“Thanks,” she said, her cheeks blooming with pink.
When they got to a flat ledge of rocks, Phineas set down the backpack and continued leaping down to the shore.
She stopped and looked all around. “It’s beautiful, even if it’s named after the devil.”
“I bet they called it that because it’s a pain in the butt to get here,” he groused. “I don’t remember it being that way when I was younger.”
“Because you were younger. You’re older now. Think of how your father felt.”
And Finn thought back about his dad taking him swimming up here.
“Come on, Dad!” Finn called, excited making his way down to the water.
“Finn, just wait for me. I’m old, son.”
“No way, Pops!” Finn called back as his father’s laugh bounced off the rock walls, which made him laugh with joy too.
Finn laughed. “You’re right. He complained. A lot.”
“He did,” Phineas shouted from the water’s edge, his voice echoing in the natural amphitheater the water and the punchbowl provided.
Finn rolled his eyes. “Shouldn’t you be collecting samples?”
“I will when I know what I’m doing,” Phineas complained.
“Oh right.” Margaid chuckled, rummaging her bag to pull out a specimen bottle. “I didn’t tell him what I needed.”
Phineas climbed back up to the ledge. He’d taken off his shirt and his shoes. “What do I need to do?”
“It would be great if you could a sample of the sand or silt at the bottom of the punchbowl, or as deep down as you can get.Then I could see what kind of microorganisms live down there and how they’re thriving.”
“Sure.” Phineas stripped off his pants.
“Whoa,” Margaid, said turning away and covering her eyes. “I hope you have swim shorts on.”
“Nah, it’s okay, though. My junk is enclosed in my cloaca,” Phineas stated. “Don’t worry. I’m not indecent.”
Margaid peeked and Finn was trying not to laugh.
“Oh, so why do you even wear clothes?” she asked, curious.
“Social convention,” Phineas groused. He took the bottle. “I’ll be back in a few minutes. The punch bowl is very deep and I want to make sure I get the right kind of specimen for you, Dr. Davis.”
“Try to get where you think there’s the most biological life,” she instructed.
“Will do, Dr. Davis,” Phineas said.
Phineas headed back down to the water and walked in, holding the specimen bottle. He swam along the surface of the water in the bunch bowl like an alligator before he got to the dead center and dived straight down.
“He’s very excited,” Margaid remarked.
“Indeed. Like I said, he’s always willing to help out and do odd jobs, especially with water involved. We leave the handyman type of jobs to a local named Gabe. Thanks again for giving Phineas the opportunity.”
“It’s my pleasure. I wouldn’t be able to get to the bottom of the punchbowl to get a specimen myself. Even if I could get deep enough, I would have to use a scoop and wouldn’t know what I was disrupting. It’s nice he’ll be able to pick out the right spot.”
“As long as he doesn’t meet some kind of amoeba down there and have a long conversation with them,” Finn grumped, sitting down on a large rock next to her. He’d rather she sat in his lap, or be in his arms.
He hadn’t forgotten the way her curves had felt pressed against him when he was protecting her from that lightning storm. How close she was, how she smelled and how much he wanted to kiss her. And do other things to her, but if he thought about those other things, he’d get a hard-on and that’s the last thing he needed in this moment.
