Wildflowers and Wide Receivers

19. Sophie

Chapter 19

Sophie

W hen Jonah said we were going on a trip to the aquarium, he neglected to tell me that he’d booked a half-day private adventure full of fun for just the two of them that became the three of us. Well, I’m guessing it was for the two of them, but he added me, and no one questioned it. I’ve lived in Florida all these years and haven’t been to one aquarium.

“Ms. Sophie, do you see that one?” Vivi whisper-shouts as if she’s afraid to startle the manatees.

“I do,” I tell her as I carefully turn my kayak so I can take a closer look.

The day full of fun started with a behind-the-scenes aquarium tour while the biologist started their morning rounds. The science lover in me soaked up all of the details as they talked about their resident sharks, where we watched a feeding, the live coral reefs, and the stingrays that we were able to touch. After a quick snack, we headed outside to the kayaks.

Kayaks that I didn’t know we were paddling in.

Now, I’ve never given much thought about whether I’m an outdoorsy person, but I’m thinking I’m not. I go to Pilates. I do yoga at home. Granted, I haven’t had many opportunities over the past couple of years to go hiking, camping, or kayaking, but now that I’m out on the water, I’m thinking I could be. The fresh air is nice, and I love being in the sun. Kayaking, however, is not as easy as people make it seem. The kayak wobbles, and the current pulls with the tide.

“You okay over there?” Jonah asks. He’s been amused by me since the moment we walked outside and they handed us our life jackets.

“Yep. I got it,” I tell him. There’s no way I’m letting him see me fail at this, even if I’m still reeling over how kind he’s been today. Well, not just today but for the past three days. And don’t get me started on his hands. Hands like his should be outlawed.

The first real time he touched me was on our wildflower hunting trip. Vivi was so absorbed in running around that she completely missed the affection and sparks flying between us. Since then, it’s like his need to touch me has increased by the hour. It’s little things, too, like tucking loose hair behind my ear, putting sunblock on my shoulders and back, helping me into the car, and his hand brushing against mine as we walk next to each other. And that stunt he pulled with my finger and the cupcake batter, I went to bed dreaming about how warm his mouth and tongue were and how dilated his eyes became.

Even now, he ignores my willfulness of effort and reaches his long arm over to grab me by the arm to pull my kayak close.

“Thanks,” I tell him, blushing at how he’s looking at me and the large warm imprint he’s left on my skin.

This guided kayak tour has taken us out into Sarasota Bay. We’ve gone over shallow seagrass beds where we’ve looked for fish, and we’ve gone out into more open water where we looked for dolphins, manatees, and birds. I knew that Vivi had a love of dolphins, but this, watching as she squeals with full delight when one pops up not too far from her and Jonah, who are in a tandem kayak, is something else.

Just then, a pair of fins pops up next to us, and she gasps.

“Did you see it?” She turns to look at me with bright eyes.

“I did!” I may be in my thirties, but I’m not immune to the wonders of being near a dolphin. In many ways, this feels like a once-in-a-lifetime thing, and I’m very grateful to be tagging along.

“Uncle Jonah, you have to get its picture,” she says, forcefully patting his leg.

“I’ll try, but you have to sit still, or we’ll be swimming with this dolphin.”

She whips around to look at him. “Can we? Can we swim with the dolphins?”

I laugh, and he shoots me a look.

“No can do, kiddo,” the guide says. “These dolphins are wild animals, and this water is their home. It’s not nice to just go into someone’s home. Think of your house—you see people who walk on the sidewalk outside, and that’s normal, just like we are on top of the water. But if those strangers were to walk inside your home, it would be scary. If we were to go into the water, it would scare the dolphins too.”

“Okay,” she says, looking slightly disappointed.

Jonah, who looks like a nerdy tourist, pulls out his plastic protective phone carrier that he has looped around his neck. The carrier seals, so should it get wet or if he dropped his phone, it would stay dry. Carefully, he takes his phone out, and we wait.

“How many bones does a dolphin have?” I ask the guide. Vivi perks up and grins at me.

“A dolphin has about three hundred bones.”

“Just like we do!” she says excitedly.

“Yes,” he tells her. “What doesn’t have bones are sharks.”

“Why not?” she asks. “They look the same. One’s just meaner than the other.”

“Their skeleton is made of cartilage. It’s soft and flexible. Your nose and your ear are made of cartilage. See how flexible it is?” The guide bends his ear a few times, and Vivi does it too.

It’s right about this time that the dolphin pops back up. Vivi shouts with glee, and Jonah grins, meaning he got the picture. I wonder if he angled it in a way where he got Vivi and the dolphin. She will love it.

“How about you pass your phone over to me, and I’ll get a family picture of the three of you,” the guide says.

Without missing a beat or correcting him, Jonah says, “That would be great. Thank you.”

Very swiftly and competently, the guide moves his kayak to grab the phone and then backs away to get the three of us in the photo.

Jonah pulls me right next to them so our kayaks are lined up.

“Smile!” he says, and we do.

This moment with them is captured, and I love it.

The guide hands Jonah back his phone, and he smiles as he looks at the picture.

“Will you send it to me?” I ask, and an emotion quickly passes over his hazel eyes before his smile grows even more. “Of course.”

“All right, folks, it’s time for us to make our way back to the aquarium. We have one more stop to make before our fun day ends, and that’s the Marine Mammal Research and Rehabilitation Center. There, I’d like to introduce you to my friends Cash, Brutis, and Sunny, our resident green sea turtles.”

“Oh, sea turtles!” Vivi squeals.