Page 1 of Ocean's Whisper

ONE

ISOLDE

Isolde Morgan brushed her blonde hair from her face and peered through the microscope one last time. The plankton samples she had collected earlier that week were thriving. She made a final note in her research journal after observing their tiny bodies for several minutes. She scanned the meticulous handwriting before closing the leather-bound book with a satisfying thump.

The clock on the lab wall read 4:47 PM. Her shift had technically ended seventeen minutes ago, but that was typical for Isolde—always the last to leave, first to arrive. Tonight, though, she actually had somewhere she wanted to be instead: her empty houseboat with only the gentle rocking of waves to keep her company on the eve of her thirtieth birthday.

"Heading out for once, Dr. Morgan?" Dr. Patel glanced up from his station across the lab.

"Just getting a head start on the weekend," Isolde muttered.

"That's right—big birthday tomorrow, isn't it? The big three-o!" He smiled. "Any plans with friends or family?"

The question stung like saltwater in a paper cut. She forced a bright smile. "Oh, you know, just keeping it low-key."

She tidied her workstation methodically, her heart sinking at the thought of her original plans. The girls' weekend had fallen apart. Lorelei had another family emergency—the third in as many months since she had gotten married, and her other best friends couldn't get time off work to make the trip to the East Coast either.

Isolde waved good-bye to her colleagues and headed down the corridor toward the breakroom. The marine research station was quiet on Friday afternoons, most researchers already gone to start their weekends. Her footsteps echoed on the polished floors as she passed the wall of windows overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.

She paused, drawn to the vast expanse of blue stretching to the horizon. The ocean was serene today. The gentle waves lapped at the shore in a calming rhythm near the research station's edge. Sunlight danced on the water's surface and created diamonds that sparkled. Even after all these years, the sight still took her breath away.

"At least you'll never disappoint me," she whispered to the ocean.

Isolde pressed her palm against the cool glass. Through the elevated window, she could make out the marina a mile down the shoreline where her houseboat bobbed gently at the dock. Her sanctuary. Her home.

"Figures I'd be spending the most significant birthday of my adulthood with fish instead of people." A rueful laugh escaped her lips. "Maybe I should adopt a cat. Complete the transformation into a lonely spinster."

She rested her forehead against the glass. Later tonight, she'd walk the shoreline at sunset, toes in the sand, and try to convince herself this was exactly the life she wanted. The life where her work consumed everything, where her friends were moving onwithout her, and where she had inadvertently traded human connection for career advancement.

Something inside her chest twisted. A yearning for... something. Someone. A hand to hold while watching the waves roll in. A shoulder to lean against while counting stars. A voice to answer when she spoke to the ocean.

"Thirty years old and what do I have to show for it?" Isolde sighed, her breath fogging the glass. "A PhD, three published papers, and a drawer full of takeout menus."

She pushed away from the window, squared her shoulders, and continued toward the breakroom to collect her things. The ocean would still be there tomorrow. It always was—constant, patient, and waiting.

As Isolde pushed open the door to the breakroom, a chorus of "Surprise!" jolted her from her melancholy thoughts.

Her boss, Dr. Thompson, the receptionist Mara, and several lab technicians clustered around the table. A small cake with deep blue frosting sat in the middle, complete with thirty tiny candles blazing atop it like miniature beacons.

"Oh!" Isolde's hand flew to her chest, genuine shock momentarily displacing her sadness. "You guys, you didn't have to?—"

"Of course, we did," Mara stepped forward, her practical bob swinging. "We couldn't let your big day go unacknowledged."

A spark of warmth kindled in Isolde's chest as they launched into an enthusiastically off-key rendition of "Happy Birthday." She hadn't expected this—workplace acquaintances remembering her birthday when even her best friends...

No. That wasn't fair. Lorelei had sent a heartfelt text earlier about some crisis with her new husband. Helena was catering a celebrity wedding in New York. Seraphina was stuck at the observatory for some rare celestial event. Thea couldn't get time off from the control tower, and Everly was literally in themiddle of an Egyptian desert excavating something "potentially revolutionary."

They had lives. Important ones. Just like she did.

"Make a wish!" Dr. Thompson gestured to the candles.

Isolde closed her eyes. What did she want? Not to be alone. To feel connected to something. Someone. To matter to the universe.

She blew out the candles in one breath.

"So," Brad from the microbiology lab raised his eyebrows as he handed her a napkin, "hot date tonight to kick off the birthday celebrations?"

Isolde nearly choked on the bite of cake she had just taken. "Um?—"

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