Page 49 of Wildflowers and Wide Receivers

Very swiftly and competently, the guide moves his kayak to grab the phone and then backs away to get the three of us in the photo.

Jonah pulls me right next to them so our kayaks are lined up.

“Smile!” he says, and we do.

This moment with them is captured, and I love it.

The guide hands Jonah back his phone, and he smiles as he looks at the picture.

“Will you send it to me?” I ask, and an emotion quickly passes over his hazel eyes before his smile grows even more. “Of course.”

“All right, folks, it’s time for us to make our way back to the aquarium. We have one more stop to make before our fun day ends, and that’s the Marine Mammal Research and Rehabilitation Center. There, I’d like to introduce you to my friends Cash, Brutis, and Sunny, our resident green sea turtles.”

“Oh, sea turtles!” Vivi squeals.

Chapter 20

Jonah

Once we get back to the house, all three of us part ways and go to our respective rooms. Molly needs tending, and we each need a shower and, well, maybe a few moments to decompress, too.

Today couldn’t have gone any better. Vivi’s continued to smile more than I’ve seen her smile in the past two years combined. I don’t know if she thinks of Sophie as a playmate or if she’s just so comfortable around her that she feels she can fully relax and be herself. All of this makes me wonder again, what is it that she’s not getting from me, that she is from Sophie? Is it that there are two of us? Or is it that she’s a woman? My gut says this is it. After all, little girls would tend to be more attached to a woman than their single uncle. I try not to let this upset me. It is what it is.

For dinner, the three of us eat some homemade pizzas, and afterward, we watch a movie in the living room. The sun sets so late here during the summer. While I would prefer Vivi to be heading to bed soon, I did promise her a trip to Bean Point, and I already know she’s going to hold me to it. As the credits roll, Vivi pops up and looks at me.

“Is it time? Can we go now?”

With that excitement in her voice, how could I ever tell her no? I glance out the window. There’s only a tiny tint of light left, and mostly, the sky has turned to night. By the time we get there, it’ll be completely dark out.

“I suppose so. Go put Molly in her crate.”

She leaps off the couch, startling Molly as she scoops her up.

“Where are you going?” Sophie asks, confused. She mentioned earlier that after the movie, she was going to head out and go home, but selfishly, I want her to stay longer. Maybe this will pique her curiosity enough.

“I think you should stay tonight and head back tomorrow morning,” I tell her. She’s curled up on the other end of the couch. For the movie, I sat on one end, she was on the other, and Vivi sat between us. She sprawled out like kids do, and the scene was so domestic, my heart pinched.

She studies me for a moment. “I’ll have to head back pretty early. I have surgeries scheduled.”

“Yeah, but heading up to Bean Point to look at the stars with us will be worth it. We won’t be there for long. I promise you’ll get your beauty sleep,” I tease.

She doesn’t take the bait and instead looks at me curiously. “Stargazing?”

“Yes. Vivi and I love to look at the stars.”

Her eyes briefly drop to my rib cage, and I know she’s thinking about the tattoo I added since the last time I saw her.

“I can’t remember the last time I looked at the stars. When I was a kid, we used to go outside and look for the northern lights.”

“Can’t say I’ve ever seen that, but I bet Vivi would love it.”

“She certainly would.”

Silence falls between us as she thinks about her schedule and what it would mean tomorrow if she stays here the extra night. One of the things I’ve learned about Sophie over the past couple of days is that she is not a spontaneous person in her everyday life. She likes to plan, she likes a routine, and she doesn’t like the uncertainty of what’s happening next. I’m kicking myself now for not mentioning this sooner, but I kind of wanted it to be a surprise, and I really want her to stay. Who knows when I’ll see her again after she leaves, but I’m hopeful she'll say yes if I ask her out again.

“Okay, I’ll stay,” she says, and I just smile.

“Okay, guys, let’s go,” Vivi yells as she bounds down the stairs.