Page 75 of Seal of Approval

Rose nodded. “Like if your mum was scared in a storm you would probably be scared too.”

I smiled at her. “Precisely.”

“Precisely,” she repeated.

Was that going to be her word of the week?

Bailey was still watching.

“So, next, I need to visit them at different times of day to see if their reaction changes. Then I want to visit every day to see if that makes a difference.”

“To see if they get used to you,” Bailey said.

“Yes. And I want to record our colony to compare.”

Jasmine came over and sat on the arm of the chair. “What will all this tell you?”

“It will help determine the best distance for boats so as to not disturb colonies.”

“And that will mean less injuries and less disturbance during breeding season,” Jasmine said.

I nodded. “Yes.”

“And that may help stop sea lion numbers declining.”

I nodded.

She rubbed my back. “And this will form part of your dissertation.”

“Part of it.”

She kept her hand on my shoulder.

I looked at Bailey and Rose. “If Mum says it’s OK, you can help me over the holidays.”

Bailey turned to Jasmine, hope filling his eyes.

“I don’t see a problem with that,” she said. “But sometimes it will be just Ethan and me, and sometimes Ethan on his own.”

Rose clapped.

“Thank you,” Bailey said to me.

“You’re welcome.”

That kid was something else. This family was something else. The only other time I’d felt this content was with my grandparents. It had taken a while to trust them. They had been patient with me and let me take my time. Most of all, they’d never let me down.

Like Jasmine today, they weren’t angry if I’d done something wrong. They didn’t put me down. There was no power struggle.

I glanced at the three of them. If I’d ever wanted a family, I’d want this one.

* * *

“Ethan.”

Fogginess. Where was the sound coming from? I forced my eyes open.

“Ethan,” Bailey said, coming to my side of the bed. His eyes were wide. He kept looking over his shoulder.

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