Page 36 of Harper's Holiday Romance

“Go have the best life little ones,” I said softly.

“Are you tearing up?” Julia asked.

“No.” I shook my head.

Get it together, Harper.

There was no need to cry. Yes, the turtles were so small in a vast open sea full of predators. Yes, they’d barely had time to open their eyes before they were expected to fend for themselves. And yes, I did take on the role of an overly protective reptile parent.

“Wait—” I noticed a struggle. “Look.”

The little one at the back who I rightly or wrongly names Squirtle was lagging. A second wave came crashing onto the shore, and he was carried away from his destination.

“We need to help him.” I rushed over. He appeared unstable. “What if he’s got sand in his eye. It’s all over him.” I brushed the sand from his body with my forefinger.

“What do we do?” I asked Julia. We looked around for Miguel, but he was further down the beach helping some other turtles reach their home.

“Okay, it’s fine. We can fix this,” Julia reassured. She picked Squirtle up. “I’ll just give him a little helping hand.”

His siblings were already in the water. “He’s going to get lost, Julia. Hurry!” I panicked.

“Do you want to kiss him goodbye?” Julia curled her free hand to create a catching mitt underneath his tiny body.

“Bye, Squirtle.” I kissed his little salty tasting shell softly. Julia placed him at the water’s edge, and we watched him scuttle after his siblings with a ferocious pace.

“See, he’s fine. Quick too, that’ll serve him well.” A triumphant smile appeared on Julia’s face.

The sea was a terrifying place, but I hoped as much as a human could hope Squirtle would navigate the deep waters safely.

“I could cry.” I scrunched my eyes shut. I had to squint to block out the sun, but I tried to see through the reflection on the water’s surface. There was no sign of the hatchlings now.

“They’ll be okay.” Julia reached out and placed her hand on my shoulder.

“Yeah, but they’re so small.”

“They’ll use that to their advantage. Do you think a big bad shark is going to care about a tiny little baby turtle?” She raised her eyebrow.

It was a good point. I pictured them moseying along undetected.

“True.”

Julia reached down and picked up a small rock from the sand. “Here, something to remember the experience.”

She placed the pink-coloured coarse rock in my hand. It was flat and round. It was just a rock, but the sentiment made it so much more.

“Thank you.”

Julia took off back up the beach, and I took one last look at the water’s edge for any sign of life. There was something gratifying about helping an endangered species, even if that helping hand seemed insignificant. I had a newfound respect for the volunteers and their dedication to helping the sea turtles. I hoped to devote my life one day to such a wonderful cause.

“Come on, Fox!” Julia yelled. “Don’t you want me to tell you about the females returning to this same beach in fifteen years’ time.”

“What do you mean they return—” I ran to catch up with her.

“Please tell me,” I whined.

Did I predict Julia Hanlow would ask me to lunch?

Absolutely not, but I said yes because a glimpse of her turtle coated aura made me like her? It was a long stretch. Or did I feel bad for her?