6. Chapter 6
Mila
Three weeks into the research project, I've perfected what I like to call the Professional Marine Biologist Routine.
We always meet at precisely six-thirty AM, and Jared and I paddle out to the barrier island, document nesting activity, check existing nest sites, record data, and return to the marina by ten.
We discuss water temperature variations, tidal patterns, and optimal nesting conditions.
We do not discuss the way his shoulders look when he's pulling a kayak up the beach, or how his laugh makes my stomach perform gymnastics routines I didn't know it was capable of.
The system is working beautifully.
Except for the part where I'm lying to myself so thoroughly that I might actually believe it.
Despite my best efforts, my childhood crush on Jared Tuck—who was in love with my sister —is growing into something… more. And I absolutely cannot let it. Even if I ignore his history with Mandy, I’m a research biologist. I have to go where the grant money takes me. I can’t plant roots.
And Jared’s like a barnacle stuck to the pilings of the pier; he’s never leaving Friendly.
I flip through my waterproof notebook, all business. "There's definite sand depression around the nest perimeter at Site 9, and we've got minor surface disturbance consistent with pre-emergence behavior."
Jared secures his kayak and looks at me like I'm speaking a foreign language. "Translation for those of us without a PhD in marine biology?"
I grin despite myself. "Tiny baby sea turtles are about to bust out of there like determined little aliens ready to conquer the planet."
"Much better." He laughs, and there go my internal acrobatics again. "When do you think it'll happen?"
"Probably within the next few nights. Most emergences occur after dark. There’s less predation risk and cooler sand temperatures.
Before long, we’ll have to come out for some nighttime visits.
” I glance at him, suddenly nervous. Being alone out here with Jared after dark…
just the thought makes my pulse race. “Would that be okay with you?”
Are his cheeks red?
He clears his throat. “Count me in.”
We load our gear in what has become a comfortable rhythm. He hands me the cooler without being asked and tosses me a bottle of water. It's such a small gesture, but the casual way he anticipates what I need is both thoughtful and slightly unnerving.
I'm halfway through rehydrating when my phone buzzes against my hip. A text from an unfamiliar local number:
Family BBQ this Sunday at 4! We really hope you’ll join us. —Hazel (Jared’s Mom)
I stare at the screen blankly.
"Everything okay?" Jared asks, eyeing my expression.
"Your mother just invited me to a family barbecue. How’d she even get my number?"
His smile spreads slowly, like the sunrise over the water. "I didn’t think you’d mind if I gave it to her. You're going to love everyone. Fair warning though… the kids are going to lose their absolute minds when they find out a real live turtle scientist is coming."
"The kids?"
"My cousins—Hildy and Fisher—they're my Uncle Tuck’s kids. Eight-year-old twins with the attention span of caffeinated hummingbirds. And my little brother York is six and completely obsessed with anything that lives in the ocean. You're basically going to achieve celebrity status."
I blink. “Your mother had another child after you were already grown and out of the house? Bless her heart.”
He laughs. “No. York belongs to my biological dad and his wife, Cara.”
“And they’ll all be at the barbeque together?” I ask.
“Yep,” Jared says. “We’re one big happy family. Grandma and Coop will have to miss it, though. They rented an RV and are taking a road trip across the country.”
My eyebrows shoot up at that. “Grandma? Are you talking about Mayor Tuck? And Chief Cooper? They’re traveling across the country together?”
Jared chuckles. “They’re married now. Turns out, they’d been secretly involved for years. Now that they’re retired, they’re traveling a lot.”
“Wow,” I breathe. “A lot’s changed in Friendly since my family moved away.”
Understatement. Mandy was the first Aronson to leave, moving to France during college. A year later, my dad got a job on the Jersey Shore. I was still near the ocean, at least, but high school in New Jersey was much different than it would have been in Friendly.
And all this time, I’d imagined that Friendly had stayed exactly the same as it was when I left. Frozen in time forever.
“You’ll catch up fast,” Jared assures me.
I pull at the hem of my shirt. “I’m not sure I should crash a family thing,” I murmur, even though the invitation makes me happier than it should. "I don't want to intrude."
"Mila." He steps closer, close enough that I have to tilt my head up to meet his eyes. "You wouldn't be intruding. We want you there. I want you there."
The way he says it—simple and direct and completely sincere—makes my resolve crumble like sand.
"Okay," I say, trying not to sound too eager. "I'd love to come."
I reach for my phone to type out a quick message to his mom.
Thanks, Hazel. I’ll be there!
After all, if Jared wants me there, how can I possibly say no?