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with just a hint of bashfulness. Like admitting he was afraid of sharks made him somehow less of a man. “How many sharks are in the area?”
    “Well, we've recorded about thirteen species. The island actually has one of the highest populations of sharks in the area,” I told him.
    He paled slightly. “I'm never going in the water again.”
    “Oh, they're not that bad! Sharks are cool!” I reached out and put my hand on his without thinking. “Haven't you seen Shark Week?”
    “Yes. And I've seen all the episodes where people get bitten!”
    I rolled my eyes, but I smiled, taking any sting out of my expression. “Fine. I dare you to come swim with me, then. I'll show you the wonders of the deep.”
    “If my arm gets bitten off, I get yours.”
    I pretended to think about it for a moment. A movement outside the window caught my eye, and I could see the woman with the khaki shorts from earlier looking in various windows of the local shops.
    “You'd look pretty silly with my arm,” I told him, wearing a serious face. “I think it would be too short for you.”
    “Hmm...” He frowned and nodded. “Good point.”
    “How about I take you on a tour of the research pools sometime? You can see a baby shark, and it won't bite you,” I offered.
    “Baby sharks just bite you, then?” he asked with mock seriousness.
    “Only when you are tagging them and they're mad at you,” I said with a smirk.
    “Sounds good to me.” He grinned at me and then followed my gaze out the window to the woman in khaki shorts.
    “Let's get out of here,” he said quickly, throwing a fifty dollar bill on the table. Our bill couldn't have been more than thirty dollars even with a generous tip, but I knew Adele wouldn't mind the extra money.
    Noah grabbed my hand, a grin spreading across his handsome features as he pulled me out the restaurant and back toward the beach.

Chapter 7
    N oah didn't drop my hand as we walked out of the restaurant. He didn't drop it as we walked out of the town square, or as we meandered down the pathway leading to the beach. I wasn't about to let go either, even though I could feel mine going sweaty and hot. I didn't want to lose our connection.
    We crested a small hill to the beach, and I could see the ocean laid out before us. The golden sunshine sparkled on the waves, the white light almost too bright to look at. We stood there for a moment, hand in hand, staring out at the waves.
    “How long are you in town for again?” I whispered. I had been thinking the words since we met, but I hadn't found the courage to say them until now. Despite my best intentions, I liked Noah. Really liked him. But he was a tourist and was going to leave as soon as his vacation was done. It was better just not to get attached. I didn't let go of his hand, though.
    Noah stared out at the water for a moment before answering, his eyes distant and his voice quiet. “Just a couple more days. I really only came for the party last night.” He turned and smiled gently. “You can't say no to a Jack Saunders party.”
    “He would definitely be a hard man to say 'no' to.” I turned to look out at the water again. I loved the way the blue of the sky melded with the blue of the water, obscuring the horizon. I wanted the ocean to go on for forever, and I liked the illusion that it did.
    Noah suddenly disengaged our handhold and took off for the water. He sprinted across the sandy beach and ran into the foam of the waves. I hurried after him, afraid he had seen something that needed rescuing. Dolphins had been known to wash up on shore, or even exhausted swimmers.
    When I caught up to him, he held up a small bucket with various plastic shovels attached to the handle. They were just cheap, plastic beach toys, but he held them up in victory as though he had rescued a mermaid.
    “Look what I saved: The environment!” he exclaimed. His smile was as bright as the sun as he stumbled out of the water and back onto the sandy beach.
    “My