Molly should have been able to bounce back. She had a full life, and after all, it happened to other people all the time. Being lied to wasn’t the end of the world.
Just the end of hers.
Somehow, putting her trust in the wrong man had made her feel like her parents had been right all along. Maybe she reallywasmaking a mess of her life. Then she’d adopted Ursula, a pure and perfect bundle of unconditional love and loyalty, and things just felt…better.
She couldn’t say all of that to Max, though. She’d sooner die.
“Ursula has separation anxiety,” Molly said.
“Separation anxiety?” His eyes flickered, like a beach bonfire under a moonlit sky.
Molly felt warm all over. “It’s a thing. Look it up.”
“No need to look it up. I’m familiar with separation anxiety.” He glanced at the puppy and then back at Molly. “I’m just not sure Ursula is the one who has it.”
They were done here. Her personal life was truly none of his business…now that he was no longer her pretend boyfriend, anyway.
Good grief, how had things between them gotten so complicated?
“Aren’t you supposed to be playing Uber driver to a sea turtle right about now?” Molly lifted an eyebrow and shot a meaningful look at his smart watch. “You should probably go get Crush before she gives you a one-star rating.”
He let out a quiet laugh and for a second Molly thought he was going to invite her to go with him. She didn’t realize how badly she wished he would until he’d already turned to go.
***
Nate had Crush ready to go by the time Max got to the aquarium. They’d been working on logistics all week, scheduling everything down to the minute in order to place as little stress as possible on the sea turtle. Just like they’d practiced, he’d placed a transport board on the exam table next to Crush’s tank. All they had to do was lift the turtle out of the water, strap it in place, and carry the board to the back of the Jeep.
The plan was for Max to drive back to the dog beach while Nate sat shotgun, swiveled toward the rear so he could keep an eye on Crush. But just as they got the turtle situated, Nate crossed his arms and cast a sheepish look at Max.
“Don’t take this the wrong way, boss.” He sighed. “But maybe I should drive. I think it might give Crush here a smoother trip.”
“Fair point.” Max handed Nate the keys.
His intern hadn’t been kidding. The Jeep practically floated down Seashell Drive, which might have seriously wounded Max’s pride if he hadn’t been more concerned about Crush than he was his own ability to drive an antique stick shift.
The turtle did great, though. When they arrived at the dog beach, Violet’s brothers—Joe and Josh, officers with the Turtle Beach Police Department—had arranged for Nate to drive the Jeep straight onto the packed sand, even though cars usually weren’t allowed on the shore. While Max and Nate prepared to carry Crush into the sea, Joe and Josh organized a path that ran straight from the Jeep to the ocean, cordoned off with yellow police tape. With the crowd effectively parted, Max took hold of Crush’s shell by grabbing hold of her carapace just behind her head with one hand and near her hind flipper with the other. Nate mirrored his position on Crush’s opposite side.
“Ready?” Max fixed his gaze with Nate’s over the top of the sea turtle. “We lift on three and head straight into the surf.”
“Got it.” Nate nodded. “Ready.”
Adrenaline hit Max hard in those final moments before they lifted Crush from the back of the Jeep. His heart raced, and he was sure he could have heard the frenetic beat of his pulse in his ears if not for the roar of the crowd as they chanted the turtle’s name.
Crush, Crush, Crush.
The number of people had tripled in the short time he’d been gone. Everywhere he looked, there were people in aquarium T-shirts and kids with turtles painted on their cheeks clutching sea turtle stuffed animals. The photographer from theTurtle Dailycrouched at the shoreline with his big telephoto lens aimed straight toward the Jeep.
Max had never seen anything like it, certainly not back in Baltimore. Molly had been right. The scene playing out in front of him was incredible. It made Max fall in love with Turtle Beach all over again.
Molly did this. It was her idea.Shemade this happen.Max no longer cared if they made a dime. Seeing the community come together to cheer for a sea turtle was special, whether they made a profit or not. He scanned the crowd in search of Molly—even just a quick flash of her emerald sequins—but he couldn’t find her in the madness.
They were running out of time, though. Max wanted to get Crush into the water as quickly as possible.
He tightened his grip on the sea turtle’s carapace and started counting in a loud, clear voice so Nate could hear him above all the noise. “One, two, three.”
The crowd broke into applause as they heaved the turtle between them and carried her toward the ocean. Out of the corner of his eye, Max saw Ethel, Opal, and Mavis shaking blue and green pompons above their heads. Dogs barked, humans cheered, and just as Max felt a rush of foamy water swirling around his ankles, he caught sight of his uncle grinning at him and shooting him a double thumbs-up as if he’d just scored the winning spike in wheelchair balloon volleyball. Max’s throat closed up tight.
This. This right here was why he’d come to Turtle Beach. Crush’s flippers waved in the air, like slow-motion angel wings, and the moment seemed to imprint itself on Max, just like the night he and Henry had stumbled upon the mother sea turtle burying her eggs in the sand.