Page 9 of Sun, Sea and Spotted Squid

One bizarre building led on to another—a museum like a whale skeleton, then a garden walk with what appeared to be a metal ribcage over it. Sam wandered open-mouthed. There was a road bridge which had an underpass beneath.

“The aquarium must be through here,” Paul said, pointing.

“Wait,” Maria shouted. “We need to see this from the top. It’s our first time.”

They clambered up to the busy road and negotiated their way across. Reaching the barrier on the other side, everyone stopped still. The massive aquarium site had a stunning centrepiece building which resembled a whale coming out of thewater for air. Exhibits surrounded it and early customers were already wandering between them. Ever since that first time his grandparents had taken him to a Sea Life Centre, Sam had been working toward this moment.

Once they were through the gates they congregated by a big lake full of birds and an almost deafening chorus of frogs. There a man waited for them.

“Welcome to Valencia! Welcome to the aquarium. I am Ruben Blasco and I’ll be your manager for your time here.”

He bubbled over with infectious enthusiasm, which made Sam instantly like him. The fact that he was pretty handsome in a rugged way didn’t hurt either. Astrid winked across at Maria.

“You know one of the attendees on the programme last summer went on to work in the Great Barrier Reef.”

Sam vowed to himself that he would make the most of this internship. Who knew where it might lead.

Then the morning took on a life of its own. Ruben took them on a tour of the length and breadth of the operation. The aquarium had everything. The tunnel walk where sharks glided above took Sam straight back to being a kid. His mouth seemed to be permanently wide with wonder. The porpoises came to the glass to examine them. Perhaps they believed the humans were there for their entertainment rather than the other way around.

Even Wolfgang had thawed a smidge and seemed to be getting on well with Paul and Genevieve. Sam got the impression that Wolfgang viewed the others as too juvenile. His side-eye every time one of them said anything remotely amusing gave him away.

Maria and Sam walked toward the classroom building.

“What do you think?” she asked.

“It’s amazing, isn’t it? I think I liked the seahorses best. No wait, perhaps the turtles. Oh, I don’t know. I can’t believe we get to spend the whole summer here.”

She playfully punched him on the arm. “I meant Wolfgang, as well you know. He’s gorgeous, isn’t he?”

Sam had spent the last few hours trying to get those kinds of thoughts out of his mind. Smarting from two idiotic faux pas, he glanced to the front of the line where Wolfgang and Paul were deep in conversation.

“Yes, I suppose he is.”

“Like you hadn’t noticed. You’ve seen more of him than the rest of us. What’s it like under there?”

A wry grin spread across Sam’s face. Who could forget that six-pack and those muscular legs? Sadly, he hadn’t had time to clock what lay under that tiny towel.

“Pretty bloody fabulous.”

They burst into giggles. Astrid and Genevieve spun round.

“What are you two finding so funny?” Astrid asked, narrowing her eyes.

“Oh nothing,” Maria replied. “Just comparing notes.”

FOUR

It might have been an exciting morning, but lunch brought Sam down to earth. In an attempt to show off, he went for the Walrus Waffle, which turned out to be a lukewarm waffle topped with a tiny smattering of cheese and hot sauce. His mouth had still not returned to full duties post-hangover so dealing with the heat and swallowing the doughy concoction proved a challenge.

Wolfgang slid across a can of purple soda.

“You seem to be struggling with that,” he said, with the slightest hint of a smile.

Sam’s cheeks were burning as he took the drink.

“Where are we all from?” Ruben asked the table. “I was born in a little town called Buñol up in the mountains.”

Up close, he most certainly lay on the attractive side of things. Perhaps not in the same drop-dead-gorgeous league as Wolfgang. Even so Ruben’s shaved head, stubble and hint of a hairy chest under his shirt made for a winning combination.