Page 43 of California Dreaming

“I thought we’d start with the sea otters,” he said as he walked through the entrance with her, working to get used to the new boot, “since they’re about the cutest creatures on earth.”

“Otters, huh?” she said, as though happy to discover something new about him.

“Did you know otters keep their paws out of the water to stay warm?” It was a random fact he’d learned on one of his excursions here.

“I didn’t know that, but it’s adorable.” Relief flooded him as he realized Tessa was going to enjoy this as much as he’d hoped she would.

“A friend of ours works here, and I’m a member, so we’re getting VIP treatment.”

He’d arranged everything ahead of time with Avery Chandler, who worked in community outreach, and they went straight to the second floor of the sea otters’ exhibit to watch them swimming. Avery was there to meet them.

Avery Chandler was one of Finn’s friends from high school, but she’d become a family friend too. She’d had a tough time in her teens, getting pregnant in high school and choosing to keep her son. Finn had stuck by her, and they were still very close. Arch couldn’t imagine how hard it must have been for Avery, starting out as a janitor at the aquarium and working her way up. She had always felt like another sister to him, so he gave her a big hug when he saw her.

“Ave. How’s it going?”

Avery was a redhead with big brown eyes and a wide smile. Her chin looked determined, and it didn’t lie. There wasn’t much Avery Chandler couldn’t accomplish if she put her mind to it.

She returned his hug. “How’s my favorite movie star?”

“Doing much better now that my cast is off.” He immediately went on to say, “I’d like to introduce you to Tessa Taylor. She’s been taking care of me ever since I got injured.”

“It’s lovely to meet you, Avery,” Tessa said. “And I really appreciate you giving up your time for us today.”

Avery grinned. “There isn’t much I wouldn’t do for the Davenports,” she said. “They’re like family.” She pointed to the otters. “They’re all rescues,” she explained as the creatures turned somersaults in the water. “They can’t survive in the wild anymore. Some of them have survived shark attacks. We even have these surrogate mothers who take care of orphaned pups.”

“They are adorable,” Tessa said, her lively eyes trained on the water and her cheeks pink with pleasure.

Arch thought she was completely adorable, but he held his tongue. They had all day together after all. And there was so much more to come. He couldn’t wait to surprise her even more.

Avery took them to see the Open Sea exhibit next, to catch a glimpse of the sea turtles and the brilliant jellyfish as they pulsed through the water. Together, they stood before the ninety-foot window and watched as the hypnotic underwater scene played out before them.

“Better than any movie, don’t you think?” he said, whispering into Tessa’s ear so as not to disrupt the calm atmosphere. At this time of day, the aquarium was quieter than usual, and he was thankful. He inhaled and caught the delicate scent of her coconut shampoo. His lips brushed her earlobe for a split second, and he thought he saw her shiver.

She turned to him with a twinkle in her eyes, then whispered back, “I can think of some movies that compete with it.”

He loved knowing she thought so much of his movies, but it made it nearly impossible not to kiss her. Somehow, he held himself back, knowing the time wasn’t quite right for kisses. Not yet.

After they watched the turtles, he told Tessa, “Avery’s giving us a private, behind-the-scenes tour. Just you and me. She’s going to take us through all the areas usually off-limits to anyone who’s not staff so that we can learn more about how the animals are cared for. In fact, we’re going to help the staff feed the puffins at lunchtime.”

Tessa’s lovely eyes widened. Clearly, no one had ever surprised her like this. She was absolutely glowing. And beyond gorgeous.

He couldn’t believe that he was the lucky man who had put that smile on her face.

But then she looked down at his booted leg and said, “Are you sure you can be on your feet for so long? I don’t want you to push yourself too hard today.”

“Don’t worry,” he replied. “I’ll let you know if I’m in any pain.”

“Promise?”

He nodded. “I promise.”

He thought he could see a glint in Avery’s eyes as she watched. Then she said, “Archer and his family are big supporters, so it’s a pleasure to show you some of the important work we do here in marine conservation. Follow me.”

But as they turned, Arch was spotted. Despite the baseball cap and shades, it was bound to happen, but he had really wanted to shield Tessa from this part of his life and take her out for the day like any other person. To make things worse, the fans were three young women, freshmen in college, they told him, who flirted with him shamelessly as he signed their notebooks and quickly posed for a selfie.

Tessa stood back from the scene, her face neutral. He couldn’t figure out what she made of it all. After the girls left, he apologized for the holdup, but Avery said, “If those selfies end up on social media, and they mention the aquarium, it’s a win for us.”

While he appreciated Avery’s outlook, the truth was that some days he’d happily give up his fame for a little while. Just to be normal for a few hours in a world-renowned aquarium with his friend and a woman he was falling hard for.

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