by Edie Claire
Wolf gathered his brother into his arms and pulled the covers up around them. He’d drop dead of embarrassment if his friends could see him now. He was a big kid, after all. He was six years old and he was in school now. But Bear was only three. He was just a baby, still. And Wolf had to do what he had to do. It was the only thing that made Bear stop crying. “Mama’s not here right now,” he recited. “But she’ll be back.”
Bear snuffled. His nose was running all over his face, like always. His eyes opened and he stared at Wolf resentfully. “Says you!” he retorted, his small voice suddenly angry. Usually he cuddled in and settled down. But this time he’d gotten himself so worked up he was fully awake. “Daddy says no. Daddy says she’s not coming back!”
Reluctantly, Wolf woke up the rest of the way himself. A choking heat flushed across his face. “Dad doesn’t know,” he said sternly. “I told you. Mama promised me. She promised!”
Bear blinked back at him with eyes that were huge and innocent. Wounded and mistrustful. “Daddy wouldn’t lie,” he said uncertainly. Pitifully.
“No,” Wolf agreed gently. His gut felt like it was on fire. He hated going against his dad. He hated not believing his dad. But his dad was wrong this time. He had to be. “Dad ain’t lying. He just doesn’t know. But I know. Because she promised me.”
Bear’s giant blue eyes stared up at Wolf, the long lashes still flecked with tears. He said nothing. Wolf could see the doubt, and the fire in his gut stoked all the hotter. His own little brother didn’t believe him. Bear had always worshipped the ground Wolf walked on, but he didn’t believe Wolf now. Couldn’t believe him.
Their mother had left six months ago. She’d walked out the door with two suitcases and an open bottle and gotten into another man’s car. They hadn’t heard a word from her since.
But she would come back. Wolf knew his mother. He remembered what she was like before. His dad said that the bottles were the problem, that when she was drinking, she became a different person. Wolf could see that, but she was still his mom, and he knew she still loved him. No matter how crazy the bottles made her act, she would never just up and leave him. She had told him so. Last year when his friend Mike’s mother had died, he had asked her if she would ever leave him, and she had squeezed him tight and kissed him on the cheek and promised him that no, she would never leave him and Bear, not ever in a million jillion years.
And he had believed her.
And he still did.
“Listen, Bear,” he said firmly, readjusting the blankets to wrap his brother in a cocoon. Bear always seemed to like that, at least until he kicked them all off again. “Mama will come back. But until she does, you’re my cub. Remember? You and me. Law of the jungle.” He reached up a hand and tousled his brother’s wild mass of white-blond hair and was rewarded with the tiniest of smiles. It was kind of dumb, the cub thing. But Bear liked it. “Now let’s go back to sleep. Okay?”
“Okay,” Bear whispered, holding onto his brother as he snuggled down onto the mattress and closed his eyes.
Wolf tried to get comfortable. He wouldn’t be getting back to his own bed until Bear fell asleep. But that was okay. Sometimes he wished that his dad would wake up when Bear cried, but their dad slept like a log, and Wolf would never wake him. His dad worked hard and always dropped into bed exhausted. When he wasn’t working, though, he spent every minute he could with the two of them. He was a great dad.
She shouldn’t have left them.
She must have had some reason.
She’ll be back, Wolf told himself as own eyes closed.
She promised me.
Chapter 15
Maui, Hawaii, 2016
“Have a good brunch,” Ri heard Wolf say as she stepped out of his truck at the marina the next morning. The Foundation for Ocean Mammals’ founder was hosting a Sunday champagne brunch for all the biggest donors — on a boat! — and as a special thank you, all the interns had been invited. “Go easy on the champagne, though. Remember you have to work with these people the rest of the summer.”
Ri chuckled merrily. She couldn’t help it, even if Wolf’s own good humor this morning was entirely for show. She knew that he was upset. The x-rays had shown a fractured metacarpal bone, his hand was in a splint, and although he wouldn’t know anything for sure until he got in to see an actual orthopedist, he would most likely stay in a splint for at least a month. He had told her little else on their drive back up the mountain last night, but his sober mood made clear that his sustaining this injury now was more than an inconvenience. She suspected that it would put his research in jeopardy, but he hadn’t elaborated and she hadn’t asked. She had, nevertheless, enjoyed driving his truck up the mountain. In fact, she had enjoyed every second of his decidedly masculine company so much that she felt guilty for taking such pleasure in what must have been a miserable evening for him.
She also felt guilty for the way her brain worked. Maybe other people with less imaginative minds could meet someone interesting and not spend the whole next night of REM sleep spinning fanciful scenarios of moonlit walks on deserted beaches and stunning white gowns and honeymoons in exotic locations and quiet evenings in front of roaring fires and long nights under fluffy down comforters with an adorable dog snoozing on the rug nearby. But she wasn’t one of them. Lucky for her, he couldn’t read her mind. And she had at least learned to be practical about it. She understood perfectly well that while something might happen with Wolf, it was more likely that nothing would. Her crazy fantasies were for entertainment purposes only.
But hoping was another matter. And this gorgeous Sunday morning, she’d been hoping only that she and Wolf would have a chance to get to know each other better. She’d been fortunate already in being able to hitch a ride down the mountain with him, since he was already making the trip to pick up the dog from the vet clinic. He’d been quiet the whole way, and obviously preoccupied, but when he looked at her, the light of interest in his ice blue eyes burned brightly as ever.
It was all the encouragement Ri needed. Wandering around the strip mall alone last night for an hour and a half (after he shooed her out of the waiting room at urgent care) hadn’t exactly made for the world’s greatest first date. But there was always tonight.
“Don’t worry about me,” Ri returned with a grin. “You just take care of that dog of yours. I look forward to meeting her later.”
His smile was sincere this time. “Likewise, I’m sure.”
Ri thanked him again for the ride, said goodbye, shut the door behind her, and took off with a spring in her step. She was excited about the cruise, and excited about after the cruise. She was excited about life in general. She noticed the utility trucks, but their presence didn’t alarm her. The sprawling marina complex housed not only the Foundation headquarters but also a variety of shops and restaurants, and there was always something going on. The computer lab where Ri spent most of her time was located in a windowless corner of the basement, but today Lachland had told them to meet with the other passengers up in the tour assembly area beside the gift shop, and Ri enjoyed strutting through the main entrance like a tourist.
Her high spirits were soon squelched by the obvious vibe of tension in the air. People were standing in clumps all about the courtyard, not chatting and laughing in anticipation of a lovely brunch on the water, but speaking in hushed tones as they shot covert glances about, then stared at their feet.
What the heck?
Ri looked around the complex, thinking about the possible significance of the utility trucks outside. Yellow tape was strung across the door to the elevator. Orange cones sat on the floor near the stairs. Some people in tan coveralls milled about, although who they worked for, Ri wasn’t sure. She felt as if she had stepped into some sort of disaster zone, but as far as she could tell, the buildings all looked fine. At least on this level. One of the restaurants had its windows shuttered, but it had looked the same all week — it was closed for remodeling. Did the cones by the stairs mean that somethi
ng had happened on the lower level? The Foundation’s level?
No, Ri answered herself. No, it’s not that.
As she watched, the door to the restaurant in question opened, and two workmen and one nicely dressed man and a woman stepped out. The latter two were carrying clipboards. Ri sighed with relief. The problem was with the restaurant. Maybe the remodelers had screwed up somehow. Put a hole in a wall. Cracked a beam. Sliced a cable, and now the power was shut off. Thank goodness it was a weekend. As long as it didn’t affect—
“Ri, there you are,” Lachland’s voice called out. She turned to find him approaching from behind her with a grim-looking Will and Bryant in tow.
Grim-looking?
Lachland gestured for Ri to follow, then led the three of them out of the crowd and off to a more private area of the courtyard. They stood in silence a moment as he ran a hand through his hair, seemingly searching for the right words to say.
Ri’s heart fell further with each painful second that ticked by.
“There’s no easy way to say this,” he began with a sardonic smile, “except that I hope you guys aren’t superstitious. Because I really don’t want to believe that disasters come in threes.”
Ri’s teeth clenched. Could he possibly be less comforting?
None of the interns cracked a smile, and Lachland blew out a breath. “The construction crew working in the restaurant damaged a pipe somehow yesterday. Nobody knows exactly how it happened, but at some point overnight there was a water line break, and the building flooded.”
Flooded. It was a disaster Ri hadn’t considered. Her mind quickly sketched out the layout of the complex and the downstairs floorplan, and her gaze met Lachland’s. “The computer lab,” she breathed.
The Aussie’s bloodshot blue eyes said it all. “Right underneath,” he confirmed. “We’ve got nearly six inches of water down there at the moment. It looks like at one point there was ten.”
Both Will and Bryant swore. Ri felt numb. Their computers were all desktop units with the towers stored on the floor. Those would be a lost cause for sure. If the water had come through the ceiling splashing everywhere, it most likely had ruined all the electronics.
“It’s not as bad as it could be,” Lachland assured. “We won’t lose any data. Everything is backed up off-site. The paper records in that room are only copies for the most part. The really important stuff was in the locked vault, and it’s above the water line. I already rescued the whale bones and baleen and the other samples in the supply closet — they’re fine. Most of what we stored at floor level was brochures and handouts and stuff — all of which can be replaced. Same with the computers and equipment. It’ll cost a fortune, but the insurance should cover it. It’ll just be a matter of time.”
He paused and took a breath. He ran a hand through his hair again.
Ri wondered, suddenly, how much of the night Lachland had spent here. He looked exhausted.
“How much time?” Bryant demanded hotly.
Ri’s fingers twitched. She’d been trying all week not to dislike Bryant, but he was not cooperating, and she was having a very vivid fantasy of watching her fist fly into his face. It was disturbingly satisfying.
“I’m not sure,” Lachland admitted, ignoring the insolent pup’s tone. “But I’ve been thinking about the situation a lot this morning, and I just got off the phone with the director, and here’s what we’ve worked out. I’m damned sorry, guys, to lay this on you when you’ve already gotten burned out of the intern house — I know it’s a terrible welcome. But we’re going to have to suspend the internship program temporarily.”
Ri’s blood began to freeze, but Lachland went on swiftly.
“It may only be for a week. We’re looking into renting some computers, and as soon as they’re up and running, you guys are back on the job. But until then, the problem is my time. There’s not enough work for you guys to do right now that wouldn’t require training first, and I’m going to have my hands full just getting the office back up and running.”
Ri’s spirits plummeted. Only a week, she told herself. It could be worse. Surely they could dry out the room and rent a handful of computer stations in that amount of time. Couldn’t they?
“Will we still get full credit for the internship?” Bryant snapped.
“Absolutely,” Lachland answered.
“Surely we could help haul out the mess or something,” Will offered.
Lachland shook his head. “Thanks for the offer, mate, but you didn’t sign on for that, and we’ll have plenty of salaried people with nothing better to do with themselves this week. Anyway, I have a better idea. Something I think might put a bit of a smile back on your faces.”
Ri looked up.
“I’m renting a car for the three of you,” Lachland announced. “I want you to take the time off and explore the island. Do the tourist thing. Drive the road to Hana. Go see the top of Haleakala. Do a beach hop up the West Side. Whatever the devil you want. Just be nice and share. The rental will go through Saturday, and then we’ll see where we are. Most likely by then we’ll have a few computers up and running and we can get you back on the tracking project. Oh, and if you want to jump on any of the Foundation boat tours this week, you can — as long as they’re not sold out. Sound good?”
Bryant and Will looked at each other, and real smiles did light up their faces. “Hey, that’s great, man,” Will said. “Thanks.”
Bryant nodded.
“Thanks, Lachland,” Ri added appreciatively. At least she could spend extra time on the water. “Will the brunch cruise still be going out today?”
“Of course!” Lachland answered, seeming relieved to have this particular unpleasantness dispatched with. He huffed out a rueful laugh. “I’m sure no one would miss this golden opportunity to hit up the benefactors for extra donations.” He clapped Will on the back. “Go and have a good time. Eat hearty. Just go easy on the booze as long as you’re wearing those nametags. As soon as you get back, I’ll drive you to Kihei and we’ll pick up the car.”
As Lachland walked away, Will and Bryant exchanged a sly glance. “This could turn out to be a good thing after all,” Will proposed.
“A good thing?” Ri questioned. She was as anxious as anyone to drive the road to Hana, but hardly at such a cost. She’d experienced one complete IT meltdown already, at the aquarium, and she knew perfectly well how much agonizingly tedious grunt work it took to get things back in working order, even with appropriate data backup. And that was just the IT part. The Foundation was losing office furniture, carpeting, supplies, and who knew what personal items besides.
“Oh, yeah!” Will confirmed. “We can do this island right, now. Only question is, which bar do we hit first?”
Bryant laughed. “Maybe you better let me drive.”
Ri looked from one fellow intern to the other, speechless. They were marine biologists. With a car. On Maui. They would have a free Sunday afternoon. They would have a whole freakin’ week. And all Will could think about was going to a bar? Which he could easily get to at any time — and more safely — by bus? The guy was over twenty-one, but the goofy gleam in his eye made him seem more like a teenager just escaped from his parents’ house.
“I want to spend some time up at Ka'anapali or Kihei near the resorts,” Bryant said offhandedly. “Hang with my own crowd for a while.”
Ri studied Bryant’s suntanned, stoic face and could not make out his meaning. She decided they might both be better off that way.
A loud voice called the assembled crowd together. The brunch cruise was about to begin.
Ri returned with her fellow interns to the center of the courtyard, trying hard to conjure the happy mood with which she’d stepped out of Wolf’s truck just minutes ago. Everything’s going to be fine, she told herself. Will and Bryant weren’t bad guys. She would get to see different parts of the island she wouldn’t otherwise see. She would get to drive herself, some. And she was getting out on the water — right now!
Ri lifted her chin and breathed in the myriad scents of ocean on the air. Yes, there was that. She would be out on the blue Pacific for hours today, and she would enjoy every single second of it.
She envisioned being on a boat in a different part of the Pacific, with Wolf. On the rocky coasts of Alaska they’d see Steller sea lions and harbor seals and sea otters and orcas. He would be in his element in a dashing windbreaker with his hair ruffling in the wind, and in the distance behind him she would see snow-capped mountains with bald eagles soaring and puffins swooping about. His eyes would sparkle and he would lean down close with those fantastically kissable lips of his…
Ri smirked. Her mother always said she was good at entertaining herself.
Chapter 16
Wolf sat on the grass in the chain link enclosure with his back braced against the doghouse. The mutt lay sprawled contentedly on her side with her muzzle draped across his thigh, and as depressed as Wolf felt at the moment, he couldn’t help but smile. Kenneth had truly outdone himself. Not only had the station manager weed-eated the overgrown grass and donated his own late dog’s food and water bowls, he had laid a clean rubber pad over part of the grass as well as outfitted the doghouse with a door flap and a blanket.
“You know what, Bella,” Wolf said as he scratched the dozing dog’s ears with his good hand. “I’m thinking that maybe Mr. Kenneth might just miss having a dog around this place.”
Bella did not respond. The poor thing seemed utterly exhausted. Wolf doubted that she’d slept at all in the veterinary hospital. She had the look of a dog who’d spent her entire life outside, being around relatively few people or other dogs. The shock of being suddenly confined indoors in a strange-smelling cage with dozens of noisy mammals bustling about must have been intense. Thank goodness the vet had released her to Wolf’s care. Wolf was lucky the folks from the shelter had vouched for him.
At least he knew she was relaxed now. She had been rehydrated and she was eating well, and the antibiotics and time should do the rest. But she had to feel like hell, even with the painkillers. The wound in the side of her chest was open and draining still, as was her injured paw. And he didn’t see how she could eat with her tongue so swollen, but one sniff of that canned dog food, and somehow she had managed. She was a trouper, his Bella.