Breathe Out (Just Breathe, #2)(51)

My hand quickly releases Sadie’s collar and I stand up to look in the direction that Joe is facing. “Where?”

“Right there.” Joe points, reaching his arm over my shoulder to give me a better line of sight.

“You’re right, Joseph,” Mr. Covelli confirms.

My head turns to look at him. An uncomfortable feeling rushes inside me with how close Joe is to me right in front of his parents.

“Here, Emma,” Mr. Covelli offers, handing me the small binoculars he is using.

I have trouble seeing, not sure how to use them.

“Here,” Joe assists, steadying me and gently nudging my cheek in the proper direction.

“Wow!” I gasp.

“How many do you see, Emma?” Mrs. Covelli asks.

“I think . . . three, but I’m not sure,” I comment, then offer her the binoculars.

“I think you’re correct,” Mrs. Covelli confirms. “And, they are indeed headed our way.”

The boat gently bounces in the small, infrequent waves as the four of us stare in awe. The wind is practically none existent, making the entire moment completely surreal. Mr. Covelli confirms that they’re grey whales as they get closer.

Sadie continues to bark off and on, even when the whales are about a hundred meters out.

The sound of something splashing in the water next to the boat draws my attention. “Sadie,” I yell, dumbfounded by the fact that she jumped into the cold water. “Sadie, get back here.”

“Dog overboard,” I hear one of the crew members shout.

“Sadie,” I scold as she proceeds to swim out to the massive creatures who are getting larger by the second.

“She should be alright,” Mrs. Covelli consoles. “Duke did that to us once. Remember, Joseph?”

Laughing, Joe agrees, “Yes.”

“Didn’t you jump in after him too?” checks Mr. Covelli.

“And, Anthony and Thomas,” Joe adds.

“The whales swam right up next to all three of them,” Mrs. Covelli explains. “They were in the water together for at least thirty minutes. Wouldn’t you say, John?”

“At least, my love. They were popsicles when they got out, but the water there was not near as cold as it is here,” Mr. Covelli comments.

“We’ll be able to fish her out Miss,” a female staff member assures.

“Thank you,” I graciously acknowledge, worried by the thought of Sadie being in there too long.

When the whales reach Sadie, Joe starts taking pictures for me since I’ve been video tapping not long after finding out that the giant, herbivore mammals won’t hurt Sadie. There are actually four whales, not three, two of which are smaller who appear to have been born this year, and they repeatedly swim in circles around our boat and Sadie. Before the whales move on, back to their migratory path, we fish Sadie out of the sea and wrap her in blankets. Joe finds a hair dryer below and Sadie lounges as she’s pampered by the heat and attention.

An hour later, our ship turns around and heads back to land. We take a short stroll on the beach, but Sadie lags behind, obviously tired from the frolic with her new friends. The five of us find a nearby restaurant just off the sand to dine for the evening.

When Mr. and Mrs. Covelli excuse themselves for a moment, I text Maggie, Jared and Nathan, sending along a small clip of Sadie’s afternoon romp. Within less than a minute, I have the three of them on the phone asking questions. Jared suggests that we use some of the footage from Sadie’s adventure for the website, which might add a nice boost to the numbers.

For several hours, my companions and I sit — eating, drinking and chatting about a variety of topics. Mrs. Covelli shares a bunch of stories about Joe and his brothers and I can’t help but laugh at the ones that are funny.

Returning to the hotel, Mr. and Mrs. Covelli immediately turn in for the night with it being almost ten-thirty after our helicopter ride back from the coast. Sadie has trouble walking due to her swim in the cold ocean, so Joe carries her up to my room just down the hall from his. As I’m getting my room key out, I stop a few feet from my door when I realize that Joe isn’t right behind me.


“What are you doing?” I question, watching him shift Sadie.

“Nothing,” he rebuts.

The click of a door being unlocked catches my ear.

“Joseph,” I state sternly.

He laughs, pushing the door open. My feet spring to move and I’m able to stop the door from shutting.

“Joseph,” I repeat, a little more authoritatively once inside his room.

“Shhh,” he shushes, walking toward me. “She’s tired.”

“What do you think you’re doing?” I ask with a clenched jaw.

A devilish grin emerges on his face. “Stay,” he requests, pulling me into the room further.

“You promised not to ask,” I remind.

Joe steps toward me, reaching for my hips. I pull away, but he’s faster than I anticipate.

“I promised not to ask to stay in your room,” he counters.

My mouth opens to rebut, but I close it immediately, understanding the game he’s playing. “Come on Sadie,” I sweetly call.

Sadie doesn’t lift her head to look.

“Sadie. Come on girl,” I hail.

She lets out a sigh and remains still.