PART 10:

That sounds terrible. It probably will be, but we’re doing it anyway. They got to the aquarium at 7:00. Selena was waiting by the entrance and Adrian’s first thought was that she looked nervous, too. She was wearing jeans and a simple black sweater, her hair pulled back in a ponytail. No designer anything that he could see.

She looked like a regular person trying to make a good impression. When she saw them approaching, something in her posture shifted. She stood a little straighter, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear that didn’t need tucking. “Hi,” she said. “Hi,” Adrian replied. Then, because the silence was already threatening to swallow them, This is Emma.

Emma stuck out her hand with the formality of someone who’d been practicing. “Nice to meet you.” Selena shook it and Adrian caught the flash of surprise in her eyes. “Nice to meet you, too, Emma. Your dad’s told me a lot about you.” “He told me about you, too, but he doesn’t know your favorite color or if you like animals.

” Adrian closed his eyes briefly. Emma. “It’s okay,” Selena said, and she was smiling. “My favorite color is dark green and I like animals, but I don’t have any because I work too much to take care of them properly.” “That’s responsible,” Emma said, nodding like Selena had passed some kind of test. “Dad says people who get pets they can’t take care of are selfish.

” Your dad’s right. Adrian cleared his throat. Should we go inside before this turns into a full interrogation? The aquarium was quiet for a Friday night. Most families had already come and gone. They wandered through the exhibits in a small cluster, Emma darting ahead to press her face against the glass, then running back to tell them facts about whatever she’d just seen.

“Did you know octopuses have three hearts?” she said breathlessly, tugging on Adrian’s sleeve. I didn’t. “And they can change color to match their surroundings and they’re really smart and some of them can fit through holes the size of a quarter even though they’re huge.” “That’s amazing.” Emma turned to Selena.

“Do you like octopuses?” “I don’t know much about them,” Selena admitted, “but they sound impressive.” “They’re the best.” Well, second best. Dolphins are first. But octopuses are close second. They moved to the next tank. Something with jellyfish that glowed blue and purple in the dark water. Emma was immediately hypnotized.

Adrian and Selena stood behind her, close enough that their shoulders almost touched. “She’s wonderful,” Selena said quietly. “She’s a lot.” In the best way. Selena glanced at him. “You’re doing a good job.” Most days I feel like I’m barely keeping it together. “That’s parenting, isn’t it? Or so I’m told.” “What about you?” Adrian asked.

“You ever think about kids?” Selena was quiet for a moment, watching the jellyfish pulse and drift. “I used to, when I was younger and hadn’t figured out yet that building a company meant sacrificing everything else. Now she shrugged. I don’t know. The window’s closing and I’m not sure I’d be any good at it anyway.

You’re doing okay so far. I’ve been here 20 minutes. And you haven’t run away screaming. That’s a good sign. Selena laughed softly. Low bar. Uh you’d be surprised how many people don’t clear it. Emma spun around suddenly. Can we see the shark tunnel? “Sure,” Adrian said. The shark tunnel was a long glass corridor that ran through the center of a massive tank.

Sharks glided overhead, their bellies pale against the filtered light. Rays flapped past like underwater birds. Emma walked slowly, craning her neck to see everything. Adrian and Selena followed a few paces behind. “Can I ask you something?” Selena said. Yeah. “Why’d you say yes to this? Really? I know what you said about giving it a chance, but you could have just as easily said no and saved yourself a lot of stress.

” Adrian watched Emma stop to stare up at a shark that was easily 12 feet long. Because she asked if you were nice and I said yes. And then she said I should ask you to dinner because being scared isn’t a good enough reason not to try. And I realized she was right. Smart kid. Too smart.

It’s going to be a problem when she’s a teenager. You’ll handle it. How do you know? Because you’re handling this and this is harder than anything a teenager could throw at you. Adrian wasn’t sure that was true, but he appreciated the vote of confidence. They made it through the rest of the aquarium without incident. Emma asked Selena approximately 800 questions, most of which Selena answered with surprising patience.

By the time they emerged back into the cool night air, Adrian’s shoulders had unnotted slightly and Emma was holding Selena’s hand like it was the most natural thing in the world. “Can we get ice cream?” Emma asked. Adrian checked his watch. Almost 9:00. It’s late. Please? Just a small one. I’ll go to bed right when we get home. Selena caught Adrian’s eye.

I know a place nearby if that’s okay. It wasn’t the same fancy place they’d met at last week. This was a small gelateria tucked into a strip mall, bright and loud and full of families. Emma got chocolate chip. Selena got pistachio. Adrian got nothing because he was too anxious to eat. They sat at one of the wobbly outdoor tables.

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