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“You don’t lunge feed,” he said.
“Maybe we should try it.” She gave him a bright smile and went back to watching the water. The guide continued to talk about Hilton Head Island, South Carolina and the many species of fish, birds, and mammals the coastline supported as the boat moved through the water.
Several minutes later, the engine slowed, and that perked everyone up again. “So Cyclops has been here,” he said. “Another tour radioed us right when we were leaving, and they’d just seen him.”
A hush fell over the boat, and though the sky was blue, Sage once again experienced a shiver from the chill in the air. The wind in beachy places could never been underestimated, she supposed, and she should’ve packed a jacket.
She’d only brought sunscreen for this mid-morning adventure, as well as a bottle of water, and she and Ty would get lunch once they returned to land.
“There he is,” the guide said suddenly, and Sage twisted to see if he was pointing somewhere. “Twelve o’clock. He just went down, and these whales can hold their breath for up to an hour. However, he’s feeding, which means he’ll dive down for four or five minutes, and then come back up for several breaths. This is when we’ll see him.
“Once he returns to the surface, you’ll see his hump-back as he swims along, coming up to breathe. Usually they take six or seven breaths and dive down again. Sometimes we’ll see the flukes when this happens.”
The general atmosphere on the boat held electricity, and Sage looked at Ty. “I love this. Thank you for coming with me.”
“Of course.” He pressed his lips to her cheekbone again. “Would you have had just as much fun with Thelma?”
“Maybe,” she teased. “But I wouldn’t be as warm.” She watched the water in front of the boat, and only a minute later, someone pointed. She looked; the humpback was there.
“Oh, my goodness,” she breathed as she saw the spray from his spout at the same time the tour guide announced it. “There he is.” She stood, and Ty came with her.
He stuck right at her side, saying, “Wow,” in the same awed way that she felt.
Such a huge, magnificent animal. He did “hump” along for a few swimming strides, and the tour guide said, “There he goes, folks!” as the whale dove down, down, down, his back fins coming up out of the water.
People cheered and gasped, and Sage certainly joined them. She turned toward Ty, who wore a smile as big as any she’d ever seen on his face. “This is incredible. A humpback.”
The boat stayed with the humpback for a while longer, and then they started back to the island. They didn’t see anything else—no right whales, no sharks, and no more dolphins either. Sage didn’t care at all.
She’d seen a humpback on her fiftieth birthday, and that was the perfect thing to start off her new chapter. On land, Ty took her back to his SUV, and he opened the back passenger door instead of the front one where she sat.
“I got you something,” he said as he lifted out a pure white gift bag. White tissue paper had been stuffed in the top too, and it looked clean and crisp and pure.
“Ty,” she said, but her heart was currently melting like a chocolate bar left out in the sun.
“You only turn fifty once.” He gave her the bag, a handsome—if a little shy—smile on his face.
She took it but didn’t immediately rip the paper out of the top of the bag. “What did you do for your fiftieth birthday?”
A frown crossed between his eyes. “I worked.”
She tilted her head, sure there was more to the story. “Really? That’s all?”
“I had a big client at the time.” His voice lowered in volume with every word. “I, uh, maybe need some more excitement in my life too.” He raised his eyes to hers. “I’ve been working so much, and it’s all I’ve ever done. I’ve been thinking about how you said you want grand adventures, and I think—I need that too. Iwantthat too.”
“Ty.” She didn’t know what else to say, but going on a grand adventure with someone who willingly wanted to be there sounded amazing to her.
“So thank you for letting me come with you today,” he said. “I’ve never seen a humpback before, and though he didn’t lunge feed, it was incredible.”
“Wasn’t it?” She looked down at the bag. “Should I open it right here, or get in the car?”
He looked over her shoulder. “Okay, let’s get in the car. It’s kind of hot out here, even with the wind.” He did open the right door for her then, and she slid into the passenger seat. While he went around the car, she pulled out the paper to find a regular-sized envelope in the bottom of the bag.
She glanced over to Ty as he got in the car. “What’s this?” She reached inside and pulled it out. It wasn’t sealed and it didn’t have her name on it. She flipped up the flap and removed several sheets of paper.
Ty turned on the car, but otherwise remained silent. He didn’t pull out of the parking lot at the marina either.
“This is a day pass to Hunting Island State Park,” she read.
