Free Seal With a Kiss by Jessica Andersen Page A

mammology-had been a year or two ahead of them at U.C.
Santa Cruz. He'd been a straight-A student, president
of half the clubs on campus, and had always had a
pack of women on his heels.
    Finished with his excessive welcome of Violet,
Chaz turned and held out his hand. "And Smitty! I
haven't seen you in ages. You look ..." he glanced
up and down Smitty's rumpled, travel-weary form
and finished with a lame, "good."
    Smitty shook his hand because he couldn't think
of a graceful way not to. "Chaz. I didn't know you
worked here." He glanced between Violet and Chaz
and narrowed his eyes when he noticed how close
they were standing. "And I didn't know you two
were so friendly."
    Chaz looked surprised by Smitty's scowl. He took
a step back towards his coworkers. "Violet and I
worked together on the Puget Sound project. We got
to know each other pretty well, but fell out of contact
after. You know how it is." His eyes darted back and
forth between Smitty and Violet and one eyebrow lifted in silent question. "I didn't know you two were
back together. Brody didn't mention it when he
called to say you were on your way."

    Violet shook her head in quick denial. "Oh no,
we're not together, Chaz. We're just friends, right,
Smitty?"
    He felt her elbow in his ribs and nodded, irritated
with himself that he was annoyed. That's what they'd
decided on at the water park, wasn't it? Friends.
They'd called a truce and agreed to leave their past
behind. So why did the idea of her snuggling up to
Chaz-the-Perfect irritate him so much?
    "Oh good! Then I'd love to take you out to dinner
tonight, Vi. For old times' sake." Chaz smiled dazzlingly and Smitty wondered whether he had ever
tried to jump off the side of a research vessel with
his swim fins glued to the deck.
    "Sorry," Smitty said without a trace of remorse.
"We've already made plans for dinner tonight."
    Violet looked up at him in surprise. "We have?"
    "Of course. Remember? We have to spend the
specimen jar money." They'd added to it the night
before when he'd wanted to stop and buy Georgia
peaches and she hadn't, and again when she'd
needed a bathroom break a half hour after they'd
stopped for gas. They were up to almost a hundred
and fifty dollars now. "There won't be time to do it on the way home, and by the time we get back to
Smugglers Cove things will be in an uproar, getting
ready for the big opening."

    She nodded and Chaz looked handsomely crestfallen. Then Violet snapped her fingers. "Chaz! Why
don't you come to dinner with us? We can all catch
up on old times, and there's more than enough
money in the fight jar to pay for all of us. Please say
you'll come!"
    Smitty couldn't very well argue with her logicexcept that he'd wanted Violet all to himself for one
dinner. Just to test their new truce, of course, not like
it was a real date or anything. But it seemed that she
was bound and determined to spend her evening with
Perfect Chaz.
    It was funny. He didn't remember having disliked
Chaz this much when they'd all been in school together.
    Clearly sensing a dangerous undercurrent, Chaz
glanced from one to the other. "Are you sure?"
    "Of course," Violet answered for both of them.
"We'd love to have you along. Meet us in the Seaquarium Hotel lobby after the park closes-say
seven-and we'll go from there, okay? And if you
don't mind driving, that'd be great. Our wheels are
less than stylish."
    Chaz nodded, Smitty grumbled, and the welcom ing committee-some of whom had started shifting
restlessly during this exchange-ushered the newcomers into the Seaquarium to meet their new passenger.

    Jasper the sea lion was huge and very, very
friendly.
    Violet discovered this when she leaned down to
examine his feeding chart and he poked his whiskered nose through the mesh of his holding pen and
gave her a wet, fishy kiss on the cheek. "Ugh! Um
... I mean, thanks, Jasper."
    Smitty snickered and she glared at him. He'd been
easier to deal with