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“They’re pretty cute,” Shane said.
“They’re some of my favorite fish,” I said softly, watching the little orange fish nestle into the anemone’s arms.
Shane peered over my shoulder. “It’s amazing that they don’t get stung when they do that.”
“It’s symbiotic. The anemone eats their waste,” I explained, “and in return it protects them. Also, wanna know a fun fact?” I plowed on, not waiting for an answer. “All clown fish are born male. The biggest one in the hierarchy becomes female. If you remove that one, the next biggest one becomes female.”
“Imagine if people were like that,” Shane commented, squinting down at the pair of fish swimming in and out of the glowing anemone. “You’re, like, a forty-year-old man, and suddenly it’s your turn to be the matriarch.”
“I’m not sure they have as much trouble adjusting emotionally asyouapparently would, but it would definitely makeFinding Nemoa different movie.”
Shane whistled under his breath. “So Nemo’s dad becomes his mom.”
“And probably his lover,” I said, just to make Shane uncomfortable. He made a face at me, and I couldn’t help laughing.
“What other horrifying facts do you know?”
I bounded up on my toes. “So many. I’ve been learning about guppies, too, since I play benevolent god to like a hundred of them. Did you know the females can store sperm in their bodies for, like, two years? And can continue to have babies without a male around every thirty days?”
“Wait, so does this mean Hopper could have more?”
I nodded. “He probably has enough sperm to go for at least a year making babies on his own, but he’ll likely start reproducing with his own offspring soon enough.”
He tilted his head at me. “What’re you going to do when that happens?”
“That’s a problem for future Ana.”
“Hm. Guppy facts are quite disturbing, but not as good as clown fish facts. Try again?”
“I love this game. How about this: dolphins have been known to use puffer fish to get high. They pass the puffer back and forth, and it releases a toxin because it’s like super scared, so the dolphins get trashed and veg out staring at their own reflections in the water.”
“That’s…disturbing. Don’t they know it goes against their magical reputation?”
I shuddered. “Dolphins are straight-up terrifying. They’re violent and mean, just like us. And they don’t go on dates. But seahorses do. They’re so romantic. They dance together in the mornings, too.”
Shane put his hands up, laughing. “You got me.” He walked a few feet over to the next exhibit.
“Seahorses even hold tails!” I called after him. “They form a little heartwith their bodies, but I’m sure that’s coincidental. I doubt that symbol has any romantic significance to them. But who knows, am I right?”
He turned back around and took my hand in both of his own. “How do you fit so much in that head of yours?”
I shrugged. “It’s a steel trap.”
“It would have to be.” He checked his watch. “Hungry?”
“Always,” I said.
“Would you like to grab an early dinner? You can tell me some of the less disturbing things you know while we eat. I reserved the private dining room in the shark tunnel.”
I squealed and threw my arms around his neck. Laughing, he led me by the hand toward the restaurant portion of the aquarium. Once the waiter had settled us at a table and brought a bottle of wine, I put my forearms on the table and focused on Shane. “I’m sorry, I’ve been so caught up in this experience that I haven’t asked you anything. How was your flight? Did you really come all this way just to hang out with me?” I blushed, feeling light and happy, as if the weight of my alter ego had lifted somehow over the past hour. “So how are things?”
He took a sip of wine and pointed upward as a large hammerhead swam directly above us. He grinned at my gasp. “As much as I would love to say I did, I’m here for work again. I figured I’d take a day off and get here before Melvin does. That way I can see you, and I also don’t have to sit next to him on the plane. He always takes off his shoes.” He made a face.
I paused, my wineglass halfway to my lips. “Melvin’s coming?” So Shane hadn’t flown in just to see me.
“I assumed he told you. He’s supposed to be arriving tomorrow night.Some big meeting, I think. Anyway, I assumed he could manage that part of the trip without a babysitter.”
“He didn’t mention anything to me,” I murmured. “That’s not like him.” I reached into my bag and pulled out my phone. I checked my texts and email just to make sure I wasn’t mistaken. Then I fired off a quick text.Haven’t heard back about the S.J. pitch. Thoughts? When are you next due in Denver?
