Page 66 of Dr. Brandt

I didn’t know how to approach Jessa after what Jim had said to me. His words sank in, but they also put me into a bit of a tailspin. Had I been treating people like a revolving door my whole life, taking everyone for granted? I’m not sure I wanted the answer to that question.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Jessa

Being on the whale-watching excursion was nothing short of exhilarating. However, I was still shocked that Cameron, adrenaline junkie that he was, didn’t come along. Something was up with the helicopter, so he stayed on the yacht with Jim, who needed to handle some business for his London office.

Nevertheless, both men certainly missed out on quite the experience. We took a boat that had been lowered from the side of Jake’s superyacht, which seemed the size of a regular goddamn yacht. Such was the life for billionaires, I guess.

Speaking of enjoyable, private, billionaire-chartered whale-watching tours, Jake had brought along a couple of Marine Biology students from the local university. The boy and girl were in their senior year at California State University, Monterey Bay, and they were the politest and coolest young adults you could ask for. They certainly made an impression on all of us.

They guided the driver of Jake’s mini yacht to where the whales usually played and fed in the bay. At first, it was rather dull, but the excitement came the closer we got to spot the whales. The students pointed to where the seagulls swarmed over the white caps of the ocean, stating we might see a fin or a tail.

There were about a hundred false alarms and non-stop laughter before Jake’s son, John, spotted our first whale. Then it got crazy fun. We were all acting like silly kids—Jake and Collin more so than the rest of us—running from port to starboard, looking for the next whale.

Suddenly, a huge whale was heading straight for us.

“Holy fuck!” Jake said, covering his son’s ears so he could nail the f-word with the sincerity he felt. “Jesus!”

My eyes must’ve been the size of silver dollars when the massive-ass whale started to get too damn close to the boat. The mini yacht felt the size of a canoe compared to the creature approaching where we floated helplessly.

“My God,” Ash said in awe.

The giant humpback whale was the most majestic creature I’d ever seen. I stood there, gaping in wonder, before I walked to the ledge, held onto the railing, and watched it glide through the water, dangerously close to us. It wouldn’t have taken much for the whale to breach the hull of this boat, but as I watched it move by, everything seemed so peaceful.

I smiled when I turned and looked at Jacks, standing next to Addy between Jake and Collin. Everyone was silenced by the magnificent creature swimming gracefully below our boat.

“That was the most insane feeling in the world,” Jacks said.

“No shit,” Collin said. “I swear, my balls are in my throat right now.”

“In your throat?” Jake laughed. “I’m not sure if I even have my balls anymore.”

Jacks laughed, and I just rolled my eyes.

“If you all look to the port side, you can see that the whales are starting to hunt for food,” the young man named Ryan said. “Over there.” He pointed to a sudden disturbance in the water. “They’re doing what we call bubble-net feeding.”

Sarah, his college companion, looked down at Addy, who was really trying to be her friend. “They’re blowing water below a school of fish right now,” she said. “It forces the fish up, and then the whales will swim up and catch the fish in their mouth.”

As soon as the guide said it, Addy and the kids squealed when the ocean opened, and the large whales’ mouths appeared and swallowed the fish.

Whales began shooting out of the water in the distance, and that’s when the curse words started flying—I even got a raised eyebrow and a laugh from Jacks when I said holy shit more times than I could count on one hand.

My heart was pounding with excitement as I watched this show. I could only compare it to watching the grand finale of a firework show that exceeded your expectations.

We’d watched the whales for a good two hours until the captain of the yacht notified the driver of our boat that bad weather was approaching, and the trip would need to be cut short.

Leaving was a bummer, but I couldn’t have been more grateful for the experience. I felt exhilarated by the majesty of nature, but I still felt the lingering sorrow from pushing Cameron away yesterday.

He’d gone on about how right things felt when we were together and about a feeling of missing family, and if I was honest, I was feeling that way right now without having him here. I wished I could see Cam next to Jacks, admiring the whales and having fun together. It was like a piece was missing from this enjoyment because he was gone.

I’d never been so goddamn fickle in all my life. Was fighting these feelings like swimming upstream, or was I doing the right thing by keeping Cam away? If it was right, why did it hurt so bad?

I tried to shake off my thoughts as we boarded the yacht again. I didn’t want to be in my head all day, and I didn’t want to be in another shitty mood like yesterday.

“They have lunch ready in the dining room. The kids opted to take theirs on the bottom deck,” Ash said. “Did you have a good time?”

“The best. That was better than I could’ve ever imagined. Thank you,” I said, knowing it was her and Jake’s yacht and the mini yacht that allowed us to have such a wonderful time today.

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