Page 35 of The Game We Played

I stop a few feet from the seal. “This is Sammy.”

Sammy waves his flipper at me. “Hello to you, too, Sammy. Are you having fun blocking the guests from the resort?”

He barks at me.

“This is the only sunny spot on all of the island? I don’t believe you.”

“Are you having a conversation with a seal?” Tanner whispers his question.

I wave to Sammy. “He’s a local. And a menace.”

The seal honks.

“Yes, you are a menace. Especially when you block people from entering the resort.”

He covers his eyes with a flipper.

“Don’t lie. You can see all the people waiting.”

“What are you going to do?” Tanner asks.

“Get rid of him.” I kneel down in front of Sammy. “Do you want me to contact the dog catchers?”

The seal honks before galumphing away. He doesn’t make it far. He reaches a patch of grass in the sun and stops. I swear, if he could, he’d stick his tongue at me now. Silly seal.

“Alrighty, folks.” I clap my hands to get everyone’s attention. “Show’s over.”

The crowd disperses until Tanner and I are alone.

“Was this your surprise?” I ask.

“Are you asking if I somehow managed to move a five-hundred-pound animal in front of the door to impress you?”

I shrug. “I guess not.”

“Come on. We’re now officially late.”

“Late for what?”

He wags a finger at me. “I’m not telling. It’s a secret.”

We lace our hands together and he leads me into the resort. Instead of getting on an elevator to his suite, he pulls me toward the conference rooms.

Terri, a friend of mine who’s the event coordinator for the resort, steps out of a room. Her hair is disheveled, and her lipsare swollen. Interesting. I wave to her. “Hey, Terri. How’s the event coordination world treating you?”

She startles before smiling at me. It’s the fakest smile I’ve ever seen. My curiosity is officially piqued. “It’s fine. Everything’s fine.”

She rushes off before I can question her further. Not to worry. Someone on the island must know what she’s up to. I have a feeling I’ve found the topic of this month’sSiren’s Spill.

We step in front of a door and Tanner opens it. “Tada!”

Tada. What’s he tada-ing about? I step inside and scan the room. Coach Knox is sitting at the table fiddling with a tablet.

“I’ve only got an hour,” he says when he notices us.

“An hour for what?”

Tanner pushes me forward. “For your interview.”