Chapter 9
I watchedEthan’s reaction as his gaze raced across the scene in front of us. His head jerked as he looked from one spot to the next. A small smile stretched into a large one. My stomach lifted as he transformed in front of me. His hands had a slight shake, almost as if his excitement was trying to escape.
His sigh seemed to reset him. He lost the shakes, and his eyes stopped flitting from group to group. He turned to me. “You bring tourists here?”
“Yes, most days during tourist season.”
“And what do the tourists do? How close do they get?” His eyes were piercing.
Again with the accusations? I stood tall. “You claim to like your research. Didn’t you do any about us?”
He looked away. Disengaging again. Well, not me. If he was going to accuse me of something, he better be ready to hear my response. My days of being reticent were over.
“When we arrive, we give the tourists some information about the sea lions. We reiterate that the sea lions are wild animals. It is up to them if they approach or not. We don’t feed or entice them.” I gave Ethan a hard stare. “The guests then hop into the water. We remind them that the sea lions are fun and curious. If they are approached by one, they should interact.” I watched as a young sea lion concentrated on us from the shore, its wide eyes staring. “The sea lions play and swim for as long as they want to. The guide watches everything closely.” I glanced toward the shore. The sea lion walked to the water’s edge, still watching us. “The swimmers learn about sea lions, get close and personal, and leave with a greater appreciation for them.”
Ethan nodded.
“Is that enough information for you?”
“Yes.” His reply held no sarcasm, unlike mine.
Who did he think he was, questioning my integrity, questioning whether I was looking after the sea lions’ best interests? I had pulled more than one swimmer out of the water when I didn’t like their attitude or actions.
“We will need to come out every day to do the tagging,” he said.
I clenched my fists. I almost wanted to strangle him.
“I, we, have thousands of hectares to look after. There are multiple campgrounds within the park that need to be checked and maintained. Coming into summer, we need to ensure the fire trails are clear. We answer queries via email and phone daily. There are tours we need to conduct.” I let all that sink in. “I will bring you when I can.”
He nodded, continuing to watch the sea lions. The face he presented to them was different to the one he presented to me. It was enthusiastic and alive. I guess I deserved some of it seeing I’d been abrupt. But I had also tried to be welcoming. He needed to meet me halfway.
I’d already thought about the predicament we were in when he’d mentioned tagging. His lack of boat licence meant I’d need to bring him out every day. I’d been doing this job on my own for three months since Ken had retired. I hadn’t had a day off since then. There were so many jobs to do here that I needed a full-time ranger, not a part-time one. And certainly not a part-time ranger whose mind lay elsewhere. And now it looked like I would be part-time too, seeing head office insisted I support him as much as I could. How was I going to make it work? And not neglect my children!
His comment about coming out every day had sent me over the edge. I don’t know if it was because he was presumptuous or because he made me feel like this was more important. Whatever it was, it hit the wrong button. And for the second time that day, I’d let him have it.
Water splashed against the boat. Ethan was leaning over the side. His grin was back. The juvenile sea lion that had been watching us was doing tumble turns. I went to the rear of the boat and walked down the steps until I could reach the water. I swished my hand around, making splashing sounds. Within moments, the sea lion was beside me, bobbing up and down. Ethan was watching us.
“Bang on the side of the boat, see if he comes back to you,” I said.
Ethan followed my instruction. The sea lion was there in an instant. Ethan chuckled—a deep, smooth sound that made me feel like I was floating. Gosh, that sound could be addictive. I shook my head. I would not get addicted to the sound or anything about Ethan. Except maybe the need for him to move into his own home. I was already addicted to that idea.
I splashed the water again. The sea lion flashed toward me, then flung itself in another direction.
Ethan’s study was important. The tagging was important. How was I going to make this work?