dishes clean. Then I'll introduce you to the supply closet down below and the duties checklist."
He moved toward the sink and she took a step to follow but then she noticed the ripped corner of a photo sticking out from under a recipe card. She lifted the card and found herself unable to breathe. Staring out at her were the deep green eyes that had turned her world upside down on her first night in Hawaii.
"Come on, Guppy," Gopher called out.
She let the card fall and then walked over to him on shaky legs, trying to reconcile what she'd just seen with what she knew to be true. Maybe he really does wear contacts, she thought. Just as quickly, she answered herself, No. I would have seen the edges with as close to him as I've been.
She licked her dry lips and then plunged ahead with her question. "Gopher, what color eyes does Edward have? I was just wondering if they're gray like Esme's. It's just such a rare eye color and I wonder if she passed it on to him."
"Mase has hazel eyes. Supposedly the colors change with his mood but I don't pay attention to stuff like that. Whit and Lee know all about it. You should ask one of them."
There was no way in the world Bella would ask Lee—not until the woman had warmed up to her. But maybe there was a way to ask Whit without being obvious.
After the dishes were washed, dried, and put away, Gopher took Bella to a level of the boat she hadn't seen during her tour with Edward and showed her a small closet with floor to ceiling shelves of supplies for cleaning. Once again, it was all organized and separated to make it easy to find whatever was needed. Gopher pulled a clipboard down from the back of the door and handed it to her.
"I use this to not only make sure I don't forget anything, but to show Mase what's complete and what's on my agenda for the next day. He uses it for backup for the paycheck he writes me."
She smiled up at him. "Does being a Gopher pay well?"
"Not really but I'm not here for the money. I'm here for the perks. The adventure. The travel. Being part of something helpful for the world. And especially for the girl." He wore a huge, dopey grin as he said that last part.
"How did you two meet?" she asked as she watched him fill a carry-all with supplies.
"I was down in Hawaii for a family vacation and I went into Whit's parents' store to get some gear. Lee was in there sitting on the counter with her feet bouncing and her lips moving to the music playing overhead. It took a little while for her to notice me standing there and when she did she asked me if I saw something I liked."
Bella grinned. "I'm guessing you had an equally cheesy reply?"
"Actually, I told her 'no' and walked right past her."
Bella was so shocked her question came out as more of a squeak. "You did?"
"I'm a pretty good judge of character and I could tell right away that Lee likes a challenge. So I gave her one. I didn't commit to seeing her again but I did tell her where I would be if she felt like dropping by. By the third time we hung out, I knew she was hooked so I took her on a real date. Just the two of us to a swanky restaurant the lobby girl at my hotel recommended. I gave Lee the full-on experience—dinner, dancing, looking up at the moon from the beach. We've been together ever since."
"That's really awesome, Gopher. You seem like you love her a lot."
He grinned and it made his eyes crinkle at the corners. "She's easy to love."
His expression and his words were so heartfelt and honest; it made Bella think of her dad and how he'd always spoken of her mom. "I'm glad you guys have each other," she said to Gopher.
"Me too." He grabbed a couple of rags, picked up the carry-all, and then kicked the door shut with his foot. "Let's go, Guppy. We've got to make this boat sparkle and I want to get the sleeping deck done before we stop to make lunch."
They headed up one deck and Gopher led her past the bathroom. "We'll save that for the very end," he told her as he pushed open the door to Whit's room. "The rooms are pretty simple. Empty the trash cans and bring the laundry down below every day. Then on Thursdays change out the bed sheets."
"What do you do with the laundry?"
"Wash it, dry it, fold it, put it on their beds."
"But … How?"
Gopher let out a throaty laugh. "With a washer and dryer."
"On a boat?"
"Yep. It's a small combo unit but it gets the job done."
"Wow. This boat really has it all."
"And then some," Gopher agreed with a nod. "You want the trash can or the hamper?"
Neither sounded particularly appealing. "How about I make the beds instead?"
He snorted. "Yeah, that's on them to do. I'm the boat's caretaker, not their momma. So pick your poison, Guppy. Trash or funky smelling clothing?"
She ended up picking the trash, figuring it couldn't be too big of a deal since they'd only been on the boat for a day so far. While she was in the room, she took note of the large surfboard propped in the corner and wondered why Whit would have it here in the small room instead of stored somewhere else on the boat. She also looked at the pictures he had taped to the wall beside his bed—pictures of his parents and his friends with everyone smiling in every photo, even Edward.
"That bear's not mine," Gopher called out to her from across the room. "Don't listen to anything Whit says about it."
"You're smiling pretty big for it not being yours," she teased, looking over her shoulder at him.
He grinned and rubbed his chin with his free hand. "Yeah, well, Lee asked me to pose with the thing so …"
Bella decided not to tease him any further but that was mostly because they headed up the hall to the room he shared with Lee. From the colors in the bedspread to the pictures on the dresser, it was clear that Lee was in charge of the decorating. She had one picture of Gopher stretched out on the beach in a cute seashell covered frame sitting right next to a framed photo of her and Gopher with Edward. The thing that struck Bella the most about the photo was how Edward seemed to be the focal point and how he was standing between Lee and Gopher instead of beside them. It made her wonder once again if at some point in their past Lee and Edward had been more than friends.
"I took that one," Gopher said as he pointed to the third and final picture on the dresser. "Even got a compliment from Mase on how good Lee looks in it," he added with his pride clear in his tone.
"She's very lovely when she smiles."
"Yeah, she is. Pisses her off how rarely we can get Mase to smile in pictures. Like in this one," he said, handing her a loose photo from the small shelf above the dresser. It was a picture of Edward and he seemed to have been interrupted and was turning his head to find out why when the photo was taken. The sun was shining down on his face and highlighting his eyes—his blue eyes. Bella was shocked by how badly she wanted to know what the colors meant, hoping that the knowledge would give her some clue about how he really felt about her. She needed them to be friends for the internship to work but she also wanted that passion they'd shared so briefly in the corner of that bar, no matter how much she shouldn't want that.
The sound of Gopher's voice drew her out of her head and her swirling thoughts, "…but she always seems to manage at least one of him smiling. It usually takes Esme or Whit or both of them helping though. You know, distracting him from realizing Lee has the camera out."
He took the picture from Bella and set it back up on the shelf. "That's just Mase, though. He's usually in the middle of something when she wants a picture and neither of them wants to give in and wait on the other. I swear sometimes it's like they really are sister and brother and just can't help fighting with each other."
"Two dominant personalities," Bella mused as she watched Gopher dump the laundry from the hamper into the mesh sack.
Gopher only grunted at her words. There wasn't any trash in this room so once he had the bag slung over his shoulder, they headed to the next room. Esme's room. Which was really Edward's room.
The room was surprisingly rumpled to Bella; she'd been expecting it to be spotless like her uncle's room always seemed to be. Instead, the covers were bunched up near the foot of the bed and the pillows were stacked haphazardly against the headboard. Adding to the messy feel was the corner of the room clearly devoted to Lizzy; it housed her doggie bed and a slew of scattered toys.
The dresser in here was low and wide compared to the short and tall dressers in the other rooms. There were some pictures on it but first Bella wanted to see the ones sitting on the short bookcase next to the bed. She felt drawn to them for some reason, maybe just because they seemed so out of place. The first was grainy and appeared to be pretty old. It was of the back of a woman's head and shoulders. She was looking out at a body of water and there was a baby in her arms looking with her and wearing the ugliest little striped hat Bella had ever seen. The next frame held two pictures but they didn't seem to have a thing to do with each other. The one on the left side was an old sepia print of a teenage girl holding a little baby. The one on the right side was Edward and Esme sitting together on the ground with pieces of dry grass sticking to their pants legs. It looked like Gopher was standing behind them with a football in his hands—probably a family picnic of some sort.
"Gopher, is this your stomach next to the football?" she questioned, pointing at the photo.
"Yeah. We did teams that day and my team kicked ass."
"Who's in this other photo in the frame? And who's the woman with the baby in this other one?"
"Those photos belong to Masen. You'd have to ask him." She couldn't see his face to know for sure, but Bella felt certain Gopher was uncomfortable and that's why his answer had been so stiff.
"Hey, Esme put her pictures up over here on the dresser and there's one of me in my car and Lee in hers." If he was attempting to hide the fact that he wanted Bella away from those pictures on the bookcase, he was doing a really bad job.
But Bella took pity on him and walked over to where he stood near the dresser. "What kind of car?"
"Mine's a '62 Impala. Topless with a red leather interior. Beautiful car, Guppy. When you sit in it and turn the engine and feel it rumbling …" He brought his fingers to his lips and kissed them. "Bellissimo."
Bella laughed at his expression and tone because of how much it reminded her of Jake's love of his motorcycle. "Your other baby, huh?" she teased.
"Oh hell yeah," he agreed with a nod. "And this is Lee sitting in her car. It's an '06 Honda Accord and she's got the engine and exhaust all tricked out. She can get that little car to do some amazing things."
The picture to the right of Lee and Gopher's was of Whit standing on a street somewhere. His hat was the same as the one in the picture on the refrigerator so Bella assumed it had been taken in California. She would have asked but her eye caught sight of the skin near his hip and the letters imprinted on it.
"Is that a tattoo or just ink from a marker?" she asked.
Gopher snorted. "Marker. He and Mase got smashed one night while they were out in Cali so Lee decided to screw with them and make them think they'd gotten tattoos together. She made Whit's say 'I'm lost' and then Masen's said 'I'll find you'. With Whit's on his right hip and Masen's on his left, it really looked like they'd taken their best friends status to a whole new level.
"Man, they were so pissed at her," he added, barking out a laugh. "For days after too. They normally forgive her within a couple hours."
"They seem really close." It was all she could come up with since her mind was busy reeling over the picture of Edward sitting on the left hand side of the dresser. It had most likely been taken here on the boat since there was nothing but ocean behind him. The sun was making the reddish streaks in his hair shimmer. Of course, it wasn't the ocean or the hair that had her mind spinning. It was once again the color of his eyes—gray. They were a lighter gray than Esme's, but gray all the same.
"Come on, Guppy. We've got your room, the bathroom, and the office left on this floor and just enough time to get them all done before we have to start preparing lunch."
After arguing over whether or not it was right for Gopher to have to deal with her laundry—and losing the argument—Bella found herself having to explain the two small pictures she'd brought along with her.
"Who's the hottie and who's the old dude?" Gopher asked, picking up the two small rainbow-colored picture frames.
"That's my little sister and my uncle. And he's not old."
"Your sister looks a lot like you, Guppy. Does she have the same quiet personality as you?"
"Quiet?"
"Yeah. You don't just blurt shit out unless you're really shocked. You mull it over in your head first. For like, a while."
Bella couldn't argue with that so she didn't try. "No, Ali's more like my uncle. She'll join any conversation at any time as long as it seems like it'll be interesting. She's a people person and a charmer."
"Life of the party, huh?"
"Pretty much. But it's good that she's so different. I don't think we would be able to stand each other half as much if we were exactly the same."
"How's she doing without her big sis around?"
"She's always been quick to adapt to situations. I mean, of course she misses me, but she's in college and a sorority so she's got plenty to keep her busy."
"And your uncle?"
Bella smiled as she thought of him. "He knows this is where I need to be right now and supports me all the way. In fact, if it weren't for him, I probably would have chickened out on sending my application in."
"Just think of everything you would have already missed out on if you hadn't sent it. And you wouldn't have the awesome name of Guppy to go by either."
She snorted and rolled her eyes. "Oh, it's so awesome."
He stared at her for a moment and then gave her this grin that made her nervous.
"What?" she blurted out.
"Nothing," he said, nearly laughing the word. "Nothing at all."
"No, it's definitely something. What is it?"
His smile widened. "It's just that I noticed you weren't complaining when Mase was calling you Guppy."
Bella struggled to respond while turning a couple shades of red and pink. "Well, he's the boss … You don't … You're not supposed to argue with your boss?" The last bit came out as more of a question and it had Gopher laughing.
"Whatever you say, Guppy."
She didn't dare speak and chance saying something else stupid. She grabbed the carry-all from where he'd set it down on the corner of her dresser and headed for the bathroom with it, all the while being followed by Gopher and his laughter.
"~~~^~~~~^~~~^~~~~^~~~^~~~~^"
"Mase, get your girl, man," Whit yelled before grunting loudly. "Dude, seriously! She won't stop licking my face."
Masen laughed as he scooped Lizzy up with one hand. "You were the idiot who stretched out on the deck," he said as he sank down into one of the plastic chairs with Lizzy resting against his bare chest.
"The sun feels too good for anything else."
"It really does feel good," he agreed, closing his gray eyes and tilting his face to soak up more of the warmth. He enjoyed the sun and the silence for a while before his mind turned toward tagging. "Are we still on schedule to hit the South Pacific tomorrow?"
"Yep. Long as the weather stays like this. Then we can anchor and recon, and the day after that we tag us some sharks."
"Probably going to be tigers."
"I was thinking about that."
The sound of shuffling caused Masen to sit up straight and open his eyes. Whit was turned on his side and staring at him. "What?"
"Maybe we shouldn't go with tigers."
"Why not?"
"For one, we've tagged tigers a fair amount in the last year. For another, there's a certain someone who's going to be watching us tag and tigers aren't exactly the friendliest species."
Masen nodded his head in agreement with that last part. "Tigers are definitely not the friendliest. But that's what makes them perfect in this case. Their unpredictability and temperament will be a great contradiction to what we show Guppy with the great whites. Not that whites are predictable, but they do tend to follow a pattern where tigers just go wherever the hell whenever."
"Alright, I see the wisdom in that. So tigers it is. We'll have to be extra prepared and extra precise with every bit of it. We have a screw up with our tagging and we'll probably send her running home."
"We've got tagging down. We won't screw it up. If anything happens, it'll be something we couldn't have prepared for. Pretty sure she can understand that."
Whit's expression quickly changed from serious to joking. "Pretty sure you're saying that 'cause you're not ready for her to leave."
Masen's sigh was loud enough that Lizzy lifted her head from his chest to look up at him. He smiled at her and blew softly into her face, making her close her eyes for just a second and then bark at him.
"I think someone is using his dog as a way to deflect."
He did his best to ignore his friend and his annoying laughter while continuing to blow small puffs of air at Lizzy. She gave off her little growl and then lifted up and nipped the underside of his chin, making both him and Whit laugh.
"No biting or no treat for you later," he warned while pointing his long finger at her nose. She playfully bit the tip of his finger and then gave him that doggie grin that usually earned her a treat.
Whit snorted and shook his head. "In doggie world, she just kicked your ass and made you say 'thank you'."
"She wouldn't do that," Masen replied, cooing the words to his puppy as he scratched behind both her ears. "You love me, don't ya, Lizzy? That's why you're my special girl."
"Well don't you three look hard at work," Esme said as she sat down in the chair beside him.
Masen eyed her warily. "Didn't hear you come out, Mom. How long have you been out here?"
She smiled and shrugged her shoulders. "Don't know. Didn't time myself."
"I know that look," he said, narrowing his eyes at her. "What do you want?"
"Since when do I have to want something to spend time with you, Kid?"
He snorted at her response. "Since you started smiling at me that way."
"What way?" Her words sounded innocent enough but he knew better; he knew her.
"Whit, wanna take Lizzy inside for me?" he asked, never taking his eyes from Esme's. "Seems like my mom needs my undivided attention for something."
Whit laughed. "Maybe I should leave her to protect you. Esme looks like she means business."
She laughed and ruffled Masen's hair. "He doesn't need any protection from me."
Something about the way she spoke left him with the impression that she felt he needed protection from somebody else. But who? He was way past the age of needing his mom to stand up for him. Not to mention that Esme had always encouraged him to stand up for himself first and only go to her if it failed; she had helped him develop independence and courage.
"So," Esme said once Whit had gone inside with Lizzy.
"So," Masen repeated.
Her smile widened. "I know you took it."
At first, he was honestly confused about her meaning but as the silence continued to spin out between them, he started to suspect what this conversation was going to be about.
"It's a picture. For the fridge. No big deal." He shrugged to add to the disaffected tone he'd used, hoping it would be enough to end the conversation.
"Do you know what I love about you, Edward?"
Now it was his turn to smile. "My sparkling personality? My rugged good looks? My brilliance in all things mechanical and marine?"
"No, Kid, those are all things I tolerate about you," she joked, winking to make sure he knew she was teasing. "What I love about you is that you always put your heart and soul into what you do, whether it's taking a picture or building something in your project room down below. I can always see a bit of you in what you do."
The way she watched him said more to him than her words. I know you. I know what I see.
He couldn't lie to her—technically he could but in his heart he knew he never would. Not to her. Not even about the things he didn't want to share with her. "She confuses me."
Esme seemed to be waiting for him to continue so he did. "She should be easy to figure out but she's not. Nobody confuses me but she does. Maybe that's all it is. Maybe I just want to know how the hell she can do that."
Silence was the only response he received.
"But I don't really believe that's all it is. There's just … It doesn't matter, though. I don't think now is the time to find out." He didn't like the way his words had come out unsure so he rephrased them and said them in a stronger tone. "It's not the right time."
She lifted her eyebrows upward but said nothing.
"MMR is about all of us but this … this thing is just about me and it can wait."
More silence from Esme.
"It's not like there's any reason I have to figure it out right now. So waiting is better."
She gave him the half grin he was always giving to Lee and for once he finally knew why his friend found it so annoying—it was so damn self-satisfied.
"I really you wish you wouldn't get involved in this. I don't want to talk about it. And I really don't get what's so fascinating that you and Whit have to keep bringing it up."
Esme continued to sit there and smile without saying anything.
He gave an exasperated sigh and then gave her his best pleading look. "Please let it go."
She leaned in and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek. "I didn't say a word, Kid. It was all you."
His jaw fell open and he choked on his own breath; to add to insult to his injury, she started laughing at him.
She stood and ruffled his hair, all the while smiling at him until he huffed and pushed her hand away. She laughed and then took hold of his chin, tilting his face to hers and looking straight into his blue eyes.
"Edward, I won't bring it up again until you do. But first, I need to say this to you … You won't be able to wait. It's better to get it out of the way before it gets to the point where you're jumping out of your skin. But that's just a mother's suggestion to her favorite son. You do with it what you will, as you always do. I'll just sit back and watch to see if you end up being brilliant, stubborn, or brilliantly stubborn."
She kissed his forehead and then left him alone to process what she'd said and what she'd goaded him into saying.
As hard as he tried and as much as he wanted to, he just couldn't understand how both his mom and his best friend could think there was no problem while he saw a huge one. This wasn't just some woman he'd met and if things went sour they just went that way. This thing had the potential to ruin a lot of things for a lot of people—and quite a few sharks too.
The problem was that he only felt it was an issue when he wasn't around her. When she got anywhere near him, every reason he had for waiting was forgotten and all he could think about was getting closer to her. She screwed up his thoughts and his rhythm and his priorities. And if he were ready to be perfectly honest with himself, that was the real reason he wanted to avoid whatever this thing between them was—he didn't want his priorities to change.
"Edward."
Masen was so sure the voice was in his head that he didn't react until Bella put her hand on his arm, touching his warm skin with her cool hand. He jerked so hard at her touch that he nearly fell right over, chair and all.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you." Her face was red and he was pretty sure it was from keeping her laughter locked away.
"Something funny, Guppy?" he asked, emphasizing the nickname to annoy her. If he was annoyed then she should be too because it was all her fault.
"Honestly …" She bit on her lower lip as if she had changed her mind about speaking but then she smiled and met his gaze. "You know, it was pretty funny to see you almost topple right out of that chair. Had you actually fallen, I would have been required to laugh and attempt to take a picture of it."
"Would have been a wasted attempt. I would have gotten up before you could."
"Oh, I know. It takes me forever to figure out what button to press on my phone."
"I meant I'm quicker than you."
Her smile widened so much that he rolled his eyes even before she spoke. "I know what you meant, Edward."
"So you've got jokes now?" He was supposed to be annoyed with her for saying something like that but he was having the hardest time not grinning at her little display of cockiness.
"Sometimes," she said as she sat down beside him. "You were kind of an easy target just now. I thought about taking pity on you but then I remembered you were a jerk to me a couple times already so …" She smiled and leaned in, bumping his forearm with hers. "I'm teasing by the way. Well, not about you being a jerk, but you're forgiven for that so …"
He didn't even realize he was smiling as wide as she was when he replied, "One minute you can barely string together a sentence and the next you're like a faucet that can't be turned off. I'm not sure which I like better."
She turned her head more toward him and as brown met blue she softly said, "Maybe both."
"Maybe."
Bella blushed and quickly looked away. "I finished helping Gopher with everything for today. He said he didn't need my help for dinner tonight."
"What did you think of his role in our crew?"
"I think he's really great at it. He takes pride in all of his duties, no matter how small."
"You sound impressed."
"I am. He's a great guy. And a great teacher too. Very patient."
"Was that last part a dig at me?" He could just make out the corner of her mouth twitching from his question.
"Maybe."
"See, I was gonna let you sit here and enjoy the rest of your afternoon off," he said as he got to his feet. "But now you've talked yourself right into more work." He took hold of her hand and pulled her up from the chair; it caused her to blush but he had no idea why and was too focused on the idea he'd come up with to focus on it.
He led her to the side of the boat where a ladder was bolted in and led to the upper decks. "You first," he said as he pulled her in front of him and put the hand he'd been holding onto the ladder's rung.
She pulled her hand away as if she'd touched something hot. "I can't climb that."
"Why not?"
Her nose crinkled and her eyes drifted to her bare feet. "I'm in a dress."
"A dress? Or a cover over your bathing suit?"
"Um … dress."
He tried not to laugh for about a second but the absurdity of her wearing a dress while on a boat was too much. "You were that sure you weren't going to be getting wet today, huh?"
She tugged on her ponytail while continuing to stare at her feet.
"What if I promise not to look up?" he offered.
Her head jerked up and the look she gave him made it very clear she didn't trust him to behave. She was probably right not to trust him but he wasn't going to tell her that.
But he was going to let her in on what she was so clearly missing. "First or last up the ladder, there's gonna be something to see."
"Jerk." She was calling him a name but she was also smiling and that made his own smile turn cocky.
"I'm just an innocent bystander in this wardrobe malfunction you're having."
"Then I'll just go change."
He rolled his eyes at her. "I was kidding. I'm not going to look under your dress." He counted to three in his head and then added, "Unless you want me to."
Her entire face flamed red and her brown eyes were so wide he could see little gold flecks around her irises, a perfect reaction in his opinion—and definitely deserving of the loud laughter he let out as he grabbed hold of a rung and started climbing. He knew she would follow, even if it was only to try to get back at him for making her blush.
He was almost to the viewing deck when he heard her voice call out to him. "The viewing deck or the one above?"
"All the way to the top, Guppy. We're going to do some recon and find out what we can spot in the water. Should be pretty easy since it's such a clear day."
He reached what he called the "crow's nest" of his boat, named after the lookout point in old pirate ships. Growing up he'd read anything he could get his hands on that had to do with pirates and ships and ocean travel. His favorites had been Treasure Island and 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea.
Masen smiled as he remembered going through a phase where he'd told his mother he was going to be like Captain Nemo and live underwater. She'd smiled and said she would miss him if he stayed in the sea all the time so he'd promised she could go along if she wanted and if she didn't then he'd visit her on land once every month, like the way Davey Jones could only come on land once every ten years.
Bella's voice tugged him from his memories. "I probably shouldn't admit this since this is supposed to be a form of punishment …"
He turned toward her voice as he waited to hear the rest of what she was going to say and found himself mesmerized by the view. She was right at the top of the ladder and leaning forward to set her foot onto the deck. A wide gap existed between her skin and the top of her dress, exposing just enough cleavage to make his body twitch and beg for her to lean over more.
"But I was really hoping to get up here at some point and take in the view," she finished as she righted herself and pushed a few loose strands of hair out of her face.
He noticed she'd missed one and instead of just telling her so he found himself reaching out and moving it for her, tucking it gently behind her ear. "It's a great view," he said, not entirely meaning the ocean they would be overlooking.
He would have been annoyed with himself if he'd realized he'd already forgotten all about his priorities and his conviction that it wasn't the right time to wade into confusing waters with Bella. But he wasn't aware and that left him open to her and the feelings she stirred inside of him.
"~~~^~~~~^~~~^~~~~^~~~^~~~~^"
Freshly showered and relaxed in her t-shirt and shorts, Bella situated her laptop over her legs and powered it on. It had been a long day and she was more than ready to get some sleep but she'd promised her little sister an email.
Once she had her email account up, she found the email Edward had promised her right away. The pictures he'd chosen to send her from the whale sighting were all perfect and gorgeous and definite magazine material. It took a long time for her to narrow it down to just two from the dozen he'd sent. She wanted to save the rest for later, for when she was home and showing Ali and Uncle Carl all of her summer photos.
Bella opened up a new email window, already knowing exactly what she wanted to say to her sister.
Alice,
I sent your first stamped letter yesterday while we were still in Hawaii. I'll send the next once we reach Africa. I don't know when that will be exactly so you'll have to be happy with emails until then.
Things are going okay so far. Today was my first day of actual work. I was partnered with Gopher, handling the care and maintenance of the boat's interior. It's just a really fancy way of saying I helped with the cooking and cleaning. ;) Gopher made sure it wasn't too horrible for me. He's really great at what he does and I'm enjoying working with him.
I've attached two of the orca pictures I promised I would send. It was hard to pick just two but I want to save the others for when I'm home and can explain everything about that day to you and Uncle Carl. Edward did such a great job with the photos that it was hard to pick just a couple.
It's been a smooth journey on the boat so far. Warm sun in a nearly cloudless blue sky and miles of beautiful ocean on all sides. It's so peaceful, Ali. I'd forgotten how wonderful it is to be on the water this way, to not be surrounded by city sounds and globs of people. And it's not just the day that's so beautiful. It's the night too and being able to see so many stars above and the nearly full moon reflected on the water below. I wish I could blend the two worlds together. Have my mornings and nights on the water and the middle of my day on land. Someone should really invent a luxury boat that's super fast and transforms into a car once you're on land. LOL Then I could have the best of both worlds.
It's been a long day and I really need to get to bed. Good luck on your very first day of adult employment tomorrow! I know you'll be the best file clerk that law firm has ever seen.
Give hugs and kisses to Uncle Carl for me. Talk to you soon.
Luv & hugs,
Bella
After making sure the email left her outbox, Bella closed the lid on her laptop and set it aside. She didn't curl up under the covers, though. She had one more thing she needed to do today.
Her hand slid under the extra pillow on her bed and she pulled her journal out. The thin dark blue ribbon made it easy to open the book to a fresh page. She wrote carefully in an easy to read print, just the way her father had taught her from an early age.
Sighted: Wahoo
Where: North Pacific
Conditions: Sunny day, calm winds, early afternoon.
Description: Spotted small group of three swimming just below the surface. Long, scaly, with a mouth that's somewhat pointed. Thought it was mackerel but Edward was positive it was Wahoo, only he called them Ono (Hawaiian word). He says they're prized for sport fishing in Hawaii and Bermuda.
Side Note: Interesting to have someone who knows so much about marine life with me for this sighting. No need to research what I saw when I have what appears to be a walking marine encyclopedia next to me. While not looking forward to seeing the toothy beasts, I am curious about what my encyclopedia will share with me about them :)
She put her journal away and then scooted around in the bed until she felt comfortable. It had been a long, full day and she worried at first she would be overtired and unable to fall asleep. But the gentle rocking of the boat helped lull her into a daze that eventually turned into sleep—and dreams of Edward Masen. Blue eyed, gray eyed, and heaven help her, green eyed Edward Masen.
A/N: Hope you all enjoyed reading the chapter as much as EternallyAddicted and I did writing it! My favorite line from this chapter was ... "Don't blame your lack of slumber on me, Mase," Whit warned, pointing at him with a triangle of toast. "He who smelt it, dealt it." And my favorite scene was Masen spewing his guts while Esme sat there smiling, cool as a cucumber! Let us know your favorite line and/or scene in your review!
EA has updated the blog with the pictures from the refrigerator and each of the bedrooms. Head on over and check them out www (dot) masenmarineresearch (dot) blogspot (dot) com
Also, for those that enjoy EA's stories, she has new one coming out tonight! It's called Somewhere I Belong and is well worth the read! I'll give you the summary here and if you want to check out the teaser, head on over to her blog at www (dot) eternallyaddicted (dot) blogspot (dot) com
Summary: Born to parents living a rich and glamorous lifestyle, Bella had never felt as if she belonged in their world where life often felt fake and pretentious. Wanting more out of life and wanting to make a worthwhile difference, Bella assumes a fake identity and heads off to spend her last summer before college doing something real and meaningful. Her journey starts with meeting a handsome stranger, raised to help those in need—and to detest the rich. What happens when he finds out her secret?