Page 13 of Seal of Approval

He nodded, continuing to watch the sea lions. The face he presented to them was different to the one he presented to me. It was enthusiastic and alive. I guess I deserved some of it seeing I’d been abrupt. But I had also tried to be welcoming. He needed to meet me halfway.

I’d already thought about the predicament we were in when he’d mentioned tagging. His lack of boat licence meant I’d need to bring him out every day. I’d been doing this job on my own for three months since Ken had retired. I hadn’t had a day off since then. There were so many jobs to do here that I needed a full-time ranger, not a part-time one. And certainly not a part-time ranger whose mind lay elsewhere. And now it looked like I would be part-time too, seeing head office insisted I support him as much as I could. How was I going to make it work? And not neglect my children!

His comment about coming out every day had sent me over the edge. I don’t know if it was because he was presumptuous or because he made me feel like this was more important. Whatever it was, it hit the wrong button. And for the second time that day, I’d let him have it.

Water splashed against the boat. Ethan was leaning over the side. His grin was back. The juvenile sea lion that had been watching us was doing tumble turns. I went to the rear of the boat and walked down the steps until I could reach the water. I swished my hand around, making splashing sounds. Within moments, the sea lion was beside me, bobbing up and down. Ethan was watching us.

“Bang on the side of the boat, see if he comes back to you,” I said.

Ethan followed my instruction. The sea lion was there in an instant. Ethan chuckled—a deep, smooth sound that made me feel like I was floating. Gosh, that sound could be addictive. I shook my head. I would not get addicted to the sound or anything about Ethan. Except maybe the need for him to move into his own home. I was already addicted to that idea.

I splashed the water again. The sea lion flashed toward me, then flung itself in another direction.

Ethan’s study was important. The tagging was important. How was I going to make this work?

CHAPTER TEN

Ethan

I let the warm sun and gentle breeze calm my mixed emotions as I made my way to the store. Small waves brought the tide higher. Their constant rhythm was soothing, telling me that the world remained mostly unchanged. Just my world was a little different.

I’d finished my first ranger shift. It had been a mixture of emotions, ranging from tense to joyous. Jasmine was still working, probably relieved to have some time to herself.

The bell rang as I entered the store. Jack greeted me. “How’s it going today, Ethan? Did Jasmine take you out to see the sea lions?”

I slowed and approached the counter. I wasn’t intending to make this a social visit. All I needed was milk. “Yes. They’re closer than I expected.”

Jack closed his book. “What sort of research are you going to do?”

“I need to tag them. Then there will be a lot of monitoring and data collection. I’ll study their interactions, where they feed, the quality of the water, their movements and relationships.”

Jack’s eyes widened. “That’s a lot of info.” He reached under the counter and pulled out two beers. “Would you like one?”

“Yes, please.”

After the day I’d had, I wasn’t going to say no. So much for not making this a social call. Jasmine had swayed from approachable to antagonistic all day. I’d tried to stay calm and not do anything to annoy her. But my existence alone probably did that. I needed to remember three things—I’d be moving into my own home soon, what I was doing was for my career and the sea lions, and I’d only be here for six months.

“Let’s sit on the porch and enjoy the view.”

I followed him out and sat on a chair beside him. “So you’ll be going out most days to observe and collect data then?”

My mouth twisted. “When Jasmine has time. It appears my boat licence isn’t valid here.”

“Oh.” Jack looked down at his hands and back to the sandy beach. “That’s going to be tough. She’s been working seven days a week for three months straight. She’s exhausted.”

My grip tightened on my beer. That explained her reaction. She would have thought I was here to help, not create more work for her. Everything I did created more work. Her having to rearrange her house, her having to teach me about the job even though I was only here for a short time, and now she had to join me on my research trips.

“Did the other ranger work part-time?”

“It was a flexible arrangement. He worked more hours when Jasmine needed him and less hours when she didn’t.”

I nodded. The more hours part would be now that tourist season had started. And here I was, taking those hours away from her.

“Jasmine will make it work,” Jack assured me. “She always does.”

I rubbed my hand over my face. I hadn’t thought of Jasmine or my part-time role enough. I’d concentrated solely on how everything would affect my research. She must have thought I was a selfish ass.

Laughter carried on the wind. Bailey and Rose were playing with the kitten in the sand again. Jasmine had picked them up half an hour ago. I hadn’t added them into the equation either. I needed to lift my game.

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