"Yep, that's me!You're getting it now.Whew, I thought we'd be at this all day."He chuckled."I'm Gray, and you're my ride."
She stared at him a little longer than necessary, processing."Am I missing something?You are Riley, right?We met a year ago?I know it was a brief, and as I remember, awkward exchange, but we've been working on getting me here for a project for a while.Well, I guess it's been mostly Cam and me talking, but you have been a big push for this, right?"Gray studied her, remembering seeing her present at the conference, and his cheeks flashed hot thinking about seeing her for the first time on stage and also realizing that he was once again rambling.
"No, you're fine.No one told me you'd be tagging along on a supply run, that's all.I need to rejig the boat to fit us and your...stufffff," she said, biting back the urge to use a less polite word while dragging out the word in a way she hoped conveyed her annoyance.This day was getting out of hand.
"Whoa, my stuffff?"Gray laughed."Have I offended you in another life, or...?"
Riley exhaled sharply, putting her hand up to stop him."Sorry.I need to get back to the Lagoon, and you brought more than I was planning for—well, I wasn't planning at all.This day started out sideways; it's fine."Except it wasn't.She'd worked hard with Cam to get Gray here, but now she was stuck in this spiral of a bad mood and snippy remarks.Why did she make this difficult when she was excited to start the project?
"Right, because 'it's fine' definitely means 'it's fine.'How about this—why don't you take your supply load, and I'll wait here for the boat to come back for me and my stuff?"
Relief washed over her."Awesome, works for me."What was she doing?Cam was going to kill her.But spending time on an already cramped boat with Gray was not something she could handle right now.She needed time to shake off her mood and be herself again, the version of Riley that wasn't acting like a complete jerk.
She finished packing the rest of the supplies and cast off.
Holy shit, did she leave?
"I'll radio someone to come and get you!"she called over her shoulder as she sped away from the dock."They'll be about an hour.There's food and shade at the booth up the hill if you want to wait."
Gray stood on the dock, looking stunned."Thanks," he said to no one in particular, his voice trailing off as Riley's boat disappeared into the canal.
Chapter 13
Left behind
AsRileymaneuveredtheboat out of the harbour and into the open ocean, she couldn't shake the feeling that her day was a series of blunders.Leaving Gray behind had only added to the list.She'd better let the Lagoon know someone needed to fetch him and his research equipment.
"Lagoon 1, this is Skiffty.Come in," she said into the radio, waiting as static crackled in the background.She was about to switch channels when a voice finally responded.
"Skiffty, this is Lagoon 1.Over."It sounded like Declan.
"Hey, Declan.No one mentioned the researcher would be at the harbour this morning, so I left him there.He had too much gear for me to fit along with the supplies that you all left for me to bring today.Someone needs to go pick him up.Over."She reached into her bag for a granola bar, taking a bite, letting the sweet and salty mix hit her tastebuds as she navigated the canal, out to the ocean and toward the Lagoon.
The radio clicked again, but this time, Cam's voice came through, tight and controlled."Skiffty, this is Cam.Switch to channel five.Over."
Riley fumbled to change channels, half her granola bar slipping from her grasp."Skiffty here.Hi, Cam.What can I do for you?Over."Her pulse quickened; it wasn't even hot yet, but she was sweating.
"Riley, please tell me you didn't leave the researcher at the harbour.Over."
Before she could answer, another voice cut in."Cam, this is Harbour 1.We can confirm the researcher is here, and to quote him, 'his 'stuffff' is here too."
There was some murmuring on the line before the person added."And he says he can't wait to work with you, Riley!"The background erupted in laughter, but Riley wasn't amused—and she knew Cam wouldn't be, either.
"Harbour 1, get off this channel.Riley, get back to the lagoon and come see me.Over."
Just as she opened her mouth to respond, the same voice from Harbour 1 cut back in."Cam, this is our channel, actually.Don't worry, the researcher's a funny guy.We'll keep him entertained until someone shows up.Over."
Riley sighed, deciding the best thing she could do was lie low and get back to the Lagoon.Cam was probably just stressed about their first big project, and now that she was away from the harbour, she realized she should've introduced Gray to the harbour staff or arranged for him to catch a ride on the tourist catamaran, where his gear and equipment would've been better protected.
As she navigated the boat, she replayed the morning in her mind and thought back to the conference nearly a year ago.
Chapter 14
Early days
Theconference,oneyearearlier
Riley was still excited and pleased about her presentation from the day before.It was the first step in getting the Lagoon on people's radar for research projects.She and Cam had attended an incredible presentation about bringing researchers to facilities for longer projects.They'd been excitedly discussing the possibilities for their unique setup with dolphins trained to work in the open ocean.Cam had filled her in on his lunch meeting with Gray the previous day, but it wasn't until the second day that she'd spoken to him.
