Page 5 of Until I Have You

“That’s a great guess.Really good guess.But not quite.”

“Mm… What are they called, then?”The cadence of her voice is almost so British it seems fake which I think means it’s real.

I smile.“Fries.Which is the word for what you call chips where you’re from, I think.”

Her mouth falls open, and she gasps with laughter.“Fries?”

“Silly, right?”

“Why?”

I lean against the wall beside the tank.“If I knew the reason why scientists did certain things, I’d tell you, but scientists are kind of weird.”

“Are you a scientist?”

Is a scientist a scientist if they’re not doing any sciencing?“Uh, yeah.I guess.I’m a marine biologist, which is someone who studies all the things you’d see at the aquarium.”

“Wow.”

My heart warms at her wonder.

Kids aren’t so hard to impress, at least not at her age.

“How about I help you find your dad and, on the way, I can show you some things?Give you some fun facts about the animals here.Like a behind-the-scenes tour.”

She bounces up on her tiptoes.“Yes,please.”

Nailed it.“Although before I can do that, I need to know your name, I think.”

The little girl flushes, maybe embarrassed she hasn’t yet given me the information.“My name is Bonnie.”

“Bonnie.That’s such a pretty name.”

“Thank you.”

I take a tentative step toward the archway of the alcove.“So, what do you say?I’ll show you the second biggest sturgeon in captivity.”

“Second biggest?”

“Yeah, the biggest one is a sturgeon named Herman who lives in Oregon.”

Bonnie giggles, then moves to follow me.“Herman the Sturgeon.That’s silly.”

Without making a show of it or me realizing exactly what’s happening, Bonnie takes my hand and walks with me out of the alcove.

“Okay, I’m ready,” she says.

I smile to myself, trying to ignore the pit in my chest that I’ve just become responsible for a little British girl who lost her father.

This feels like the beginning of a Dr.Seuss book or something.

And I have to say, it’s the most exciting thing that’s happened to me in a long time.

2

THEO

I leanon the customer service desk and scrub a hand over my face.

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