Total pages in book: 113
Estimated words: 104820 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 524(@200wpm)___ 419(@250wpm)___ 349(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104820 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 524(@200wpm)___ 419(@250wpm)___ 349(@300wpm)
“Better than any movie, don’t you think?” he said, whispering into Tessa’s ear so as not to disrupt the calm atmosphere. At this time of day, the aquarium was quieter than usual, and he was thankful. He inhaled and caught the delicate scent of her coconut shampoo. His lips brushed her earlobe for a split second, and he thought he saw her shiver.
She turned to him with a twinkle in her eyes, then whispered back, “I can think of some movies that compete with it.”
He loved knowing she thought so much of his movies, but it made it nearly impossible not to kiss her. Somehow, he held himself back, knowing the time wasn’t quite right for kisses. Not yet.
After they watched the turtles, he told Tessa, “Avery’s giving us a private, behind-the-scenes tour. Just you and me. She’s going to take us through all the areas usually off-limits to anyone who’s not staff so that we can learn more about how the animals are cared for. In fact, we’re going to help the staff feed the puffins at lunchtime.”
Tessa’s lovely eyes widened. Clearly, no one had ever surprised her like this. She was absolutely glowing. And beyond gorgeous.
He couldn’t believe that he was the lucky man who had put that smile on her face.
But then she looked down at his booted leg and said, “Are you sure you can be on your feet for so long? I don’t want you to push yourself too hard today.”
“Don’t worry,” he replied. “I’ll let you know if I’m in any pain.”
“Promise?”
He nodded. “I promise.”
He thought he could see a glint in Avery’s eyes as she watched. Then she said, “Archer and his family are big supporters, so it’s a pleasure to show you some of the important work we do here in marine conservation. Follow me.”
But as they turned, Arch was spotted. Despite the baseball cap and shades, it was bound to happen, but he had really wanted to shield Tessa from this part of his life and take her out for the day like any other person. To make things worse, the fans were three young women, freshmen in college, they told him, who flirted with him shamelessly as he signed their notebooks and quickly posed for a selfie.
Tessa stood back from the scene, her face neutral. He couldn’t figure out what she made of it all. After the girls left, he apologized for the holdup, but Avery said, “If those selfies end up on social media, and they mention the aquarium, it’s a win for us.”
While he appreciated Avery’s outlook, the truth was that some days he’d happily give up his fame for a little while. Just to be normal for a few hours in a world-renowned aquarium with his friend and a woman he was falling hard for.
The two women chatted like old friends. Tessa was so warm and down-to-earth when she was off duty. He’d noticed that she could make friends with anyone and put them at ease. It was a quality he admired.
Avery talked about the role of the aquarium in combating climate change and plastic pollution and encouraging sustainable seafood. She was passionate about her work, and Tessa asked intelligent questions as they walked.
Then he piped up, “We’re off to feed the puffins!” His excitement was a little uncool for a grown man, but he couldn’t contain himself. Having seen Tessa with the otters, he knew she was going to flip over the puffins.
“This is a special treat,” Avery said with a warm smile. “We don’t let many people this close to the puffins, but I’ve known Arch long enough to make an exception. I know you’ll be quiet and respectful too, Tessa.”
Arch grinned and inwardly thanked Avery for the extra boost to his status. He was a man who could be trusted around puffins.
He hoped that would help Tessa accept that she could trust him too.
Avery explained, “Adult puffins mostly eat small fish, such as sand eels, herring, hake, and capelin. Puffin diets vary from colony to colony because of the variety of fish around the breeding islands. But they all seriously love feeding time.”
They arrived at the puffin sanctuary, and Arch watched as Tessa carefully followed the staff member’s instructions to help feed the brightly colored birds. He got more pleasure from watching her than the puffins—she was so careful with the birds and so delighted when they took the food from her hands.
When feeding time was over, she turned to him and said, “Honestly, Arch, I don’t think anyone has done something this nice for me before. Ever.”
The way her eyes were shining, he thought his heart was going to burst out of his chest. He felt a huge grin spread across his face. Her words were music to his ears.
From what she’d told him about her husband, he’d had a hunch that the man hadn’t treated her the way she deserved, and now he was absolutely certain he was right.