Marina shook her head vehemently.

Rio sighed. “It’s true. We were going to try to find her.”

Marina swung her head toward him, her jaw tight. “No, we weren’t!”

“There’s no point lying,” Rio said, feeling very grown-up all of a sudden. “Not for something like this.”

Birch nodded his head. “You, young man, have a wise head on your shoulders.” He took a sip of his drink. “But . . . there’s more, I sense? I know my daughter is persuasive, but even she would have to go some distance to talk someone into going out into the middle of the ocean by themselves.”

“It wasn’t Marina who persuaded me,” Rio said quietly. “It was me who persuaded her.”

Rio had thought Birch might look surprised, that someone like him would have control over Marina. But instead the older man placed his mug carefully on the table and leaned forward. “By chance, does this have anything to do with your mother?”

“My m-m-mother?!” said Rio. “How do you know about her?”

“Your grandmother explained why you’d come here and, more recently, why you’re staying a bit longer.”

Rio opened his mouth and then closed it again. Birch had known all along?

“Is that why you invited me to join the crew? You felt sorry for me?” The words burst out before he could stop them.

This time Birch did look surprised. “I asked you to join us because you’re an amazing addition,” he said, fixing his gaze on Rio. “The ocean has taught me many lessons, but the most important one is that there are always plenty of resources deep inside us—and I see that in you. You, son, are more resourceful and stronger than you think.”

He could have been talking about Rio’s ability to hear the whales, but Rio sensed that it wasn’t the only thing he meant. Birch placed his hand on Rio’s. It was rough and warm and steady. And Rio didn’t ever want him to let go.

“I know it’s an almost-impossible task and we might never find her,” Marina said, switching the attention back to their immediate plight, “but . . . we couldn’t just do nothing. Rio’s right. What if she’s in trouble?”

Birch nodded. “Earlier on today, I checked in with a few of the other whale-watching tours farther down the coast, and no one has seen her. Of course, there is a good chance she’ll turn up in a couple of days and be absolutely fine.”

“But if she doesn’t?” Rio let the words hang. “Because if she is lost, then I might be able to help find her.”

The idea that a few weeks ago he would have thought himself capable of finding a fully grown gray whale seemed preposterous. But that was before he’d met Marina. Before he’d joined the Spyhopper crew. Before he’d realized he was far more than who he thought he was.

Birch chewed his lip thoughtfully before finally nodding his head.

“You mean we can go?” Marina asked, her eyes lighting up.