“Oh. Bummer.”
“Yeah, but I think I’ll go on my own and walk down to the stretch of beach where the turtles usually nest. I’m a little intimidated to go off after dark by myself, though, so I was hoping you’d come with me.” She gave Alicia what she hoped was her most convincing smile.
Alicia’s lips twisted to one side, and she dropped her gaze to the glass in her hands. “Statistically, crime is almost nonexistent on the island, so—”
“Please?” Clare interrupted, clasping her hands in front of herself for emphasis.
“Well…Iwouldlike to see a sea turtle nest,” Alicia said, and was that a hint of a smile tugging at her lips? Smile or not, Clare would take the win.
She clapped her hands together. “Yay. It’s going to be so fun. Not to nerd out on you, but this is something I’ve always wanted to do. Iloveturtles.”
“How likely is it that we’ll actually see a turtle?” Alicia asked.
“I don’t know, but worst case, we get a moonlit walk on the beach, right?” Clare offered, and was she imagining the blush staining Alicia’s cheeks? She hadn’t meant for that to sound like a line, but well…she couldn’t deny that she found Alicia attractive either.
Alicia looked down at her hands. “Right.”
“We just need to put red-light filters on our phones so we don’t bother the turtles with our flashlights.” Clare moved behind Alicia at the counter to retrieve the pack of plastic filters she’d picked up when she arrived on the island. “You can’t use any white light on the beach this time of year, because it can disorient the turtles, but apparently, they can’t see red light.”
“Interesting.” Alicia accepted one of the filters and stuck it over the light on her phone.
Clare’s phone dinged with an incoming message as she sealed her filter in place.
The Perlmans called to confirm that you’d book the band. Can I tell them yes?The text was from Sandy, another event planner at Top Tier Events.
Yes, it’s booked!she texted back.
“Work again?” Alicia asked.
Clare nodded as she put her phone away. She’d received several texts from Sandy today, one of which had come in while she and Alicia were at the grocery store.
“You know you don’t have to answer their questions while you’re on vacation.”
Clare shrugged. “I don’t mind.”
“I would.” Alicia led the way toward the back door, pausing to pick up her jacket on the way.
Clare grabbed her rainbow-striped beach towel in case they needed it. As they descended the steps to the beach, Clare could see Rue pouting at the window. Poor thing. Clare would bring her if she could. The wet sand crunched beneath her sneakers, and she was glad for her hoodie as a cool breeze gusted against her.
“Supposedly, turtle tracks look almost like a bulldozer drove out of the water,” she told Alicia. “From their flippers churning the sand.”
Alicia looked over with a smile. The red lights from their cell phones bounced over the sand, casting everything in their rosy glow. “Feels like we’re on the set of a horror movie or something, doesn’t it?”
Clare laughed. “Yeah, kind of.” She wasn’t scared, though. On the contrary, she felt light and happy, anticipation buzzing in her veins.
“How did you get so interested in turtles?” Alicia asked.
“When I was little, my mom wanted each of us to have something that we collected. My sister picked Barbies, although she grew out of that pretty fast. My brother wanted to collect rocks. That actually turned out pretty cool, because my parents got him all kinds of rare crystals and pumice and things like that.”
“And you picked turtles?” Alicia guessed.
Clare nodded. “I’d just been to the aquarium, and while I was there, I had sort of a moment with a turtle in the big tank. I swear it looked right into my eyes, and I fell in love with it and with turtles in general.”
“That’s a cool story,” Alicia said.
Ahead of them, something scuttled over the sand, and Clare let out a startled squeak before she realized it was just a crab. Warm fingers squeezed hers. Had she grabbed Alicia’s hand, or had Alicia taken hers? Either way, she was glad for the contact.
“I love turtles for more than just my mom encouraging me to collect them, though,” Clare said. “I think it’s pretty amazing how they go out there and swim through the entire ocean and then return to the same beach every year to nest. How in the world do they do that?”
