‘Aren’t we lucky?’ she says, gesturing out at the ocean. ‘I can’t wait to dive again tomorrow. And again, after that!’

‘We really are,’ I agree. ‘It’s amazing how much scuba can open you up to what’s underwater. It’s like a whole new world.’

‘I couldn’t agree more,’ says Andrew, sidling up next to me. ‘How often did you say you get to do this?’

‘Not as much as you’d think, actually. It’s been ages.’ Does Andrew know Ohio isn’t near an ocean? I think.

‘But isn’t this a work trip? Aren’t you looking for something?’

I nod. ‘I am looking for a fish, but sadly, my lab didn’t subsidise it.’

‘Because they know you won’t find it,’ Hugh grumbles, appearing so close behind me that I jump.

‘Don’t you have better things to do than bother me?’ I ask. ‘Last time I checked you were “working” too, but all you seem to do is nap.’

Andrew laughs. ‘Right, the marine biologist rivalry.’

‘Exactly,’ says Hugh.

‘So, what do you do, Andrew?’ I ask, pivoting the topic away from the butterfly wrasse. Andrew explains that he works on corporate strategy for a whole foods conglomerate. Despite the dryness of his job title, he has so much enthusiasm for it that I find myself bobbing my head along to his explanation of how shipping lines and currency exchanges affect egg prices at the grocery store.

‘Sweetheart,’ Pippa says eventually, laying a hand on Andrew’s shoulder, ‘you’re gonna bore them to tears.’

‘You’re not boring us!’ I say quickly, shooting Pippa a ‘be nice’ look. But Andrew laughs it off and says he probably should go get a glass of water. Hugh goes with him.

‘I love him to pieces,’ Pippa says once they’re out of earshot, ‘but he can really carry on about that job.’

I shrug my shoulders. ‘It would be nice to have a job you love.’

‘You don’t love yours?’ she asks.

‘Not even a little.’ I realise my mistake as I watch the surprise bloom on Pippa’s face. She opens her mouth like she’s about to ask who in their right mind wouldn’t love being a marine biologist.

‘I mean,’ I backtrack furiously, ‘it’s an expression. I don’t love it a little, I love it a lot!’

She looks at me quizzically, but an errant strand of her hair whips in the wind and snags her lip, distracting her enough that the moment passes.

‘Wait,’ I say, redirecting us to the beginning of our conversation. ‘Did you say you’re not diving again until tomorrow?’

Pippa nods vigorously. ‘Oh, I can’t be bothered with night diving, are you kidding me!’ She shudders as if she’s already imagining things touching her in the pitch-black ocean.