Standing up, she walked along the dock, giving Shiloh a chance to swim and test the cuff's fit in motion.The dolphin zipped through the water; the cuff staying securely in place.Gray loved how eager Shiloh was to try new things out, including being their best dolphin for the underwater videos they made tracking her speed, heart rate, breath-hold times, and how many times she kicked her flukes between the underwater markers.Gray had spent an afternoon with Cici, who had explained that Shiloh was one dolphin that had come from the Navy.He didn't know all the details yet, but it was fascinating to think about all the places Shiloh had been before moving to the Lagoon.Gray was sure she had travelled to more places than he had been in his life.
"Well done, team!Let's see if it fits Abaco and Anejo and take them out to the ocean this afternoon to record."Riley was so pleased the cuff fit.
Cici knelt to remove the cuff, but as soon as the Velcro made that first scratchy rip, chaos erupted.Shiloh shrieked, rearing back and spraying water everywhere.Cici toppled backward, landing with a groan, as Shiloh bolted across the enclosure, the cuff hanging awkwardly from her fin.
All four of them froze, watching as Shiloh rocketed through the water.With a powerful breach, she flung herself into the air, twisting and shaking until the cuff went flying.
Gray moved to step forward, but both Riley and Cam held him back."Hang on, she's too worked up."
Cici scrambled to her feet, dripping wet and unfazed.She tapped the water three times, a steady rhythm that eventually caught Shiloh's attention.The dolphin slowed, her sleek body gliding through the water before stopping at the far side of the enclosure, one eye fixed warily on her trainer.
"Crap!"Cici wiped the water from her face."Who knew a dolphin would fear Velcro?"Her exasperation dissolved into laughter.
Cam shook his head."I guess she never wore any Velcro while she was deployed in the Navy.I don't think I've ever seen her freak out about anything; this is a first."
Cici waved a hand."I'll grab the cuff later.Right now, I need to grovel.Shiloh deserves an apology and a game of 'throw the trainer in the water' before she'll even look at me again."
"Back to the drawing board?"Gray asked as they made their way back along the docks.
"I guess so," Riley said, her lips twitching."But also...Velcro?I swear, dolphins come up with new quirks to keep us humble.Remember the pool noodle incident?"
Cam groaned, laughing at the memory."I thought they'd love those noodly appendage toys.Turns out, every single dolphin hated them."
"Raced around like they were being chased by sea monsters," Riley added, shaking her head.
"We'll figure it out.We need to take it slower next time."Cam clapped Gray on the shoulder to reassure him.
Gray nodded, though his thoughts drifted back to Cam's earlier advice about relationships.He glanced at Riley walking ahead of him; her focus already on the next challenge.Shaking his head, he pushed those thoughts aside.Work first, he reminded himself.Everything else could wait.
Chapter 29
Rolling along
Graylookedforwardtohis shared day off with Riley.Every time she asked if he was up for an adventure, he said yes.It had only been a few weeks, but Gray felt like he'd been working with Riley for months.She made everything so easy, and her perfectionist streak meant the results from his project were better than he could have hoped for.
They had measured the physiology of every dolphin at the facility, although only a few were in the Gray's bigger project.Riley and Cam had thought it would be a fun challenge for all the trainers and dolphins to take part.The measurements were easy enough to do—weight, length, and girth measurements — plus Riley and Gray had created a large board to lay each dolphin's flukes on to draw an outline of the flukes and then measure them using the outline.They didn't need to, but the dolphins were so well trained they decided, why not?Afterwards, they hung up each dolphin's fluke outlines as art in the trainer's room.Again, Cooper was the easiest to recognize as one side of his fluke was curled in.No one knew why, but the guy had character both in personality and in physiology.
As he glanced over at her, he couldn't help but smile.This was the same woman who had left him on a dock only a few weeks ago.
Riley was driving them somewhere, but she refused to say where.Her only promise was that it'd be "awesomely fun."
"What's making that noise back there?"Gray asked, sounding a bit amused and worried.
"It doesn't concern you!"Clearly, he would not get any answers.She was enjoying keeping this a secret.
As they cruised along Midshipman Blvd, Gray noticed their surroundings—a road that seemed oddly desolate but suspiciously well-maintained.And it seemed to lead...nowhere?
"This is where you should hide my body if you're planning to."
"If I was going to hide your body, I'd go into the mangroves, no one would find you!"Riley shot back; her tone playful as she parked the Jeep on the side of the road near a roundabout that seemed out of place.
Gray raised his eyebrows, but when he looked at Riley as she got out of the Jeep, he saw she was trying to hide a smile.
"Come here, please!"she called, pointing to the Jeep's back."Now, put these on!"
"Rollerblades?Where on earth did you get my rollerblades?"He laughed, the absurdity of the situation hit him.
"Don't you worry about my thieving ways!Those are your blades, and I've got mine.Plus, here are your kneepads and wrist guards."Riley leaned in to give Gray his gear, and she realized his hair was still damp from showering that morning.She tried to be sneaky and pulled in a deep breath.Gray smelled of something citrusy, maybe grapefruit.As she pondered, she saw the side of his mouth quirk up a bit, but he didn't comment on her attempt to cover up what she was doing.
