He walks up to me, close enough that I can see the rain still clinging to his eyelashes. “Thank you. You didn’t have to do that,” he says, voice low but warm.
I shrug, pretending the pounding of my heart is just from the cold. “It’s not a problem.”
His smile widens. “I’m guessing you’re new to town?”
I nod, trying not to blush. “Yeah. I’ll see you around, okay?”
“Yeah,” he says, his voice rougher than before. “See you around.”
I slip off his heavy jacket and hold it out to him. “Here. You’ll need this more than I will.”
His fingers brush mine as he takes it, and for a second, I forget about the rain and the cold and the chaos of the night.
I turn and make my way toward my truck, only half a block away. My boots squish on the wet pavement, the rain still falling but much lighter now.
“Hey,” Finn calls, jogging up beside me.
I sigh inwardly but stop and turn to face him. “Yeah?”
“You okay?” he asks, eyes dancing with concern, or maybe amusement. It’s hard to tell with him.
I chuckle softly, shaking my head. “I’m perfectly fine, Finn.”
He laughs. “You want to go get something to eat? I can get you something to warm you up.”
I give him a tight smile. “Thanks, but no thanks. I gotta go get my dog.”
Finn’s grin fades just a little, but he nods. “Alright. Take care, Seal Girl.”
“See you around,” I say, climbing into Rusty and closing the door with a sigh.
The engine rumbles to life, and I head back toward the hotel, to Neptune, and the start of this brand-new chapter.
Chapter 5
It’s Monday. My first official day, and I’m already half-exhausted.
Not because of nerves. Though let’s be honest, I’ve got enough of those to power a wind turbine—but because Neptune decided to throw up. Twice.
I don’t know how he knew I was leaving him today, but somehow, he just knew. That smart, sensitive, slightly dramatic boy gave me his best guilty eyes while I cleaned the carpet, again, whispering apologies and promises, including that I would come back during lunch to take him for a walk and that I would find a doggie daycare for him soon. There’s no way I’m going to leave him cooped up inside a hotel room forever.
Despite the rough start, I’m actually…excited. Nervous, yes, but excited. This is what I came here for.
George, my new boss, greeted me with a big, warm handshake and a grin that made me instantly feel like I was part of the team. He’s exactly what I imagined after our phone calls— tall, late fifties, a little round in the middle, a beard more silver than brown, wearing a Patagonia vest over a short-sleeved button-up like it’s part of his uniform. He has this calm, seasoned energy about him, like nothing could ever shake him.
Gavin, whom I’d already met duringOperation Seal Pup, waved me in with a coffee and a smile. He’s more no-nonsense than George, but in a dry-humored, approachable kind of way. He’s been walking me through protocols and department procedures, which apparently haven’t been updated since the early 2000s. They’ve been so short-staffed for so long that they’re basically throwing open the doors and saying,Please, take over. Save us.
Not that I mind. It feels good to be needed. To be trusted.
And after everything it took to get here—Rusty’s cracked windshield, a week’s worth of gas station meals, and all my savings—it’s starting to feel like I landed exactly where I’m meant to be.
Gavin hands me a clipboard and motions for me to follow him toward the back office, which is more like a cozy breakroom with a map of the coast pinned up on the wall and mugs that definitely haven’t been washed in weeks.
“Alright, May,” he says, tapping the map with the back of a pen, “let’s run through the week. Today’s mostly onboarding—forms, protocols, all that boring stuff. This afternoon, we’ll head over to Newport to meet the rest of the team. They’ve beenholding down the fort on that end, so it’s good for them to get familiar with you now that you’re here.”
“Sounds good,” I nod, trying to mentally organize it all.
“Later in the week, we’ve got an excursion scheduled. We have a boat booked for Thursday morning. We’ll be heading out to observe a group of gray whales that have been lingering near the southern tip. A couple of calves were spotted, and one looks smaller than expected, maybe not keeping up with its mother.
