Gray blinked, surprised."What?No!I just...don't know where to go.Nobody told me."
At that, both Declan and Daniel burst out laughing.
"Gray!"Declan clapped him on the shoulder, shaking his head."Man, there's only one place to go.We all meet at The Square.It's not a secret.Everyone gathers there; it's like the heartbeat of the island.Some people hit the Dive bar, others grab dinner, and some go dancing.It doesn't matter when you show up; you'll find someone you know."
Gray stared at him, dumbfounded.All this time, he'd been sitting alone in his suite while, a few blocks away, the entire island came alive.
"Well, that explains a lot," he said, chuckling."Like why everyone kept saying 'see you later' with no details."He shook his head, feeling both relieved and a little foolish.
"So, you're coming out tonight, right?"Daniel asked, slinging an empty cooler over his shoulder.They'd wrapped up a session with Luna, who was now gleefully chasing a group of seagulls that had invaded her pen.She loved to swim under them and pull on their feet.
"It's super casual," Daniel added."Come whenever, stay as long as you want.No pressure.Just hang out."
That evening, Gray followed their advice.As he neared The Square, the sound of steel drums filled the air, the rhythm lifting his spirits.The scent of grilled fish and something sweet wafted toward him.
How had he been missing this?
When he arrived, he understood.The Square was a hub of energy and connection.Almost everyone he'd met on the island was there.He spotted Cam and Marta deep in conversation at what was clearly a dive-themed bar, not the run-down shack he'd assumed.Declan and Cici were over at the fish spot, laughing as they shared what looked like the best fish and chips he'd ever seen.
Then his eyes landed on someone else.
Riley.
She was in the middle of The Square, wearing a strappy sundress and no shoes, her auburn hair loose and curling in the humid night air.The sun-bleached streak caught the light as she spun, laughing with abandon.She was dancing with a local guy, her hips swaying effortlessly, her arms lifting to the beat of the music.She moved as if she were part of the melody, her joy as vibrant as the rhythm that surrounded her.
She captivated Gray.Just as she'd been at the conference, and on the beach.He was so lost in watching her he didn't notice Daniel approach until he felt a clap on his back.
"Careful, man.You'll catch flies if you keep staring like that," Daniel teased.
Gray jumped, startled."What?Uh, fries?Yeah, I could go for fries.Wait, what?"He stumbled over his words, utterly flustered.
"Flies, not fries, you fool," Daniel said, laughing."Though now that you mention it, fries sound good.Let's hit the fish spot.You'll get a better view of Riley there and look less like a stalker."
Gray felt his face heat."I wasn't...I mean, I was just thinking--" He trailed off, realizing there was no use denying it.
Daniel grinned knowingly."Seriously, man, ask her to dance."
Gray shook his head, glancing at Riley again.She was now in a close, fluid dance with her partner, her movements as natural as the waves."I can't dance.Especially not in front of so many people."
"She's not out there to judge you, Gray.She's out there to have fun.And if I had to guess, I'd say she'd say yes.Dancing's her thing.Sometimes she shows up to dance by herself."Daniel nodded toward Riley's partner."That's Malcolm.He's head over heels for someone else but won't admit it.Riley's his safe partner, and he gets to be the centre of attention with no strings attached."
Gray hesitated, torn between longing and insecurity."Maybe...maybe another time.Somewhere less public.I'd rather not embarrass myself in front of half the island."
Daniel chuckled."Fair enough.Let's grab those fish and chips.But think about it.You might surprise yourself."
As they sat down, Gray stole another glance at Riley.She was pure magic the way she moved with such joy and freedom.
One day, he thought.One day, he'd work up the nerve to ask her to dance.For now, he'd watch from the sidelines, letting the thought of that future moment carry him through the night.
Chapter 27
Breathing rate
Bytheendofthe second week, Riley and Gray had settled into a comfortable rhythm at work.They met early each morning, long before anyone else arrived, to set up their research station in the observation treehouse overlooking the back of the Lagoon.Riley always made sure only two dolphins were in the six-acre enclosure at a time, making it easier to track their dives and surfacing patterns.Gray was proud to report that he could now identify eight of the sixteen dolphins.And he'd figured out that Abaco had the scar at the base of his pectoral fin and that he wasn't the only one.Amara, one of the big females, had two of them.He learned they had come from being moved in a stretcher and someone years earlier had forgotten to put Vaseline to protect their pectoral fin pits from rubbing on the material where their fins hung outside the stretcher.
The trainers still teased him mercilessly.Declan took great joy in Gray's struggle."Mate, they're as unlike each other as we are!"
He was trying.And it was always easiest taking breathing rate data with Cooper and any other dolphin.Cooper, dad to most of the Lagoon-born dolphins, used to be a movie dolphin.Before that, someone found him, a wild dolphin, washed up on a Caribbean island shore with deep shark bite wounds.He had a sizeable piece missing from his dorsal fin and half a pectoral fin missing.Declan joked that "chicks dig scars" and that was why he had sired 4 of the 6 dolphins born at the Lagoon.There was no mistaking Cooper when he surfaced to breathe with such distinct scars.
