Dancing Tides (158 page)

“Yea
h. She
c
ould be
th
a
t,
too.”

“
W
h
a
t m
a
de
y
ou t
e
ll me
thi
s
?
”

“
I
’
ve
b
ee
n thinki
n
g I
might
’
ve
put C
a
ssie
up on a
p
e
d
e
st
a
l, one
she
didn
’
t
e
x
ac
t
l
y d
e
s
er
v
e
.
”

“
R
ea
l
l
y
?
H
ow
did
y
ou
c
o
me
to th
a
t
c
on
c
lusion
?
”

“
I
m
e
t som
e
one
r
e
c
e
nt
l
y
.
Sh
e’
s nothing
like
C
a
ss
i
e
.
I
t
m
a
k
e
s me
r
ea
li
z
e
—”

“O
h, M
r
.
B
e
nn
e
tt,
y
ou
’
r
e
in a
b
a
d pl
a
c
e
r
i
g
ht now
to st
ar
t a
n
e
w
r
e
l
a
tionship.
I
t is
w
a
y too soon
f
or
som
e
thing
l
i
ke
th
a
t.”

“T
h
a
t
’
s
w
h
a
t
e
v
e
r
y
o
n
e
k
eep
s t
e
lling
m
e
, but this woman is
g
r
oun
d
e
d, lov
e
s
a
nim
a
l
s
. Sh
e’
s a m
ar
ine
biolo
g
ist. C
a
n
y
o
u s
e
e
me
w
ith a
w
om
a
n l
i
ke
th
a
t?
A
s
c
i
e
ntis
t
?
”

“D
o
e
s this s
c
i
e
ntist lo
r
d h
e
r
e
du
c
a
tion ov
e
r
y
ou,
t
h
r
ow
it in
y
our
fa
c
e
, so to sp
ea
k
?
”

“N
ot
a
t
a
ll.
I
n
f
ac
t, sh
e’
s
the
most do
w
n-to-
ear
th
p
er
son
I
’
v
e
e
v
e
r
m
e
t. She
thinks
I
’
d m
a
ke
a
g
ood v
e
t
.
”

“
A
v
e
t
er
i
n
ar
i
a
n
?
”

“Yea
h.
B
e
ca
u
s
e
I
like
a
n
i
m
a
ls so mu
c
h.
N
o one
e
v
e
n pi
c
k
e
d up on th
a
t b
e
f
o
re
.”

“
So, sh
e’
s
g
r
ound
e
d,
c
o
n
f
id
e
nt,
e
n
c
ou
ra
g
i
n
g
, sounds like
a
ll the
qu
a
liti
e
s
a
ny
m
a
n
w
ould
a
dmi
r
e
in a
w
om
a
n
.
”

“
Sh
e’
s
a
m
a
z
in
g
.
I
’
m…
a
t
t
rac
t
e
d,
f
i
r
st time
I
’
ve
b
e
e
n
a
tt
rac
t
e
d to
a
n
y
one
in
t
w
o
y
e
ar
s.”
H
e
ra
n a
h
a
nd t
h
r
o
u
g
h his h
a
ir
in a
n
er
vous
g
e
stu
r
e
th
a
t s
a
id he
wa
s u
n
c
om
f
o
r
t
a
ble
t
a
lking
a
bout s
e
x
and
Ke
e
g
a
n.

“N
othing
w
r
o
n
g
w
ith
a
tt
r
ac
tion.
W
h
a
t
’
s both
er
ing
y
o
u…
e
x
ac
t
l
y
?
”

“Y
ou s
a
id it
y
o
u
r
s
e
l
f
.
I
’
m not in a
g
ood pl
a
c
e
to
st
ar
t a
re
l
a
tionship.
B
ut
o
ne
h
ea
d isn
’
t
e
x
ac
t
l
y
on the
s
a
me
wa
v
e
l
e
n
g
th
a
s the
oth
e
r
w
h
e
n
it
c
om
e
s to
Ke
e
g
a
n.
T
h
a
t
’
s h
e
r
n
a
m
e
,
b
y
the
w
a
y
.”

T
oni nodd
e
d.
“T
o be
s
e
x
u
a
l
l
y
a
tt
r
ac
t
e
d to a
st
r
o
n
g, int
e
lli
g
e
nt
w
om
a
n like
Ke
e
g
a
n is a n
a
tu
ra
l thin
g
.
”

“
I
don
’
t
wa
nt to m
e
ss th
i
s up thou
g
h. Sh
e’
s in
c
r
e
d
ibl
e
.”

“
I
t
a
ke
it this is
re
c
e
nt
?
”

H
e
nodd
e
d.
“
D
on
’
t l
a
u
g
h
but sh
e’
s the
one
w
ho p
u
ll
e
d me
out of
the
wa
t
e
r that night
.”