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 45 – Decisions Are Made
Wednesday, July 30th
Edward winked at Bella across the table and then pulled himself up to sit on the top part of the booth. "Time to settle down," he announced.
They were all so busy with their conversations that they didn't hear him.
He stuck his fingers in his mouth and gave a whistle. That worked and all eyes focused on him. "Sorry for interrupting the fun but it's time to start the morning meeting. I'm going to need for everyone to clear the table for this. Let's get our dishes put away and get seated again quickly."
It took a few minutes for the dishes to disappear, the discussions to end a second time, and the laughter to fizzle out. As soon as that happened, everyone's focus returned to Edward. Bella smiled, loving how they all trusted and respected him. She hoped they'd feel the same way towards her when he turned the meeting over to her in a bit.
She'd gotten up earlier than usual this morning just to run upstairs and get a look at what he'd written up for her idea. She'd had a little nagging worry that detailing her idea would lead to the discovery of some kind of unsurmountable flaw that required it to be scrapped. She'd been relieved to find that his detailed analysis of the plan and break down of assignments squashed her worries completely. It had also ramped up her excitement to the point that she hadn't been able to sit still all morning. Edward had decided the best way for her to channel that energy was for her to be the one to present her idea to the rest of the team. As soon as Lee had taken over at the helm, he'd brought Bella up into the crow's nest for her to practice her presentation. She'd managed to hold his attention the entire time—even while wearing a chocolate milk mustache.
Bella shook her head to clear it so she could focus on the meeting again.
Edward was busy spreading one of his many maps across the table. "Before we delve into the details and assignments for today, there's a second plan that's been brought to the table." He set the salt and pepper shakers down on his end of the table and then stood up straight. "Not only do I believe it's a good plan, I believe it's a huge opportunity for MMR and for us as individuals. That's why it already has my vote."
"Oh la la," Whit joked. "Must be one hell of a Plan B."
Edward had a big grin on his handsome face as he climbed up to sit on the back of the booth again.
"Bro, what's up?" Whit pressed. "What's that grin for? And why are you sitting? You never sit when you present a plan. What are you up to?"
Edward set his eyes on Bella and gave her an encouraging smile. "Kapu."
She lit up at hearing her special nickname during work, loving the tangible proof that he was okay with their personal and professional lives intertwining.
She stood where he had been seconds ago and looked right into the curious faces of her teammates. "I was looking through the maps last night and I found something," she told them. "After discussing it with Edward and seeing his breakdown of how it would work, I'm incredibly excited to share it with all of you.
"Researching in the wild is not only unpredictable, it's a constant frustration searching for a solid control and an impressive variable to fit the theory you've set out to prove. It's the main reason we've gathered data first and then developed theories later while writing the dailies.
"I think we have a chance to flip things around today. The storm that separated us may have also given us a rare gift. There's the chance we can be in the same body of water with the same species of predator and prey under two distinct environmental conditions."
Bella picked up the salt shaker and set it down over the 'G' Edward had marked on the map for her this morning. "We know our current location holds murky water with heavily impaired visibility and low movements.
"We know these conditions are a result of being at the edge of the storm that swept in and swamped Gordon's Bay and the surrounding areas," she continued, sweeping her hands across the map to approximate the storm's path.
She grasped the pepper shaker and leaned across the table to place it over Cape Point on the map. "That's Cape Point. I believe there's a strong chance conditions at Cape Point are the exact opposite of what they are here right now. I think conditions there are the same as they were here last week, mostly clear with lots of shark and seal activity."
"Hole-lee shit," Whit blurted out. His wide eyes went from Bella to Edward and back again.
"Wait a minute …" Gopher's eyes shifted back and forth just as Whit's had. "Does that mean—" He leaned over the map to see Bella clearly. "Really?"
"You bet your sweet ass it's what she means." Lee's tone matched the pride in her eyes which she kept focused on Bella alone.
Bella grinned excitedly, happy that they understood already. "Documenting the major differences in behavior in both sections at the same time should boost all of our theories from last night on how murky water affects the sharks and seals. We'd be working in tandem, with a team on the skiff at Cape Point and another here on Galeos. We'll need as much video and photographic evidence as we can capture. That is, if you guys would rather this Plan B over the Plan A we created last night."
Lee pointed a finger at her. "First of all, shame on you for hijacking my turn as part of the planning duo." She slowly raised her hand high into the air while smiling wide. "Secondly, my vote is a giant hell yeah."
"Go for the goal," Whit exuberantly shared with both arms held up high.
Gopher's hand shot up next. "I'm in like Flint."
"Isn't it supposed to be 'Flynn'?" Alice questioned. "Like as in Errol Flynn, the actor that was the romantic swashbuckler from romance movies in the forties?"
Gopher shook his head furiously. "Why would I want to be in like that guy? He's an actor. He has no business around sharks. But Flint is a bad ass super heroine with near impenetrable skin and a healthy sense of adventure."
"Right," Alice replied with a giggle. "Comics is your thing. Though I'm surprised you picked a female."
He shrugged. "I pick whoever is the best for the mission. She's as strong physically as she is mentally, making her perfect for a mission full of the unknown."
Alice's attention immediately shifted to Bella. "Isn't it really dangerous for you guys to be in the unknown?"
"It's a higher rate of danger than our usual days," Bella allowed. "But it's not outside of the team's acceptable level of risk. Plus, the three team members best suited for working in the unknown will be on the skiff." Bella shifted her attention to Lee, "I went over each of our abilities so many times and although I truly believe you are amazing with the cameras, you've said yourself you've been intimidated by the Great Whites more than once this summer. It's why I nominated Gopher, Whit, and Edward to be the skiff team."
Lee smiled despite the sadness in her eyes. "No worries, Guppy. I would have picked them too. Masen's the least likely to be rattled and really is our best photographer. Whit's always calm, even when he's supremely agitated. And my Gopher is the only one I'd trust to drive my family out there and get them home safe again."
"Our work is no less important," Bella promised.
Lee's usual sarcastic smile and words returned immediately. "As if you need to tell me that. They can get all the data they want out there but if we don't give them anything to compare it to, then they're just a bunch of goobers with photos and video."
"Then it's a unanimous decision," Edward declared. "We go with Plan B. Guppy and Lee will stay aboard Galeos to document the activity here with video and still footage. Lee, if you feel comfortable with just having Guppy here to help, I'd like you to get some water samples. Take them from the front and back of the boat. If not, Whit and I will help you with it before we leave this morning."
"I trust Guppy to have my back," Lee said as she offered her fist to Bella.
Bella was elated to press her fist to Lee's; having this woman's trust was an accomplishment and an honor.
"Okay," Edward said with a pleased smile. "Let's get a morning sample and an afternoon one then." He turned his attention to the guys. "We'll spend at least half the day at Cape Point. We'll need two video cameras and a still camera, with extra supplies for each piece of equipment. I want three pairs of binoculars on board. Let's also take my prototype lens hood with us. Oh, and let's make sure we have a supply of cleaning cloths. We'll be much more prone to cast-off spray aboard the skiff. We'll also need clipboards, paper pads, pens and pencils, and waterproof bags for each of us."
"We need personal gear, too," Whit declared. "We should have a minimum of five bottles of water each, snacks, two bottles of spray sunscreen, and the medium sized medical kit. Let's also bring hats and sweat towels."
"Should we put on the skiff's canopy shade?" Gopher asked, leaning forward to see Edward. "It shouldn't take us longer than a half hour to install it."
Edward shook his head. "No but only because it might mess up our lighting too much. It could block too much sun and make the video dark."
"So don't use the actual canopy. Stretch one of the white bed sheets over the canopy frame," Lee suggested. "You get some protection from the sun without blocking your light source."
Edward looked to Gopher who was already moving to stand. "On it," Gopher promised as he vaulted over the back of the seat.
Edward shifted his attention to Lee. "You know I'd take you with me if it was possible."
She gave him a sweet smile. "Yeah, I know. But since I'm staying, Bella and I get our pick of the cameras."
"Done."
"Said as if you had a choice, which you do not."
He rolled his eyes at her. "Can we just go divvy up the cameras please?"
"I suppose so," Lee replied as she slid out of the booth.
"I'll help Whit put together the personal gear, if that's okay," Alice offered.
"That's awesome of you," Whit told her. "Right, Mase?"
Edward nodded in agreement. "Thanks, Alice. We appreciate your help."
"Come on, Bella," Lee said, tugging her by the arm. "Let's get to the cameras before Mase decides he has a favorite he just has to use."
Bella was happy to be pulled along. She was also curious and needed to make sure things really were good with her friend. "Lee, you believe me that it was solely about ability, right? Because I do believe you're an amazing researcher and better than the guys in so many areas."
Lee gave her a soft smile. "I asked you yesterday to be the consummate professional when it comes to our work. This is just you fulfilling that request."
"I want us to have a no harm, no foul day."
"I've got every confidence we will, and not only because we're amazing at what we do, but because you helped put the right people in the right roles. So stop the worrying and start being excited. You and I have the run of Galeos today."
"And our pick of cameras," Bella added, excitedly reaching for the T1 she had fallen in love with this summer.
Picking up the camera, she thought back to the first time she'd held it in her hands. She'd been so nervous, so worried she would make a fool of herself on The Submarine in front of Brent and his crew. Her fear of sharks had still been so raw and hard to control at the time. Now here she was voluntarily planning to spend her entire day waiting for them to appear so she could photograph them for her team. It was amazing to realize just how much progress she'd made so far this summer, and it increased her desire for more. More progress and more proof that she was the one in control of her life, not her fears.
She couldn't do it right now, not with her work day about to start and her team depending on her full attention and cooperation. But tonight, tonight after the daily was written and her journal lay open in her lap—tonight she would finally set aside the time to answer a question Edward had asked almost a week ago. She would ask herself if she could handle a cage dive.
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"Eight footer easy," Whit said while writing the length down on his pad. "On the small side for what we've seen today," he added, looking into the lens to make sure the video camera was still lined up with the shark slowly making her way toward them.
"She's a curious gal," Gopher commented. He had both of his hands wrapped tightly around a tagging pole, waiting in hopes this newest shark would come close enough to the skiff to allow for a tag.
"She has to be full with how she's ignoring the seals," Masen noted. He was stretched out on his stomach to take advantage of the skiff's low walls, allowing for photos that looked as though they were taken at the water's surface. He figured he might as well try to get some amazing photos since the stitches in his hand prevented him from being the one to attempt a tag.
Despite the canopy overhead, all three men were drenched with sweat and would have loved nothing more than air conditioned comfort and cold showers, but they weren't about to head back yet. They were determined to stay put until they had tagged a Great White. The original plan had been to only attempt a tag from the safety of a cage, but after seeing the action here at Cape Point, they'd gotten on the radio with Lee and Guppy, and the entire team had voted to try tagging from the skiff.
Bella's guess had been accurate and the activity here matched Zone Four on its best days. These Cape Point seals were of all ages and traveled in herds of varying sizes, daring to leave the safety of the beach and dive into the waters. With the beach so near there was also an increase in the number of birds flying overhead in search of leftovers—calling cards of sharks on the hunt.
Gopher shifted his feet forward and Masen immediately grabbed the man's ankle. "Hold. If your movement causes the boat to rock, the resulting wake could scare her off."
"Especially with nearly dead winds," Whit added.
"Shit. Right," Gopher spit out quickly. He took a deep breath and then slowly removed his hat and wiped the sweat from his face with the towel hanging around his neck. He took another deep breathe and then settled his hat on his head backwards. "Sorry, guys. No baseline means extreme caution and bare minimum of movements, I know that. I guess the adrenaline got to me."
"You're good, bro," Whit encouraged. "This is a first for all of us."
"I thought you guys did this at Farallon," Gopher mentioned.
"We weren't allowed because we were too green," Masen explained while checking the grip Gopher had on the pole. Satisfied that his hands were back where they should be, Masen continued. "And the sharks at Farallon weren't moving around like the ones here in South Africa."
"Boys, I do believe the lady has made up her mind," Whit announced. "She's coming over to investigate."
"Whit, safety position," Masen ordered. "Gopher, deep breathes and fluid movements. Aim for her body near the dorsal fin."
Gopher was already repeating the necessary steps to himself. "Near the fin but not on it. Hard thrust forward to penetrate the skin. Release immediately. Hold my balance."
Meanwhile Whit had been moving from behind the camera to stand behind Gopher. The big man was wearing a fishing harness with a length of climbing rope attached to the back. Whit took the ends of the rope and wrapped them twice around his forearms while pushing the front of his feet right up against the back of Gopher's. If his teammate lost his balance for any reason, Whit would lean his own body back as a counterweight to keep Gopher from falling into the water. This safety measure had been improvised on the fly but they had every confidence Masen's idea would work.
"Definitely eight," Masen confirmed as she lifted her body to the surface a good six feet from them.
"Come on, Girl. Just a little closer," Whit coaxed. "We're just going to tag you and then let you go on about your business."
Gopher continued his chanting. "Near the fin but not on it. Hard thrust forward to penetrate the skin. Release immediately. Hold my balance."
The shark dove under completely and the guys struggled to remain still, knowing to move was to risk scaring her off. It didn't take long for her dorsal fin to reappear and this time it was only two feet from the boat.
Masen could hear his heart pounding in his ears from the rush of adrenaline flooding his system. He really needed to get the sweat out of his eyes but he wasn't about to risk missing a shot of their first tagging no matter how much it stung.
The sound of a splash near the front of the skiff made it almost impossible to stay still and he wished he'd thought to mount a camera to the canopy frame to capture the front of the boat.
"She's here," Gopher whispered.
Masen had spotted her at the same time and he quickly switched the camera from single to burst mode, the shutter going off repeatedly as he moved the camera in time to the shark's slow glide along the side of the skiff.
In the next second he heard Gopher's sharp intake of breath, caught the glint of sunlight from the end of the pole, and then felt the spray from a giant splash.
"Did I get her?" Gopher asked, his face the definition of dazed yet excited.
"Look at the end of your pole," Whit said with a chuckle. "You still see a tag?"
Masen laughed happily, sitting up just as Gopher sat down. "How you feeling, Gopher?"
"I tagged a freakin Great White shark. How the hell do you think I feel?"
Masen decided to throw the man a comic book reference. "I'd guess something like Superman after a visit to the sun."
Gopher tilted his head back and shouted so loud he drowned out the squawking birds flying overhead. "I just tagged a Great White and now I'm going to Disneyland."
"Just ..." Masen couldn't find the words so he just shook his head while Whit was laughing so hard that he was doubled over.
Gopher's huge grin spread completely across his face as he made a fist and held it out to Masen.
Masen gave him a bump and then a compliment. "Good work."
"Ladies of Galeos, come in please," Whit spoke into the radio.
"Lee here," came back through the radio.
"Where's Guppy?"
"Right here but hang on a sec. She's adjusting the video camera's angle." It wasn't long before Lee announced they were both listening.
Whit handed the radio to Gopher. "Your news, you tell them."
Gopher's grin somehow managed to get wider as he spoke into the radio. "Superman, here. Just wanted to let you gals know my keen eyesight and super strength helped Team MMR tag its first ever Great White Shark."
Masen had expected an enthusiastic scream from Lee and he'd hoped Bella would be genuinely excited by the news. He'd never expected to hear the both of them yelling joyously into the radio with Alice's exuberant clapping accompanying the sounds. He had no doubt it was her doing it because he'd never seen or heard of anyone clap the way that girl did. She was this little thing with big exaggerated movements of her arms and hands—it was like watching a walrus on speed.
"Are you guys heading back now?" Lee questioned. "I can't wait to see the video on this!"
Gopher passed the radio to Masen to let him answer. "Not just yet. There's still plenty of daylight left and there are two more spots we want to check out."
"Just remember our agreement, Mase. You guys have until four no matter how much daylight is technically left."
"If not before then, we will head home directly at four," he assured her.
"Okay. You guys be safe. We're going to go ahead and turn the tracking program's record mode on and then get that afternoon water sample you wanted. We'll call if conditions here change at all."
"Sounds good. We'll call you if we hit any other milestones. Firefly over and out." Masen handed the radio back to Whit since he was in charge of it today.
Gopher's grin was still crazy wide. "That's some excited women we have waiting back at base for us."
Masen nodded in agreement. "We have a lot to celebrate and we're not even done with our day."
"Mase," Whit called.
He looked up at his best friend and immediately became suspicious of the glint in his eyes. "What?"
"Think that celebration could include a beer? Just one ice cold, amazingly good beer?"
"Oh man, an ice cold beer would be so damn good on a day like today," Gopher mused.
Masen wiped away the sweat from his face for the umpteenth time while contemplating Whit's request. Tomorrow would mostly be indoor work, collecting and reviewing the tagging data coming in from the shark they'd just tagged. There would be some outdoor work with reviewing conditions at Galeos and a few water samples, but that would be later in the day. A single beer per person would definitely have burned off by then.
He looked from Whit's pleading face to Gopher's hopeful one. "One beer each," he relented.
"I knew I liked you for some reason," Whit joked.
"Alright, slackers," Gopher said as he hauled himself to his feet. "What's next?"
Masen made sure his camera was secure in its bag before standing. "First we get the harness off you so you'll be a little cooler. Then we head over to where we spotted that big shark a couple hours ago. I want to see if she's come back for a second shot at the seals that got away from her."
"You told Lee there were two spots," Whit pointed out.
"I didn't want to say anything until we were sure, but I think we need to visit the beach before we leave the area," Masen explained.
Gopher crossed his arms and planted his feet in a wide, steady stance—he wasn't planning on moving anytime soon from the looks of it. "Masen … What do you know?"
"Yeah," Whit said as he mimicked Gopher's positioning. "What do you know?"
Masen sighed, knowing he wasn't going to get them back to work unless he told them. "Remember how you and Guppy wanted to chase down the potential source of death for those penguins?"
Gopher nodded. "But I thought you said they would have floated to the beaches on the Gordon's Bay side."
"I still believe they would have. But something smaller from the same community may have washed up on this beach. I noticed it with the binoculars earlier but it's one of those things I can't be sure of unless I'm on the beach. And if I'm right, then what's on the beach will back up your theory about the man-of-war taking out those penguins."
"Okay, then," Whit said with a nod. "Harness off, try to track down the big girl, visit the beach, then head to base for a cold beer."
"Yeah, get me out of this thing," Gopher demanded while tugging at a buckle.
"Get your Superman arms out of the way and maybe we can get to the buckles," Whit joked.
Once Gopher was free of the harness, he put it away along with the rope. While he was busy doing that, Whit took the video camera off its tripod and laid the tripod on its side so it would be safe for travel. Masen made sure all their maps and pads were zipped up in the waterproof bags and then he gave the skiff a once over to make sure they were ready to leave.
"Gopher, start her up and take it slow," Masen directed. "We want to keep our wake as small as possible."
"Sneaky as I can make her be, Mase," Gopher promised.
"What do you think is up with the wind?" Whit asked as he passed Masen a fresh bottle of water.
He took a long swallow before answering. "Location mostly. The direction of the wind today is at just the right angle for the curve of this Cape to serve as a natural barrier. We get closer out toward Galeos and we should feel a difference pretty quickly."
"Makes sense." Whit stopped talking long enough to drain nearly half his water bottle. "I'm damn glad we got the tag but I also kind of wish we hadn't so we could come back out here tomorrow and do this again."
Masen grunted. "I'm glad you think you could do this two days in a row."
"The excitement getting to ya?" Whit asked. His grin told Masen he knew better and was just teasing.
"The unknown is getting to me. The extra vigilance and stress of being on the skiff is getting to me."
"Yeah, you're probably not liking being without Lee and Guppy either."
"No, I'm not. I've gotten so used to being at Guppy's side, teaching her and watching out for her. With Lee, I felt really shitty I was leaving her behind. Still do. Feels like I failed her because I know she wanted to be on the boat with us."
"You're not doing anything wrong," Whit said, gripping Masen's shoulder. "I get why it feels that way, this being the first time you're looking at the situation with your heart rather than just your head. But trust me, Mase, you are doing the right thing just like you always do. Lee knows this kind of work isn't her forte, just like she knows there isn't enough room on this boat for four of us to spread out like we need to get our work done. With Guppy, you've given her the tools she needs to be successful and this is her day to show you both just how capable she's become."
Masen turned his head so he could see Whit's face and gauge his reaction. "I asked her to consider taking a permanent position with MMR."
A slow grin spread across Whit's face while his eyebrow lifted up. "Did you now?"
"She said she'd consider it but only after the internship was over and she'd proved to herself she could do the work."
"I expect nothing less from her. What did you think about her giving herself that condition before you could lay it down?"
"In the moment I thought it was smart. But I was thinking about it again last night while I was detailing her idea and it helped me realize that she doesn't have to like sharks to help us protect the oceans. Her love for marine life in general and her dedication to a job well done is more than enough."
Whit grinned. "I'd say that's a mighty fine epiphany you've had, Mase. And I didn't even have to nudge this time."
"Frick and Frack," Gopher called out. "You two might want to get a load of this."
Whit and Masen turned their attention to the front of the boat and were greeted with the sight of a large herd of seals congregating in the water directly in front of them.
Masen had a big smile on his face as he laid a hand on Gopher's shoulder. "Good job finding them. Now cut the engine and give the wheel a twist so we back up to them."
"These guys have some major cojones," Gopher remarked.
"Probably just figure safety in numbers," Whit remarked while standing up the tripod for the video camera.
"What do you think, Mase?" Gopher asked.
He looked up from his camera to survey the seals for a moment before answering. "My guess is a combination of clear water and it being late enough in the day that most of the sharks in the area will have already found a food source."
"If you believe that, then how come you're expecting that big one to come back here?"
"It's what I would do," Masen answered simply. "Back off to regroup and allow a false sense of safety to build up. Let them grow into a herd like this one so when I attack again my odds for landing my prey are higher than their odds of getting away."
"You think a shark's brain is capable of that kind of logic?" Gopher questioned.
"It doesn't have to be. It's an instinctual reaction. Attacking a group you know you can overpower is an ingrained survival skill in every species. We know to try one on one first because it tends to be easier and we use up less energy that way. We can stay fuller after we consume our prey. But when one on one fails, then we look to increase our chances of survival. If there's a group we have the capability to overpower, then we round them up and attack. Sometimes their safety in numbers turns into our foolproof meal plan."
"And sometimes safety in numbers prevails," Whit added. "See how the seals on the edges of the group are swimming in a head-down position with only the tail and tip of the rear flippers showing? Those are the lookouts, scanning the water for sharks."
"Let's get our own eyes on the water," Masen directed. "I don't want the seals to be the only ones prepared for her to show up if she comes."
The guys set to work without another word. Whit set the video camera back up on the tripod, checking the battery and tape levels, and then centered the focus right on the raft the seals' bodies had created together.
Gopher pulled out the binoculars and started scanning the surface for any sign of a shark in the area.
Masen checked his camera's battery, the memory left on his card, and the cleanliness of his lens. After cleaning a few spots of spray from it, he decided to attach his prototype lens hood to the camera. While the explanation he'd given Gopher for their return to this area was completely true and logical, Masen also carried the feeling that he was just right—that this was the shark's territory and she did as she pleased in it. Great Whites her size didn't get that big through luck alone; they had to be as smart as they were vigilant.
Over the next half hour they watched the seals and scanned the waters, calling out to each other if they thought they saw signs of the shark. Masen also assigned himself the added task of trying to discern a pattern in the way the herd increased and decreased its size. He felt certain there was some kind of order to it even if he couldn't see it right now.
It was as the seals were breaking apart and reorganizing that the shark returned. She burst into the sky from under the left side of the herd, sending the seals scattering in every possible direction. The seal that had been in the center of her strike zone miraculously twisted its body enough to maneuver out of the way of the shark's mouth and dive into the water almost behind her back as she re-entered the water with a gigantic splash. Somehow she kept sight of the seal and twisted her body to follow after, slicing along the water's surface like a torpedo. She was almost close enough for her nose to touch the seal's rear flipper when she disappeared under the water. Within seconds she reappeared through another breach maneuver and this time she hit at just the right angle to line her mouth up with the tail of the seal, clamping her massive jaws down on his hind end and securing her meal.
"That was fucking epic," Whit croaked, looking as breathless as Masen felt.
"She had to be thirteen feet, Mase," Gopher announced. "Thirteen."
"Fifteen hundred pounds of apex predator," Whit said with a chuckle. "Damn it's been a good day."
Masen sat up, smiling as wide as he ever had. "She was absolutely gorgeous."
Gopher chuckled. "Wait until Lee and Bella get a load of the footage from this."
"The sooner we check out the beach, the sooner we can head back to base," Masen commented. "Let's get the skiff ready to move and get going."
"Don't you want to stick around to see if she goes after another one?" Whit asked. "What if we leave and miss another great filming opportunity?"
"I'd rather not press our luck," Masen replied, having already weighed the pros and cons of staying only to find there were more cons. "Besides, we've had a long enough day. We could all use some shade and some real food."
"To the beach we go," Gopher said, taking the video camera from Whit for safe storage.
Masen helped the guys get the skiff ready for movement and then they were off to the beach to investigate the area he had spotted through the binoculars early this morning. If he was right, it would be a great cap to this amazing day—a day they all owed to Bella's brilliant idea. He couldn't wait to get her into his arms and show her just how appreciative he was feeling. Just as soon as they finished their research for the day.
"~~~^~~~~^~~~^~~~~^~~~^~~~~^"
"They're coming! I see them!" Alice excitedly shouted from the deck.
Bella looked over the railing of the crow's nest to see her sister jumping up and down and waving.
"Should we tell her they can't see her?" Lee asked with a snort.
Bella grinned. "Wouldn't do any good. She's far too excited to listen to reason."
"From that smile you're sporting, I'd guess you're pretty damn excited too." Lee finished putting the video camera into its bag and stood up with it. "Now that the work day is over, you have a question to answer from this morning."
Bella blushed, remembering all too well which question Lee had in mind. "It's true. We don't have a line anymore. What gave us away?"
Lee hooked her arm around Bella and drew her in for a hug. "I see all, I know all. Also, after you spend a few years with Masen and realize just how predictable he can be, you'll notice every single time he alters his behavior even a smidge."
"Okay, first of all, seeing and knowing all is Whit's thing. Secondly, I want to know what exactly it is about Edward's behavior that you think is different."
"Well there's the most obvious change—he's finally relaxed around you. He's not obsessing over his behavior and its potential impacts on both of your futures. That strict personal space he was keeping between you two during work hours is gone, along with his careful avoidance of using 'kapu' to address you."
Bella grinned. "I really love those changes. They backup his words that he's sure and I finally feel secure in believing he's not going to change his mind."
Lee laughed. "Oh, Bella. That man is so far past the point where he could change his mind."
"What do you mean?"
"Monday night when you two were in the kitchen making dinner for everyone, Esme and I were watching. We honestly couldn't look away. We've seen you two work together in the kitchen before but never like this. You two were moving like magnets, always drawing the other to you in every move you made. You guys made an entire meal for eight without ever moving more than a foot away from each other. You two barely spoke and yet you guys didn't shut up—lingering looks, secret smiles, a touch here and there.
We could almost see the spark and hear the hum of the energy between you two. Hell, Esme said you two were the best romance movie she'd watched in a while."
"You can't ever tell him I said this, but he was right. He does fit the other definition of mano."
Loud laughter burst free from Lee and she had to hold on to Bella's shoulder to stay up right. "I can't believe—he's such an asshat. Oh but I love him."
"Explain please," Bella said, chuckling at Lee's reaction.
"From the moment he learned about the 'passionate lover' definition, he's always wanted to try it out on someone. I've always been there to remind him why it would make him an asshat. I feel like I should apologize to you for not stopping him with you. How many times has he used it?"
Bella chuckled. "Only the once and it didn't work for him at all. Pretty sure I laughed in his face after hearing it." She blushed as she remembered the kiss he'd laid on her right after she'd laughed—a kiss he'd meant and never once regretted.
"Good. He needs to be put in his place every so often." Lee's smile didn't budge but the look in her eyes grew serious. "The way you guys are around each other, it's the real deal and you both know it. Whatever happens when the summer ends, I know you'll work it out together and find what works for you both, just like Gopher and I did."
"They're here! They're here!" Alice bellowed from below them.
"Come on, Guppy. Let's go greet our guys."
Bella grabbed Lee's forearm. "Thank you. I know it hasn't been easy to watch him change with me when he couldn't with you."
"He wasn't meant to change with me. I'm not the one capable of wrangling his warrior heart without altering who he is at his core. Only his kapu can do that for him and that's you, Bella."
"You know, it's really not fair how you make me love you a little more every day."
"Right back at you, Guppy. Now get your ass in gear because I've got a kiss that's in need of Gopher's lips."
The ladies made it down to the deck at the same time that Gopher made it up. He had duffel bags hanging from each shoulder but they didn't slow him down a bit in his hurry to get to Lee. As soon as he was near her, he dumped the bags and reached for her. He lifted her and easily spun around with her once and then dipped her over his arm and gave her such a solid kiss that Bella looked away to give them some privacy.
Bella's eyes immediately landed on Alice and she had to laugh at the way her sister was wrapped around Whit, her limbs looking like octopus tentacles around his neck and waist. Alice appeared to be trying to kiss every inch of visible skin on Whit's face and neck.
The navy blue of Edward's hat caught Bella's eye and she craned her neck to see him. He had a smirk on his face as he watched Whit and Alice together. Bella almost laughed but then Edward's eyes landed on her and laughing became the last thing she wanted to do.
He took his time walking around Whit and Alice and moving towards Bella, reminding her of nature films where the lion made deliberate slow movements to stealthily stalk its prey. Stopping about a foot away from her, he moved at what she considered a glacial pace, lowering his duffel bag to the ground and pushing his hat up just enough to reveal blue eyes and lips that twitched from a suppressed smile. He knew he was driving her nuts with his silence just like she knew he didn't realize how much he was giving away with his eyes and lips—he had loved his work today and the mission had been a success. She just stared right back at him, holding his gaze and smiling in the same sly way he was doing. She could play just as easily as him and she was determined not to make the first move.
He moved close enough to get his hands on her hips and then pulled her forward until their bodies were touching as much as possible. His blue eyes took in her face the way Alice's lips had covered Whit's, and his mouth curved from a barely-there grin to a smile that filled his handsome face.
"Hi," she whispered, at a loss to come up with anything better.
Edward's eyes locked on Bella's and he reached out, cupping the back of her neck in his large hand. The look of want he gave her had her pulling in a deep breath in anticipation of their kiss. As soon as their lips met, she felt a jolt travel all the way through her. Her hands disappeared into his hair, pulling him closer to deepen their kiss and knocking his hat off his head in the process.
They kissed until they were both completely out of breathe and then they kissed some more, getting them in between ragged breaths. When they finally really came up for air, they found they were the only two on deck.
"I think that may have been our best 'hello' yet," she joked, grinning up at him.
"That sounds like a challenge."
"What?" she cried out in shock. "No. No challenge." The last thing she needed was him spending hours devising new ways to make her breathless around him.
He chuckled while leaning into her. "Definitely a challenge, kapu." He gave her a sweet, slow kiss and then hugged her tight.
She hugged back just as hard, ignoring the sweat and focusing on that sun and sand smell that always came from him. "As nice as this is, we still have work to do."
"Yeah, we should probably get in there before they come after us."
Bella let go of Edward and leaned over to grab his bag while he snagged his hat.
"What are you doing?"
She patted his cheek with her free hand. "It's called taking your bag inside. The sun must have gotten to you if you really need this explained."
"You know who my mother is," he said as he reached for the bag.
Bella pulled it behind her. "And you know my uncle so deal."
"Fine, but I'm getting the door," he said, jogging over to open it.
"Thank you, Edward," she said in an overly sweet tone to tease him.
He rolled his eyes at her. "Smart ass."
Gopher was the first to notice them. "About time you two stopped face-battling and came inside to work."
Actually, Gopher was the only one to notice because Lee and Alice were completely enthralled with Whit's storytelling. Even Lizzy seemed mesmerized with the way she was lying still in Lee's arms. "… and then the whole group of them moved at once. It was like a brown wave cresting and then crashing, only they never separated. They just did it all over again."
After setting Edward's bag next to the pile by the sofa, Bella walked over to the table so she could catch Whit's gestures and facial expressions while he talked. She was too excited to sit down so she stood at the edge of the booth near Lee and Gopher. She expected Edward to plop down beside Whit like usual but he ended up standing behind her with his arms wrapped around her waist and his chin resting on her shoulder. It amazed her that something so small made her feel so reassured in the changes they were going through together.
"Tell them about the one I tagged," Gopher urged.
Whit snorted. "He didn't even know he'd tagged her at first. He looked at me and asked me if he'd gotten her."
Gopher's smile was absolutely ear to ear. "She was a little on the small side but that was probably what made her so curious and allowed us to have our first tag."
"You guys keep using 'she' and 'her'. How do you tell if a shark is male or female?" Alice's sincere curiosity had Bella grinning. Her little sister had been back and forth all day, coming outside every half hour or so to ask if Bella and Lee needed anything. She'd stay long enough to ask about what they were seeing and if they'd heard from the guys, and then she'd head back inside to take care of Lizzy. Bella had found it adorable.
And she felt the same way now seeing her sister's attention fully focused on Lee and the explanation she was giving. "We can't tell unless we get close enough to look for the sex organs. We use the female pronoun because when researchers do come across a Great White they can get close to, nine out of ten times the shark ends up being a female."
"Okay, I get it now. Since female is the majority, you use the feminine pronouns," Alice replied. "But then, where are the males?" This time she looked to Edward for the answer.
"That's one of the many mysteries all shark researchers are hoping to one day solve," he relayed. "We have a lot more questions about sharks than we have answers. Being blind to their habits and needs makes it incredibly difficult to develop conservation plans for them. We can't take care of a species we don't understand."
Bella reached back and scratched his scruff in the way he liked as a 'thank you' for his willingness to indulge Alice's curiosity and answer her question.
"Break out the cameras, Mase," Lee ordered. "I want to see the photos."
"We'll look through all of the photos and video," Edward promised. "But first we need to get the TV room ready for our side-by-side comparison. Gopher can bring up the TV-VHS combo from your room while you grab the laptops from the office. Whit and I will unpack the cameras and collect the digital cards. Guppy will get all of the notepads together for us."
"And I'll take Lizzy down with me so we don't interrupt," Alice offered.
"You could listen in if you want," Bella suggested.
"Thanks but I'll just end up with a bunch of questions and I don't want to interrupt," Alice replied. "But I would really like to read the daily when it's finished if that's okay."
"It absolutely is," Bella assured her.
"If there aren't any other questions or work-related comments, then let's get to it," Edward directed.
Bella moved to pull away and handle her task but Edward wouldn't let her budge. "Did you not just say to 'get to it'?" she asked, looking over her shoulder at him.
"We will but first I want you to see what I brought back for you." He led her to his duffel bag and then he knelt down to reach into it. He pulled out a plastic container about the size of a shoe box and stood up with it before popping the top off.
Bella cautiously peered into the container and found white sand broken up by discs of cobalt blue topped with transparent sails. "Sea Rafts right?" she questioned, careful to only touch the sail on top since she knew the tentacles carried stingers.
"Correct. Also known as Velella Velella. They're part of the same specialized ocean surface community as the Portuguese Man-of-war."
"Free-floating hydrozoan that live on the ocean's surface and usually travel with or near the Portuguese Man-of-war. The wind pushes against the 'S' shaped sail on top and propels them across the water, and they use their tentacles and venom to feed on plankton."
"All correct," he confirmed. "And in this case, they also serve as evidence that the storm blew in some new marine life, which ultimately resulted in the demise of a few juvenile penguins."
Bella lifted her head to look at Edward. "I can't believe you took the time to collect these."
He shrugged. "I started off just taking pictures but I figured since these are so-far harmless to humans that you'd enjoy seeing them up close."
Careful not to bump the container, she stepped into him and braced her clean hand on his shoulder to help lift her lips to his for a sweet, thankful kiss.
He looked genuinely confused when she stepped away. "What was that for?"
She couldn't help giggling over how adorable she found his confused expression. "You brought me Sea Rafts. That basically equates to a dozen roses."
"Did you just—You turned a simple gesture into something romantic and a math problem at the same time."
"It was the logical thing to do, Edward," she teased as she pressed the lid on tightly. "I definitely want to inspect these later but for right now we better wash our hands and get back to work."
After washing their hands and completing their assigned tasks, they joined the rest of the team in the TV room where they spent the next couple of hours comparing the video and photo footage from the two teams. Through it all, the researcher in Bella prevailed and she never once looked away from any of the footage. In fact, she kept going back to one image in particular that Edward had captured—the moment the seal had escaped the huge shark at the team's last location.
"You know, there was a time a photo like this would have turned you an appalling shade of green."
Bella smiled as she leaned to the side to push her weight against Whit's shoulder. "Stop making fun of me."
Whit chuckled. "Not a chance in hell, Guppy. You're family now and family gets teased. Now that we have that cleared up, why don't you tell me what's so fascinating about this photo?"
"It feels odd to say this, but it's a beautiful picture. The natural light, the contrast of the dark grey skin against the blue water, the hazy outline of the beach in the background, the way the spray is captured … this is truly a moment frozen in time. It's like Edward said about the picture I took at Seal Island—it's an image that will give a different takeaway to every single person who looks at it."
"It's definitely one of the best he's ever captured."
Bella looked around to make sure Edward was still busy going over today's marked-up map with Lee, and then leaned in to Whit so she could keep her voice low. "How do you think he'd feel about entering a photo competition?"
Whit shrugged. "He's never shown any interest in that kind of thing. Why are you asking?"
"We were looking through his marine magazines together and I noticed one was having a cover photo competition." She pointed at the laptop screen as she said, "I think this photo could win."
Whit considered her idea for a moment. "Honestly, I don't see it being his kind of thing. But that doesn't mean it's a bad idea. If he was entering the photo, he'd want to credit MMR as the source, which I'd usually agree was right. With this photo, though, he had the gut feeling the shark would be there, he captured it, and it was his prototype lens hood on the camera. It should be his credit alone. And if he were to win, then it could lead to some production and marketing contacts for the lens hood. Still, I don't see him submitting it."
Bella could see the wisdom in Whit's viewpoint, but she also had a deep sense that this photo was meant to be in the competition. "What do you think would happen if I submitted it for him?"
Whit's eyebrow lifted up high. "What do you think?"
She blew out a breath. "Either gratitude or anger. For all the complexities of his brain, he sometimes has the emotional range of a teaspoon."
Whit snorted. "That's a pretty succinct way of putting it, and thankfully only occasionally true. So if it's the first, you get all the glory. If it's the latter, then I'll take the hit."
"You'll do no such thing. It's my idea so I'll take it."
"Woman, I am infinitely more stubborn than you," Whit warned. "But fine. We'll both take it." From the twinkle in his eye, Bella didn't believe for a second that he'd allow her to have any part in things if they went south.
A shadow fell over them and they looked up into Edward's suspicious face. "What are you two whispering about?"
Whit grinned and put an arm around Bella's shoulders. "We're confessing our secret love and plotting to run away together. We can't fight the feeling anymore."
Edward smiled cockily. "Whit, don't make me beat your gimp ass."
"Are you saying you'd fight me for Bella? You'd fight your best friend and loyal nudger?"
Edward's blue eyes shifted to Bella. "For her, every damn day."
Whit snorted and then got to his feet. "You're getting smarter by the day, Mase." He clamped his hand on Edward's shoulder and gave it a shake. "Behave while I'm gone. And remember, rocking the boat is forbidden in every room of the ship except your own."
"Get the hell out," Edward ordered, trying to smack the back of Whit's head and just barely missing.
Whit laughed himself out of the room and down the hall.
Edward turned his attention back to Bella and he started chuckling at the sight of the huge smile covering her face. "Come here," he said as he reached for her hands. Once he had her on her feet and in his arms he asked, "What's the Cheshire cat smile for?"
"You," she said as she slipped her fingers into the hair at the nape of neck. "You've grown from being afraid to kiss me to pledging to beat up your best friend for me."
"When was I ever afraid to kiss you?" he asked, his eyes wandering to her lips for a second.
She gripped the back of his neck and drew him closer, purposefully stopping short of kissing him just so she could tease him. "Every moment you were trying not to fall for me."
He quickly tightened his arms around her and pressed his mouth to her skin, growling into the crook between her neck and collarbone. Surprised laughter shot out of her while she struggled to free herself. Bella's reaction had him laughing and distracted just enough that she was able to get away—almost. Edward caught her hand and used it to spin her around and into an enthusiastic kiss that they both thoroughly enjoyed.
When he finally released her lips, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and hugged her tightly. "Aloha Au Ia 'Oe, kapu."
"I love—" was as far as she got because his cell phone started ringing and he immediately pulled away to fish it from his pocket. She would have laughed at his behavior if she hadn't known how anxious he was to hear his mom's voice and make sure she was okay.
This may be perfect timing after all, she thought as her eyes landed on the laptop. She picked it up and slipped out of the room with it, figuring he'd be distracted by the phone long enough for her to mark his photo and submit it for him. He'd worked hard to capture this image and he deserved recognition for it. And with all the ways winning the competition could benefit MMR, Bella reasoned that even if Edward was angry at first then he wouldn't stay that way for long. He trusted her now and he'd be able to see she had his best interest at heart—she trusted him to believe in her the same way she believed in him.
"~~~^~~~~^~~~^~~~~^~~~^~~~~^"
"Each individual velella is a complete colony of hydrozoans," Masen explained to Bella. "It's basically a floating structure made of polyps with individual responsibilities. Some are in charge of feeding and some are in charge of reproduction, and they all need the others in order to survive."
"This is a pretty cool creature," she mused. "Not all polyps have tentacles but all velella need them to feed on plankton."
"Right. The tentacles have small stingers with enough force to immobilize very small creatures."
"The way they hang down, they look like a stinging chandelier."
He snorted. "That's a unique comparison."
"Masen, what the hell, bro?" Gopher barked.
Masen looked up to find his friend fuming with his arms crossed. "To what do I owe this tantrum?"
"We've had this talk too many times to count. No science experiments in the kitchen before meal time."
"It's not meal time."
"It's prep time if you want a meal."
Neither man noticed Alice approach, nor did they hear her voice. "Guys?"
"Relax, Gopher. There's plenty of time for us to do this and clean up after," Masen assured him.
"Not if you want dinner on the table at six," Gopher argued.
"Guys?" Alice tried again to get their attention and failed again.
"Trust me, Gopher, there's time. And the sooner you leave, the sooner we can get this done and get out of the kitchen."
"You are so damn hardheaded some—"
"Guys!" Alice yelled out. As soon as she realized she had their attention she apologized and then spewed out an explanation. "It's just that dinner is already in the oven because the team worked so hard today and it didn't seem right for you all to work like that and then have to make your own dinner on top. It's a casserole. Bella's recipe and I've made it before—well not without her help, but I have made it. I promise it'll taste great."
"What kind of a casserole?" Gopher asked, casting a suspicious glance toward the oven.
"Creamy chicken and broccoli. We usually make it with rotini noodles but you only had elbow pasta. But it should still taste great."
"That's really sweet of you, Alice," Bella told her sister. "I'm sure Gopher will appreciate the night off."
"Gopher will appreciate a full belly," Gopher announced, looking between the two sisters. "What are we going to do if this thing's not edible?"
"It'll taste fine," Bella promised him. "Alice is great at cooking dishes she knows."
"Gopher, I think the words you are searching for here are 'Thank you, Thumper'," Masen told him, only holding back some of his laughter.
"Come into my kitchen and find a mad scientist and then find out dinner's in the hands of an untested cook," Gopher grumbled. He raised his voice to say, "This food better be good."
Bella snorted. "Oh my god, you big baby. If you hate the casserole, I will personally make you whatever you want."
Gopher let his arms drop. "Fine. Deal. Whatever. Just make sure you two clean my kitchen before Thumper takes the food out of the oven."
"Dinner should be ready in fifty minutes," Alice informed him. "Possibly sixty if your oven temp is different from our oven at home."
"My oven is perfectly calibrated," Gopher stated proudly.
Masen snorted. "Go calibrate your personality and come back up for dinner in a better mood."
"Stop playing mad scientist in my kitchen and my mood would be great," Gopher countered.
"You two stop or I'll go get Lee," Bella threatened.
The two men stared at each other for a moment and then both nodded with the understanding that Lee being ticked at them was not something they wanted.
"I'll try to remember to warn you next time," Masen offered. "If there was another room with direct light like this kitchen, I'd do it there."
"Thank you. A little warning is all I want," Gopher replied.
Masen couldn't resist one last dig, especially with how easy Gopher was making it. "You'll get it. Now get out of my kitchen until I turn it back over to you."
Bella pushed her elbow into Masen's side. "Leave him alone and focus on the sea raft."
"But he makes it so easy."
Her lips turned up into a cocky grin. "Like you did when your mom called and you practically attacked your own body trying to get your phone out of your pocket?"
Masen immediately dropped his eyes to the creature in front of him. "The mouth is located in the middle of the underside for easy feeding."
Alice's giggle had him looking up again. She tried to fix her face but she couldn't control her smile at all. "I'll just be over there with my book," she said, pointing at the booth.
Masen let out a frustrated sigh while returning his focus to his work. "I think I liked her better when she was afraid of me."
"That's not even a little true," Bella stated confidently. "You're happy you finally see the Alice that I described and Whit loves."
"We need to finish up so we can clean the kitchen and I can shower."
"Okay. We can focus on work again, but don't for a second think this is the end of the conversation, or that I'll forget you promised to tell me how you're feeling after getting to talk with Esme."
He cracked a grin over her bossiness. "Wouldn't dream of it, kapu."
She kissed his cheek and then got serious. "Translucent sail—what do you think is the purpose of it?"
Masen leaned over to look at the page in his marine biology text and quickly scanned it. "No official theories yet on the translucent nature but I suspect it's some sort of camouflage device to keep from getting picked off the surface by birds."
"That's a great theory," Bella said enthusiastically. "I hadn't thought of the birds since the common predators are sea slugs and sunfish."
"If you look right here, you can see the remnants of the jelly that filled the middle before the sun dried it out."
"They spend their lives floating around with no worries until they wash up on a beach and disintegrate," she noted. "It's weird how their final resting places are pretty much chosen at birth by the direction of their sails. The ones with diagonal sails running from northwest to southeast end up in northeastern locals in the Pacific while the ones with sails that run northeast to southwest can travel to South America or Asia."
"A life determined by the water and the wind," Masen mused. "That's not a bad life."
"Is that what it feels like to be on a sailboat?"
He smiled at the mix of curiosity and concern in her pretty brown eyes; she knew sailing had been the big thing he'd shared with Elizabeth. The way she was always so careful and respectful when they discussed his mother was such a comfort that he found himself actually enjoying sharing his memories.
"I can remember us laying on the deck and soaking up the sun, listening to the sound of the water lapping against the sides of the boat," he confided.
"Do you have your own sailboat back home?"
Masen smiled at the sudden image of being on the small boat with his kapu and he promised himself he would make it a reality once they were back in Hawaii. "I have my mother's boat. Esme had it shipped for me."
"Maybe you can show it to me sometime."
His smile widened. "There's no maybe about it, kapu. In fact, we'll take it out together."
Bella returned his smile and planted a small kiss on his cheek. "That would be lovely."
They finished dissecting and investigating the velella and then worked together to make sure the kitchen island had been thoroughly disinfected. Bella went over to spend some time with her sister while Masen headed downstairs to take a shower and wash away the filth from a long day of hard work in the hot sun.
While in the shower he made a mental list of all the things he wanted to talk to Bella about later in the night, listing his mom as the last topic. While he didn't exactly mind talking about her with Bella, he was looking forward to finding out what Bella had been thinking about today while going through the footage. Not once had she paused or turned away—not even a flinch at the extraordinary photo he'd captured of the large female shark narrowly missing a seal. Bella's progress was tracking better than he'd hoped and seemed permanent; he hoped she'd prove him right when she shared her viewpoint on today.
Coming back up to the kitchen, he found Gopher in a much better mood—and sharing shark attack facts with Alice. "No joke, little sister. Cows take out about 22 people every year while at the most five deaths worldwide are caused by sharks. I'm telling you, you give me what you consider a cute creature and I'll give you an animal that kills more humans than a shark does."
She narrowed her eyes at him and planted both of her hands on her hips. "I'll take that challenge. How much harm does a hippo cause to humans?"
"Last hippo to human death count was around 3,000 people each year."
"That's not true. That can't be a real figure."
"We can go Google it right now if you doubt me."
"That just seems so … so crazy."
Gopher chuckled. "Lucky for you hippos aren't a big concern stateside. Now those cute little friends of Bambi, you really have to watch out for them. Deer kill 130 people annually."
"Wow," she said on a breathy exhale. "I never—And these are verified?"
"Yep. Right along with the over 650,000 deaths traced to mosquitos drinking up your blood and leaving behind malaria and other nasty diseases."
"This isn't going to like make me a-okay with sharks but I can concede they aren't the most dangerous thing in the world."
"That's all I'm asking for, little sister. Now how about we cut into this casserole and give it a taste test?"
Masen walked away shaking his head at those two and passed by the booth where Lee and Whit were loudly playing a round of battle and laying down as much smack talk as cards. He normally would have stayed to watch but tonight he was much more interested in what Bella might be up to at the moment.
He found her on the viewing deck just as he'd predicted, though he'd thought he'd find her writing in her journal rather than leaning over a laptop screen. He sat down on the floor beside her and leaned over to see what had her so transfixed that she hadn't noticed him yet. He was shocked to find it was video footage of his tiger shark dive with Whit.
He sat up slowly, wanting to be able to watch her while she was still unaware of him. She was nervous, that was clear from the way she rubbed at the beads of her bracelet. But she was also curious and her brown eyes never left the screen.
When the tiger shark began her approach toward Masen, Bella's hand stilled and her breath caught. Before he could reach out to comfort her, she got control and started to breathe again, a little faster than usual but by no means worrisome.
The tiger came right up to Masen, nearly bumping him with her snout before she finally turned and started to swim directly in front of him. His arm extended and he stuck the tag into her skin. Her reaction was instant and he just managed to duck under her thrashing tail. By the time he righted himself, she was swimming out of the frame.
Bella reached for a paper pad on side of her and furiously scribbled across the page. Masen was surprised she didn't rip right through the paper with the way she was rushing.
As hard as it was for him, he made himself wait until she stopped writing to speak up. "Kapu, what are you up to?"
She jumped and quickly turned her head in his direction, her eyes wide with surprise. "Hi."
Her reaction made him chuckle. "What are you doing, kapu?"
"Did you know tiger sharks lose their stripes as they age?" She reached for the laptop and minimized the video to reveal a website with tiger shark facts. "And because they fade and they have a similar shape to their head, mature tigers can be mistaken for young great whites. Oh and the way its dorsal fin sits on its back acts as a pivot so it can spin like on an axis and change direction like that." She snapped her fingers for extra emphasis.
Masen wasn't sure if he wanted to laugh or take her downstairs to have her repeat this for the team to hear so they could know the mentoring was absolutely working.
He settled on encouraging her to continue sharing her thoughts. "What else did you learn?"
"They really enjoy hanging out in the Pacific region and they prefer hunting at night but for skipjacks they'll feed whenever they come across them. That's how you were able to tag one in the afternoon."
"I can tell you've learned a lot about tigers. So now the question is why."
She moved the laptop and her pad aside and twisted her entire body to face him. "I did great today. The best I've done in years. I was confident, I was excited, I was curious, and I was on-point the entire day. I knew what footage you guys were coming back with and I wanted to see it, every bit of it. And I don't want to wait for tomorrow afternoon for all the data to be in from the tag. I want it now so I can start sorting through it and figuring it out and relating it to the photos and videos from today."
She reached for his hand and gripped it tightly. "Edward, I want you to take me down for a cage dive. I know I can do it and even more I want to do it. Now, the water has to be clear and it can't be Zone 4 because that's just too active an area for the novice that I am. But I want to dive with you. And not just get in the cage. I want a camera in my hands so I can take my own underwater shots and put the MMR stamp on them and show them to my uncle when he comes back. None of this means I want to be a shark researcher but I will when that's what the team is focused on because at the end of the day what I want to be more than anything is a marine researcher. I want to be on the water, learning and discovering about all of these amazing creatures in their own environments. And while I don't think I'll ever be unafraid of sharks, I have complete faith that I can control the fears I do have. I have the tools and the support I need right here with MMR and with you."
Her words had him rooted to the floor with a suddenly dry mouth and racing heart. "You sound like you've decided on more than a cage dive."
"If you're serious about a permanent place for me with MMR, then I want it. I have no idea how we'll make any of it work or what I'll do for housing or how I'll spend the off season, but with your logic and my determination, we're bound to figure it out. So I'm all in if you are."
He went with his heart first and his head second. He gripped the back of her neck and pulled her lips to his, kissing her until neither of them had a breath left to share and they had to separate.
"It's yours," he promised her. "You're permanently part of the team and we'll find the right work balance for you so that you're happy no matter what we're studying."
She let out a squeal and launched herself at him, nearly knocking him over with the force of her hug.
He laughed while hugging her and setting his chin on her head. "I'm going to take that as acceptance of the job offer. With the other stuff, I don't have any more idea than you do right now but I know we can figure it out together." He ran a hand through his hair while fighting to sort through all the scenarios running across his mind. "I don't know … maybe we could even see about getting a little place that's ours, something close to Esme's."
Bella chuckled against his chest. "Better not be too little or we'll find trouble pretty fast. You need your own space for your projects, and I need a room that's mine for journaling and reading and being as disorganized as I want."
He let out a groan, picturing the closet at the house in Gordon's Bay. "And your own closet. I can't share with you. I'm sorry, but I can't. It's painful to walk away without organizing your stuff."
"Perfectly understandable," she replied with a laugh. "I will not hold that against you at all."
"I'll at least try to learn to live with you letting Lizzy in the bed while you look over paperwork."
Bella sat up and took Masen's face into her hands, caressing his rough stubble with her soft palms. "We just decided our futures are working and living together. Are we crazy? It's been one summer and not even a whole summer, but still I don't have any doubt about this, about us. I love you and I just know that a life spent living and working with you will never be boring or unfulfilling. What do you think?"
"Kapu, life with you has been crazy from the moment you walked into the bar in that sundress." He smiled and turned his head enough to kiss her palm. "I'll do whatever it takes to keep you from walking out of my life."
"Our life," she corrected.
"You just have to have the last word, don't you?"
"No more than you do."
He smiled for a moment before growing serious again. "This isn't just you choosing a job. It's you changing your dream, your entire future. I don't see that as a crazy thing because of how quickly my own future changed when Whit was hurt. Just be sure. You're running on adrenaline right now so after you calm down and have time to think—I just want to be sure you're as happy about your new future as I am."
"Silly, Edward," she said as she used her hands to brush his long hair from his ears. "Too often hearing and not listening like a little sister we both know. I already told you it's our life so that makes it our future. And honestly, it's not that different of a dream. I wanted to work with a wider variety of marine life and now I'll get to do it in the wild instead of behind glass. And you're missing the biggest piece of this, which is that my new future has something my old one never could have given me."
"High adventure on the seas?" he joked, remembering how long it had taken her to get her sea legs.
"Yes. Nothing more special than that," she replied sarcastically. "Not even dry, steady land."
He chuckled while pulling her in so their chests were touching. "Us, right?"
"Wow I really expected a 'me' right there. This shows real progress, Edward."
"Smart ass," he said as he pinched said ass and made her squeal.
"Okay," she said, taking a deep breath. "Serious time. I want us. If I sat here and tried hard enough, I'm sure there are plenty of facts my head could list about why Atlanta still makes sense. But my head can't quantify what's in my heart. It can't account for the love and the laughter you bring into my world. Which is probably a good thing for you because it also can't deduct for those times when you drive me crazy. I know what I want, Edward. I want us, and I have no doubt that loving you is going to be a one-of-a-kind adventure."
He leaned forward to kiss her lips, pausing just long enough to say, "Aloha Au Ia 'Oe, kapu."
While his logical brain scrambled to grasp the sheer number of possibilities with so much unknown, his heart was perfectly at peace with the decision he'd made with Bella. He had no doubt Esme would be proud of him. Even more, he knew Elizabeth would be proud and that she'd love Bella. Of course, both of his mothers would also never let him live down that they had been right all along about his heart one day bringing him more joy than his brain ever had.