“Maya. I thought Erin was working the program with me.”
“I asked her to switch. I have plans tomorrow night.” Her jaw sawing on bubblegum, she stuffed her hands into her back pockets and regarded him with wide eyes. “Hello.”
“Brady, this is Maya Fentress.”
Grinning, Maya blew a giant pink bubble. Taller and stockier than Olivia, she had chin-length brown hair streaked with pink and an eyebrow piercing. Freckles dusted her pert nose and rounded cheeks. She looked to be in her early twenties.
“Pleased to meet you, Maya.”
“Are you one of the dads?” She glanced at his left hand, presumably looking for a ring.
“No, I don’t have any kids.”
Family life wasn’t for him. He’d known it from a tender age and had accepted his lot. His own parents hadn’t thought him worthy of attention or love. They’d discarded him as if he were secondhand goods, dumping him at his grandmother’s house shortly before his tenth birthday. As his school counselor had said often enough, he had abandonment issues. A tidy label that didn’t scratch the surface of what his childhood experiences had done to him.
The grief ravaging Brady’s face siphoned the breath from her lungs. She lifted her hand to touch him, to impart comfort, only to catch herself. He didn’t want anything from her.
“Not married, huh?” Speculation ripened Maya’s eyes. She hadn’t noticed his unease. Not surprising, considering Maya’s chief concern was herself.
“Brady volunteers with a local program pairing volunteer mentors with at-risk youth,” Olivia quickly interjected.
“Most of the kids in our group have never been to an aquarium before,” he said, his voice rusty.
“It’s our most popular event. Stick with me, and I’ll make sure you have a blast.” She giggled. “The kids, too.”
“Maya, why don’t you gather the snacks while I show Brady the auditorium?”
She opened her mouth to protest but, at Olivia’s pointed stare, rubbed his arm instead. “I’ll see you soon, Brady.”
Olivia ushered him out of the stingray area. Riding the escalator to the first floor, she studied his stoic profile and found herself wishing he’d open up to her. Holding in that amount of grief and anger robbed the present of its joy. Derek had mentioned Brady had had a tough childhood, but he hadn’t given many details. If only he were here...he’d had the ability to shred Brady’s reserve.
“I should warn you that Maya can be a lot to handle.”
He gave her a tight smile. “I gathered as much.”
“How long have you volunteered with these kids?”
“Over five years.”
Stepping off the escalator, they circumvented this building’s main entrance and descended yet another escalator to where the group’s event would originate. He opened the auditorium door for her.
“We’ll start the program with an up close and personal experience with a couple of our favorite reptiles, and then we’ll go to the feeding room, where we’ll discuss what types of foods the animals eat. Pizza will be served before we tour the two buildings.”
They reached the stage. “Is this a regular part of your job? Derek never mentioned it.”
The casual mention of him was jarring. No one spoke his name anymore. Her sisters tiptoed around the subject. Her coworkers avoided it completely. As time marched on, Olivia found herself wanting to talk about him. Acting as if he hadn’t existed—simply to spare her pain—wasn’t fair to his memory.
“I subbed for someone a couple of months ago and enjoyed it.” She motioned to the vacant room. “Being in the aquarium at night is a unique experience. It’s peaceful.”
His blond brows shot up. “In my experience, peace and kids don’t go together.”
“You’ll see what I mean. Especially when they’re in the shark tunnel, snug in their sleeping bags, and everyone drifts to sleep watching the fish swim overhead.”
Commotion at the top left entrance shattered the hushed stillness. An aquarium employee ushered twenty middle and high school kids into the auditorium. Chatter and laughter bounced off the paneled walls as they dropped their backpacks and sleeping bags and thundered down the steps.
“How many hours until bedtime?” Brady drawled, rubbing his jaw.
His words were belied by the high fives he doled out. One of the younger boys, Michael, gave him a hug. The affection on Brady’s face and the way he mussed the boy’s hair spoke volumes. The unflappable Marine pilot who looked as if he could eat nails for breakfast had a marshmallow heart, at least when it came to these kids.
She wished things could be different. It would’ve been nice to bond with someone who cared about Derek as much as she did.
He introduced her to his fellow volunteers—Norman, who resembled a wise owl, and Dana, a frazzled middle-aged mom—before spouting off the names of everyone in the group. Olivia’s previous reluctance faded. Maybe the night wouldn’t be as onerous as she’d thought.
Maya arrived with the boa constrictor, drawing the boys and girls into a tight knot around her. Their curiosity remained evident as they progressed to the feeding room with walk-in freezers and coolers stocked with everything from vegetables to tiny shrimp. As she interacted with them, Olivia managed to forget her diving ordeal.
While they were wolfing down pizza and guzzling caffeinated sodas, she joined Brady at the windows. He twisted the cap off an orange juice bottle and offered it to her.
Shaking her head, she studied the tables’ occupants. “Why them? Why not the homeless shelter or food bank?”
His eyes had a bleak look that saddened her.
“Growing up in my grandmother’s home, I didn’t have a positive male influence. My grandmother was a sweet soul, but her health was frail. No one bothered to step into my life and make a positive impact. I longed for that, even though I couldn’t pinpoint the specific need at the time.”
“How old were you when you went to live with her?”
His lips thinned. “Ten.”
Olivia could imagine his confusion and disappointment. Then, to have to take on the role of caregiver at such a young age. Her heart hurt for the child he’d been.
Her parents hadn’t had the best of relationships, but her mother had done everything in her power to create a loving, nurturing environment for Olivia and her siblings. She’d never doubted she was loved and wanted.
“You’re doing for these kids what someone should’ve done for you. You’re choosing to care.”
His broad chest rose and hitched. Guzzling the juice, he tossed the empty glass in the recycle bin and pointed to the farthest table. “I’m going to talk to Michael and Cameron.”
In the past, Olivia would’ve viewed his abrupt departure as a rejection. Now she saw his behavior for what it was—an attempt to avoid deep-rooted anguish. Maybe she truly wasn’t his favorite person. Maybe he hadn’t liked her and Derek together. But that wasn’t the whole story. Captain Brady Johnson was a complex, mysterious man whom she would probably never truly know.
But she could pray for him. Why hadn’t she thought to do that before?
I’m sorry, Lord, for fretting over this issue instead of bringing it to You. I don’t