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It was strange how my name on her lips felt like a silken caress to me and how it made tingles run up and down my spine. I had no logical explanation for my visceral reaction to Fleur, except that she intrigued me.
That night we went to dinner to celebrate Noah’s birthday and with Liv and Charles making polite conversation with Fleur, I gathered that she had grown up in Tanzania, but lived in South Africa before she came to Ireland. When she mentioned that she’d been asked to go back to South Africa to talk to the sharks, it should have made me roll my eyes. But my strong initial physical reaction had settled into a steady pull, as if my subconscious recognized that she was someone with the potential to be significant in my life.
I’d already seen her among the animals on her farm, and although I wasn’t convinced that she could actually speak with them, I’d seen enough to establish that Fleur Linden was different from any woman I’d ever met. She intrigued me.
“Do you have to swim with the sharks to talk to them?” Saffron asked without questioning the sanity of what Fleur had just said.
“No, telepathy works over great distances, so I simply have to connect to the collective shark consciousness in that area.”
“If it works over great distances, couldn’t you just do it from here?” I asked.
“I could, and I have, but it’s been years since I’ve been back home, and I’d very much like to see my parents and friends again. The invitation seemed like a good time for me to go back to my roots for a few weeks—not least because one of the benefactors for the preservation of sharks is sponsoring my plane ticket to Cape Town. There’s also a safari park up north where the owner has asked for my help, and while I’m there, I’ve promised a friend to teach. It’s pro bono work to help him raise money for his wild cat sanctuary.”
I reached for my beer. “When are you going?”
“In May.”
“Can I come?” The words flew out of me because despite my ingrained skepticism, I was drawn to this fascinating woman like she was prime soil and I was a plant eager to put down roots.
Fleur gave me a look of surprise. “You want to come to South Africa with me?”
“It sounds amazing. I’ve traveled a ton, but I’ve never been to South Africa. And, I want to know what the sharks have to say.”
Fleur looked down at her salad and let her fork toy with a crouton, while answering in an unhurried manner, “South Africa is a beautiful country, and I recommend you go, but I…”
I didn’t want to hear her rejection, so I cut her off. “Please! It sounds like an adventure that I don’t want to miss. I promise not to drive you crazy with my questions.”
“I doubt you can stop yourself.” Her lips tipped up in amusement as she warned me, “Some of the places I visit have primitive accommodations.”
That part didn’t bother me, and I hurried to explain, “The past six years, I’ve lived half the year volunteering in some of the poorest orphanages in the world.”
“Really?” She tilted her head. “That’s great, but I’m not talking about poor places as much as camping. We’ll be out in nature for days with no access to bathrooms.”
“Then what do you do when you have to pee?” Saffron asked.
“We go behind a bush,” Fleur answered matter-of-factly.
“But what about a shower?”
“We'll bathe in lakes and rivers. Sometimes with the animals. Elephants make excellent showers.” Fleur joked and winked at Saffron. Of course, that made my sister jump in her seat begging to come too.
Despite my asking her again, Fleur didn’t invite me to come with her to South Africa, but she promised to think about it.
“Can I have your number?” I asked her when dinner was almost over.
“Why?”
“I’ll need it when we plan our trip to South Africa.” This time my charming smile clearly amused Fleur.
“I didn’t say that I’d bring you along.”
“Yet.” I stated as I handed my phone to her.
“My phone number is on my website. It’s not hard to find.”
“Ah, but it’s much more satisfying to know you typed it in my phone yourself.”
With another smile and a small shake of her head Fleur took my phone and typed in her number.
